The Cold-Hearted Grand Duke Obsesses Over Me After My Death - Chapter 74

Chapter 74. Ian Billiot

When she lifted her head and looked straight ahead, she saw a man with light brown hair and black eyes smiling politely down at her. He was slightly shorter than Louid but still a tall, handsome man.

‘Billiot?’

Emilia’s body stiffened.

The battle where her father Dave was said to have died had been the all-out war against the Kingdom of Billiot.

‘Then this man is a member of Billiot’s royal family?’

Emilia examined the man standing before her more closely.

“Are you perhaps royalty?”

As the music began and she took both his hands, Emilia asked.

“Yes, I am. I’m Ian, the second prince of Billiot.”

The man smiled gently and introduced himself again.

‘If he’s a prince of Billiot….’

Emilia swallowed with a tense expression.

He was the grandson of the Billiot king whom her father, Dave, had killed.

If that was the case, then he and she were enemies. Yet here they were, holding hands and dancing as if nothing were wrong. What an absurd situation this was.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Prince Ian. What brings you to the empire?”

Trying her best to stay composed, Emilia asked.

She wondered if he was here to study abroad, or traveling, or perhaps part of a diplomatic mission.

“I’m a hostage.”

Emilia’s eyes widened at his answer.

“I… see. It must be difficult living in another country.”

“I do miss my homeland, but I’m glad I could meet the Grand Duchess. I’m starting to think coming as a hostage was worth it.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you too, Your Highness.”

Emilia forced her troubled feelings down and answered with proper courtesy.

‘When is this song going to end?’

When she danced with others, the songs had felt short. But while dancing with Ian, this one refused to end.

She wanted to change partners as soon as possible, but what could she do….

Emilia tried to spot Louid, glancing left and right.

Thanks to his tall height, she spotted him quickly. He was far away, dancing with a red-haired young lady while chatting.

‘Looks like he’s having fun.’

Emilia completely forgot that she herself had been enjoying dancing with other men earlier. She shot a petty glare in Louid’s direction.

“Grand Duchess, may you spare me a moment? There’s something I want to tell you.”

Ian’s voice reached her ears just as she had been distracted with thoughts of Louid.

Emilia turned her gaze back to Ian and answered, “Can’t you say it here, Your Highness?”

“It’s a bit difficult here. There are many ears around.”

“Then over tea sometime….”

“I want to treat you to a meal.”

Just when Emilia thought she could at least spare a moment over tea, Ian cut her off.

“Ah… I’m a little….”

“I know you’re not busy.”

“….”

Emilia’s eyes widened.

How did he know she wasn’t busy? And if he was a prince of Billiot, then he must know who her father was and what had happened in the past. Why was he acting like this?

She didn’t understand Ian’s words at all.

His grandfather had died at Dave’s hands, and Dave had also died in that same battle. They were not people who should be smiling and holding a conversation.

“What has you thinking so hard, Grand Duchess?” Ian asked softly, watching her lost in thought.

“Ah, I wasn’t thinking of anything. You must feel quite lonely being in a foreign land by yourself, Your Highness.”

“That’s true. Which is why I’m even happier to meet you.”

Emilia almost wanted to smack her own mouth.

Lonely, my foot. In moments like this, pretending not to know anything would’ve been best.

Judging from his tone and expression, he wasn’t lying.

“Haha, let’s have the meal another time then. If fate allows, we’ll meet again,” Emilia answered politely, forcing her voice into something businesslike.

Thankfully, the music changed during their conversation, letting her move on to another partner.

Even as he danced with someone else, Ian kept glancing at her with a look of regret.

Meanwhile, Asher was watching Lina closely. She kept switching places with the other young ladies, trying to become Louid’s partner.

Ever since she’d asked him about the Grand Duchess’s recent activities, he hadn’t liked her. The way she kept trying to approach Louid looked suspicious.

“Your Highness the Grand Duke, it’s an honor to meet you again.”

Lina finally stood face to face with Louid, greeting him with a bright smile.

“La….”

Louid looked down at her with a dry expression, as if he couldn’t remember her name, and furrowed his brow.

“I’m Lina.”

“Ah, Lady Lina.”

“It’s an honor to dance with Your Highness.”

“It’s a group dance, so I don’t see why it should be considered an honor,” Louid replied in an indifferent tone.

