Chapter 18.1

Daymond? Since when has he been here?

Gulp. Anne swallowed her dry saliva. She was not relieved by the fact that the Grand Duke was looking at her and Luciel. She felt like someone who was caught secretly doing something bad.

She hated unwanted misunderstandings, so Anne hurriedly tried to pull her hand away. Not knowing her thoughts, Luciel still smiled innocently and whispered so that only she could hear it.

“Anne, why do you keep whimpering? How cute.”

Anne beckoned him with a sharp gaze, telling him to let go.

“Oh, I see.”

Luciel let out a small sigh and relaxed his hands. Perhaps because he understood her words properly, this time her hand came out with ease. Anne quickly put on her gloves, as if hiding the pink marks on the back of her pale hands.

Luciel, who had deliberately let go, acted casual and looked back at her. As if it was still there.

Anne, who had captured her expression, also looked behind her, and there was the Grand Duke who she did not know when he came. He stopped at a short distance, with a complexion that looked darker than the navy blue vest he was wearing.

He had thick, black hair that didn’t succumb at all under the light. It looks like he had just got up, as if he hadn’t brushed his hair properly. She thought for a moment that it might have gotten messy from coming here in a hurry, but it couldn’t.

“Daymond, when did you come out?”

Anne greeted and spoke to her, but the Grand Duke did not look at her or respond.

Are you mad?

Had he seen the situation earlier, any husband would have been offended. Even though they had an arranged marriage and a dry relationship, even though she might feel that he had completely ignored her . . . It was clear from the atrocious atmosphere that was exuding from him that his heart was uncomfortable just now.

However, upon closer inspection, his expression was slightly different from that of an angry one. The Grand Duke’s eyes, which were as monotonous as they were indifferent, were filled with disgust. ‘Clear hostility’, if she had to choose the words. She had seen him mostly at night, so it was the first time she had seen the Grand Duke’s face so closely.

Suddenly, a gentle wind blew sharply. Her rich skirt was blown away by the wind, and her calves were visible. Anne held back her hair in one hand, which was blown to and fro by the strong wind, obscuring her view.

Luciel glanced around and clicked his tongue with a look of boredom.

“Oh dear. It’s scary, Daymond. Have you been well?”

When there was no answer even though he greeted him warmly, Luciel curved his lips again.

“Daymond, I thought you got here alone, but you brought your dog with you.”

“Long time no see. Mister Luciel.”

Ashton, who was standing behind the Grand Duke, bowed stiffly. The face wearing glasses with a clean impression was the same every time, but today, the intellectual expression was harsh. Luciel’s words could be offensive, but his expression was just blunt.

Luciel’s soft voice followed.

“If you were going to get married, why didn’t you invite me too? Then I would have come sooner . . .”

“It’s a pity that I missed Anne in her dress.”

“But you did it properly right?”

The barrage of questions continued without a break, but the Grand Duke did not return a single word in answer.

Anne was bewildered by the strange currents flowing between them. One was staring at the other with murderous eyes, and the other was speaking to the other with a friendly smile. Anne, who was standing between them, looked at both sides.

Are you not on good terms?

No matter how close and deep a bloodline was, they sometimes stuck knives into each other’s backs for benefit, so if they were very distantly related, they would not be so different from strangers. But even so, the two seemed to have an especially poor relationship.

Before long, the Grand Duke’s eyes, which had been glaring at Luciel, slowly shifted to Anne.

“Angroanne.”

A voice cold enough to make her heart sink called out to her.

Anne felt her heart pounding slightly for a moment. It was the first time he had called her by my name since she came to the Grand Duke’s castle. The Grand Duke probably did know her name, but it was the first time he had called her name directly, so it felt strange.

“Come here.”

As if to grab hold of her, a large hand slowly reached out.

“Daymond, don’t be so obvious.”

Luciel muttered with a displeased face. Anne’s eyes, who had been looking at the Grand Duke, turned to the right again at the cold words where the smile had completely disappeared. It had been a long time since the smirk had disappeared.

Anne turned her body and walked to the Grand Duke. She didn’t know what it was for, but it seemed like she had to.

As soon as she got close to him, the Grand Duke grabbed her wrist and dragged her to the side. Her wrists throbbed as if they were about to break from how tightly he held them. She looked up at him due to the painful sensation, and was stunned for a moment.