The Villainess Captured The Grand Duke - Chapter 36

Chapter 3

Scheuer silently gazed at his profile. Whether he felt her gaze or not, a sigh mixed with Raygrain’s low voice.

“Is there no way you’ll fall asleep?”

“I can’t sleep when Your Grace is next to me. Maybe it’s the endorphins.”

It was the first time she realized that a person could keep their eyes open and talk non-stop for twenty-four hours. Lately, it has become routine for her to faint while looking at flowers in the garden.

Scheuer raised her hand and gently traced the moonlit shadows on Raygrain’s face. His blue eyes met hers in the darkness.

Raygrain just stared at her eyes in silence, their breaths creating an awkward silence in the stillness. For some reason, it was hard to make a loud sound.

Before Scheuer could say anything, Raygrain covered her face with his large hand.

“You have a lot of questions.”

As Scheuer’s movements stopped, Raygrain soon withdrew his hand matter-of-factly.

“Grow up.”

But before his hand could leave her face, Scheuer grabbed his wrist. It was an instinctive action, a regretful impulse for the brief touch on her face.

Before the hand could detach from her face, Raygrain’s gaze poured over her face without any obstruction.

Scheuer looked at his hand and then back at him, placing his hand on her face again. An awkward silence settled in.

“…What is it this time?”

Scheuer spoke as she patted the back of his hand covering her face.

“Do it like this. I’ll postpone seeing Your Grace sleep until tomorrow.”

“It sounds like you’re saying you’ll watch me die soon.”

Raygrain’s sigh was audible. Even though his rough hand covered her face, she could imagine his frowning face.

Unable to help it, she patted his wrist that covered her face a couple of times.

It was an awkward and stiff sensation, a far cry from being gentle. The uncomfortable feeling that had plagued her until she came to the center seemed to strangely subside.

Eventually, Scheuer’s non-stop movements ceased.

Or rather, it was blocked by his hand.

Not long after, the somewhat irregular breathing also turned regular. Only then did Raygrain lift his hand.

“Noisy.”

Even the most talkative Naveed around me didn’t bombard me with questions incessantly. Trying to adjust her posture, Scheuer realized that lying down was somewhat awkward, so Raygrain sat up.

Thanks to the moonlight streaming through the large window, a huge shadow was cast over Scheuer.

Raygrain looked down at his hand. He couldn’t understand why she was so interested in his hand.

Raygrain grabbed the moonlight pouring down from his hand, which was covered only in rough scars.

***

Someone said that humans are creatures of adaptation. Raygrain was persistent. His patience and composure were well known, but she never imagined he would keep his hand on her face until she fell asleep.

“Don’t let go,”

she had said, and he truly didn’t let go until she drifted off to sleep. That was the last memory from the previous night.

As these thoughts crossed her mind, Scheuer abruptly opened her eyes and exclaimed,

“The Duke’s sleeping face!”

Quickly, Scheuer, who had risen from the bed, patted the spot next to her. She swept her hand over the empty space. Not a trace of warmth remained. Despite looking around, there was no sign of Ragrain. Was seeing him in the early morning a dream?

“Maybe I focused too much on holding hands with Erina….”

With that thought, Scheuer covered herself with the blanket again. Closing her eyes with a sense of accomplishment, she soon heard a low voice.

“You’re consistent even when waking up.”

This time it wasn’t a dream. When she raised her body, there he was, standing upright in front of the bed.

Slightly wet bangs, comfortable attire, and even the sword hanging at his waist. Scheuer blinked and asked, 

“Did you go to the morning court?”

“That’s right. I have state affairs and diplomatic meetings scheduled from the morning. I’ll send you flowers later.”

“How long will you be working?”

Ragrain answered, unbuttoning his clothes as the attendants who entered received and sorted out each piece. 

“I won’t order you around, so do as you please.”

With his back turned to her, he changed back into his formal attire. His long scars were clearly visible on his back. Scheuer focused her eyes, trying not to miss any of the positions of the scars, seemingly painful to even look at.

Sensing her gaze, Raygrain turned his head and glanced at her, saying, 

“If waking you up was bothersome, I apologize. I’ll be leaving soon.”

To that, Scheuer replied, 

“No, it’s not. I thought you were different, having been granted the same room by Her Majesty.”

“Come to think of it, you said you wanted to see me.”

Their conversation prompted subtle exchanges of glances among the attendants. Their interaction seemed unfamiliar to the court attendants of the royal palace. As Raygrain, now fully dressed, was about to leave, Scheuer bid farewell.

“Take care!”

Responding to her greeting, he put on his gloves and glanced at Scheuer with a dry look before exiting the room.

“Today, in the morning, the marriage registration was filed.”

Scheuer blinked, a beat delayed in responding.

“Then, I…”

“From today, Scheuer Blen, officially becomes the Duchess. Congratulations.”

Truly, it was an indifferent and boundless congratulatory remark. With those words…

Thud.

The door closed.

Scheuer, frozen, stared at the spot where Raygrain had left. In her immobile state, a maid approached to inquire, 

“Your Excellency, would you like to change into formal attire?”

“Blen, you said…”

“Yes?”

“Blen!”

Scheuer clutched the blanket, sprawling over the bed. It wasn’t a flattering sight, but the importance lay in the adjacent name to hers.

With the blanket wrapped around her, Scheuer, with just her face peeking out, spoke to the bewildered maid.

 “Look at this. Scheuer next to Blen. Blen… isn’t it pretty? Even the pronunciation rolls off the tongue cleanly.”

“I-I apologize, Your Excellency. I’m sorry, but Lady Litten, the wife of Duke Litten, sent an invitation for afternoon tea.”

“Really? Well, then I have to go again.”

It was another delightful invitation. Scheuer wanted to brag to everyone, even to Silcaro if possible. She was willing to shout it out loud.

“Wait, just a moment.”

The maid, accustomed to such situations, froze mid-action. With a somewhat stiff expression, the maid trembled, fearing she had done something wrong. Nettri, known for her harsh personality, had ingrained that a basic response to anything disrupting harmony should be stern.

However, Scheuer’s unexpected reaction left the maid unsure of what mistake she had made. Her face, somewhat rigid, quivered as she anticipated the rebuke.

With an unusual display, Scheuer revealed her possessive side, a desire to stop the maid from taking away her belongings.

***

There were two massive libraries in the capital. One was the Royal Library located within the palace, and the other was the National Central Library situated outside the palace. Since Lady Annabelle’s tea time was scheduled later, today they decided to visit the Royal Library, which was relatively closer.

“Smile Love”