Grand Duke, I Like You, But Please Die! - Chapter 20

“Ah, I said it hurts! Kaiel……!”

Only after he had thoroughly wiped all the blood off her face did he lower his arm.

“You’re welcome.”

She hadn’t even thanked him, but he ended the conversation to prevent her from saying more.

Delia cooled her face, which was heated from the friction, with the back of her hand.

“Thank you.”

She finally expressed her gratitude and snatched the blood-stained handkerchief from Kaiel’s hand.

“I’ll wash this clean and return it to you.”

She called for the maid Lisa to ask for a wet cloth to wipe the blood off her hands.

Lisa, who rushed in, was startled by the blood on Delia’s clothes and looked at the Grand Duke, then back at her.

“……It’s a nosebleed, Lisa.”

Relieved by Delia’s explanation, Lisa bowed to the Grand Duke and then took her out of the lab to change her clothes.

“I’ll return it!”

Delia waved the handkerchief as she left.

Kaiel turned his gaze back to the lab.

Books were scattered everywhere, evidence of her intense study. It seemed she had run out of bookmarks and had torn small pieces of paper to mark the pages.

A researcher so determined to help him that she even got a nosebleed—she was foolishly persistent.

Kaiel slowly closed and opened his eyes.

The lab looked like a battlefield of books. After surveying the lab a bit more, he called a servant and gave some orders before leaving.

“Truffle……?”

The next day, Delia questioned the suddenly luxurious meal. Lisa excitedly explained.

“The Grand Duke personally requested it from the chef! He must have wanted to show appreciation for your hard work.”

“Really? Kaiel did?”

Delia barely contained her joy and took a spoonful of the truffle-scented soup.

The unique flavor of truffle spread warmly and softly in her mouth.

‘What a charmingly considerate person.’

It was a satisfying meal.

***

For several days, Tranade was hit by a long snowstorm. Delia planned to go out and gather herbs for the antidote as soon as her research was done, but the relentless snow kept her trapped.

‘If this drags on, the plausibility score will start to drop again…….’

Worried, she checked the plausibility score.

[The current plausibility score is 54 points.]

As expected, it had dropped a few points.

Delia glared at the annoying snowstorm tapping on the window. Her unexpected free time was frustrating.

‘Maybe it’s good in a way, buying time before I have to kill Kaiel…….’

With the plausibility score raised, she didn’t want to think about the mission to kill him for a while.

Her intense study sessions over the past week were partly to keep her mind occupied.

The sudden free time was unwelcome. She worried that the resolve she had built up might unravel. She wanted to stay as busy and productive as possible.

‘I guess I’ll just study more.’

Just as she resolved to get up, Delia suddenly sat back down.

‘Come to think of it…….’

Something strange had been bothering her. She hadn’t noticed it before, but now it seemed different.

‘Have I recently raised the plausibility score by calling Kaiel’s name?’

No. She hadn’t.

No matter how hard she tried to recall, she couldn’t pinpoint exactly when it stopped working.

She considered if the system had blocked this method, but if that were the case, it should have notified her.

So there was only one answer.

Kaiel no longer felt displeased when she called his name.

Whether he disliked her less or had gotten used to her calling his name, she couldn’t tell. But one thing was certain. From now on, calling his name wouldn’t make him uncomfortable!

Realizing this, Delia felt a mix of joy and uncertainty.

Collecting small points had been a reliable method, but now it was ineffective.

She didn’t have the courage to aim for a big move yet and had been maintaining the plausibility score with the easiest methods.

Badmouthing him in Tranade Castle or calling his name to annoy him was no longer possible.

‘What should I do now……?’

The answer was clear. Raise the plausibility score by killing Kaiel and complete the mission.

She always knew this, but thinking about it brought an unpleasant sense of dread.

She noticed the red book about poisoning on the corner of the desk. Wanting to get it out of her sight, she moved it to the floor. Then she took out a blank parchment.

She decided to write down her confused thoughts.

She had no intention of giving it to him, but writing it down helped clear her mind.

‘Kaiel.’

The black ink from her pen flowed smoothly onto the parchment.

‘Kaiel, I’m not sure if I can really do this. Honestly, I’m not confident. Maybe I shouldn’t have followed you. If we hadn’t gotten closer, my heart wouldn’t feel this heavy.’

