The Cold-Hearted Grand Duke Obsesses Over Me After My Death - Chapter 80

Chapter 80. The Grand Duchess Is Suspicious

After finishing lunch with the officials, Louid was riding back to where Emilia was when he spotted a pillar of smoke rising in the distance.

‘What’s going on?’

The night there was a fire in the annex of the castle came to mind. For some reason, he had a bad feeling.

He spurred his horse at full speed toward the column of smoke and soon arrived at the place called the Fire of the Gods. The main entrance to the passage leading to the Fire of the Gods wouldn’t budge no matter how hard the people tried to open it.

“People are coming out over there.”

Louid rode to where the knight escorting him pointed.

There was a small back door behind the building, and people were escaping through it. But Emilia’s face was nowhere to be seen.

No way….

“Emilia! Emilia!”

Louid shouted Emilia’s name at the top of his lungs. After everyone came out, the knights were the last to appear.

“Where is Emilia?”

“She’s still inside. Sir Jamie went to escort her.”

The moment he heard the knight’s words, Louid ran inside.

“Your Highness, it’s dangerous. Your Highness.”

He heard the knights shouting behind him, but he didn’t stop. Once inside, he saw Jamie staggering from inhaling too much smoke.

“Jamie, get out. Now!”

“Her Highness is inside…. Ugh.”

Jamie staggered and pointed inside. After securing the back door, he tried to return to the Grand Duchess, but he became trapped by the flames closing in. He lowered his body close to the floor and crawled farther in, but he couldn’t find the Grand Duchess.

“I’ll bring her out, so get out quickly.”

Louid shoved Jamie’s back to send him outside, then ran deeper inside.

“…?”

Someone inside was staggering out while carrying a person on their back.

“…Lady Carrion?”

Lina was staggering toward him with Emilia on her back. Louid took Emilia from Lina and looked at her with an expression of disbelief.

He couldn’t understand why Lady Carrion was here, or how she managed to carry Emilia out. For now, he held Emilia in his arms and came outside with Lina in front.

“Call the physician, now!”

“Yes!”

Louid gave an order to the knights who were waiting.

“Emilia, Emilia.”

He shouted Emilia’s name and held his hand under her nose to see if she was breathing. Fortunately, she was breathing, though faintly.

“Lady oCarrion, what happened?”

Holding Emilia in his arms, Louid asked Lina.

“I was watching the Fire of the Gods when the flames suddenly surged up high. I tried to leave with the others, and I saw Her Highness collapsed, so I carried her out without thinking.”

Louid quickly examined Lina. There was soot blackening her cheek, and ash clung to her clothes.

“Thank you for saving the Grand Duchess. I will reward you.”

The Marquess of Carrion was on the list of eastern nobles Eddie had prepared, and since his daughter was of marriageable age, Louid had been looking at Lady Carrion with suspicion. But she had saved Emilia, making him feel guilty for suspecting her.

“A reward? I only did what I should, Your Highness.”

“The person you saved is the Grand Duchess of the Richert Empire. If you have a wish, say it.”

“I do have one wish….”

Lina glanced at Louid’s face cautiously as she spoke.

“What is it?”

“If Your Highness the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess enter the imperial palace, I want to become Her Highness’s lady-in-waiting. Will you permit it?”

“A lady-in-waiting? There’s no need for you to become one. If you’re doing this to meet Her Highness, wouldn’t it be enough to visit the imperial palace often?”

“I want to serve Her Highness closely.”

“Then when Emilia wakes up, I’ll ask her. It’s the wish of someone who saved her life, so I don’t think she’ll oppose it, but Her Highness’s opinion could be different.”

“Yes, understood, Your Highness.”

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

“No, Your Highness. You don’t need to worry about me. Oh, come to think of it, I’ve taken up too much of your time. Please take care of Her Highness,” Lina said, pretending to worry about Emilia.

“Very well. Go back safely, young lady.”

“Yes, I’ll see you again next time, Your Highness.”

Lina lifted the hem of her skirt slightly, stained with soot, and gave Louid a polite greeting, then strolled unhurriedly to where her carriage was.

When she arrived at the carriage, Jack, who had been waiting, opened the door for her. After sitting down, Lina curled her lips into a bitter smile.

When the curse through the priest failed, she decided to step in herself. After the audience entered, she cast magic in advance so the main entrance wouldn’t open, then used black magic to draw up the flames.

The lady-in-waiting of the Crown Princess, the future empress, was not a position just anyone could take. It was a post young ladies of high noble houses coveted.

