The Villainess Captured The Grand Duke - Chapter 29

Chapter 29

If even a royal visitor from another country were present, it was certain to have a negative impact on the Empire’s image. Nobles, who valued their dignity more than anyone else, might consider the quality of the banquet to be diminished. However, it was a role that couldn’t be stopped for someone who would become the duchess in just one day.

“Better if it were Blen,” Scheuer thought. Due to the ambiguous timing of their arrival, she had submitted the marriage contract, but her name had not been officially elevated yet. It would likely happen by the next morning. Thanks to this, Scheuer attended the banquet without being formally affiliated with any house, even though she had adopted the title ‘Nettri’ while still in a state of limbo.

As the door opened, the gaze of everyone in the hall turned to her. It was a passionate gaze she had never received before. Everyone in the capital knew she was a Nettri, especially since the news had recently spread about the engagement of the heiress who had returned as the bride of the Northern Duke. It was a juicy topic for social circles.

Particularly,

“Just pretending to be Lady Erina, she ended up doing something big in the end.”

“Trying to poison Lady Erina without revealing my mistake, even attempting to kill her as she is.”

“I heard Nettri Duke received news of Miss Scheuer’s situation this morning. Moreover, Duke Nettri heard about it. And how could the Duke, who is in the North, know the rumors from the capital?”

If Scheuer had a bad reputation in the central region due to her actions, especially with the name Nettri being mentioned, it would only amplify. Raygrain, having keen ears, would surely hear any talk about her. Scheuer stayed close to Raygrain, and when someone mentioned her, 

she asked him, “Did you ask about me?”

“Did you ask?”

 Scheuer signaled to the people gossiping about her. The moment she glanced at them, they awkwardly bowed their heads with forced smiles. Scheuer’s face briefly showed a bitter expression, but she quickly concealed it. Raygrain’s cold gaze fell on the side of her face. Scheuer casually surveyed the surroundings, deliberately pulling her lips into a bright smile.

Raygrain’s frigid gaze met Scheuer’s face. She raised her lips in a seemingly carefree manner. The people around them instinctively focused on the direction where Erina was.

Scheuer, aware of the attention, continued to feign ignorance, raising her voice cheerfully,

“I asked the Duke, didn’t I?”

For a moment, an ambiguous emotion flickered and vanished on Scheuer’s face. In Raygrain’s cold gaze on her side profile, her eyes wandered around, deliberately feigning ignorance. Scheuer, looking around as if she were unaware of the surrounding attention, smiled brightly and spoke in a loud voice.

For a brief moment, a muted voice reached her ears.

“In that case, you don’t have to worry about the rumors. I only judge what I see.”

For a moment, a subdued voice reached her ears, 

“Then, you don’t have to worry about the rumors. I judge based on what I see.”

Raygrain nodded toward Scheuer, taking her waist in his hand, a signal to start the first dance. Adjusting their clasped hands, he spoke with a tone that passed through others, 

“As you know, I don’t care about others’ emotions.”

***

When the dance ended, Scheuer felt hesitant glances lingering around Raygrain. People approached but hesitated or faltered in their steps as they neared him. Surprisingly, they were all knights. Despite their apparent hesitation, they were knights from the Second Knight Order of the Walker Empire. In the midst of these interactions, Erina approached.

“I am Erina Nettri, the commander of the Second Knights of the Walker Empire,” 

Erina formally introduced herself. It was a formal greeting, and unexpectedly, Erina directed her words not to Raygrain but to Scheuer herself.

“Sister, Father was quite surprised,”

“They said they haven’t heard any news from the South, but you went to the North.”

Erina behaved warmly as if she were meeting her older sister after a long time.

“Aren’t you cold? If you had said something to me, I would have provided some support. Father seems quite worried because you’re getting married without a dowry.”

The sisters were not known for such friendly conversations. Moreover, considering they were sent away empty-handed, it seemed strange for them to suddenly show interest. Scheuer, sensing an ulterior motive, responded with a light refusal.

“I paid my dowry. Thanks for your concern, but your interest seems a bit excessive.”

Erina, taken aback by the gentle refusal, widened her eyes and asked, 

“You paid a dowry?”

“Yes.”

“It’s not money, but a chicken, but anyway, if it’s something brought from your family, isn’t that considered a dowry?” 

Raygrain responded with a narrowed gaze at Scheuer’s explanation. His look demanded an explanation of what the term “dowry” meant. Sensing the gaze, Scheuer smiled, as if to say, “Why are you looking at me like that? Maybe because I didn’t explicitly say the chicken was a dowry.” Erina, quick to catch on to the reactions of the two, spoke up as if she had caught something.

“Even His Grace is aware…”

However, Scheuer quickly grabbed Raygrain’s fingers before he could direct his gaze towards Erina. With her holding his fingers, Raygrain changed the direction of his gaze from Erina to the two intertwined fingers.

Scheuer briefly looked down at the fingers held in her hand and chuckled as if nothing had happened.

“Your Grace! It’s not because of me that you can’t greet other people, is it?”

Erina, after stopping her words and making a gesture about greetings, let out a small laugh.

Scheuer casually looked around and, noticing the group of knights persistently hovering around them, spoke to Raygrain.

“I’m fine, so you can go and talk to them. You don’t come to the central region often, after all.”

Whatever the situation, they were better than Erina. Whether Raygrain knew her intentions or not, he seemed unfazed.

“If you insist.”

However, as the knights, who seemed busy with their own conversations, wandered aimlessly through the crowded reception, Raygrain eventually sighed and turned his back to where the knights were.

“Excuse me for a moment.”

He formally greeted Erina and then turned away toward where the knights were. Erina watched them alternately and looked unbelieving. Erina thought it might just be Scheuer’s one-sided crush, but their relationship seemed better than expected.

Smirking, Scheuer brazenly spoke to Erina, 

“Isn’t the Duke impressive?”

“What?”

Following Scheuer’s fixed gaze, Erina’s head also turned. At the same time, Scheuer frowned, glaring at the arrogant nobleman.

“I said he’s impressive, didn’t I? I didn’t say to look.”

Erina responded with a smile that seemed to convey her disbelief. Although she was smiling, her tone was stern.

“You directly asked if my.. sister is impressive.”

“I only asked a question.”

Not knowing when she had said it was allowed, Erina tilted her head as if she really didn’t know, and her voice sounded somewhat sarcastic.

“You asked if my sister is so impressive.”

“I just made an observation. See? I didn’t say anything like that.”

Erina smiled as if she found it absurd. Though she was smiling, her tone was sharp.

“So, is my sister impressive now?”

“I asked a question, didn’t I?”

She seemed to be saying it was okay whenever. The confused Erina responded in a strained voice.

“My sister might not know since she’s in the North, but I’m already engaged to Prince Silcaro.”

“I see. Congratulations! You’ll have to live well in the Central Region for a thousand years.”

Don’t come to the North. With a brighter smile than ever, Scheuer offered her congratulations. Unexpectedly, her reaction seemed to momentarily unsettle the mask that had been reversed with kindness until now.

Erina, as if trying to investigate her intentions, rolled her eyes and calmly continued.

“…Is that why you left the family?”

“If you see how the Duke is in the Central Region, how do you see him? I’m already very unhappy because of that. I can’t even see the Duke 24/7 in the North.”

“Since when did you become so interested in the North? It’s really sudden.”

“Smile Love”