The Cold-Hearted Grand Duke Obsesses Over Me After My Death - Chapter 106

Chapter 106. Contract Period

Their lips brushed past each other. In that fleeting moment, Emilia turned her head and deliberately avoided his kiss. A pang of guilt rose, and she couldn’t even bring herself to look at him properly.

Louid, who had paused for a moment, straightened the head he had lowered.

“Then I’ll see you later.”

“Yes.”

After a brief silence, Louid whispered softly. His voice was calm, but his expression was stiff. Emilia also answered in a barely audible voice.

After Louid left, Emilia went to the dressing room and changed into a beautiful dress. Then, with Helen’s help, she fixed her hair and put on makeup.

Today was a gathering to celebrate Louid, so she wanted to dress beautifully.

“You’re truly beautiful, Your Highness.”

Helen looked at her with admiration.

“Thank you. Your skills keep improving, Helen.”

Emilia thought that she had been able to perform the role of Grand Duchess even this much thanks to Helen. If it weren’t for her, she wouldn’t have known how to do anything and wouldn’t have been able to adapt to this unfamiliar place.

“It’s nothing. Your Highness becomes more beautiful with each passing day. What I’ve contributed isn’t even worth a speck of dust,” Helen said with a warm smile.

“Thank you.”

After finishing her preparations, Emilia headed to the dining room.

“Emilia.”

When she entered the dining room, Louid was already there waiting. Seeing her, he stood and pulled out a chair for her.

“Thank you.”

Emilia slowly sat down. Louid, who sat diagonally across from her, looked at her silently for a while.

“You’re beautiful.”

After a moment, he suddenly spoke. Emilia was startled inside. He had said she looked pretty out of formality before, but he had never called her beautiful like this when they were alone.

She couldn’t tell if he meant it or if it was just courtesy, but her heart pounded at his words. But soon, she felt sad.

I don’t deserve to be treated like this….

“Thank you. You look wonderful too.”

Louid was always handsome, but today, it seemed as if a bright light surrounded his sculpted face.

“Thank you. It’s thanks to you,” Louid said as he looked at her with a serious expression.

“For what?” Emilia tilted her head and asked.

Have I ever helped Louid with anything?

She couldn’t think of anything she had done well. She had always only received his help, so she couldn’t understand what he meant by saying it was thanks to her.

“Thank you for doing well in your role as Grand Duchess all this time.”

“Ah….”

For a moment, she couldn’t think of what to say. She had only intended to play the role of Grand Duchess until the divorce, so she hadn’t expected to be acknowledged by him. She had always worried about whether she was doing well. Hearing such unexpected words made her chest tighten.

“Thank you for the compliment. And this is a gift. Congratulations on becoming Crown Prince.”

Holding back the tears that threatened to fall, Emilia held out a small box.

“A gift?”

Louid’s thick eyebrows lifted slightly. He was not easily surprised, but it seemed he hadn’t expected to receive a gift from her. When he opened the box and took out the pocket watch, his expression turned subtle.

Unable to tell whether Louid liked her gift or not, Emilia stared at his eyes. For some reason, Louid avoided her gaze. Emilia kept looking at him, wanting to understand even a little of how he felt. His face seemed slightly flushed.

‘No way. It must be the wine.’

It was the first time Louid had ever avoided her gaze. Emilia thought she must have seen it wrong.

“When did you prepare this?” Louid asked as he toyed with the pocket watch.

“I bought it at a shop the last time I went to Plumond.”

“Thank you. I have something to give you too.”

Louid put the pocket watch into his inner pocket and, as if he had prepared it in advance, held out a large bouquet that had been placed on the chair beside him. The bouquet was filled with beautifully colored flowers in pink, yellow, white, and more.

All of a sudden?

She hadn’t expected Louid to give her flowers, so she felt both happy and dazed.

“They’re pretty. Thank you.”

She liked flowers, so she brought the bouquet close and breathed in the fragrance deeply. An unmistakable smile spread across her face.

“I knew you’d like them.”

Louid’s expression softened with satisfaction.

“Let’s make a toast.”

In a better mood from the fragrant scent, Emilia lifted her wine glass and proposed a toast.

“Alright.”

The two clinked their glasses and emptied them while savoring the taste of the wine.

