Chapter 2.5

And so, now in her hand was the Grand Duke’s schedule, which Dean had given her.  

“Alright, let’s do this.”

She said to herself, brimming with determination.  

With a large picnic basket in hand, Elena headed toward the rose garden.  

The rose garden. According to the schedule, the Grand Duke would soon visit the greenhouse located within the rose garden.  

It was noted that after finishing his duties, the Grand Duke often took some private time to relax in that greenhouse.  

Elena’s plan this time was to “coincidentally” meet the Grand Duke, share tea together, and engage in a meaningful conversation.  

It would be the perfect opportunity to get to know each other better.  

If I could sprinkle in plenty of compliments during the conversation…  

The pleasant thought brought a cheerful hum to her lips.  

This time, she was determined to put into practice the rules of flattery that she couldn’t use last time.  

However, it wasn’t long after she ventured into the garden that she ran into an unexpected obstacle.  

She had forgotten—she was terrible with directions.  

The rose garden, where the greenhouse was supposed to be, turned out to be far larger and deeper than she had imagined.  

And then there was the small map Dean had drawn in the corner of the schedule. Yes, the map was the problem.  

Never mind the fact that the drawing was messy.  

[From the entrance with the garden sign, walk straight for 23 meters, then turn right at the 31-meter-tall oak tree, proceed 15 meters straight, and then…]  

What kind of map was this supposed to be?  

Elena grumbled inwardly as she examined the small, hastily drawn map Dean had provided.  

What exactly was Dean doing? And what were these oddly precise measurements?  

Do I need to buy a measuring tape just to find the greenhouse?  

To be clear, Elena thought, this wasn’t entirely her fault for being directionally challenged.  

After wandering around for what felt like an eternity, the picnic basket that had initially felt light now seemed as heavy as carrying a massive boulder.  

‘Did I pack too much? But there really wasn’t anything I could leave out.’ 

She thought, sighing.  

At this rate, the Grand Duke’s rest time would be over before she even found him.  

Just as genuine worry began to set in, Elena finally stumbled upon a small greenhouse covered in flowers.  

She couldn’t quite fathom how she had managed to find her way here, but there it was, standing right before her.  

The greenhouse, with its glass walls, wasn’t very large, but it was filled with various flowers and vines.  

‘Wow. Oh, wow! Amazing!’  

Elena stepped inside, her silent exclamations of awe spilling over as she took in the beautiful sight.  

But what immediately captured her attention wasn’t the pretty flowers or the curious birds flitting freely inside the greenhouse.  

It was the Grand Duke, asleep, leaning against the glass wall.  

At that moment, the breathtaking scenery of the greenhouse seemed to fade into black and white, with only the Grand Duke remaining in vivid color.  

Worried about waking him, Elena approached cautiously.  

With his eyes closed, he looked like someone who didn’t belong to the real world.  

Was this how the prince in the fairy tale felt when he found the Sleeping Beauty in the woods?  

Elena crouched down quietly and gazed at the Grand Duke’s sleeping face.  

It was the first time she had seen him this close.  

His straight eyebrows, the sharp bridge of his nose, and his slightly flushed lips pressed firmly together—everything about him was perfect.  

Perhaps because his eyes were closed, the sharpness of his usual expression had softened, making him appear almost… adorable.  

How could he look so defenseless?  

Her heart pounded so loudly it felt like it might burst at any moment.  

She thought she could spend the entire day just looking at him and never grow tired of it.  

The sunlight streaming through the glass made his jet-black hair glisten.  

‘I want to touch it.’ 

She thought, almost hypnotized.  

Without realizing it, Elena reached out her hand, as if drawn by some invisible force.  

But just before her fingers could make contact—  

“Are you really a stalker?”  

“Ahhh!”  

Startled by the sudden voice, Elena let out a scream that wasn’t quite a scream and fell back onto the ground.  

The Grand Duke frowned deeply at the sound, his once relaxed expression now filled with irritation.  

“You’re going to burst my eardrums.”  

Eardrums? 

Elena thought indignantly. 

What about my heart? My heart had nearly leapt out of my chest!  

Clutching her chest to calm her racing heart, she managed to stammer out an apology.  

“I-I’m so sorry. Did I scare you?”  

“Well, I should be the one surprised, but I don’t understand why you seem more startled. What kind of guilt are you carrying?”  

“Oh, guilt? No, not at all! Your Grace, you really have a great sense of humor. Haha.”  

Elena’s attempt at giving a compliment for the first time was completely ignored.  

“Was it Dean who told you about this place?”  

“Wha… What do you mean? It was a coincidence, a complete coincidence. I found it by chance while taking a walk.”  

Would this excuse work? 

In her panic, she had said the word “coincidence” three times.  

Before coming here, Dean had warned her repeatedly.  

‘You must never say I told you about this place. Lady Elena, you stumbled upon the Grand Duke purely by chance. Got it?’  

While he had encouraged her to increase her interactions with the Grand Duke, Dean had clearly been quite worried when she actually decided to visit him.  

“Hmm. ‘Coincidence,’ you say?”  

“Yes. It has absolutely nothing, nothing at all to do with Dean.”  

The Grand Duke still looked skeptical, but fortunately, he didn’t press the matter further.  

“I see. For a moment, I thought you had something to say to me and came looking for me ‘on purpose.’”  

The Grand Duke gave her a charming smile. Based on her past experiences, Elena knew that smile meant he was teasing her.  

“If you’ve come all the way here, I thought I might as well hear what you had to say… but since it was a ‘coincidence,’ never mind. I’ll leave so you can take your time and look around.”  

It was clear that he had already seen through her intentions.  

He even seemed to know that she had no choice but to stop him.  

“Wait a moment!”  

What should I say? This wasn’t how things were supposed to go.  

The original plan was for her to arrive at the greenhouse first.  

She was supposed to be enjoying tea gracefully by herself when the unsuspecting Grand Duke walked in, at which point she would naturally offer him tea.  

But getting lost and arriving late had ruined everything.  

One might argue that it didn’t matter if the order was reversed, but this way, it made her look like she had deliberately followed him.  

“If you have nothing to say, can I leave now?”  

“No!”  

Oh, to hell with it.

She decided to stick to the original plan.  

“Would you like to have tea with me? I swear I didn’t come looking for you on purpose, but since we’ve run into each other, why not? I happen to have some rose tea with me.”  

It felt a bit forced, but at this point, it didn’t really matter. She figured he already knew everything anyway.  

“Rose tea is said to help with relaxation and fatigue recovery. You looked a bit tired earlier. It also boosts stamina, promotes metabolism, and even helps reduce freckles—oh, but I suppose that last one doesn’t apply to you, Your Grace.”  

The Grand Duke, as if he might leave, began listing the benefits of tea while holding up the picnic basket she had brought.  

Someone once said that sincerity moves hearts.  

Could my desperate gaze have worked?

The Grand Duke gave a small nod.