The Cold-Hearted Grand Duke Obsesses Over Me After My Death - Chapter 83

Chapter 83. Waiting (1)

The day after returning from the inspection, Louid visited the imperial palace and had an audience with the emperor.

“I greet His Majesty Emperor William V, the Sun of the Empire.”

Entering the emperor’s office, he greeted the emperor with proper courtesy.

“Alright. Come in. When it’s just us, skip greetings like that.”

William welcomed him with a pleased expression and pointed to the sofa.

“Yes, understood.”

Louid went to the sofa and sat facing the emperor.

“Have you had a good trip?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. Have you been well in the meantime?”

Louid first checked the emperor’s complexion. Fortunately, William didn’t seem any different in health than before.

“Yes. I’ve been well. You must’ve had a hard time. Didn’t Emilia come with you?”

The emperor looked for Emilia with a curious expression.

“Yes, I thought she would be tired, so I told her to rest.”

“Good. Well done. You traveled a long distance, so she must be tired. Always take care of the Grand Duchess’s health.”

Having lost the empress to illness and with his own body not in good condition, William deeply regretted not having taken care of the empress’s health because of his busy daily life. So he always urged Louid to take care of Emilia’s health.

“Yes, understood.”

“And did you do what I told you to do?”

The emperor was asking whether Louid and Emilia had been working hard to produce an heir. That had been the purpose of sending the two of them on the inspection in the first place.

“…Yes.”

Louid’s face reddened slightly as he answered. At his answer, William smiled with satisfaction.

After their brief small talk ended, Louid began reporting on the regions he had inspected.

“I heard Plumond needs funds for dam construction. When I inspected the area that was flooded this time, it looked very serious. I think swift execution is necessary.”

“Alright. Do that.”

The emperor approved without a second word.

“I’ve heard that in Ripus, the population has increased and they need an academy.”

“Alright. You handle that too.”

Several more reports followed after that, but the emperor handed over all authority to him without any major issues. After finishing his report, Louid greeted the emperor and left the office.

With the emperor’s approval, he stopped by the annex palace where the administrative officials who handled financial work were stationed and ordered the execution of the budget for the dam construction. He also processed the budget for facilities needed in various other regions he had inspected.

Because he’d decided to help with the emperor’s work, he went straight to his own office in the imperial palace and plunged into work without pause.

***

‘Maybe I should’ve gone to see His Majesty too….’

In her workshop, drawing clothing sketches for the first time in a while, Emilia thought she might have followed Louid to the imperial palace.

In the morning, when Louid told her to rest, she had been tired from the trip, so she said she would, but remembering that she had promised His Majesty before that she would visit often, she regretted not going to the imperial palace today.

‘He’s truly a kind person.’

His Majesty the Emperor was truly a good person. Emilia thought that when Louid returned, she should ask after the emperor’s well-being.

Since she couldn’t do much clothing design while they were away on the inspection, she decided she would draw a lot today. After lunch, Emilia gathered her tools and headed to the greenhouse. The greenhouse at the grand duke’s manor also had many kinds of trees and flowers, like the greenhouse at the grand duke’s castle.

Once she sat down in the greenhouse and began drawing, time passed as fast as an arrow. It didn’t feel like she drew much, but it was already becoming late afternoon.

‘It’s hot.’

Looking at the colorful patterned summer flowers as she drew a dress sketch, Emilia wiped the sweat running down her forehead with the back of her hand. The grand ducal castle in the north would still be cool, but the imperial capital was very hot and humid, true to summer weather.

Rustle-

“…?”

Just then, she heard something moving nearby.

What is it?

Her escort was watching from a distance, but there was no one inside the greenhouse. Emilia looked around with anxious eyes.

Rustle-

Another suspicious sound.

‘I should go out.’

By Louid’s order, the grand ducal manor was under strict guard by the knights. But right now, she was the only one inside the greenhouse, so it seemed safer to go outside first.

Emilia forced her stiff body to rise and took a step toward the door. She was just approaching the entrance.

‘What is that?’

A cute little green frog hopped up in front of her. As the frog jumped, a rustling sound came from the flower stalk.

“It was you.”

Emilia let out a relieved smile. But the little green frog looked very cute. The green frog had red eyes, like Louid.

