The Cold-Hearted Grand Duke Obsesses Over Me After My Death - Chapter 94
Chapter 94. The Two in the Greenhouse
“Ah, this is my mother’s keepsake.”
“I see. Since it was passed down by Your Highness’s mother, it must be precious.”
They said she was the daughter of a dancer, so what kind of ring is it? At the mention that it was her mother’s keepsake, Lina examined the worn ring once more. She needed something, anything that could become her weakness.
“That’s right.”
Finding it difficult to answer further, Emilia hurriedly glossed over it and sipped her tea.
“You said you’d rest here for a few days?” Emilia asked after quickly drinking the still-warm tea.
“Yes, that’s right. It’s my first time at the grand ducal manor, so I’d like to look around. More than anything, I’d like to have tea with Your Highness often.”
“…I see.”
Emilia let out a quiet sigh so it wouldn’t show. It was already uncomfortable just sitting face to face for a moment, yet she wanted to have tea often. She couldn’t refuse since she was her savior, so it was troublesome. As they talked, quite some time passed.
“Then rest. A servant will guide you to the guest bedroom.”
“Yes, I will.”
After finishing the formal meeting with Lina, Emilia stood up.
“Let’s meet at dinner time.”
“Yes. By the way, Your Highness, I’d like to look around the grand ducal manor. Would that be alright?”
“Of course.”
Emilia readily agreed to Lina’s request. There was no reason to stop a guest who wanted to look around.
“I’ll call a maid to guide you.”
“That’s not necessary. I’ll look around on my own.”
“…Alright.”
It was a bit strange that she wanted to look around alone in an unfamiliar place, but Emilia couldn’t tell her not to, so she just shrugged it off.
Following a servant toward the guest bedroom, Lina glanced around the second-floor corridor.
‘The office?’
She stopped abruptly in front of a door labeled office.
‘So this is where the Grand Duke works.’
Just thinking that it was where Louid handled his duties made her heart pound. Of course, he wouldn’t be inside now since he’d gone to the imperial palace.
“Do you have some business with the office?”
At the sudden unfamiliar voice, she turned around to see a thin man wearing glasses.
“My lady, I’m Eddie, aide to His Highness the Grand Duke. Welcome to the grand ducal manor.”
The man greeted her politely.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Sir Eddie. I saw the sign for the office while passing by, so I thought I’d greet His Highness if he was inside.”
While talking with Emilia, Lina probed the aide, thinking the Grand Duke might have already returned from the imperial palace.
“His Highness has not returned yet. He will be back by dinner time,” Eddie answered politely.
“I see. Understood.”
After speaking, Lina walked down the corridor with the waiting servant. Eddie watched her receding figure closely.
“This is the guest bedroom. If you need anything, pull the bell cord.”
“Thank you.”
Guided to the annex guest bedroom, Lina took off her neat dress and changed into another outfit she had brought from the marquess’s estate. It was a thin dress made for midsummer. Before leaving for the grand ducal manor, she had instructed her maid to pack only summer clothes.
‘This should be enough.’
She let her long silver hair fall loose down to her waist, decorated it with a pin set with elaborate jewels, and stood in front of the full-length mirror. She was quite satisfied with her appearance.
Through an informant planted in the imperial palace, she already knew that Louid always returned to the grand ducal manor around sunset. After waiting a bit in the room, the sun was beginning to set.
‘If I wait a little longer, the Grand Duke will return.’
Leaving the room, she pretended to look around the annex corridor, then went outside and lingered in the grand garden near the main building lobby. Since she had told the Grand Duchess she would look around the manor, there was no need to worry about being suspected.
At that moment, the carriage Louid was riding in was entering the gates of the grand ducal manor.
“Stop in front of the knights’ quarters.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
He had something to instruct Alex about, so he made a brief stop at the annex where the knights stayed. After finishing his business a short while later, he left the knights’ quarters and walked along the garden path that led to the main building.
‘Come to think of it, I’ve never taken a walk with Emilia.’
