I’m Not the One Who Seduced the Grand Duke Chapter 36

Was it really something that could be resolved this easily?

“What do you think? Do you feel a little more at ease now?”

“Very much so.”

When I nodded, saying I was extremely satisfied, only then did Leon’s face brighten as well.

Maybe this is going to be even simpler than I thought.

I breathed a small sigh of relief and mentally pinched my past self for having worried so much over this issue.

Just as I was privately rejoicing at the thought that most of my problems had been resolved—

“So, when can I move in?”

“What? Move in? Where?”

“Where else? Obviously, the Zaherette estate.”

“……What?”

“Now that we’ve made our decision, I’d like to move the schedule up as much as possible.”

Why were you coming here?

I stared at him with a look that clearly asked what on earth he meant, but Leon answered as though I had asked the most obvious question in the world.

“We’re engaged, and we’re going to get married soon. Since things have turned out this way, it’s better for us to stay together as much as possible, isn’t it? We haven’t even had a proper chance to date.”

“Ah, no, but who immediately starts living under the same roof just because they’re engaged? Of course, it’s not that I dislike the idea, but it feels a little strange for Leon to move into a marquess’s estate. And if I were to move to the Grand Ducal Residence, there are too many things I still need to take care of here, so that would be difficult too……”

“Don’t worry, Erna.”

The fact that he said it like that actually made me more worried.

“It’s been my dream since I was young to become a live-in son-in-law.”

“…….”

“Besides, wouldn’t this be better for you too? You can keep an eye on me so I don’t get up to anything behind your back.”

Leon said it with an evil smile.

Was it just my imagination?

Why did that devilish smile seem to overlap with his still angelic face?

Damn it.

I think I may have dug my own grave……

Surely not?

 

***

 

“Erna.”

“…….”

“Erna? I think it’s about time you got up.”

Hmm…… What?

At the gentle voice coming from beside my head, my hazy consciousness gradually became clearer.

Wait, this voice……?

I opened my eyes with a terrible suspicion, and the first thing I saw was a handsome blond man sparkling right in front of me.

I stared blankly at him before quickly looking around.

Good. At least this was definitely my room.

“……What are you doing here?”

I suddenly came fully awake and shot upright, clutching the blanket tightly around myself.

Why on earth was Leon in my room?

And not just in my room—he was sitting right beside my bed with a chair pulled close, looking at me.

The impact of it was considerable.

“Laura said it was about time for you to get up.”

“And?”

“Waking up one’s fiancée is one of a fiancé’s duties. Didn’t you know that, Erna?”

Since when……?

Good heavens, since when had such an absurd duty existed?

Had some tremendous change taken place in society while I had been pushing the emotion known as love to the back of my mind?

I was spacing out as I pondered that thought when I saw his face smiling brightly right in front of me.

He’s teasing me.

Of course he was.

“Who do you take me for, a fool?”

“You didn’t fall for it.”

Leon laughed lightly before gently stroking my cheek.

It really was an embarrassingly sweet morning, but I didn’t brush his hand away.

I didn’t know why. I just didn’t.

Clearly it was because it was morning. Maybe I was too lazy to bother. I made all sorts of rationalizations in my head as I weakly protested aloud.

“Don’t.”

“Why? Even your just-woken-up face is pretty.”

What was this feeling?

Why did hearing something like that from Leon somehow feel like an insult?

I felt a little strange, but he seemed to be in such a good mood that I couldn’t bring myself to tell him to stop again.

So I simply gave up and kept quiet.

This can’t possibly be good for my heart…….

I worried about that a little.

 

***

 

“Marquess, honestly, I wasn’t really interested in marriage, you know?”

“Don’t lie, Laura. You were always nagging me to get married.”

“No, that’s exactly why! Every time you looked at me with those half-dead eyes and said you had no interest in it, do you know how much bitter water I had to swallow as I gave up hope……? So honestly, I had already given up halfway.”

Sniff.

Laura sniffled beside me as she mumbled.

Good grief. At this rate, she really was going to cry.

“But I never knew marriage could be this wonderful……”

“It’s not marriage. It’s an engagement.”

“Long live marriage.”

Ignoring my words, Laura clasped her hands together and spoke in an emotional voice.

Her gaze was fixed below the second-floor railing where we were standing.

More precisely, on Leon in the first-floor lobby, warmly greeting and chatting with the butler and the other servants.

One week ago.

His declaration that he would become a live-in son-in-law, which I had naturally assumed was a joke, became reality the very next day.

