The Grand Duke Has Awakened in a Strange Place Chapter 3

“Talking about ‘resonance,’ seriously….”

Cynthia crossed her arms, standing a bit crooked.

Dale looked at her and gave a gentle smile.

“Our proposal is very simple. You only need to visit the ducal residence when we request it and spend time with Grand Duke Teshion Romanov, Lady Elizabeth’s fiancé.”

“…Just spend time?”

“Yes. The meeting will last about an hour, and you only need to have a simple conversation. The two of you have only met once before, very briefly. So you don’t need to worry about your previous meeting.”

Dale took off his glasses and pulled out a shiny cloth from his pocket, beginning to wipe them. Even that simple motion carried a sense of perfect control.

‘He’s the perfect loyal aide of the Bailey family….’

As she quietly watched him, Cynthia thought of Grand Duke Teshion Romanov.

Teshion Romanov.

The official fiancé of Elizabeth, the female lead of the original novel, and one of the 21 male leads.

The man who had been closest to her for the longest time, yet had not even shared the smallest touch—a man of pure restraint.

After losing his sight in an accident as a child, he had lived in darkness until finally regaining it in the latter half of the story…

After thinking quietly, Cynthia spoke again.

“Even so, Grand Duke Teshion isn’t a fool. There’s no way he wouldn’t notice that his fiancée has been replaced, right?”

“Please don’t worry about that. Lady Elizabeth grew up in a rural estate belonging to the Bailey family and has not even been in the capital for a year. Even then, she rarely left the residence due to lessons in noble etiquette. She also has a rather sensitive personality and doesn’t get along well with others….”

“……”

“In any case, not many people have seen her. That includes the Grand Duke as well.”

“And?”

“As long as the basic appearance—hair color and eye color—is matched, there should be no major issue.”

Still suspicious, Cynthia asked,

“If I trust you and go through with this, what will you do if someone finds out who I really am?”

“As I said earlier, the Bailey family will do everything possible to ensure your safety.”

“…It really is 5 million mint, right?”

“That is correct.”

Dale nodded with a gentle smile. Cynthia then held out her small hand and opened her palm.

“Give me the advance payment now.”

“Of course. This way, please.”

 

 

*****

 

 

 

The study in the Bailey residence.

Cynthia followed Dale into the high-ceilinged room.

Dale went ahead and pulled out a sheet of paper stamped with the Bailey family seal from the desk drawer.

Holding a fountain pen, he quickly began writing various terms across the paper.

That must be the contract… and next to it, is that a blank check…?

Cynthia stared in shock before snapping back to her senses and asking him,

“By the way, Dale….”

“Yes, Cynthia.”

“Why are you going this far?”

“…Pardon?”

Dale lifted his head from the desk.

Meeting his eyes, Cynthia shrugged and continued.

“Elizabeth died, but no one seemed sad. Instead of mourning her, everyone looked desperate to keep the engagement with the Grand Duke.”

“……”

“And your proposal is strange too. It’s not ‘please fill Elizabeth’s empty place with your identical voice,’ but ‘please pretend to be a fake fiancée.’”

At her words, Dale stopped writing.

He set the pen down and looked at her.

“…You’re quite perceptive. I’m not sure yet whether that’s a good thing or not.”

“Huh?”

Dale raised one eyebrow and replied,

“I don’t know how many times I’ve said this today, but this is the Bailey ducal residence. There is no such thing as familial affection, love, or attachment here. Rather than a family, you can think of the Baileys as a corporation.”

“What? Even so, someone died—”

“If not, why would they go so far as to use a substitute just to maintain the engagement? The Bailey family was never interested in Elizabeth herself. They only care about the benefits she would bring through the engagement.”

Cynthia frowned.

Elizabeth, in a family where daughters were rare, was a distant relative hastily adopted a few months ago to secure a political marriage with the Grand Duke.

“Why is that jewel merchant guild they’re getting in return for the engagement so important?”

That guild, originally belonging to the Bailey family, hadn’t been that significant in the original novel.

She knew Elizabeth had struggled among her almost villain-like family, but she didn’t realize it was this bad.

That novel had focused almost entirely on… those R-19 elements…

Ahem!

Cynthia awkwardly cleared her throat.

‘Growing up in that kind of environment… no wonder she was unstable….’