“Even so, it’s rare for me to have a chance to face Your Highness like this, so it’s an incredible honor for me. By the way, what’s Your Highness’s ideal type?” Lina asked with a subtle smile.

“Ideal type…? I’m already married,” Louid answered bluntly. Asking a married man about his ideal type out of nowhere, what was she thinking?

“Yes, I know. But surely Your Highness must have an ideal type aside from your political marriage partner.”

At the words political marriage, Louid’s eyebrow twitched. His marriage with Emilia had indeed been a textbook political marriage.

“What exactly are you trying to say, Lady?”

“A marriage with love is happiness for a woman. I feel like Her Highness the Grand Duchess wasn’t given the chance to feel that happiness before marrying. And the same goes for Your Highness. Forgive my boldness, but it pains me to see the two of you.”

Lina looked up at him with a falsely sympathetic expression. Louid’s lips pressed into a hard line.

A marriage with love, she said. He and Emilia were nothing more or less than a contractual couple, so love shouldn’t even be part of the conversation.

Even so, his eyes kept searching through the crowd of young noble ladies and gentlemen for Emilia.

“…!”

He found her. Emilia was dancing with a blond man. Whether she was enjoying the dance itself or liked her partner, he couldn’t tell, but she wore a cheerful expression.

“I’m glad you know your place. You don’t need to worry about such things going forward.”

Louid spoke to Lina in a sharp tone, his eyes fixed on Emilia smiling brightly at her partner.

“Yes, I understand, Your Highness.”

Lina studied Louid’s expression carefully as she gave a small smile. He said she didn’t need to worry, but his expression said otherwise.

‘He’ll rethink his political marriage and the Grand Duchess for sure.’

If that happened, her meeting with Louid today would be a success.

Not only did she need to start a relationship with him, but she also needed to create an atmosphere that would push the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess toward divorce as soon as possible. Her goal was the position of the future empress—the Grand Duchess—not a concubine or a mistress.

With a smile on her lips, Lina placed one hand on Louid’s shoulder and held his other hand as they spun. At that moment, Emilia also spun and glanced lightly in Louid’s direction.

‘That’s Lady Carrion, isn’t it?’

Lina and Louid were dancing.

Not only Lina but several other young ladies were also turning their heads toward Louid, watching him constantly.

But Louid’s gaze never left Emilia.

“Is that man… the prince of Billiot?”

Why was Emilia dancing with him of all people?

Louid continued glaring at Ian, who had become Emilia’s partner, his expression stiff.

“Your Highness the Grand Duke, I’m Linda of Count Shield’s household. It’s an honor to meet you.”

A young lady from a count’s family greeted Louid again. She had already greeted him once, but since he hadn’t responded, she assumed he hadn’t heard.

“Mm… it’s a pleasure, Lady.”

Louid was now dancing almost mechanically. It was hard to tell whether he was dancing or simply repeating the same motions over and over.

Even so, his gaze never left Emilia and Ian.

Prince Ian was the second prince of the Kingdom of Billiot, but because the first prince, the crown prince, was in poor health, Ian was considered the strongest candidate for the next heir.

There were other princes below him, yet the fact that he had taken the risk of coming to the empire as a hostage was suspicious, and it was even stranger that a man who had never once attended any banquet had chosen to appear at today’s event.

Louid continued glancing sideways at Ian as he danced. Eventually, the group dance ended, and the attendees gathered in small groups to drink wine and converse.

‘Why do I keep getting angry at the young ladies who danced with Louid?’

Meanwhile, Emilia was lost in thought as she sipped her wine.

She barely remembered the young noblemen she had danced with, yet she remembered every single young lady who had danced with Louid.

Lady Linda was standing right in front of her. Emilia remembered her name because she had attended a previous banquet at the Grand Duke’s manor.

That young lady laughed and talked to Louid earlier….

“La….”

Emilia began calling out to Lady Linda but stopped mid-syllable.

‘No. I shouldn’t. What am I doing? I’ll be stepping down as Grand Duchess soon.’

She kept repeating it to herself, but whenever she saw young ladies approach Louid, something inside her churned uncomfortably. So she decided she simply wouldn’t look in Louid’s direction at all.

“Your Highness the Grand Duchess.”

A deep voice sounded behind her. When she turned around, Ian was approaching her with a wine glass in hand.