Grand Duke Theodore said as he took a sip of tea with an expressionless face. It was impossible to understand why the Grand Duke was sitting here. It wasn’t even a favorable response. Various rumors about him swirled in her mind. The eccentric Grand Duke who was rumored to prefer men and who never paid attention to marriage proposals, whether from imperial orders or those around him. It was said that one of the Emperor’s headaches was Grand Duke Theodore’s marriage.

‘What is this situation? Why is His Highness the Grand Duke here…?’

Kayla felt dizzy. She barely managed to lift her head to look at him. When their eyes met, she lowered her head again.

“Um, so what brings our Kayla to your attention…”

Joanna casually brought up the subject. Her voice was full of expectation.

“I will take Kayla with me.”

Kayla wasn’t the only one surprised by those words. Could it be that yesterday’s absurd plan had actually worked?

“When you say you’ll take her… what exactly do you mean?”

Joanna asked again, though she obviously knew the answer.

“I mean I will take her as my bride.”

The cold tone at the end of his words sounded more like a declaration. An imperial decision that no one dared to oppose. Joanna was delighted. She was convinced that Kayla’s beauty had worked. The moment she realized her plan had succeeded, her voice rose higher.

“Oh my, Your Highness the Grand Duke! Kayla is such an inadequate daughter… I’m truly embarrassed to send her to Your Highness.”

Joanna seized the opportunity to speak up. Baron Grenville noticed and immediately continued.

“Ahem, even if we wanted to send her as a bride, we don’t even have money for a wedding… She’s far too inadequate to be Your Highness the Grand Duke’s bride. Oh dear, what should we do…”

“No money for a wedding, that’s unfortunate. Ian.”

Theodore gestured to the man standing beside him to bring something. Ian quietly took out a leather bag from his br*ast pocket and placed a jewelry box on the table.

“Let’s call this the marriage dowry.”

Joanna and the Baron excitedly opened the jewelry box. Inside was a blue diamond, said to be difficult to obtain. A gem the size of a fist was contained within.

“This would be enough to buy several mansions and still have money left over.”

The moment Joanna saw the jewel, she became even greedier.

‘With this much offered right away… we can squeeze out more.’

Joanna quickly hid her delighted expression and put on a regretful face.

“How could we possibly prepare her as a worthy bride for Your Highness the Grand Duke with just this amount? It’s something we hardly dare accept. Since it’s such a precious item, it will take a long time to liquidate… how long will wedding preparations take… the marriage will be delayed somewhat.”

Grand Duke Theodore’s brow twitched. Joanna’s words were blatant. Theodore promptly gestured to Ian again. Ian pulled out a money pouch from inside his coat. The heavy bag of gold coins landed with a thud on the table. At that weighty sound, Joanna’s expression immediately brightened.

“Oh my, you didn’t need to provide this much! Well then, we’ll use this wedding dowry to prepare Kayla veeeery well for you!”

Joanna said as she hastily reached for the jewelry box and money pouch. Theodore looked at Kayla, who had been too tense to say a word. Kayla flinched in surprise.

“Your lip is split. Did they hit you?”

At Grand Duke Theodore’s blunt question, the expressions of the previously delighted Joanna and the Baron instantly hardened.

“H-hit her? That has nothing to do with us! How could you say such a rude thing!”

“To use the word ‘rude’ when addressing a Grand Duke—my reputation is in tatters.”

As he spoke with a cynical smile, the atmosphere suddenly turned cold. Fear was etched on the faces of Joanna and the Baron. They couldn’t say anything and were simply trembling.

“Roll up your sleeves, Kayla.”

Theodore had already started calling Kayla by her name instead of “my lady.”

“What?”

“Your sleeves. Roll them up.”

Kayla looked back and forth between Joanna and Theodore in confusion. When Kayla glanced at Joanna, Theodore once again nodded to Ian.

“Excuse me for a moment, Miss.”

As Ian approached carefully, Kayla instinctively flinched.

“Don’t worry. I won’t harm you.”

Though she hesitated at his words, eventually her sleeve was slowly rolled up. Red and blue bruises spread like stains across her white arm. Silence fell over the reception room. Kayla’s face turned red. It was unclear whether from the shame of being hit or because her sleeve had been rolled up by a strange man.

