I’m Not the One Who Seduced the Grand Duke Chapter 50

“Leon? What are you doing here?”

“I told you. I came to pick you up.”

No, I mean, why?

I tilted my head and quickly looked over his outfit.

Why had someone who was merely here to pick me up dressed so meticulously? He was already perfect as it was, but now that he was dressed to the nines from head to toe, he seemed to shine even more.

As I stared at him without a word, I suddenly noticed that his gaze was directed somewhere over my shoulder.

I turned my head and let out a small exclamation inwardly.

‘So this is why.’

At Leon’s appearance, Isabelle, who had been clinging tightly to my back, flinched and hurriedly greeted him.

“Oh, o-oh. It’s been a while, Leon.”

“It has. You seem to be doing well, too.”

“……”

“……”

What was this……? What was with this awkward atmosphere?

‘Could it be that I’m the one intruding here?’

Leon, unlike usual, was glaring at her with an intense, almost oppressive look, while Isabelle was shrinking back as though she had committed some terrible crime against him.

I could see it. I could totally see it.

A whole novel had practically written itself in my head.

‘So Leon had an unrequited love for Isabelle, but then Isabelle got engaged to the Emperor…… And because she chose his older brother instead of him, he came to resent her……!’

Gasp. This fits perfectly!

Thinking about it that way, it even made sense why he had suddenly appeared dressed so perfectly without saying a word.

‘He wanted to show her. To the woman who didn’t choose him, he wanted to show her that he was being affectionate with another woman!’

Goodness. What a fascinating development.

‘……Then why does my chest feel so tight?’

That was the problem. My insides were making a terrible racket regardless of all that.

“Erna, what’s wrong? Are you uncomfortable somewhere? Or are you very tired?”

“No. I’m fine. Maybe because I’ve been out for so long for the first time in a while, I’m just a little dizzy.”

“Huh? I’m sorry, Erna. It’s because I kept you here for so long!”

I told her it was nothing and she didn’t need to overreact, but Leon’s eyes suddenly flashed sharply.

Then his piercing gaze shifted toward Isabelle.

“……Erna?”

The way he said it sounded exactly like, ‘Who are you to call her by her name?’

At this rate, he was going to scare the poor young lady senseless.

“We decided to speak comfortably with each other. It would be a little strange for friends to use honorifics with each other.”

“Friends?”

“Yes. Friends.”

At the words we decided to become friends, Leon made a strange expression.

He looked as though he had a lot to say but was barely holding himself back.

Yet even then, his sharp gaze remained fixed on Isabelle, while Isabelle desperately avoided making eye contact with him.

“Fine. I have no right to interfere with your friendships. But remember this, Isabelle. Don’t bother my fiancée too much.”

“……I’ll keep that in mind.”

Oh, please.

Not only was he subtly emphasizing ‘my fiancée,’ but he was still glaring at her with such a cold look.

‘So he’s doing this on purpose, right? It’s so obvious. I can see right through you.’

After watching the two of them for a moment, I decided it was time to cut off their eye contact.

Then, saying that we should get going, I said my goodbyes to Isabelle once more before getting into the carriage with Leon.

I smiled and gave Isabelle, who continued waving at us from outside the carriage window as we departed, a light wave in return before turning to face forward.

Now, then……

“Why are you so sulky? You don’t look very happy.”

“I suppose I am. I’m not feeling as good as I thought I would.”

“Do you dislike me becoming close with Isabelle?”

“I suppose that’s the case.”

If that was the case, then it was the case. If it wasn’t, then it wasn’t. What did ‘I suppose’ even mean?

“To be honest, I’m not very pleased. I can roughly guess what my brother was thinking when he arranged all this.”

“His Majesty?”

The Emperor had some sort of intention?

When I asked what on earth he meant, Leon answered indifferently.

“He’s probably trying to get you and Isabelle together. And it’s going exactly according to his plan.”

He admitted honestly that this was probably why he wasn’t in a particularly good mood.

In other words, he didn’t like me becoming close with Isabelle.

