Chapter 13

“You speak very easily.”

“I’m in charge of a key job at the Grand Duke’s mansion. I can make it through the front door.”

Wow, I can relax.

‘I wish that was true.’

I only thought about going to the Laurent Dukedom, but I didn’t really think about how to get inside or how to meet the grand duke.

It is because I didn’t have time to set up a plan properly.

“Then you two must have met the Grand Duke, who are you?”

Then Poe looked at Arno.

Arno replied, rolling his red eyes, stuttering a little.

“Well, who am I… basically I am a good person.”

‘Basically’ a good person.

Does he tend to be tricky with the people below?

Then it turned out that there was one thing I was worried about.

“Did you often go on a trip with the Grand Duke and visited many villas that the Laurent family owns?”

According to the original fairy tale, the prince met Larissa three years later while traveling near the Blick estate.

It was purely a coincidence that the prince stopped by our mansion.

Arno shook his head.

“Traveling isn’t always fun, and it seems like it’s been years since the Grand Duke hasn’t been there. By the way, are you going to meet the Grand Duke without any plans?”

“I have a situation.”

If you meet Larissa, you’ll fall in love with her at first sight, so the game is over and it’s a happy ending.

I smiled lightly.

Then Arno laughed again.

What is so funny.

‘By the way, it’s amazing.’

The Grand Duke seemed to be a person who doesn’t enjoy traveling right now. So what happens in three years that he suddenly go on a trip?

I looked out the window and fell in thought.

* * *

The scenery was beautiful.

The train crossed a long forest.

“They are all hunting grounds owned by the Grand Duke. You cannot enter without permission.”

Poe, who said so, added a small explanation afterward.

In fact, no one dared to even think of getting permission, so it’s actually a forest where almost no one enters.

Other than that, we didn’t have any more conversations.

‘Since Arno entered the forest, he shut his mouth.’

In the end, I spent time looking at the grocery store or sometimes looking to see if Larissa was okay.

Arriving at Dieppe station, a carriage with a coat of crest of the Grand Duke was waiting for the two men.

A red and white shield, two swords behind it, and a thorn vine surrounding the shield.

It was the same picture I saw in a fairy tale book.

‘You’re going right!’

I was secretly excited.

For reference, the crest of the Blick family is truly simple, just boring wheat and barley.

Arno and Poe silently put us in the Grand Duke’s carriage.

‘Oh my god, the carriage is also the best.’

On a soft and fluffy cushion that had never been seen before, the two men sat with their dirt-covered clothes attached to them.

Was it since then? The feeling that something is going wrong.

After a while, the co-residence, which began to be seen from a distance, was huge compared to the Blick family mansion.

Passing through the front door of such a mansion, the carriage moved without slowing down and went through several doors.

‘Are these people higher than I think?’

By the time I had such a thought, Arno opened his mouth.

“You are here, and welcome to Laurent Mansion.”

Huh? Welcome?

Before I even asking anything, he got off the carriage right away.

Poe escorted us and helped us get out of the carriage.

‘Ouch…’

As I got off the carriage, I frowned a little because my leg was sore.

‘I’m still sick so I have to be careful.’

Fortunately, Poe held my hand so I could stand on the ground well.

After Arno confirmed that I and Larissa were coming down, he walked first and headed to the mansion building.

But aren’t the people waiting at the door bow down to Arno and say hello?

Despite receiving such a greeting, he went inside with his head raised naturally.

‘No, no way…’

Arno isn’t supposed to be the Grand Duke, right…?

I closed my mouth with one hand.

What I said on the train came to mind.

“… because she will be His Majesty’s fiancee in the future…”

Is it why that Arno laughed so out loud?

My head was full of confusion.

‘Even though I thought that both were pseudonyms!’

Then, Poe said to us.

“Come on, let’s go inside.”

I have to go in and see it first, right?

Under his guidance, I held Larissa’s hand tightly and climbed the stairs at the entrance of the mansion.

At the end of the stairs, an elderly man dressed neatly in a black suit stood waiting for us.

“Lady Marcia, Lady Larissa. Welcome to Laurent Mansion. You came to see His Majesty, right? I will guide you to the reception room.”

Arno suddenly disappeared somewhere in the mansion and did not appear.

I opened my eyes wide and looked around.

“… is Arno the Grand Duke?”

Poe bites his lips. His shoulders rattled.

“Hmm, excuse me, to answer the question… I’m sorry.”

“No? Then, is it Poe?”

“… you will find out soon. Follow the butler.”

Poe took a step back with a weird face while holding back laughter. Now, the butler beckoned us with a stern expression.

“This way.”

On the side I was facing, there was a staircase leading upstairs.

It looked like the reception room was on this floor. On both sides of the red-carpeted staircase, marble sculptures boasted majesty.

‘As expected, the level of wealth is different when it comes to being a grandmaster.’

While walking around, I tried to follow the butler to move my feet, but my hands were somewhat empty.

Looking back, Larissa was nailed in place without thinking of walking along.

“What happened?”

As I quickly approached, Larissa was trembling with her face turned blue.

The back of her hand was white, and her gaze was fixed somewhere.

As I turned my head following Larissa’s gaze, I saw a staircase leading downstairs.

Someone was going up the stairs, and he was a blonde man.

‘Oh my God.’

Even I stopped at a moment.

Is he Villain?

The moment I took in my breath, I heard Larissa’s heart.

– No. I hate it. I’m scared. Don’t hit me. Please stop, don’t hit me. It hurts, it hurts…

A howling sound stabbed my head.

As soon as Larissa saw a man who resembled Villain, the memory of the basement came to mind.

I hurriedly squatted in front of Larissa and set the eye level, blocking her view with my face.

“No. Larissa, we are not going that way. Look at me.”

Larissa’s swaying eyes turned to me.

Marcia does not usually go down to the basement room on her own, so I should be said to be fortunate.

At least my face on her would not have to be remembered as the abuser.

“Larissa, I’m here. I’ll be with you. We’ll go upstairs, not downstairs. There’s someone we need to meet.”

There is no whip there and no one to hit you.

I said so only in my mind.

If you say something like that, it might irritate this little child more.

“Come on, let’s go. Hold my hand. I will hold your hand tightly.”

It took quite a while for Larissa to take my hand and start walking together.

The butler waited without saying anything.

Fortunately, the living room had a large window on one side.

It was quite late, so the sunlight of the lowered sun came in through the window and filled the whole reception room.

I secretly sighed with relief.

“Oh, look, it’s a sunny place. Shall we sit in a chair over there?”

I drew Larissa’s attention as I treat my two-year-old nephew.

“His Majesty asked you two to wait. Would you like something to drink?”

The butler waited for Larissa to sit down and he asked me politely.

And soon after, hot tea and soft-sweet sweets were brought to the reception room.

‘Is Arno really the Grand Duke?’

I mean, he knew that we were running away, but why did he let us in without any prevention?

With that thought, I looked back at Larissa who sat next to me.

Larissa was still trembling and looking down only at her knees.

After sighing, I picked up the snacks on the plate and ate a bite.

“Well! It’s really good! Does it melt in my mouth? Ugh, it’s delicious. Larissa, try some too.”

Then I placed the cookie in Larissa’s hand.

After a while, Larissa’s trembling stopped.

She grabbed the cookie with both her hands and began to gnaw it a little by little as she noticed my gaze.