I Became The Wife Of The Cursed Grand Duke – Chapter 105

Author: Dakku-san

But when he opened his eyes and saw Evelyn standing in front of him, he calmed himself.

Even though he had seen Daphne in his dream, it was Evelyn who was now lying against him, so it was no wonder he recognized her familiar scent.

‘Daphne, what was it you wanted to tell me?’

Hundreds of years ago, he and Daphne were married at first sight.

But their love was a recipe for disaster.

He loved his wife so much that he refused to fulfill his oracle, which required him to have sex with a saint and see the afterlife.

“It is not necessarily me who must destroy Babel; I will fulfill my mission by purifying the saturated dungeon.”

His resolute decision that he could not betray his wife shook the empire and the temple.

They realized that they could not simply wait for the birth of the Protector, who might come again at any moment.

They accused Daphne of being a witch, the cause of all that had happened, and set out to destroy her family.

She was guilty of disrupting the order of the Empire and deceiving the Guardians.

Their decision would prove irreversible.

Disillusioned with the task of protecting the empire, he turned his back on his mission to cleanse the dungeons and disappeared into thin air.

And the result is….

“Perhaps you wanted to blame me for not protecting anything, not as a father, not as a monarch.”

He sighed and wiped his tired face, but Benjamin, who had gone out to attend to his business, hurried into the throne room.

“Your Majesty, I have a message for you.”

“A message?”

“Yes, a message from an informant within the Magic Guild.”

He stared at the sky beyond the window and slowly turned around. A sharp frown appeared in his dull golden eyes.

“Tell me.”

“Lord Dante of House Lindbergh wishes to see the grand duchess personally.”

“…why now?”

“No, shall we?”

“Dante del Lindbergh,”

Evelyn’s mother, Marcella, was kidnapped, and after she returned, she allegedly committed suicide because she couldn’t stand the publicity.

It was an informant from the Magic Guild who alerted Cardassian that he was alive. Dante was hiding out on the continent of Nora, not Cardassian.

His willingness to meet with Evelyn meant that he was willing to tell her the secrets of the Lindbergh family.

“Well, I’m not sure if that will help Evelyn or confuse her.”

*Tap, tap*

He tapped his fingers meaninglessly on the desk in his office, then forced himself to speak.

“Wedding reception, tell them we can’t give them much time.”

“Yes.”

Benjamin bowed and left the room.

He sank into the chair in his office and stared at the ceiling for a moment before rising to his feet.

It was time to return the holy relic to its owner.

* * *

Evelyn descended the catacombs’ staircase in silence, stunned by the sight before her.

Somehow, she couldn’t believe she was here, standing next to Charlotte, who had called her here.

“Greetings to your highnesses.”

Charlotte stammered out a curtsy, unable to hide her embarrassment, and the gentle face that greeted her looked back at Kalian with a frown.

“I can’t believe I’m still hearing your highness screaming at my quilted wife for all the times I’ve been so…!”

Suddenly, she realized that she had participated in her son’s twisted temper, and turned back to face Evelyn.

“Well, you had a long way to get here. Come closer.”

Evelyn hurried to their side, her eyes darting about as she tried to figure out what was going on.

Charlotte led her straight up to the dais, as if no words were necessary.

As before, she inserted the key into the lever beneath the glass casket and lowered it, revealing the bodies of the Grand Duke and his two children.

Managing to keep her expression nonchalant, Evelyn glanced at Kalian, studying his complexion.

She’d been worried he’d had a nightmare last night, but to her relief, his face showed no sign of agitation.

‘He’s pretending to be fine.’

“Now, look here.” Charlotte said.

Evelyn followed her gaze. Something intense was emanating from the Ancestral Grand Duke’s mouth.

“Hmph!”

“This is a relic left behind by the Ancestral Grand Duke. According to the Grand Duke’s words…, this is not an ordinary item.”

Evelyn didn’t know what to say, so she just nodded.

She had never imagined that a holy relic of Helene would be hidden in the body of an ancestral grand duke.

Charlotte, who hadn’t noticed her agitation, fingered the glass crown with trembling hands.

“So you’re telling me that they’ve used the Grand Duke to destroy this artifact that my husband risked his life to protect.”

Evelyn could hear the anger swirling in her voice as she clenched her empty fists.

Apparently, Kalian had told her the whole truth.

