The Villainess Captured The Grand Duke - Chapter 69
Chapter 69
“Yeah? Well done, right? Wasn’t I polite enough?”
“I’ll meet him, so you better not worry about it.”
He neatly folded the heart-shaped paper in half and tore it along the line. Two halves fluttered onto the table. Then, with a thud, a case revealed itself.
To call it a ring case would be an understatement; it was much larger. Scheuer tilted his head and asked,
“What is it?”
“The item you requested.”
Was it one or two items? Without even guessing, he opened the case in front of her. A brilliant item shone as if emitting light.
Scheuer slowly covered her mouth with both hands in the face of the dazzling sight.
“Th-this is…”
“The ordered item has finally arrived.”
It seemed to be a delicately crafted cameo of Raygrain. It was a work of art capturing the soul of a skilled craftsman, faithfully depicting even the contours of Raygrain’s nose and sharp eyes. Moreover, it wasn’t his first gift to her. Of course, he had received something each time, mostly fulfilling her requests. ‘It’s like exchanging old things for new…’
Scheuer couldn’t touch it and observed for a long time before abruptly covering the case. Hugging the precious case, she enthusiastically responded,
“Thank you! I’ll cherish it for a lifetime!”
For a moment, her gaze fell on the case. Oh, right, is she going to be a member of the Blenga family? Quickly correcting her words, considering that she couldn’t casually decide as the future Duchess, she added,
“I’ll take it to my grave.”
Despite her determination, she stared at the case for a long time. Is it very expensive? Or maybe it’s not the Duke’s face after all?’ But her heart’s reading device was confidently identifying it as Raygrain. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have pleased her. Scheuer tightened her grip on the case and said seriously,
“Giving is nobility; taking is the act of a petty man.”
Then, a knock sound overlapped with her words.
“Come in.”
Raygrain’s response, seemingly aware of the situation. With a creak, the open door allowed numerous people to enter.
As Scheuer stood there in bewilderment, a woman in attire more extravagant and unique than the typical party dress pushed through the crowd and revealed herself. The fan she was holding folded shut with a snap as she greeted,
“Thank you for visiting our salon, Your Grace. I am the proprietor, Madam Charlotte. I will do my utmost to complete the commissioned items with sincerity and dedication.”
As the greeting ended, her fan eerily pointed at Scheuer. Simultaneously, employees gathered around and began removing Sher’s outer dress. Sher hastily grabbed onto his clothes.
“Why, why!”
“We need to take measurements, Your Grace.”
“Is the Duke here?”
Upon Scheuer’s inquiry, Madam Charlotte, with eyes widened in surprise, looked at her and chuckled,
“Oh, my, newlyweds, aren’t you? I had those days too.”
The hands of the employees, which had momentarily stopped, started untying the ribbons again. Madam Charlotte looked at her as if she were cute and said,
“You’ll be wearing the inner dress, so don’t worry. You usually wear undergarments indoors, don’t you?”
Although they had shared the same room, they had managed to live considerately with each other. Madam Charlotte spoke nonchalantly,
“Look. His Grace doesn’t seem to mind at all.”
Even in this awkward situation, Raygrain, who had been anxiously watching, sat gracefully like a painting.
Looking at some documents, Scheuer spoke,
“Let’s proceed quickly.”
In response, Scheuer, holding onto the cameo case as if it were a lifeline, had to let them undress him. When the measuring tape was snug around Scheuer’s body, Madam Charlotte asked,
“Your Grace, when should we schedule the delivery?”
“Within thirty lashes, and one of them within three hours.”
For a moment, tension filled the room. Madam Charlotte, however, remained composed. Without a change in her complexion, she asked,
“Could you please repeat that?”
“Three hours. Make it possible for today.”
A moment of silence hung in the room. Soon, she responded with determination, as if making a vow while avoiding the fan,
“Thank you for highly valuing our salon’s capabilities, Your Grace.”
***
In the aftermath of the commotion, Scheuer was left alone, standing awkwardly in the now-cleared space. Upon Madame Charlotte’s request to wait, Scheuer had to don a thin dress and crawl onto the bed. As expected, Raygrain remained focused on the documents, not once glancing at Scheuer. Although she didn’t wish for his attention, the lack of interest, even after going through such trouble, made her ponder why she had initiated this situation.
She shed her cardigan and asked nonchalantly,
“Why the sudden dress?”
The sound of paper flipping was the only response. After a short interval, he finally spoke,
“It’s something I’ve been contemplating since the North.”
“Hmm…”
She scrutinized him with her narrowed eyes. He still maintained a stubborn silence, his face showing no signs of yielding even if pricked. Was it because of Erina? Those who brought better jewels for Erina, no matter how Scheuer adorned herself, were the ones she was up against. Such conflicts were futile. However, his next response had a slightly different tone.
“It seemed you appeared weak enough to be taken as a hostage.”
The sound of the pen moving mixed with the rustling papers as he spoke firmly,
“You’re not someone easily tampered with.”
Scheuer, who had comfortably lived in the North, appeared ordinary when judged against the glamorous standards of the central region. He hadn’t brought any jewels from Nettri, and the North wasn’t a place for such adornments, so there was nothing remarkable about him. In Raygrain’s eyes, he looked exactly like that.
Still, the fact that he considered her thoughts made her lips stretch into a long smile. Scheuer chuckled as she sat on the bed,
“Anyway, the Duke will protect me.”
“It’s just a precaution for unforeseen circumstances. There’s something to repay, and…”
“Well, if he promises to protect me with empty words, I was planning to stick around as an excuse.”
Only then did Raygrain turn her head toward her.
“Aren’t you already doing that?”
“Naveed was assigned to me. Besides, it’s hard to see the sun in the palace during the day.”
If Naveed heard, it might have been a noisy complaint about the uselessness of her existence.
Raygrain, with a slight narrowing of her brow, observed Scheuer, but his demeanor didn’t pose a threat to her. While others might find his expression intimidating, Scheuer remained unfazed. As Raygrain’s arm reached out to catch the loose cardigan, she realized it was looser than she thought. His rough hand pulled the cardigan up, and beyond the thin fabric of the inner dress, his touch was clearly conveyed.
For some reason, it felt hard to swallow. Even as she quickly gathered the cardigan he handed her, Raygrain didn’t withdraw his hand. Unlike when she put on the dress, his fingers lightly brushed against her exposed neckline.
With a slight frown, he muttered,
“Not bad.”
His thumb traced lightly along her jawline and neck. Although it wasn’t much different from usual, an awkward feeling lingered. Scheuer, trying to appear defiant, glared at him,
“There’s no one else but the Duke anyway.”
“Smile Love”