The Grand Duke Has Awakened in a Strange Place Chapter 4

Dale seemed even more nervous, repeatedly wiping his hands on his thighs as he spoke.

“You haven’t forgotten what you studied, right?”

“Of course.”

“And how did Lady Elizabeth speak?”

“She was very arrogant… and rude.”

“That’s right. Extremely! So cruel you’d wonder if someone could really be that mean! Sharp and vicious!”

Elizabeth had simply been more sensitive than others because she had been sickly since childhood and suffered from chronic headaches…

But to others, she must have just looked like a bad-tempered villainess…?

Cynthia nodded half-heartedly at Dale.

“The Grand Duke has already arrived. Don’t make any mistakes! Just answer what you’re asked. As if you find this kind of formal setting very annoying!”

“Oh seriously…! I got it! How many times are you going to say it!”

“Oh, that attitude just now is very good.”

Dale carefully looked her up and down, then fixed her slightly messy hair ornament.

He can’t even see anyway…

‘That obsessive perfectionism of his….’

Only after making sure the ornament was perfectly straight did he turn and open the large doors of the drawing room wide. With just a glance over his shoulder, he signaled for Cynthia to go in.

Cynthia took a deep breath and walked inside.

“Hello, Your Grace. I am Elizabeth Bailey.”

Cynthia successfully delivered the opening line she had practiced more than ten times with Dale.

Calm and relaxed, yet indifferent and cool!

Satisfied with her performance, she walked toward the man sitting with his back to the door. Without even turning his head, he replied in a low voice.

“It’s been a while, my lady.”

“Then, I hope you two enjoy your time together.”

Leaving them alone in the large drawing room, Dale quickly closed the door and disappeared. Though, he might very well be standing outside with his ear pressed against it, listening to everything.

Cynthia let out a small sigh and sat across from the man.

And finally, as she faced the Grand Duke, her mouth fell open without her realizing it.

‘Wow… wow….’

He looked exactly like the description in the original novel.

Thick eyebrows, a high nose, a sharp and smooth jawline, broad shoulders… He had an elegant yet strangely captivating presence.

And his eyes, gently closed as if asleep, only added to his unique aura.

If his eyes had been open, it would have felt rude to stare so intensely at each feature of his face.

‘And she still never managed to win over a fiancé this handsome….’

In the original novel, Teshion Romanov was described as extremely restrained and abstinent.

Cynthia even felt sorry for Elizabeth, who had never once been with him despite being engaged to such a man.

‘Well… she probably had fun with the other twenty guys.’

That was the only conclusion Cynthia could come to.

At that moment, the Grand Duke, who had been sitting quietly with his eyes closed, spoke.

“You’re going to burn a hole through my face.”

His voice sounded so nice that Cynthia didn’t even realize he was talking to her and just blinked blankly.

Wow… it’s like a statue talking…

“…Huh? Huh? M-me?”

Startled, Cynthia jumped in her seat.

I’m doomed! Elizabeth wouldn’t act like this!

She broke into a cold sweat, remembering Dale’s strict warnings.

“Perhaps because I cannot see, my other senses are more developed. Your gaze feels quite intense.”

“I-I’m sorry….”

Oh no, I’m really doomed!

Elizabeth doesn’t apologize!

Cynthia raised both hands and quietly grabbed her own hair.

“…Your presence feels a bit different. Compared to our last meeting.”

Gasp!

So he wasn’t exaggerating about his heightened senses.

To notice the difference from just a few words and a single past meeting—impressive.

‘C-calm down. Calm down.’

But right now, Cynthia’s voice sounded almost identical to Elizabeth’s.

Didn’t Dale say they shared a unique resonance? As long as she didn’t panic, there was no reason to get caught.

Trying to relax, Cynthia answered calmly, with a cool and indifferent tone.

“That can’t be.”

“…Is that so.”

Cynthia quickly reached for the teacup in front of her. She needed something to calm her racing heart.

“Has everything been well with the Bailey family?”

“Yes, nothing in particular.”

Cynthia replied briefly.

The fact that the real Elizabeth had died in a carriage accident just last week had already been completely erased, thanks to the Bailey family’s swift and secret handling.

The accident site had been cleaned as if nothing had happened, and no one spoke of it anymore.

‘Money really can do anything….’

Cynthia sipped her tea to calm herself.

Phew… but what are we even supposed to talk about!

They barely knew each other, and this whole situation—created just to maintain a contractual engagement—felt ridiculous.

And those nobles really were obsessed with procedures and formalities.

Apparently, at least five private meetings were required before a wedding could take place. That meant she had to endure three more awkward meetings like this.

‘What kind of stupid rule is that….’

Cynthia kept glancing at the clock on the wall, hoping Dale would come back and open the door soon.

“……”

It seemed the Grand Duke felt the same way.

He sat silently like a beautiful ancient statue, unable to find anything more to say. Even when he managed a greeting or small talk, Cynthia’s short answers ended it immediately.

Cynthia gripped her teacup, wondering what Elizabeth would have said in this situation.

Right now, it felt like being trapped in a room where time moved painfully slowly.

Then, something caught her eye.

Something she absolutely couldn’t ignore.

‘Ah, that….’

Just one strand.

A single black strand of hair had fallen onto the Grand Duke’s smooth forehead.

Oh no…

Cynthia was that kind of person.

If she saw someone’s hat flipped inside out, she would follow them just to fix it.

If a thread was loose on someone’s clothes, she’d bring scissors to cut it.

If someone had food on their face, she’d grab tissues and clean it off.

The moment she noticed that one strand of hair on Teshion Romanov’s forehead, she couldn’t see anything else.

Her small hand trembled slightly, wanting to brush it back.

‘What do I do… it’s so distracting! I want to fix it right now!’

Cynthia swallowed hard and hesitated.

‘Well… the Grand Duke can’t see anyway….’

If she quietly reached out and just moved that one strand, maybe he wouldn’t notice?

If she moved slowly enough, without even a slight breeze, maybe he wouldn’t feel it?

If she didn’t fix it now, it would only make this already suffocating silence even worse.

Cynthia made up her mind and slowly reached toward his forehead.

Very slowly, carefully.

‘Just a little… just a little more…!’

The Grand Duke remained still, eyes closed, without any movement. If not for his faint breathing, he could have been mistaken for a statue.

Cynthia lifted herself slightly from her seat, holding her breath.

‘Just this one thing. Fix this, then act like nothing happened!’

Like a spaceship drifting through space, her fingers quietly moved forward—until they finally touched his hair.

But the real challenge was just beginning.

“……”

Barely breathing, not even blinking, Cynthia slowly moved her hand.

The strand of hair caught between her fingers gently slid back over his forehead.

At last, it blended neatly with the rest of his hair.

‘Phew….’

Cynthia quietly let out a sigh of relief and slowly pulled her hand back, still tense until the very end.

That was when—

Tap—

“…!”

The Grand Duke, who had been sitting like a painting, suddenly raised his arm and swiftly grabbed her wrist.