“I’ll give you a name. From now on, you’re Louie.”

Louid’s childhood nickname was Louie, and the frog resembled Louid, so she decided to call it Louie.

“Louie, come here.”

When Emilia held out her hand, the frog strangely hopped up onto her finger.

Looking at the frog’s red eyes made her think of Louid without her realizing it. After returning from the inspection, he felt noticeably easier to be around.

‘Why was I afraid of him all this time?’

Now that she thought about it, he wasn’t a scary person. If anything, he was someone with a strong sense of responsibility and someone diligent.

“He just doesn’t like me, but he’s a good person.”

Letting out a sigh, she played around for a long while with Louie, who didn’t run away.

After some time, she slowly left the greenhouse with a content expression.

‘It should be time for him to return.’

After returning to the manor, Emilia decided to go to Louid’s office.

“Your Highness the Grand Duchess, His Highness the Grand Duke hasn’t returned from the imperial palace yet.”

When she opened the office door and stepped inside, the attendant guarding the office sprang to his feet and spoke.

Emilia hesitated for a moment at the attendant’s words, but it seemed like he would return before dinner.

“Is that so? I’ll wait inside until His Highness returns.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Entering the inner office where Louid worked, Emilia didn’t sit on the sofa and instead slowly looked around the office. Like the office in the grand ducal castle, Louid’s office had only a large black desk and chair, a large sofa, and bookshelves filling the entire wall.

‘It’s bleak. I should’ve cut some flowers and brought them.’

Next time she came, she thought she should bring flowers and decorate.

And change the curtains too.

The curtains installed on every window were all black, so they didn’t suit the summer weather.

‘What am I thinking….’

A bitter smile rose on Emilia’s face.

She would divorce soon and leave this place, yet she was thinking about decorating the office. A sigh escaped her on its own.

But even if she left when she left, she felt she should at least change the interior a little to make it brighter. Working all day in a place that was nothing but black would make a person feel gloomy. In her mind, plans for how to change the office began forming one after another.

After finishing her look around the office, she went over to the window and looked outside.

‘It’s pretty.’

The beautiful garden, fountain, and statues spread out below in a single view.

The grand ducal manor, no less than the grand ducal castle, was surrounded by a beautiful natural environment. Far away, beneath high mountains, there was a forest thick with trees and a wide field dyed green.

‘I want to ride a horse.’

When she first rode a horse, she was so scared she might fall to the ground, but now her skill improved enough that she could ride Zelda and run briskly across the field.

‘Should I go out riding Zelda tomorrow?’

When Emilia came to the grand ducal manor, she brought Zelda with her as well. She was still afraid to ride other horses, but Zelda was fine because she was used to her.

It was just as Emilia was thinking that.

“Huh?”

A drop or two of rain tapped against the window, then soon turned into a heavy downpour.

Oh no. Don’t tell me he’s out there in the rain?

She worried about Louid, who went to the imperial palace. But she quickly withdrew the worry.

‘He’ll be inside the imperial palace building, so he’ll be fine.’

There were dozens of buildings in the imperial palace, and Louid would be working in the main palace or the crown prince’s palace office. Worrying that the Grand Duke might get rained on was needless concern.

“Heh.”

She let out a light laugh because her own thoughts were silly.

He went there by carriage, so he would return by carriage too, and he wouldn’t get rained on.

She didn’t realize she’d been thinking about Louid all day.

The window fogged up white. Reaching her hand toward the window, she drew on the glass with her index finger. It was Louid’s face.

‘His face really is handsome. It’s just that his personality is cold.’

After looking at her drawing with pleased eyes, Emilia decided to sit on the sofa and wait for Louid. She drank the tea a servant brought and drew clothing sketches.

‘When is he coming?’

Louid went to the imperial palace early in the morning, but he still hadn’t returned even though it was already nearing sunset. When she looked outside, the rain kept falling, and black darkness was closing in.

Should I ask tomorrow….

It seemed like she could ask about His Majesty the Emperor’s well-being tomorrow. Picking up her drawing tools, Emilia rose from the sofa and walked to the door to return to her bedroom. When she reached the door, she heard strong footsteps, and the office door flung open.

“Louid!”

Louid’s broad chest was right in front of her.