I Became The Wife Of The Cursed Grand Duke Chapter 67

He tapped the floor as if to say something, then scratched the back of his head and handed me the box.

 

“I’d say goodbye, but I don’t think I’d be able to get a bone to pick with the grand duke if I did, so I’ll say hello here.”

 

Evelyn raised an eyebrow.

 

It was true that Kalian had misunderstood them. Though it was more of a control than a misunderstanding.

 

“Don’t worry, Leon. The grand duke has no enemies but himself.”

 

Evelyn felt sick for a moment.

 

She spoke in Kalian’s defense, but she realized that her tone might be a bit rude.

 

Evelyn hadn’t had a proper aristocratic upbringing. Nor had she spent a year of her previous life as a grand duchess.

 

Most of the duke’s people hated her, and she was confined to her bedroom except when she was slaying demons.

 

As a result, she often made unintentional mistakes.

 

“If you’re offended,…”

 

Leon’s gaze shifted to the stairs behind the wagon, and he bowed deeply in thought.

 

Evelyn turned her head in his direction, just in time to make eye contact with Kalian, who was descending the stairs.

 

To the stiffened back of her head, Leon cracked a joke that was as sincere as it could be.

 

“Well, I’ll see you soon, then.”

 

Evelyn didn’t answer.

 

When she turned her head again, all she could see was the back of a carriage pulling out of the gate in the distance.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Back in her bedroom, Evelyn got ready and looked at herself in the full-length mirror.

 

Her lush silver hair was tied back into a tight bun, and over her flowing dark green velvet dress she wore a brown leather poncho, a gift from Reah.

 

“I’ll have the carriage enchanted with warmth by the time we reach the border, so you won’t have to worry about the cold, will you?”

 

In truth, she didn’t need to worry about her attire. Kalian had provided her with expensive dresses, dazzling jewelry, and even furs.

 

But his gifts would already be in her packed luggage and on the carriage.

 

“I can’t do the same thing knowing what’s going to happen, can I?”

 

Evelyn pulled her mother’s ring from its hiding place and slipped it on her finger before putting on her gloves.

 

Kalian would question her again if he saw it, but it would be a shame to leave it lying around and lose it.

 

When Evelyn was dressed in her knee-high furry boots, looking a little shaken, Albert, the Duke’s butler, came to see her.

 

Thinking she’d overdressed, he stared at her for a moment, then bowed apologetically.

 

“The Duke wishes to see you.”

 

They were led to the Duke’s office. The Duke greeted her with the windows of his office wide open.

 

“The Duke wants to see you.”

 

“Welcome.”

 

The Duke inclined his head in greeting, smirked at her coloring, and added,

 

“I see you’ve prepared yourself well enough to survive a roll in the snow. Will you sit down and wait for me for a moment?”

 

“Yes.”

 

The cool sea breeze carried the salty smell of salt.

 

Evelyn looked down at the bustle of people and settled down on the couch in the center of the room.

 

Soon Albert served tea, and the duke, clutching a stack of papers, sat across from her, smiling at her.

 

“I have decided to take your advice to delay the arrival of the trade ships.”

 

Up until now, the Elders had been stubbornly opposed to the idea of delaying the arrival of the trade ships by a full month.

 

The goods they were bringing were newly discovered medicines, and the first merchant to bring them in was promised a monopoly.

 

And the reason for their stubbornness was clear.

 

“You may not know this, but the Marquis of Saxony is actually a member of our Order. He’s very grateful, as it would have broken the family line.”

 

She already knew that. But there was no reason to tell the truth, so Evelyn replied humbly, feigning coincidence, for it would certainly be to her advantage to cultivate a good relationship with them.

 

“In addition, the grand duke’s caravan of non-urgent goods has been arranged to be transported directly from the top, under the Marquis’ command.”

 

It was an unexpected income. With less baggage, they could travel by the shortest route.

 

It would buy them just enough time to get the knights in shape before the cave-dwelling fiends formed a colony.

 

But Evelyn smiled, unperturbed by the news.

 

“Thank you, sir. What did the grand duke say?”

 

“Nothing to say, I’m sure he just nodded his head in acknowledgment, stiff.”

 

Evelyn didn’t bother to explain her offer to the Duke to Kalian.

 

During their travels together, she’d gotten a glimpse of the man’s changed disposition.

 

He seemed to be very stressed by the exceptional outcomes of unplanned events.

 

Even Evelyn’s use of her healing powers for the benefit of others seemed to bother him.

 

“Do you think such a man would have agreed to trade with the duke?”

 

Advising the Duke to delay the arrival of the trade ships was a big gamble for Evelyn.