Charlotte, who had only recently learned the secrets of her husband’s death, opened the glass tube with a surge of murderous intent.

“I do not know what this object means to them, but…”

Then she opened the mouth of the Ancestral Grand Duke and pulled out the wadding that filled it.

Emerging from the bundle was a pair of earrings with a blue glow.

“I leave this to you. In exchange, I ask that you guard it closely to prevent the same tragedy from repeating itself.”

She turned and slipped it into Evelyn’s ear.

Pow-!

A flash of light shot out from the earring, and then it disappeared as if nothing had happened.

Charlotte was greatly agitated by this, but she did her best to hide her emotions and clasped Evelyn’s shoulders.

“Congratulations on your new position as hostess of the Grand Duchy. I wish you well.”

* * *

The wedding was a grand affair.

White petals were scattered everywhere they walked, as if to bless their future together, and the delicate music of a band played holy tunes.

The guests filled the Great Hall to witness the marriage of Johansen’s master and the defender of the vast continent, each blessing in their own way.

“By the blessing of the Sun God, I hereby pronounce you one and the same.”

The ceremony, which concluded with a blessing from the High Priest, ended with the Grand Duke conferring the title of Count on the Grand Duchess.

The reception that followed opened with a spectacular entrance by a fire mage.

*Boom, boom!*

The wizard stood on a high dais, sending fireballs flying in all directions, only to be abruptly cut off by a shadowy figure flying from nowhere.

“Whoa…!”

The ballroom was instantly plunged into darkness, and the ornate chandeliers illuminated the room as the guests swooned.

The guests gasped in amazement at the opening, which depicted the Grand Duke’s valor against a demon.

“Was that shadow summoned by a magic sword?”

“Wow, it’s so incredible. My heart is still racing!”

It was only a trick of the eye, but it was enough to draw the attention of the guests as it signaled the start of the banquet.

Meanwhile, Evelyn hurried back to her own bedroom, unable to take in the majestic sight.

It would be difficult for her to attend the banquet alone in a dress that made it difficult to move around.

“Ah, I think I can live with it now…”

As she stripped off the corset and petticoat, which had been laced so tightly that she couldn’t breathe, her blood rushed and her entire body tingled.

Evelyn was about to collapse onto the bed when Lucy hastily pulled her to her feet.

“Don’t, you’ll mess up my carefully braided hair!”

“Can’t I just lie down for five minutes? I’m hungry and tired, and at this rate I’ll faint in the ballroom.”

“If you do pass out, do it in His Highness’s arms, but not now!”

Lucy’s usually cheerful face showed an unprecedented determination.

Just as she was beginning to feel unnecessarily disturbed by her inexplicable determination, there was a knock on the bedroom door.

Lucy, furious and alarmed, called out.

“Wait a minute, she’s not dressed yet!”

“What? You answered because you knew who it was?”

Dumbfounded, Evelyn pulled a cream-colored silk dress with an off-the-shoulder design down over her head.

When Evelyn recovered from Lucy’s urgent tugging, Kalian was standing in front of her.

“You look beautiful again today.”

They’d been together all day, but this was the first time they’d spoken.

Evelyn took in his majestic form, like a sturdy tree.

With his black hair slicked back, his golden eyes almost as bright as the sun, and his full regalia of the Knights of Blackwood, he was perfect in every way.

“I think that’s something I should say.”

Soon after proclaiming him her husband in front of everyone, she felt an odd sensation in her stomach, even in the midst of normal conversation and contact.

‘This man is really my husband.’

Her heart was pounding, and heat instantly rushed up her cheeks and into her earlobes.

“Don’t provoke me. Even if I wanted to hold you right now, I can’t.”

Long fingers gently caressed the mounds of her breasts, crushed by her dress. But her attention was elsewhere, not on her breasts.

“What’s that…?”

He pulled aside the slit at the bottom of Evelyn’s dress and began stuffing something into her exposed thigh.

The feel of cool leather, and the knife holder he’d strapped to her thigh.

“It’s a little complicated to explain. I didn’t tell you beforehand, because I knew you’d be freaking out during the ceremony.”

“What’s that, why would you give me a knife…”

“You know enough to handle a dagger, don’t you?”

Of course she did. She’d been learning simple swordsmanship from Max every day.

But a wedding and a dagger.