“There are both old bruises and fresh ones. So that’s why you dressed her in long clothes in this hot weather.”

“Y-Your Highness the Grand Duke! You misunderstand! Kayla fell down…!”

“Falls don’t cause bruises like that. How dare you try to deceive me. Perhaps I should cut the throat from which these lies emerge.”

Shhk—

With a clear metallic sound, the tip of Theodore’s sword touched Joanna’s neck.

“Did you think you could lie to a member of the imperial family and live?”

Joanna’s face turned pale, unable to even breathe.

“Y-Your Highness the Grand Duke… please forgive me just this once…”

“No need for preparations. I’m taking Kayla now. Don’t show your face before me again.”

Theodore said in a low, threatening voice.

“What?”

“Please come with me, Miss.”

Ian spoke politely to Kayla. When Kayla didn’t know what to do, Theodore withdrew his sword and approached her.

“Let’s go. There’s no need to stay here any longer.”

Theodore’s hand wrapped around Kayla’s wrist. His touch was cold, yet strangely warm.

“It’s alright.”

At his words, Kayla took her first step. Away from that hellish house, without looking back.

As if there had been a plan to take Kayla from the beginning, the grand ducal carriage was quietly waiting in front of the mansion. The black carriage with gold decorations gleamed in the sunlight, exuding a majestic and imposing presence. The gazes of people around were directed toward the grand ducal carriage.

“Let’s get in, Miss.”

Ian opened the door and gestured politely. Kayla stood stiffly in front of the door, hesitating for a moment. In her glance toward Theodore, anxiety and hesitation were evident.

“Um…”

“What is it?”

“Am I riding alone…?”

Kayla asked cautiously. Perhaps sensing her tension, Theodore answered briefly.

“I’ll go separately. You must be tired, so travel comfortably.”

Though his tone was gruff, the consideration within it was difficult to hide. There was just a rough covering over the warmth of his consideration for her. Theodore immediately mounted his horse, and even through his expressionless face, a strand of his gaze remained fixed on her.

“Thank you, Your Highness the Grand Duke…”

As Kayla bowed her head hesitantly, he continued briefly.

“We’ll talk later. I’ll have Ian bring your belongings. If there’s anything you need, tell me now.”

He rode off without further hesitation. Ian, who remained behind, shrugged and scratched his head.

“Really, the Grand Duke could be a bit gentler… Miss, do you have any luggage you wish to bring?”

“Clothes and shoes and…”

“No, don’t worry about those. The Grand Duke will provide everything new. Just tell me if there’s anything you truly need.”

Kayla’s eyes widened at his words.

“What? But…”

“From now on, you’ll have whatever you want. Whether it’s jewels or land, if there’s anything you desire.”

Ian, with his rugged appearance, gave a gentle smile. The moment she saw the scar near his eye, Kayla recalled the previous night.

“Could it be that you were the one who saved me yesterday…!”

“Haha, so you’ve recognized me now. That night, I was standing there ready to draw my sword if anyone came.”

His eyes held loyalty beyond simple orders. Kayla carefully asked him:

“…Why were you at our mansion last night?”

“It was the Grand Duke’s order. He told me to check on your situation.”

Ian answered with a low laugh. Kayla tilted her head.

“Why on earth would His Highness the Grand Duke…”

“It would be better for you to hear that reason directly from His Highness. So, about your belongings…”

Ian subtly changed the topic and asked again. Kayla gathered her thoughts and said:

“Ah, I’m sorry! Um… I think I’ll be fine with just my mother’s photograph.”

“Understood. When you arrive, the servants will probably be waiting. I’ll see you shortly.”

He bowed politely and closed the carriage door. As the carriage began to move, Ian turned and headed back into the mansion. His face, visible through the window, had returned to a cold expression.

“What is happening to me?”

Alone in the carriage, Kayla tried to catch her breath and organize her thoughts. She hadn’t even known the Grand Duke until yesterday. Contrary to rumors that he avoided women, he had been considerate of her from beginning to end, coming to save her. Why on earth did he come to save me? Countless questions swirled in her mind, but she hadn’t found the answer to even one of them yet.

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