“Who said you could?”

“What…?”

“Trying to make yourself comfortable on your own terms?”

“That’s not what I—”

“Come here.”

Despite his calm tone, his gaze was sharp, swallowing his anger.

As I hesitated to move, he pulled me toward him, as if that brief moment was too much to bear.

“……”

Just as I looked up in surprise at the hand touching my waist, the Grand Duke opened the door with his other hand.

The moment he firmly bound me, almost like imprisoning a criminal, people standing in the hallway outside the door looked at us with round, surprised eyes.

All the branch managers and their spouses had gathered there.

Ah… was he telling me to quickly stand beside him because we needed to show our relationship to these people?

Though my mouth went dry at his hand wrapped around my waist, I tried to look up at the Grand Duke as if nothing was wrong.

Looking at his expressionless face, I couldn’t read his thoughts at all.

Well, this man was probably holding me tightly to prevent me from running away or feeling comfortable.

Being embraced by a man’s arm for the first time in my life was admittedly making me nervous.

Instinctively, I took a deep breath to regain my composure, but this only made me more aware of his muscles against my back and waist, causing me to shrink further.

“Gyaaaak!“

At that moment, Odin, cradled in Madame Mariette’s arms, screeched sharply, bringing me back to my senses.

“Why did you take so long!”

Unable to contain his curiosity, Odin squirmed in Mariette’s arms and stretched his front paws toward me.

Such an impatient personality.

“Tell me what happened. I was curious the entire time we were touring the museum’s history gallery! Nyaaak!“

“Would you like to go… Odin?”

Mariette reluctantly handed Odin to me, her face clearly showing disappointment.

“Haha, thank you for watching Odin, Mariette.”

I tried my best not to be conscious of the Grand Duke’s hand as I took Odin.

“Not at all. He was so warm and nice to hold…”

Mariette, who considered Odin just a cute, fussy baby lion, couldn’t hide her regret.

Odin firmly dug his claws into my arms and began growling at Mariette.

“That woman brushed my fur at least a thousand times! And she kept offering me disgusting snacks like I was nobody! At least offer lamb jerky, not pork!”

Odin clung to me even more tightly, insisting I never hand him over to Mariette again.

At this rate, the ribbon will be completely torn off.

Mariette, not understanding what was happening, looked back and forth between me and Odin with wide eyes before suddenly fixing her gaze on me.

“Your Highness…?”

Why is she looking at me like that?

“Did something happen? Your face has turned very red.”

“What…?”

When I touched my cheek reflexively, I could feel the heat radiating from it, truly flushed.

It could be from the surprise of learning Brianna had told a lie for me, or because the Grand Duke was firmly holding my waist.

Mariette looked at my reddened face with concern, then shifted her gaze to my head with an even more astonished expression.

“And you were definitely wearing pearl decorations in your hair, but they’re gone…”

“Oh my!”

Jeanette, who had been standing behind us listening to our conversation, rushed forward and grabbed her.

“Mariette? It would be better not to mention that.”

“What? But is the grand duchess unwell…?”

“She’s not unwell!”

Jeanette pulled the confused Mariette forward again and hastily continued.

“It’s because they’re newlyweds with vigorous passion. Don’t you understand?”

What did she say?

“For a young couple, what does location matter? They wouldn’t have time to worry about hairpins and such!”

Just as I tried to correct the ladies’ misunderstanding, Madame Mariette’s response came much faster.

“Could it be… that’s what happened…”

“Of course. We’re adults, we can understand. We should all pretend not to notice.”

The ladies nodded in agreement and deliberately avoided looking at us. However, I could see their cheeks twitching as they exchanged shy smiles.

No, it’s not like that.

“How urgent they must have been, hoho, unable to wait that long… while telling us to tour the museum…”

“Shh, newlywed life is certainly wonderful.”

“Seeing how intimate they are makes even me excited. We’ll hear news of a child soon, I’m sure! Hohoho.”

“Ahem!”

Randolph, who had been watching the ladies, cleared his throat and nodded to Adley and Boswell.

