I’m Not the One Who Seduced the Grand Duke Chapter 49

A fox-like woman who bewitched countless men.

A lady with a fatal charm who had already brought tears to the eyes of countless other ladies.

……That’s what I’d heard, at least…….

“P-Pleased to meet you, Marquess Zaherette. His Majesty told me about you. C-Congratulations on your engagement.”

“……Thank you.”

I stared at the woman frozen stiff in front of me.

Her cheeks were flushed bright red, and her two hands kept fidgeting restlessly, unable to stay still.

On top of that, her blue eyes kept darting back and forth.

There was something about her that made her seem restless even when she was standing still, but one thing was certain.

She really is adorable.

Perhaps it was because of her small stature, but the expression small enough to fit perfectly in your arms suited her remarkably well.

The kind of charm that stirred one’s protective instincts, making you want to do something for her just by standing beside her.

So this is Leon’s type?

If so, this was a rather bitter situation.

Because she was the complete opposite of me.

“Ah! I should show you inside. Please, come this way.”

“Thank you.”

“I was so surprised when I heard the news. Leon is getting engaged! I was so curious about who his fiancée was that I even sent a letter to His Majesty, and then he entrusted me with something this important.”

The young lady said as she guided me inside the mansion.

“I’ll do my very best! Just leave everything to me!”

The petite woman clenched both fists energetically.

Then, perhaps embarrassed by her own enthusiasm, she quickly lowered her gaze and fiddled with her hair.

“Normally, a banquet hosted by the Imperial Family would be prepared by the Empress or a high-ranking noblewoman…… But there are simply too many vacancies right now. I don’t know if I’ll be enough, but I hope you’ll bear with me.”

Isabelle glanced at me as though cautiously checking my reaction before speaking.

Unlike the confidence she had shown moments ago, her self-esteem seemed to have suddenly plummeted to the floor.

What is this strange sense of incongruity?

“You shouldn’t say that. Of course I’ll be satisfied. If anything, I’m sorry that you had to come all the way to the capital because of me and immediately take on this task.”

“Please don’t say that! I accepted because I wanted to! And I also……”

Hmm. And?

“We’ll soon be family, after all. I wanted to become close to you before that happened……”

“Hearing you say that makes me feel a little more at ease.”

“Please speak comfortably with me. I may be engaged to His Majesty, but we haven’t formally married yet. I’m still a young lady of the ducal house, while you’re the head of your family.”

“Oh. Shall we do that, then?”

“Yes. Please just call me Isabelle.”

“Then you can just call me Erna, too. We’re around the same age anyway, so let’s talk like friends.”

“Ah…… Yes!”

When I suggested that since we would probably be seeing each other often, we might as well drop the formalities and speak comfortably with each other, Isabelle’s face brightened.

Like someone who had received a completely unexpected gift.

The more she reacted that way, the more questions arose in my mind.

Is this really the woman who drove nails into the hearts of countless other women? She looks so kind and gentle, without a single rough edge.

If anything, she seemed a little absentminded.

So soft-hearted that I would feel uneasy even letting her go somewhere alone.

The more we talked, the more the things the noblewomen had warned me about the day before seemed to crumble one by one.

We were drinking tea and making small talk in a much more relaxed atmosphere when—

“I’m sorry I’m late. Oh, dear, one of the carriage wheels suddenly came off on the way here, and I ended up being delayed.”

A plump, cute-looking middle-aged noblewoman hurried into the drawing room.

I had exchanged greetings with the Duchess of Mercier a few times at public events.

From what I had seen then, she seemed to be someone who took her social activities very seriously.

And she was the same now.

She looked genuinely flustered that she had been late for the appointment, yet there was still an unmistakable elegance in every step she took.

She vaguely resembled the young lady sitting before me, yet somehow felt completely different.

“It’s been a long time, Marquess. How have you been? We exchanged greetings at the Holy Light Festival a few years ago. I wonder if you remember.”

“I remember, Your Grace. Have you been well?”

I bowed politely, and the noblewoman, who had been wiping the sweat from her forehead with a handkerchief, nodded with a broad smile.