Cynthia recalled that Elizabeth’s emotional emptiness from her broken family was portrayed as being expressed through intense relationships with men.

‘Thinking about it like that… her life must have been pretty lonely….’

Feeling strangely heavy, Cynthia looked at Dale, who still had his head lowered toward the desk.

“It has been confirmed that an enormous amount of jewels is buried in Luteria, one of the Bailey family’s territories.”

“Jewels?”

“Yes. Enough to influence trade markets not only across the Dirotein Empire but even with other nations. You don’t need to know the details. Now! Here it is.”

Dale handed over the completed contract.

Cynthia muttered quietly as she took it and quickly read through it. The contents were just as he had explained.

The fake noble lady and fiancée role would end once the Bailey family reclaimed the Ritemper guild.

The duration was set to three months, extendable up to a year if needed.

She must not be exposed and must perform sincerely.

If all conditions were met, she would receive 500,000 mint upfront and 4.5 million after.

“Nothing to change.”

“Good. Then the contract is effective from this moment. I will give you the advance now.”

Dale wrote “500,000 mint” on a small paper and handed it to her. It was a check that could be cashed immediately at a bank.

“…Alright.”

Cynthia answered in a low voice, feeling uneasy for some reason.

As if unaware of her feelings, Dale spoke brightly.

“You will meet Grand Duke Teshion next week. Starting tomorrow, please visit the residence and learn the necessary precautions.”

 

 

****

 

 

 

A few days later, Cynthia returned to the Bailey residence.

“Welcome, Cynthia.”

Dale greeted her with a gentle smile.

Cynthia nodded casually and followed him into the drawing room. Warm sunlight streamed through the large windows, making the room feel cozy and beautiful.

‘Wow, this looks really similar to how it was described in the novel….’

Cynthia looked around in admiration.

As she was busy taking in the room, Dale appeared carrying thick stacks of documents in both hands.

“Here!”

He dropped the stack onto the table with a thud.

Startled, Cynthia looked down.

“W-what is all this?”

“These are materials about the late Lady Elizabeth. Please study them carefully over the next week.”

“…How am I supposed to read all this in a week?”

Cynthia looked up at him in horror.

Without even blinking, he continued,

“That’s not all. These here are materials about Grand Duke Teshion. Please study these as well.”

“…Wow….”

“And for reference, our lady did not speak in such odd ways. Please avoid using that tone with her voice.”

“What?”

I’ve had this voice since I was born! I’ve never even heard Elizabeth’s voice!

As she silently protested in her mind, a scene suddenly flashed through her head.

Just before the carriage accident, she had made eye contact with Elizabeth across the street.

She wanted to look away because it felt strange, but as if under a spell, she couldn’t.

And then, Elizabeth’s small lips opened…

‘…Ru….’

‘What?’

Crash! Smash—!

She never heard the rest.

That was the last moment—before she could even process what she saw, the carriage struck her.

Cynthia fell into quiet thought. What was Elizabeth trying to say?

“Ahem! Focus, focus!”

Her thoughts didn’t last long.

Dale was clapping his hands in front of her.

“Ugh….”

“What do you mean ‘ugh’? Read all of this and tell me when you’re done. There will be a test.”

“Ughhh….”

“You should earn that 500,000 mint, don’t you think?”

He shamelessly used money as leverage…

Cynthia secretly glared at him and began reading from the top page.

“Hmm….”

Some things she already knew from the original novel, and some were completely new.

At first, she resisted, thinking it felt like studying—but as she read, it felt more like discovering hidden lore from the novel.

Surprisingly, it was interesting.

And so, she ended up focusing more than expected, finishing the thick reports one by one.

 

 

 

****

 

 

 

“Lady Elizabeth, this way please.”

Dale guided her into the drawing room with a polite smile.

Cynthia walked forward, adjusting the tight dress that clung to her body.

It was fancy and pretty, but…

‘…What kind of suffering is this early in the morning….’

A week later, from early morning, Cynthia had been surrounded by six maids and dressed up from head to toe.

Because of Dale’s insistence that she resemble Elizabeth as much as possible, she had dyed her brown hair blonde and wore special lenses to mimic light green eyes.

‘The Grand Duke can’t even see—what’s the point of all this….’

Grumbling internally, she stood in front of Dale.