If she could secure that position in advance, then inhaling a little smoke was something she could do as much as needed.

Today, she left a good impression on the Grand Duke and received a positive answer about the lady-in-waiting position, so it was a truly satisfying result.

“Emilia, it’d be even better if that woman didn’t wake up.”

***

“Ugh, my head.”

Her head hurt like it was going to split. Not only her head, but her eyes, nose, and ears hurt too.

“Emilia, are you coming to?”

When she barely opened her eyes, Louid was sitting beside the bed.

“Louid, what happened?”

“There was an accident. Lady Carrion saved you. Don’t you remember?”

“Lady Carrion saved me?”

Emilia’s eyes widened.

“It seemed like something went wrong with the Fire of the Gods facility. The flames shot up several times higher than usual. Everyone else got out, but you couldn’t. Then Lady Carrion came out carrying you on her back.”

“…Lady Carrion carried me?”

“That’s right.”

Why would Lina do that to me? It was hard to believe.

“Then no one was hurt, right?”

“Yes, but you were hurt, so it’s not like no one was hurt.”

“I’m fine.”

She didn’t know why the flames surged up, but she was glad no one else was hurt.

“Yes, thank goodness. I said I’d reward Lady Carrion, but she said she didn’t need anything. Instead.”

“Instead what?”

Emilia’s voice turned sharp. When Lina came up, she couldn’t stay calm.

“She said she wants to become your lady-in-waiting later. After we enter the imperial palace.”

“The marquess’s daughter wants to be my lady-in-waiting?”

“The lady-in-waiting of the Crown Princess or empress is a position young noble ladies compete over.”

“….”

Emilia didn’t know how to answer. From the way Louid looked, it seemed he was thinking positively about Lina’s request.

“Alright. Let’s do that.”

Emilia answered in a weak voice. She wanted to refuse, but since Lina had saved her life, she couldn’t think of a proper reason to reject it.

“Alright. The physician said you inhaled a little smoke, so lie down and get plenty of rest.”

“Yes.”

Two days later, Emilia regained her strength.

‘She definitely reached her hand toward the fire….’

Jamie, who had witnessed the Grand Duchess’s strange behavior, stood in front of the carriage, tilting his head in confusion. He couldn’t decide whether he should report what he saw to the Grand Duke or not.

‘No, no way. It must’ve been because it was hot.’

Just as he came to what he considered a reasonable conclusion, a voice filled with concern spoke to him.

“Sir Jamie, are you alright?”

“Yes, I’m alright, Your Highness.”

“I heard you ran in to save me. Thank you so much.”

“No, it’s my duty.”

At her praise, Jamie’s face flushed red.

“It may be your duty, but is risking your life easy? Next time, don’t charge in blindly. If it’s dangerous, fall back. I’ll get out on my own.”

“Th-that would be difficult. I will definitely save Your Highness no matter what.”

Jamie said with a stiff face. Telling an escort knight to retreat was the same as telling him to die.

“I’m joking. Thank you so much. I’ll never forget this.”

“Thank you!”

Hearing the booming reply, Emilia climbed into the carriage. A smile rose on her face. She was glad Sir Jamie hadn’t been hurt. Protecting her was the escort knights’ duty, but if something happened to someone while saving her, she felt like she wouldn’t be able to live with a sound mind.

Following behind her, Louid also got into the carriage. Having heard her conversation with Jamie up close, Louid stared at her with a thoughtful expression.

“Emilia, is your body alright now?”

“Yes, I’m alright. I’m completely better.”

“Good, that’s a relief. If it’s too much, tell me.”

“Yes, I understand.”

The carriage slowly departed toward the next destination.

After visiting three cities, the two of them finished the provincial inspection they had planned. Before returning to the imperial capital, they decided to stop by Count Dalton’s castle.

***

‘Why didn’t the fire spread further?’

After returning to the marquess’s residence, Lina sank into thought. That day, she sat at the end of the audience seats where she wouldn’t stand out, then used black magic to intensify the fire.

Her skill wasn’t as good as her mother’s, but she was confident, if nothing else, in the magic that made flames grow. Yet the fire only grew a little and then didn’t grow any further. And it felt as if something was blocking the flames.

An unidentified power was preventing the fire from growing larger. She tried to overcome that power, but she couldn’t handle it. It was strange.

It was also suspicious that only the Grand Duchess remained until the end when everyone else evacuated. Even the escort knights went outside.

‘I need to investigate. The Grand Duchess is suspicious.’