“Of course. I never imagined I would form such a connection with the Marquess, but I’m truly delighted!”

The Duchess spoke excitedly, her face practically glowing with enthusiasm.

Seeing this, Isabelle quickly whispered beside me.

“I’m still a little inexperienced at hosting banquets…… So Mother said she would help me.”

She smiled brightly, as if telling me not to worry.

No, seriously. What is this?

Why were the Emperor’s fiancée and even the Duchess being this enthusiastic over something as simple as an engagement party?

“I’m really fine with keeping it simple.”

“What are you talking about? We can’t do that! It’s the engagement banquet of the Grand Duke of Bernstein and the Marquess of Zaherette! Since the wedding ceremony is being skipped, we absolutely must have a proper banquet!”

No, I really am fine.

But Isabelle was already completely fired up.

Don’t worry, she said. She would make me the happiest woman in the world that day.

Oh, whatever. Let’s just see what happens.

“But, Marquess, have you two met before? You seem quite close.”

“Ah, we decided to speak comfortably with each other. We’re around the same age, after all.”

“That’s right, Mother! We decided to become friends.”

Isabelle looked at me with a bright smile.

When I nodded, her smile became even brighter as she turned toward the Duchess.

“Friends? Friends…… Oh, my! That’s wonderful!”

The Duchess looked stunned for a moment before breaking into a broad smile.

“Good. Then I’ll take this opportunity to teach you everything I know. It’s something you’ll both have to do once you settle into your respective positions anyway.”

“Something we have to do? Specifically what……?”

“Planning banquets and receiving guests, of course!”

The veteran Duchess’s eyes gleamed.

“Let’s see. What do we need? Ah, shall we start by narrowing down the guest list? As for the miscellaneous things, I’ll tell our butler to take care of them.”

The noblewoman enthusiastically patted her chest, telling us not to worry because it was nothing difficult.

There was a considerable amount of pride in her voice.

That’s true. Normally, I hear these are things the elders of the family teach you. But I never had the opportunity to learn any of this.

Thankfully, my father had taught me how to manage the family and run the business before he passed away.

But my mother had gone to heaven not long after I was born, so I had never had the chance to learn how to conduct myself as a noblewoman.

That’s probably another reason I’ve always been so awkward with social activities.

Well, then. Maybe this really is for the best.

I straightened my posture and nodded.

“I’ll learn well. I’ve never really had the opportunity to learn these things before.”

The Duchess’s eyes widened.

A moment later, as though she had understood what I meant, she smiled warmly.

“Hehe. It feels as though I suddenly have two daughters. I like it very much.”

At those words, I blushed and let out a small laugh.

It tickled somewhere inside me.

If there was such a thing as the warm, comforting feeling of a mother that I had never known, perhaps this was what it felt like.

 

***

 

“I’ve stayed too long. I should get going now. You don’t have to come out.”

“But still……”

Despite my protests that it was fine, Isabelle insisted on seeing me off and followed me outside in quick little steps, staying close beside me.

Perhaps because we had both spent the entire day being subjected to the Duchess’s enthusiastic lessons, we had grown surprisingly close in a short amount of time.

For someone as shy around strangers as me to become comfortable this quickly was almost surprising even to myself.

“Please take good care of me from now on, Erna.”

“How many times have you said that already?”

I chuckled, and Isabelle giggled.

She tightly clasped both of my hands, looking as though she didn’t know what to do with herself.

I was standing there, held in place on the mansion steps because she seemed reluctant to let me go, when—

Wait.

Come to think of it, am I forgetting something important?

What was it?

Hmm. Let’s see……

“Huh? Over there!”

I was lost in thought when Isabelle suddenly pointed somewhere and cried out.

I turned my head to see what it was and frowned.

A large carriage that had just passed through the gates of the ducal residence slowly approached us before coming to a smooth stop.

Then a man stepped out of the carriage.

“Am I not being inconsiderate by coming too early?”

“…….”

“I came to pick you up, Erna.”

Leon approached me with a relaxed smile.