Chapter 72

“Dana. I’ll consider you a real Dana Deniz and marry you. I told you last night.”

“…I don’t know what you mean, so I… Marry you instead of Dana Deniz… Wait, I don’t think that’s right.”

Her mind was restless and Dana’s voice was cold. Blue eyes represented a frozen heart somewhere.

At that moment, Leon showed signs of noticeable embarrassment.

“Do you mean you won’t get married?”

“Yes, Your Grace Tertius. I don’t want to play the role of Deniz after getting married.”

Dana spoke quite clearly and firmly. She intentionally expressed her sense of distance by using the title of “Your Grace”.

He didn’t know Dana would refuse like this, so he called her in a hurry, but Dana shook her head.

“Dana.”

“Please don’t call me that, Sarah. You know the name, Sarah.”

“Listen to me. I don’t want to marry Dana Deniz. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have even thought about it in the first place.”

“But… But, Your Grace.”

Dana stood up from the chair with a bitter smile. The gestures she made were elegant and relaxed. However, her expression was the coldest and least emotional Leon had ever seen.

“If I hadn’t come as Dana Deniz, your highness wouldn’t have tried to marry me. Don’t you think so?”

“…”

Leon wanted to refute, not right away, but somehow he couldn’t answer easily. It was true that the name “Dana Deniz” brought him to the conclusion of his obsession and longing for marriage.

Dana quietly made eye contact with him with her blue eyes. Leon, who was looking at her eyes, sighed silently and looked down.

This was probably the first time he avoided looking at her.

“I’ll go first.”

“…Dana.”

Leon jumped up and grabbed her wrist lightly. Dana didn’t shake it off completely, but she gently took out her wrist and stared at him again.

“I want to sleep well tonight. Please.”

Dana showed a fragile smile, and she quickly turned around and left the dining hall.

Leon, who was left alone, was looking at his empty palm and at the door. He thought of chasing after her right away but then he stopped.

“I’ll have to let you sleep.”

As if he had judged so on his own, he rationalized and left the dining hall slowly.

Even after going up the stairs on the second floor, he turned his head several times to Dana’s room, which was also his bedroom, and eventually headed to the office.

Even while in the office, he sat on the desk and stood up again, wandering around the room restlessly.

He’d never felt this way before.

Why am I having a hard time with her?

He couldn’t miss it, so it was a simple conclusion that he should get married. However, since it was obvious that he would face opposition from around him, he decided to borrow the name “Dana Deniz” to make it easier. Then Owen would be happy to be on her side.

This was a suggestion that would not have been bad on the merchant side either. The fact that their representative and heiress, “Dana Deniz”, becomes the Grand Duchess meant that they would have a huge comeback.

In addition, Dana Deniz said she was sick, but according to the actual story, she had been missing for a long time. Because they still couldn’t find her, they set up a fake in a hurry.

Of course, if the real one comes back, things will get complicated…

He felt sorry for the real Dana Deniz, but when she came, he was going to make it a situation where there was no place to come back to.

Nothing would hinder what he wanted crazily.

The original Leon was such a person.

He seemed to follow the principles thoroughly but sometimes did not hesitate to trample others using his high position for what he wanted.

He met an ambush that he had never thought of. It was her heart.

So he was flustered.

Leon washed his face dry and looked outside the bright window.

The red eyes, a little tired, shone fiercely for a moment.

“So, what does she mean by that?”

It wasn’t something serious. Marriage was originally an excuse for him to lock her up in this castle.

In the first place, her consent was not a necessary condition for this to happen. The original selfish personality wriggled.

Leon clenched his fist and opened the office door.

“Oh, your highness! I have something to say…!”

“Later.”

Daniel, who was standing in front of the door, almost bumped into him and called Leon’s attention. Leon answered half-heartedly and walked past him in the hallway.

Leon’s office and Dana’s bedroom were on the same second floor. However, it was only possible to reach it by turning the corner twice.

Soon, he saw Dana’s door and ran into Wendy, the maid in front of it. As he opened the door to Wendy’s face, he realized that Ahil wasn’t there.

“Where’s Ahil?”

“The lady said she was going out, so he followed her.”

“She went out? When? Where?”

Leon seemed to think backward again when he heard that she had gone out. What came to his mind was the moment when Dana disappeared not long ago.

“Say it right now. Come on!”

Although urgently questioned, Wendy replied brightly as if she knew Leon’s mind.

“She just left. She said she wanted to walk for a while, so she’ll be in the castle.”

“… Okay.”

Leon pretended to be calm as if he had never done so, and quickly went back to the first floor. He thought he wouldn’t have been so agitated. Poker face was his unwavering characteristic.

However, Wendy rolled her feet together like a rabbit as she saw Leon disappearing.

“Why is Grand Duke so angry? He’s not going to get mad at the lady, is he?”

* * *