They looked at each other with rather embarrassed eyes, then urged the other branch managers to hurry along.

“……”

I should explain to them that it wasn’t what they thought, but I didn’t know how to explain why we had stayed in the museum director’s office for so long.

I couldn’t tell them about the incident with Brianna.

“Shall we go?”

Mariette, who turned to look at us still not moving, smiled kindly.

Her face, as if she had set aside all worries, was filled with relief.

She looked certain that as our relationship became more widely known, the atmosphere of accusing me as the culprit and criticizing the Grand Duke’s carelessness would be overshadowed.

Of course, we were acting this way because we wanted that to happen, but right now the mood was a bit…

“……”

When I secretly glanced at the Grand Duke, his mood indeed didn’t look good at all.

Being linked with me and having to let himself be wrapped up in such rumors must be unbearable.

Plus, there had been many incidents throughout the day that upset him. Getting caught trying to deceive him to find out what the powder in the envelope was, and then some “gentleman” saying he would come to rescue me…

He was the victim, yet I had reacted as if I were the perpetrator, cowering in fear, so his reaction was understandable.

“…You’re not in a good mood, are you?”

“……”

He looked down at me arrogantly, as if questioning whether that even counted as a question.

I lowered my eyes discreetly. Just his gaze was so frightening that I worried about how to handle him going forward.

I feared he might drag me to some prison-like place as soon as we arrived at the castle, regardless of whether we appeared to be a loving couple or not.

No, confinement might actually be better.

In truth, if he killed me without anyone knowing, no one would mourn me, so it might be more convenient for him to just get rid of me.

“Walk.”

He commanded coldly.

See? He looks like he could do much worse.

As I took a step forward, trapped in his arms like a captive with an ominous feeling, Mariette kept turning to look at us with a serene face, as if finding us admirable.

If only she knew what I was going through…

“Wait…”

No, that’s not right! I should pretend to be even more affectionate!

That way, if I suddenly disappeared, Mariette and Jeanette would find it strange and look for me. This might prevent the Grand Duke from deciding to get rid of me.

“We’re coming, Mariette.”

I deliberately called out to Mariette and, as she turned to look, leaned my head against the Grand Duke’s chest.

Seeing me almost completely surrendering myself to him, Mariette smiled even more happily and nudged her husband’s side as if telling him to look.

Yes, everyone please look. So the Grand Duke won’t throw me out onto the streets where the Azanie comital family and the imperial family have influence.

“Get off.”

“Just a moment. I’ll let go soon.”

“Get off now.”

“Then promise me. Promise you won’t cast me out. I really have nowhere to go.”

“Are you insane?”

“If not, I’ll keep sticking to you like this. Until those people leave the castle, I’ll annoy Your Highness by clinging to you! Not separating for a moment!”

Even to me, it was a shameless act.

How vexed the Grand Duke must be with me. Not daring to look up at him, I pretended to be even more unhinged and rested my face against his chest.

I couldn’t tell at all how he was looking at me.

“Good night, Odin.”

After saying goodnight to Odin and closing the grand duchess’s bedroom door, I headed toward the Grand Duke’s bedroom.

I had just heard an important clue from Odin.

When I brought up the rose from Mertid Square to Odin, he said it was a secret military code used quite long ago.

He added that it was probably one of the code-writing methods taught in military academies now.

If so, didn’t that mean this “gentleman” had attended or graduated from a military academy?

Amazed at how he knew such things, I asked, and he said he was the one who had devised it.

‘I’m much greater than you imagine. Hmph!’

He truly was a great figure, but…

Seeing Odin lying on his back exposing his belly as a lion cub, having cast aside all dignity, I felt many conflicting emotions.

I wondered if he might know who I was meeting whenever I left the castle, but Odin said he was a ghost who only stayed in the castle, so he couldn’t know that.

“Stay calm… do well.”

I took a deep breath and composed myself as I approached the Grand Duke’s bedroom.

After smiling gratefully at the doorkeepers who opened the door for me, I entered and immediately met eyes with the Grand Duke, who was coming out while drying his hair, apparently having just bathed.