♛
Mayerie asked, smirking in her mind, seeing his reaction as if he didn’t know what she was talking about.
“What do you mean?”
“The wedding.”
I looked at Grandiel with a cold gaze. There was no change in his expression. Still, he just pretended to be smiling.
“Why do you think so?”
“It was so well organized. It’s like a play.”
From the moment I opened the door to the wedding hall, there was a strange sense of discomfort.
At the time, I was so distracted that I didn’t notice it right away, but when I thought about it again while organizing the situation in the carriage, there were many strange things.
“First of all, the guests were abnormally quiet. There was no one stopping the intruder, not even making a noise.”
When someone appears at a wedding saying, ‘I’m against this marriage’ people usually talk about who that person was.
However, the eyes of the guests turned to me in unison, but no one opened their mouth to stop me. As if they were aware of the appearance of an uninvited guest.
“And the groom’s attitude, it’s strange to stand by and watch a situation where it won’t be strange if he gets angry or yells at me.”
It was a brief moment, but the moment I made eye contact with the old man, I felt the horror on his face. He just stared at me with a terrified look on his face and didn’t respond.
“The last thing was that there was only our carriage in front of the temple. After the wedding, the flowered carriage for the bride and groom to ride should be waiting at the entrance before the wedding. So that they could ride right away.”
The flower carriage wouldn’t have been prepared from the beginning. Because there was no need for it.
“…”
Grandiel looked at me in silence. Like the eyes of a predator, the golden eyes that shone brightly in the dark seemed to read my emotions.
This time, I didn’t even try to hide my feelings. No matter how old I was, I didn’t want to bend over after being treated as a toy like this.
“Are you angry?”
“Of course. Was it fun to fool people and watch them?”
“…But.”
Did I just hear it wrong? If you thought I’d like it. You’re mistaken.
Grandiel lowered his head and said, “I’m sorry. I didn’t know you would hate it.”
It was crazy. You didn’t know I would hate it. What does Grandiel’s brain look like?
I said, glaring at the top of Grandiel’s head, “Who the hell would love to be played and made fun of like that?”
Only the viewers find it funny, and the victim gets a bad hidden camera. Grandiel apologized one more time without any excuse when I showed my displeasure with my arms crossed.
“I’m really sorry.”
Rather, I was taken aback by his response. While rescuing Radiata, I thought it was a play to fill his entertainment.
He was just messing with me. But Grandiel looked genuinely sorry.
‘If you’re going to apologize, why did you do such a play in the first place?’ Mayerie sighed deeply.
I didn’t understand why he had this play, but I couldn’t continue to be angry. It has already happened, and I don’t know, but Grandiel may have his reasons for doing such a play.
I got an apology for that. In addition, Radiata was successfully rescued. Since it ended well, I rationalized it and let go of my anger.
“I’m not in a position to say this, but please don’t play on me next time and be honest with me. It’s easier for me to cooperate that way…”
“What if I tell you the truth and you run away?”
As I gently lifted my head and asked, “Me?”
“I have a lot to hide.”
That’s right. Being the king of the underworld that rules the dark district, or being able to read the emotions of others with an ability that was handed down as a secret of the imperial family.
Other than that, there may be more secrets about him that are not described in the novel. What does that have to do with me running away anyway?
“There are some things you wouldn’t understand.”
There was a slight ripple in his gold. I also looked him in the eye and had no idea what he was thinking.
“There are things that are so cruel to put into words.”
He must have done a lot of dirty work to devour the underworld.
In the beginning, Nepenthes was a crazy character. If he wanted something, he would get it by any filthy means, and if anyone got in the way, they were brutally killed.
The only person in the novel who could control him was Radiata.
‘You’re afraid I’ll run away because I don’t want to do anything scary after signing a contract.’
Certainly, there would be a lot of things that could happen to a noble lady, who grew up in a greenhouse and gets scared when she hears it and might ask him to break the contract.
“Are you going to make me do cruel things too?”
“No.”
To be honest, I would be able to handle it if he didn’t let me commit any immoral act that pricks my conscience.
Because this wasn’t my previous life. This was a world full of people with scheming tricks.
Many people killed others for their survival, and there were times when some pretended to be friendly and poisoned the other.
And they’re not guilty at all. So, I couldn’t just say that Grandiel was bad.
“Then it’s fine.”