 

It would have been like letting the Duke know that she had foresight.

 

‘So I wrote a non-disclosure agreement.’

 

She was told the Duke was a merchant to the bone.

 

He would never enter into an agreement that would not benefit him.

 

Which was certainly the case, as far as the outside world was concerned…

 

“Wouldn’t it be more natural to believe that it was purely your foresight that delayed the arrival of the trading ships and thus avoided the storm?”

 

“Well, if that is what you wish.”

 

Evelyn recalled the Duke’s face as he chuckled and nodded at her suggestion.

 

Up until that point, she hadn’t held out much hope that the Duke would bend to her wishes.

 

But the Duke was surprisingly easygoing and didn’t hesitate to make decisions.

 

That doesn’t mean she could trust him completely, of course not.

 

It was hard to be sure that the Parminion family, who were at odds with the Emperor, were not in league with the Temple.

 

After all, in his previous life, he had been part of a group that, along with House Saxony, had been trying to assassinate Kalian at all costs.

 

‘Just because the future has changed, doesn’t mean that people will change, and I have to be suspicious until the end.’

 

As she finished her thoughts, the Duke, who had been silent for a few moments as he sipped his tea, broke the silence with a subdued tone.

 

“And there is one other thing I must tell you.”

 

“Go ahead, Duke.”

 

“A number of forbidden items, including the Horn of Iblis, were found in a secret storeroom within the upper level. Unfortunately, we did not find the ledger.”

 

This was to be expected.

 

No idiot would trade in forbidden goods and leave evidence behind.

 

“Did you find the culprit, by any chance?”

 

“Of course we found him. But for some reason, he can’t talk or write.”

 

“…He must have been under some sort of mute spell.”

 

Given the similarities to how Louise was handled, it must have something to do with the Empress.

 

The Duke added with a grimace, unable to hide his disappointment.

 

“We’ve decided to take it back and dispose of it in full. Parminion’s self-reporting has saved him from imperial censure.”

 

Outwardly dejected, she was also relieved.

 

If he had truly been trying to deceive her, wouldn’t he have been reticent about the herbs?

 

That left her with one question.

 

‘Why did this stubborn and demanding old man open up to me?’

 

‘Did he miss his human warmth?’

 

‘Or was it that I was the first person to be comfortable with the man everyone feared?’

 

In truth, it didn’t matter.

 

A family that repays a grudge twice and a favor tenfold.

 

Just earning the trust of the Duke of Parminion was an achievement beyond measure.

 

‘In any case, I’ve gotten what I wanted out of this, and now I just have to keep my cool.’

 

Evelyn fingered the ring on her glove as she left the duke’s office.

 

 

* * *

 

 

As she passed through the grand foyer and out the gate that led to the central garden, she saw the Orpheus family carriage.

 

It was an ornate, large, sturdy-looking black carriage, densely encrusted with magic stones.

 

Behind it, the Knights of Blackwood, mounted on horseback, rode in a stark line.

 

Given that the caravan and some of the vanguard had left first, Evelyn had expected the Knights to be noticeably smaller.

 

But there seemed to be more than a hundred horses, including the baggage and escorts needed for the journey to the Grand duchy.

 

“Huh.”

 

Evelyn took a deep breath as she looked at the long line of hired hands on either side of her to see her off.

 

There were a few rules she’d learned since returning to the past.

 

That she can change someone’s fate with her power, and that it affects her greatly, and that what must happen must happen.

 

And finally, that no one knows what lies at the end of this life.

 

Evelyn remembers.

 

Once upon a time, they were returning to Johansen, leaving the devastation of the town of Litchev behind them.

 

Kalian had dressed her up like a doll in a gorgeous dress and jewelry and put her in the carriage.

 

Not against his will, of course.

 

Louise had threatened him not to disgrace the dignity of the Lawrence family by becoming a dowager.

 

And so, with a slip of the tongue, the grand duchess was born, a rare and foolish woman blinded by luxury and unconcerned with her husband’s needs.

 

But now, everything is different.

 

Not just her abilities, but her surroundings, her way of life, her values, and her attitude toward others.

 

“Thank you for everything.”

 

As the hired men descended the stairs, a man in a black uniform leaped from the carriage.

 

A cloak with round epaulettes on only one shoulder flapped off his back.

 

“Kalian.”

 

He stared at Evelyn for a moment, as if appraising her attire, and then wrapped both hands around her shoulders.

 

They stared at each other for a moment.

 

So many emotions came and went in their united gaze, but there was only one thing she could say now.

 

“Well, shall we go?”

 

A carriage carrying the two of them silently crossed the darkness of the night, accompanied by the sound of a bald eagle soaring.