After falling ill once, he found himself thinking about Emilia more often. As he looked at the beautiful garden, he felt the urge to walk through it with her.
Why am I thinking like this?
But a moment later, Louid tilted his head at his own sudden thought. Until now, he had never once thought about wanting to walk with Emilia, so something felt strange.
“Hmph.”
At his own sudden thought, Louid shook his head and let out a short laugh. But his steps gradually quickened.
Just as he was about to reach the main building, a strange woman came into view.
‘Who is that?’
It wasn’t Emilia; it was a woman with silver hair.
“Greetings, Your Highness the Grand Duke.”
The silver-haired woman approached him, slowing his steps, and greeted him politely. Her face looked familiar. Only then did he recall Eddie’s report from earlier that morning before he left the manor.
“Lady Carrion. I heard you would be coming today.”
“I heard you went to the imperial palace, so I waited for you.”
“Why were you waiting for me?”
Louid asked with a puzzled expression. Hadn’t the young lady come to see Emilia? Feeling as though his path had been obstructed, he grew impatient.
“There’s something urgent I must tell Your Highness regarding the incident involving Her Highness last time.”
Lina glanced around and whispered as if sharing a secret.
“What do you mean?”
Louid’s previously indifferent expression sharpened.
“It would be better to speak somewhere no one can hear.”
“Let’s go to the greenhouse.”
The greenhouse was a place only Emilia used. But at this time, Emilia wouldn’t be there. It was a suitable place for a private conversation.
Lina followed behind him in quick steps as he strode ahead.
‘Why is he walking so fast? Emilia needs to see us together, but if he goes this fast, she won’t.’
Her goal was for Emilia to see her alone with Louid. No matter where the Grand Duchess was, she would glance outside at least once, so Lina thought there would be a chance she’d see them by coincidence.
But Louid walked at a pace that was difficult for her to keep up with. Forget being noticed by Emilia, it seemed no one would see the two of them together at all.
Reaching the greenhouse first, Louid waited for Lina with an indifferent expression.
“Ha… ha….”
A moment later, Lina entered the greenhouse with a flushed face, breathing heavily. From the way she struggled to catch her breath, it seemed she had nearly run.
“Go ahead and speak, young lady. It’s just the two of us here.”
***
“Since we have an honored guest, please take care in preparing the dinner.”
After going to the kitchen, Emilia instructed the head chef to prepare the evening meal.
Should I decorate with flowers?
Since there was a guest, it seemed right to decorate with fresh flowers. She could’ve told the maids to pick them, but since she knew the greenhouse well, she decided to go herself.
‘A few days ago, the daffodil buds looked like they were about to bloom nicely.’
By now, they should be in full bloom.
After leaving the kitchen, she hurried toward the greenhouse.
The greenhouse at the grand ducal manor was located close to the main building. Walking briskly, Emilia stopped in front of the greenhouse at an odd feeling.
Why is the door open?
Aside from the workers who came early in the morning, she was the only one who entered the greenhouse, yet the entrance door was wide open. It had never happened before.
She stepped into the open entrance. In the distance inside, she faintly saw the back of a tall man standing there.
‘Louid?’
Had Louid returned? She hadn’t seen the carriage arrive, so when did he come? It seemed he had come into the greenhouse for something.
“Lou…!”
Emilia, who was about to call out to Louid, froze and stood still. She saw that someone was with him, hidden by Louid’s body.
Gasp.
Emilia swallowed her breath and took a step back. Louid and Lina were together.
Having stepped only one foot into the greenhouse, she immediately turned around and quietly went back outside. She didn’t want to see their secret meeting.
As she ran toward the main building, her heart pounded violently and her vision spun. If she stopped even for a moment to catch her breath, it felt like she would faint. But Emilia clenched her teeth and forced herself to keep moving, returning to her bedroom.
“…?”
Louid, who was facing Lina, sensed a faint presence. He pressed his index finger to his lips to silence her, then quietly walked toward the entrance of the greenhouse.
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Now why didn’t she stop and listen 😩😫