“It’s delicious.”

“Drink more.”

More than becoming Crown Prince himself, Louid felt greater pride and happiness in making Emilia the Crown Princess. He kept refilling Emilia’s empty glass, and in the warm and gentle atmosphere, Emilia silently emptied her glass.

“So, Emilia, I’d like to extend our contract period a little.”

When she was getting tipsy from the wine, Louid brought it up. He intended to secure a promise while she was drunk.

“How much longer?”

Emilia, slightly drunk, asked with a slurred tongue.

Is something going on?

She couldn’t even imagine that Louid had other intentions.

“If the Crown Prince couple divorces right after having a child, it wouldn’t look good to His Majesty or the ministers. The people of the empire would also find it strange.”

Louid tried to persuade her by giving a reason she couldn’t easily refute.

“That would be a bit difficult.”

But even while drunk, Emilia expressed her refusal. She was in a position where she had to leave his side even now, so delaying the divorce was something her conscience wouldn’t allow.

“Then just for a few months.”

After a brief silence, Louid spoke in a gentle voice.

“…Alright. Let’s do that.”

After thinking for a moment, Emilia had no choice but to agree. She couldn’t leave right now anyway, so she thought it would be better to pretend to go along with what he said.

Louid poured wine into her empty glass again. By the time the meal ended, Emilia was completely drunk and left the dining room in his arms.

Louid carried Emilia to the bedroom and carefully laid her on the bed. She looked as if she had completely lost consciousness.

Did I make her drink too much?

Louid’s expression turned bitter. It was a happy day, but he felt regret that he couldn’t spend the night with her. Still, he looked down at her with warm eyes and said,

“Thank you, Emilia.”

Murmuring quietly, he left the bedroom to take care of the remaining matters. After he left, Emilia’s eyes slowly opened.

Berthe’s blood must not become the heir.

Her resolve was firm. But although she pretended to be drunk today, she couldn’t keep refusing him at night forever. If she kept doing that, he would find it strange.

I need to get contraceptives.

Closing her eyes again, she thought about when she would leave and how to obtain contraceptives, and soon drifted off to sleep.

***

“Your Highness, have you been well?”

The next day, a familiar face returned.

“Lucy! How is Mother?”

Lucy had returned to her hometown for several months to care for her sick mother. Emilia had also sent her ample money for medical treatment and living expenses.

“Thanks to you, Your Highness, she’s recovered well. Thank you.”

“That’s a relief. I’m glad you’re back.”

Seeing Lucy’s bright expression put her at ease.

“I’m truly happy to serve you again as well, Your Highness.”

“I hope you get along well with Helen.”

“Yes, I will.”

Helen and Lucy were the same age, and they quickly became close as soon as they met. Emilia watched the two of them with a pleased expression.

“Your Highness, I heard the Marquess of Mayen’s daughter was injured.”

The next day, however, Helen brought surprising news.

“What? Why?”

Emilia’s body went rigid.

What does this mean? She was perfectly fine at the tea party, so why is she injured?

“She was in a carriage accident on her way home after attending the tea party. It seems she was seriously hurt.”

“…I see?”

Emilia murmured with a shocked expression.

‘She was such a kind young lady….’

The image of her treating Emilia kindly at the tea party vividly came to mind.

“Send her a letter of consolation and some compensation.”

“Yes.”

The next day, more news arrived.

“Your Highness, the daughters of the Count of Shield and the Count of Rayson were also in carriage accidents on their way back to their estates on the same day.”

Helen informed her as she brought tea into the greenhouse.

“What did you say?”

Emilia’s face filled with shock. All the injured young ladies had attended the tea party at the Marquess Carrion’s residence that day, and they were all the ones who had treated her kindly.

“Send them letters of consolation and compensation as well.”

Emilia gave the order with a shocked expression.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

After Helen left, Emilia fell into deep thought with a serious expression. At that moment, something came to mind.

‘Sarah, Linda, and Karen are all the young ladies who danced with Louid.’

The three young ladies were the ones who had partnered with Louid during the group waltz at the imperial banquet last time.

It wasn’t even something they had chosen. It was just a group dance where partners rotated.

…Something felt off.

If someone was harming the women who danced with the Grand Duke, who could it be?