The Villainess Captured The Grand Duke - Chapter 38

Chapter 38

“His Grace Raygrain is waiting in front of the banquet hall.”

Upon the attendant’s words, Scheuer swiftly crossed the corridor. The long corridor ended, and Raygrain, wearing the same attire as in the morning, appeared as a tiny figure in the distance. As he approached, something in his hand became visible.

“Your Grace!”

Scheuer, not caring that her carefully arranged dress was slightly disheveled, quickly reached Raygrain. Gasping for breath, she skipped formal greetings and went straight to a question.

“Are you holding the sword again?”

In Raygrain’s hand was a simple bouquet of flowers, similar to the one she had received in the northern region. He casually handed her the bouquet.

“Didn’t we talk about it this morning? Seems like you didn’t hear. I took it up briefly.”

Scheuer blinked and asked, 

“Did you not send a bouquet just now?”

“Who did?”

“You, Your Grace.”

“When?”

“During Lady Annabelle’s teatime.”

He replied with a faint smile, 

“I didn’t give any specific instructions. Is there no indication of who sent the bouquet?”

“There was nothing else…”

Naturally, she felt bewildered, thinking it was Raygrain’s bouquet. Given the political climate, not many would celebrate her marriage in the central region. ‘Is it closer to being non-existent?’

Scheuer lovingly embraced the bouquet he handed her. Watching her, Raygrain extended his gloved hand.

“Escort. Don’t play around.”

“That’s fine with me.”

Scheuer smiled brightly. After all, it wasn’t something she could figure out right now.

“Open the door! Duke Raygrain Blen and Duchess Scheuer Blen are entering the banquet hall!”

With a triumphant grin, when Raygrain nodded, the attendant standing in front of the hall shouted loudly.

“Hail Duke Raygrain Blen and Duchess Scheuer Blen!”

It was just one word difference. Yesterday, it was announced as the castle of Netriga, but now it has changed to simply ‘Blen.’ However, the feeling was dramatically different. The desire to brag to the world, to shout it out loud, was evident in the elation of her body. He seemed to notice her excitement.

When Scheuer, with an excited voice, mentioned, 

“Our wedding will be in the summer,”

Raygrain responded,

“That’s a long way off.”

“No, it’s summer in the garden.”

Now, in the northern region and precisely in the Duke’s garden, there were distinct seasons. Thanks to the temperature-regulating magic stones, the desired weather was maintained, and the changing seasons did not interfere. Instead, the issue was a different aspect. The problem was that they couldn’t freely choose the wedding date.

Raygain spoke blankly,

“I will get the date soon.”

As in the Empire, the significant dates for major ceremonies, such as weddings, had to be obtained from the temple. This applied even to the Blen family.

‘Well, it’s better to do as the temple dictates.’

In the end, the thought that the existence of a god was the reason for making Raygrain decisive did not leave Scheuer’s mind.

Scheuer stared at the opening door with her mouth slightly open. The door opened, and this time, the Duchess took her first step.

Even as she received the attention of the people, Scheuer had only one thought in her mind.

‘At least before the wedding, I need to get an Image Magic Stone.’

***

“Fuegochoo!”

Leilda lay in the flower garden and sniffled. For some reason, he felt bad. It was a peculiar feeling, annoying, somehow. The image of that woman, Scheuer, kept coming to mind. The garden was entirely filled with magical energy. The temperature was just right, and the servants of the Blen family were diligent. Leilda, who had been surveying the garden for a while, turned his gaze to the chattering servants with a serious expression.

“The statue has arrived. Maybe Her Grace Scheuer should take a look.”

“Hmm… he looks very similar to the Duke, but Lady Scheuer should be more meticulous.”

“Since His Grace does not tolerate any flaws related to Her Grace…”

“We should wrap it in silk and keep it indoors until the Duke returns.”

“He might take it badly even if there’s a tiny flaw, so let’s find a room and keep it safe.”

Leilda, jumping around in displeasure, contrasted sharply with the serious conversation of the servants. The conversation made sense to him.

Anyway, that woman was unusual to a serious degree. Even the statue had no expression. Leilda, frustrated, asked,

“Why set this up?”

Contrary to Leilda’s restless antics, all the remaining knights and servants in the garden lacked energy.

“That’s right. It’s boring without Lady Scheuer.”

“Indeed. The knights were also disappointed.”

“Oh, Celly. I have something that Lady Scheuer asked me to pass on when she returns. Where should I put it?”

“Let me see… I’ll store the personally handwritten note separately for you to check when she arrives. She’d like that.”

The note read, ‘Cannot recognize the handwriting.’

Who knows what was being exchanged. She regretted agreeing to visit the Northern Region.

Without Lady Scheuer around, the garden was overflowing with flowers, emanating various presences with Scheuer’s magic.

“It’s quite interesting.”

As Leilda observed the flowers, his eyes sparkled again. Watching the flowers naturally ignited his curiosity. There was something that couldn’t be interpreted as magic. That was the ‘family’s sword.’ Excluding black magic, generally, divine power and magic did not require a sacrifice.

Of course, effort and faith in the divine were also considered a price, but they didn’t have clear conditions like the two families. Nettriga, where only one person in a generation could use the family’s judgment, and Blenga, where the price for using the judgment was abandoning emotions. Due to the condition that only one person in Neitriga could handle the family’s judgment, there were constant fights within the family. In Blenga, where emotions were suppressed, strategic marriages without love were common, so having at least one successor was considered fortunate.

All of this was intriguing to Leilda himself. “Didn’t someone say that someone else bloomed flowers in Neitriga?” However, the magical flow in the garden was clearly similar to that of the two families. The energy had even become stronger than the first time she saw it. He had never heard or seen the story of two people blooming flowers in Neitriga at once. “Strange.” In the approximately 300 years that Leilda had lived, such an event had never occurred. She should have closely monitored it. Unfortunately, she was tied up with demons and couldn’t do anything, as she went to the Central Region. If she left, she could quickly return, but she was reluctant to leave her position. Recently, the situation in the Northern Region has not been reassuring. 

“Well, she has no luck. Not only is her ability not that great, but she becomes the duchess at the most severe time.” 

He thought of Scheuer, who was happily bouncing around the Blen family.

“All the duchesses so far have been people I can acknowledge.” 

Leilda turned his head with displeasure. A daisy blooming right next to him caught his eye. When he snapped one off, there was a popping sound. Then, from somewhere in the corner, there was a rustling sound as something moved. Staring at the direction of the sound, a head suddenly appeared through the flowers. With a clucking sound, a voice accompanied it. Leilda looked at it as if he found it absurd. 

“It’s going to turn into stone. Who released a chicken in the garden?” 

The chicken, blinking its eyes, quickly darted around Leilda.

“Smile Love”