“Why? I actually like Isabelle quite a lot. She seemed like a nice person. Pure, innocent, and honest.”

“She is far too kind for her own good.”

Leon was silent for a moment before nodding as he said it.

Despite the compliment he had just given, there was still an edge to his voice.

“But there’s no need for you to become too close with her.”

That probably meant he wanted me to keep a reasonable distance.

Hmm……

“Leon.”

At my calling his name, he immediately looked at me.

I gathered my thoughts for a moment before opening my mouth.

“I realized something recently, you know?”

“Realized something? What?”

“How unhealthy it is to dig yourself into a hole all by yourself.”

As someone who knew his future, I had spent several days agonizing over whether I should really allow Leon Obsidian into my life.

“And I realized that doing that doesn’t solve anything either. So I don’t want to do it anymore. I decided I’m never going to do it again.”

“What are you talking about?”

Leon looked at me as though he genuinely couldn’t understand.

He even asked if I could give him a hint because he really wanted to understand.

“I mean that I’m not going to keep questions that pop into my head to myself and agonize over them anymore. It doesn’t solve anything, and it only makes me restless.”

Besides, if I kept worrying about it, I was bound to become so distracted that I wouldn’t be able to focus on anything else.

It was terribly inefficient, wasn’t it?

He nodded.

Right. So what I wanted to ask was……

“About that person you mentioned last time, the one you had an unrequited love for but failed with. Is that person Isabelle?”

“……What?”

“Ah, I’m sorry. I should have asked about something like this more delicately. I’ve actually been thinking about it this whole time, so my head has been a mess. I just wanted to get it out of my head as quickly as possible.”

I added awkwardly that I hoped he would understand.

But even then, he merely stared at me blankly, his lips slightly parted.

Hmm. I must have hit the bull’s-eye. He seemed surprised.

I nodded firmly.

And just as I was completely absorbed in my own little deduction……

“Hah.”

Leon suddenly let out a hollow laugh and covered his mouth.

With his hand still there, he went, “Ha, ha, ha!” and even laughed several more times.

‘What’s with that reaction?’

How did she know? I’ve found out!?

No, he didn’t look particularly flustered for that.

Right.

If anything, he looked a little angry.

“That’s really too much.”

“W-what?”

“You’ve hurt my feelings.”

Clatter.

Just then, the carriage that had been traveling smoothly came to a stop.

It seemed we had already arrived at the Marquess’s residence.

He stood up and stepped down from the carriage, then held out his hand to me.

I reflexively took it and climbed down, but as soon as I did, he quickly tucked his hand behind his back as though nothing had happened.

“Leon?”

“I’m angry right now.”

Yes. You certainly look like it.

“So I’m not going to talk to you until you figure out what you did wrong on your own.”

With that, as if giving an exaggerated hmph to emphasize just how angry he was, he walked away, repeatedly going hmph, hmph under his breath.

“……What is wrong with him, seriously?”

 

***

 

‘Hmm. This is more serious than I expected.’

It had already been three days since Leon Obsidian had gotten sulky.

I had thought it would only last for a little while, but unexpectedly, he was sticking to it quite stubbornly.

For example, even this morning during breakfast.

I had thought he wouldn’t come because he was sulking, but as always, he got up at the appointed time and showed up for the meal.

The problem was……

“What’s on your schedule today?”

“……”

“Do you have Imperial Knights training today, too?”

“……”

“I’m thinking of going to the tea salon today. I’m meeting Isabelle there, but……”

“……”

“Leon. Do you not want to talk to me?”

“……”

The silent treatment was making me the one who felt uncomfortable and suffocated.

It would be one thing if he stayed out of sight……

‘But he keeps hovering around right in front of me while refusing to talk to me.’

If he was going to sulk, he should at least do it properly.

What was going through his mind when he deliberately read books right in front of me, or deliberately worked at the small desk in my study?

And on top of that, even though he could simply eat separately, he insisted on eating right in front of me, and then deliberately sat there looking dejected and miserable right in front of me……

“Wow. This is driving me crazy.”

He was getting on my nerves way too much.