Cynthia was so startled that she froze in that exact position, unable to say a word.
“…….”
“What were you doing?”
“Ah… th-that is… well… this….”
When she actually tried to explain what she had done, it felt strange even to herself.
Forgetting once again that she was supposed to be Elizabeth, Cynthia began to stammer.
“Th-that… the, the h-hair….”
“The hair?”
A crack seemed to form on his smooth forehead in an instant. He frowned, unable to understand what she meant.
Ah, I’m really doomed…
After a brief moment of despair, Cynthia steadied herself again, thinking of the shining five million mint.
“…Sigh. Actually, there was a single strand of hair sticking out onto Your Grace’s forehead, and it bothered me, so I brushed it back. I tried to do it without you noticing… but if it made you uncomfortable, I apologize. I’m sorry.”
“My hair bothered you?”
“Yes. I just really can’t stand things like that. Still, acting like this on our second meeting isn’t appropriate… I was careless.”
Cynthia spoke as if complaining to herself.
She could only hope that her sincerity—that she had never meant any harm—would reach him.
“Hair….”
The Grand Duke murmured, loosening his grip on her wrist.
Freed from him, Cynthia leaned back against her chair and slumped down.
At this point, she felt like whatever happens, happens.
“On Your Grace’s neat forehead, there was just one strand of hair hanging down awkwardly, you see? But it seems my fingers were even more thoughtless and moved on their own….”
Cynthia spoke in a relaxed posture, almost sliding down in her chair. Since he couldn’t see anyway, she wondered why she had been sitting so properly before.
But then…
‘Did he just smile…?’
Cynthia’s eyes widened slightly as she tilted her head and looked at him.
He quickly returned to his calm, statue-like expression with closed eyes, but for a brief moment, it seemed like the corner of his lips had lifted.
‘…I must’ve imagined it.’
It wasn’t even that funny.
Losing interest quickly, Cynthia reached out to the table and picked up a butter cookie. She took a bite and began chewing.
Wow, this is good…
After chewing for a while, she quietly lifted her gaze toward him.
“Your Grace.”
“Yes, my lady.”
“Would it be alright if I handed you a butter cookie?”
“…Pardon?”
The Grand Duke asked in a puzzled voice.
This cookie looked similar to the ones Dale always served whenever she visited the mansion.
Holding the plate of cookies, Cynthia spoke again.
“These are quite good. I think the chef of our house baked them fresh today, so I thought it would be nice if you tried one too.”
“A cookie…?”
“Oh! Don’t tell me you don’t like cookies? They’re really good… They’re kind of our family’s pride….”
“No, it’s not that.”
Cynthia stared at him intently.
This time, she saw it clearly.
“…If you give it to me yourself, I will gratefully accept it.”
His lips, curving smoothly into a beautiful arc.
****
“How was it?”
“How was what….”
“I’m asking if you did well!”
“I don’t know….”
Cynthia answered while dragging her feet along the long, luxurious carpeted hallway.
Did well? More like completely ruined it.
Walking slowly with slumped shoulders, she was accompanied by Dale, who adjusted his glasses and asked again.
“The Grand Duke didn’t look displeased when he left earlier.”
“He looked expressionless to me….”
“Exactly! If he’s expressionless, that means you did fine. I thought he’d come out frowning.”
What?
Cynthia, who had been walking straight ahead, stopped and glared at Dale.
“…Just how little faith do you have in me!”
“Do you even need to ask? I thought you’d mess it up spectacularly!”
Dale shot back without backing down. Cynthia flinched slightly and turned her head away.
…She couldn’t exactly deny that.
The moment she saw the Grand Duke smile earlier, she had been so distracted that she dropped the plate she was holding.
Without even noticing the cookies falling onto her lap…
‘…Didn’t some cookies just fall?’
‘Huh? …Ah—ahh! I picked them up! 3 seconds! The 3-second rule! If you pick them up before 3 seconds, it’s fine!’
In her panic, she not only picked up the cookies that had fallen onto her dress and put them back on the plate, but even offered them again…
There was no doubt this meeting had been a disaster.
There was no way the Grand Duke hadn’t noticed how different she was compared to their first meeting—and even if, by some miracle, he hadn’t…
‘There’s no reason to keep an engagement with a lady who secretly touches your hair and offers you dropped cookies….’
Cynthia lowered her head in despair.
Unaware of her mood as he walked beside her, Dale spoke cheerfully.
“Ah! You finished all the cookies, didn’t you? The butter cookies were good, right?”
“They did taste good….”
“They’re quite famous. Always delicious, no matter when you eat them.”
“The pastry chef of the Bailey family must be very skilled….”
So if you have any sense, pack me a few cookies…
“Huh? The Bailey family’s pastry chef?”
Dale asked with a puzzled expression.
“Hm? Weren’t they cookies served by the Bailey household? Ah… were they bought from a famous place in the capital instead?”
“The cookies were brought personally by the Grand Duke. As a gift for his fiancée.”
Ah… so that means I not only offered dropped cookies, but also acted like a gift I received was something from my own family…
“Dale….”
“Yes?”
“Do I… not have to return the advance payment?”
“Haha, what a joke. Do you think that’s possible?”
“I see….”
Cynthia nodded with a bitter smile.
****
It was a few days later when a letter from Dale arrived at Cynthia’s house.
‘No need to look—it’s definitely about breaking off the engagement….’
With a troubled expression, Cynthia stared at the white envelope on the table.
The Bailey family’s crest, stamped in fine wax, gleamed beautifully.
“…It was an impossible proposal from the start! There’s no way I could become Elizabeth overnight.”
Her expression quickly turned sad as she looked at the check beside the letter. The 500,000 mint check remained untouched.
“…Good thing I didn’t cash it yet. That would’ve made things more complicated….”
Gently stroking the shiny paper, Cynthia took a deep breath and tore open the envelope.
She pulled out the letter and began reading quickly. It was better to face bad news sooner—reading it fast and clearing it from her mind.
But soon, her red eyes widened.
It was something she never expected.
[You are invited to a dinner at the Grand Duke Romanov ’s residence this coming weekend. Please visit the Bailey estate by the day before for more thorough preparation! – Dale]
****
“Have a safe trip, miss!”
Outside the carriage, Dale waved with a bright smile. When their eyes met, he clenched both fists in encouragement.
“Yeees….”
Cynthia leaned back against the carriage seat with a tired face. She forced a smile at Dale, but the moment he disappeared from view, her expression dropped.
‘That crazy man….’
For several nights, she had been put through intense, Spartan-style training by Dale again.
This time, the meeting would take place at the Romanov mansion instead of the Bailey estate, and since he couldn’t accompany her, she needed even more thorough preparation.
‘And since this will be Lady Elizabeth’s first visit to the Romanov estate, you must leave a strong and unquestionable first impression on everyone there.’
“Ugh, my head hurts….”
Cynthia muttered, holding her throbbing head from lack of sleep.
Since last night, she had been reading—and rereading—a report of over 100 pages detailing Elizabeth’s entire life.
Where she was born and the weather there, the name of her first teddy bear, the girls she fought with at age five, even the list of servants she had dismissed…
It seemed clear that Dale was pushing her to her limits to recreate the personality of the difficult Elizabeth.
“…But I can’t say I don’t understand.”
Leaning her head back against the seat, Cynthia murmured quietly.
If it were ever discovered that she wasn’t really Elizabeth…
‘It wouldn’t just be about five million mint… I could actually end up in prison….’
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