Pouring out her complex feelings, she dipped her quill in ink again and continued.

‘It’s all my fault. Now I feel like running away. Waaa—.’

She wrote down her inner scream and added a line at the bottom.

‘I wish I could run away!’

If she could escape from the system and the fate of having to kill him, she would do it a hundred, a thousand times. But there was no such way.

As time passed, the ink on the densely written letter began to blur and overlap.

Since it was a letter she wrote to vent her feelings, she discarded it along with her heavy heart and stood up energetically.

“Let’s eat!”

She had no idea that the maid Lisa, who was cleaning the lab, would find the letter. Nor did she imagine that it would spread throughout the castle and reach Kaiel’s ears.

***

“Haa.”

Delia blew warm breath into her cupped hands. The frozen, stiff hands felt a bit warmer. She blew again, and the white breath dispersed like mist in the air.

“So cold, so cold.”

After checking the temperature, she wrapped herself in a long cloak and left Tranade Castle. Lisa had taken away her original cloak, saying it wasn’t suitable for the weather in Tranade, and had given her a thick fur cloak instead.

The snow, which had fallen continuously for days, finally stopped. The cold wind stung her cheeks, but the clean winter air was refreshing and lifted her spirits.

With such clear weather, it was a good day to go to the mountains to gather herbs.

The world, covered in white snow, had transformed. The snow was so deep it reached her calves.

“Ugh! Cold! Ugh, cold! Ugh, cold!”

As she muttered short exclamations and stepped into the snow, Delia suddenly felt her body lift off the ground.

“Where are you going.”

A voice colder than the air came from above her head.

Just as her feet touched the snow, Kaiel grabbed her by the back of her neck and lifted her. Once again, she was dangling from her collar, tears welling up inside.

He recognized she was going out, which was nice, but this was too much!

Knowing that struggling was useless, she relaxed her body and waited for him to put her down. When her feet touched the ground, she quickly turned around.

“It’s a secret.”

Kaiel’s expression twisted, and Delia smiled, satisfied with his reaction.

“Just kidding, guess.”

He looked away from her, uninterested.

“……Annoying.”

Delia only smiled, like she had expected this reaction.

Why wouldn’t she tell him when he was curious? She was the one eager to talk.

“Aren’t you curious? Huh?”

Delia moved around to catch his eye and pressured him to be curious. She gave him a desperate look, hoping he would ask.

Finally meeting her green eyes, Kaiel asked blandly.

“Where are you going.”

It was the same question as before. But for some reason, Delia thought he looked slightly curious.

After pondering for a moment, Delia answered cheerfully.

“It’s a secret!”

For a brief moment, a cold glint flashed in Kaiel’s eyes.

Feeling threatened, she ran away as soon as she finished speaking.

“Then, stay clueless. Goodbye, Kaiel!”

Leaving Kaiel, who was probably glaring at her menacingly from behind, she began to walk through the snow with a spirited stride.

“She always does as she pleases.”

Kaiel muttered with a hardened face, watching her back for a while before clicking his tongue softly and turning away. Before long, snow began to fall gently around Tranade Castle.

After finally finding some time, he leisurely strolled along the outdoor corridors of the castle for about thirty minutes. As he headed towards the castle gate, he suddenly stopped at the sight of a small snowman.

It was Delia.

When the snowman shook, white clumps fell off, revealing familiar crimson hair that sparkled in the light. Her clothes and hair, wet from the snow, clung to her body and face.

“…Seems like I can’t see you in decent shape.”

“Kaiel! Kaiel……!”

As soon as she saw him, she ran over, pale-faced, and shouted.

“The snowstorm……! It was clear earlier! What is this!”

But Kaiel seemed unfazed, seemingly used to it.

“It’s always like this here.”

He looked her over. The melted snow dripped from her hair, down her eyelashes and nose. Her body, soaked and cold, shivered slightly, though she didn’t seem to notice.

“You claim to know everything about Tranade, but you don’t even know the basics about its weather?”

“That……!”

Delia tried to say something, but he didn’t seem interested in listening.

“Go inside and wash up. Rest after that.”

At his words, Delia poked his arm with a mischievous expression.