Leon had actually arrived at the Marquess’s estate with a huge amount of luggage.

I couldn’t exactly throw him out after he had shown up carrying all his belongings out of nowhere.

So, unwillingly, I gave him one of the spare rooms in the estate.

During the process, the butler and Laura had a small argument over whether he should be given the mistress’s room instead, but Leon willingly settled into one of the spare rooms.

“It’s true that I barged in without asking. Once I get a little more comfortable here, give me a proper room then.”

Seeing him voluntarily take a step back once again, I eventually had no choice but to give in.

Leon Obsidian had crossed over the sturdy walls of Zaherette and, in the end, secured a place by my side.

And things only got more ridiculous afterward.

“Isn’t it amazing? If someone who didn’t know him saw him, they’d think he’d been living here for years.”

“He memorized all the servants’ faces and names in a single day. And then he goes out of his way to speak to them first~ He’s just so considerate.”

“Honestly, even another man could fall for him, you know?”

Servants of all genders were busy blushing and showering him with praise.

His ability to charm people really was incredible.

The problem was that I was no exception.

Unfortunately, my own heart had already been swayed considerably in his direction.

Now that all the troublesome incidents had been sorted out, my immediate goal was to prevent his rebellion.

To prevent such a tragedy from ever happening in the Orden Empire.

Now that I had decided to be with him, it was an extremely important matter for the sake of both my future and Zaherette’s.

There was only one problem.

“He really doesn’t look like he has anything to do with a rebellion.”

No matter how I looked at him, I couldn’t see even the slightest sign of it.

I had just returned to my room and was letting out a long, frustrated sigh when—

“Marquess.”

The butler entered after knocking.

“Count Valentine has come to see you again. He says he has something important to discuss with you……”

The butler spoke with a deliberately troubled expression.

I rubbed my tired face with both hands.

Seriously, how many times was this now?

“He shouldn’t have picked a fight with me if he couldn’t handle the consequences.”

I had no intention of meeting him, but letting things drag on like this wasn’t ideal either.

Just as I was wondering what I should do—

“Erna, are you busy right now?”

Leon poked his head through the crack in the door and politely asked.

“No. Not particularly.”

“Good. Then I’d like you to come somewhere with me.”

“Suddenly? Where?”

I stood up as I asked.

I wondered if he was asking me out on a date.

Even if he was, I no longer had any reason to refuse him.

Still, I would have liked to know where we were going……

When I asked, he leaned against the doorway and slightly furrowed his brow.

“The Imperial Palace.”

“What? The Imperial Palace?”

“Yes. His Majesty says there’s something to discuss regarding our engagement, so we’re being summoned to the palace for a moment.”

Leon said with a displeased expression, as though the matter itself irritated him.

Then he suddenly paused.

“It’s not because I dislike my brother. I just don’t like this troublesome process. So don’t misunderstand me.”

“I know.”

“Really. I’m on good terms with my brother.”

Perhaps he was conscious of what I had said before, because Leon emphasized his relationship with the Emperor again and again.

Even when I told him I understood perfectly and he could stop, he continued to assure me of his good relationship with the Emperor several more times.

Only after he seemed satisfied did he smile and look at me.

By the way, being suddenly summoned over our engagement…… Surely nothing has happened, right?

 

***

 

Inside the Imperial Palace of Orden.

The Emperor, Kael Obsidian, sat on an ornate golden chair and spoke with a troubled expression.

“The engagement between the two of you has been rejected.”

“What? What does that mean?”

“More precisely, I suppose I should say it has been put on hold. You know that marriage documents between members of the Imperial Family and nobles require the approval of both the Imperial Family and the Temple, don’t you?”

“Yes.”

Of course I knew.

Unlike commoners, marriages between members of the Imperial Family and nobles were considered special and noble unions, and the procedure was finalized by having both the Imperial Family and the head priest of the Grand Temple sign as witnesses.

But that was merely a formality.

Once the two families had already agreed to the marriage, there was no reason for either side to object.

And yet—

“The Temple says they discovered a very serious disqualifying issue concerning your engagement, and therefore they cannot approve it for the time being.”

The Emperor let out a hollow laugh, as though he found the whole thing absurd.

Though he was supposedly laughing, there was considerable anger written across his face.

Why wouldn’t there be?

The fact that they sent the rejection of our engagement to the Imperial Family instead of to us, the parties involved, is practically the same as notifying the Emperor directly.

No matter how I looked at it, this was completely unreasonable.