After a moment of silence, Grandiel kissed the back of my hand and said, “…I promise.”
I was startled by the vivid touch of his soft lips. I’ve been thinking about it since last time, but the way he touches me so casually.
‘Was this just a greeting? Your lips felt warm. But I wanted to take my hand out more than that, but until when are you going to hold it?’
I glanced down at Grandiel, then let out an awkward laugh and slipped my hand away. He let go easily.
“Instead, promise me Miss Mayerie.”
“What?”
“You won’t run away from me.”
Grandiel, who raised the corners of his lips languidly, whispered seductively. I nodded my head as if possessed by his handsome face and came to my senses.
‘Wow, the man who’s obsessed, just naturally spews out the lines he’s going to say to the heroine.’
Unfortunately, Grandiel will be nailing it in advance to prevent B from breaking the contract from A’s point of view. I turned the subject around to change the strange atmosphere.
“Diel, can I ask you a question?”
“Don’t hesitate to ask me anything.”
“What happened on the last day of the New Year’s party?”
I’ve been curious ever since. What happened that day that led Radiata to become a stalker? Immediately realizing that I was asking about Radiata, he stared at me with strange eyes.
“You’re very interested in Radiata.”
Grandiel’s explanation that followed was detailed. As if I was watching right there when it happened.
The beginning was the same as the novel. In a snowy garden, Radiata offered Ellex a contract marriage, which he refused.
The variable that intervened was Razvia.
Razvia discovered Radiata, followed her secretly, and overheard her conversation with Ellex. And, like me, she mentions the conversation in the middle of the party.
‘Who cares about the attention-seeker, because she’s my old rival?’
However, unlike me, she was not arguing with Ellex, but with Radiata.
From how the family figures attended the meeting, the nobles dismissed the conversation with Ellex as a lie by having Radiata apologize for the rudeness.
Radiata quickly became a crazy person, and on the spot, rumors swelled in real time and she was even falsely accused of being a stalker.
‘Did Ellex neglect her?’
Mayerie almost understood what happened.
“Thank you for letting me know.”
“Forgive me for today’s mistakes with this.”
Grandiel had a half-hearted laugh. I went back to my room thinking that I really couldn’t stand that laugh.
♛
The next morning.
I couldn’t take Radiata down to the dining room. This was because she had not yet formally received her letter of recommendation, so it was difficult when someone asked me about her.
I was about to go up to my room with the food from the dining room when I heard a voice calling me.
“Miss Mayerie!”
It was Violet, a maid with long hair, whom she became close with at the tea party.
“The head maid called for you!”
“Where?”
“She’s checking the tea party arrangements in the greenhouse.”
“Thanks for letting me know.”
I handed Radiata breakfast and went straight to the greenhouse.
What the hell are you calling me for? Maybe it’s because I skipped work yesterday.
No. Grandiel said he would speak separately to her, so it should be fine. I struggled to shake off my anxiety and moved on.
“Mayerie.”
“Yes.”
When I arrived at the greenhouse, the head maid, who was doing a meticulous final inspection, stopped what she was doing for a moment and approached me. I waited anxiously for her words.
“I heard a new maid came in.”
Fortunately, there was no mention of the cart being abandoned yesterday.
It seems that Radiata, whom I brought in last night, has already been hired as a maid. I was admiring Grandiel’s speed of work, but the maid’s words did not end there.
“I’ll leave the child’s education to you.”
I’m still on my 4th day working here? Moreover, I have never been able to do a proper job as a maid.
Most of the maids did chores, but I couldn’t say I couldn’t do it here. I’m nervous to leave Radiata to someone else. Because she could be bullied for being an illegitimate child.
“Yes.”
Now, at the command of the head maid to go to work, I bowed my head and left the greenhouse. I didn’t go back to the room and looked for Daphne first. I was going to ask her for help.
Even if I know roughly what a maid does, it varies slightly depending on the master I’m serving. I have to ask the same implicit question.
‘I helped her at the tea party, so she’ll help me too.’
I was crossing the rose garden to return to the palace. I thought I should get a maid uniform for Radiata.
Then suddenly a strong wind blew. At the same time, the blue light began to create patterns in the air.
It was a magic circle. I couldn’t open my eyes properly, so I covered my face with both arms.
An unfamiliar voice was heard from the blue light but I couldn’t look through it because of the wind, “What? It’s not Nepenthes?”
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