CH 31.2

I want to leave as soon as possible.

Reminding her resolve in the bitter and disillusioned reality, she picked up the champagne that an attendant had just brought.

As she drenched her throat with the glass, the door to the bustling banquet hall opened and she saw a man coming in, thumping his leather boots to the floor.

“. . .!?”

Anne put the glass down as she suddenly felt her appetite dissipate.

Her heart, which she had been trying to hold onto, was beating uncontrollably. The man striding in like a late-arriving main character was a face she could not forget or erase.

Robert Libelois, her blood, the culprit whose fault has made her dismissed.

Anne looked at the oversized jewel, which was tucked over his tailcoat with a frown. He might think he’s cool, but he looked stupid rather than cool.

“Today’s banquet, you invited . . . my brother?”

“Isn’t it nice to see him? I invited him for the Grand Duchess.”

The Grand Duke, who was satisfied with the situation, smiled lightly, beckoned the attendant lightly, and Robert, who saw it, blinked his eyes stupidly. Robert, who wiped the snow with the back of his hand over and over again, looked very startled to see the Grand Duke being younger than he had expected, but he walked swiftly and greeted him.

“Greetings, Grand Duke Cromund. I am Robert Libelois. Thank you for inviting me.”

“Lord Libelois, I can finally see you now. I called because I thought I should see your face.”

Meanwhile, the Grand Duke dismissed everyone around him with a gesture. Robert, who had expected to be introduced publicly, became surprised.

But he wasn’t the kind of guy who would be flustered by this. There were only a few people who could have a face-to-face conversation with the Grand Duke, and he was immersed in a sense of superiority, being one of the few.

“I did not know that the Grand Duke would be so young and of great spirit. The alliance with Cromund is a great blessing for our family.”

“Alliance.”

The Grand Duke gave a light smirk and shrugged.

Robert swallowed a gasp in the Grand Duke’s face, which was quite the opposite of what he expected. When he looked closer, the Grand Duke was a man with a strong build that even he,himself as a man, had to look up. What’s more, when the red eyes touched him languidly for a moment, he felt numb.

Looking back on whether there was anything against the Grand Duke’s heart, Robert soon realized what was the problem.

“Please forget all the unsavory things that happened in the past, as we had formed a bond through marriage, I will treat the Grand Duke with the utmost respect like an older brother.”

“Well, I never had an older brother. Nor anyone who touches what’s mine so recklessly.”

“. . .”

The Grand Duke brought a glass of wine to his mouth and murmured with a cold face. Taking a sip, he saw Robert standing awkwardly and slightly raised his lips.

“And don’t you have more stories to share with the Grand Duchess than me?”

“No. I’m . . .”

“Brother, talk to me.”

Anne, who had just seized the opportunity given by the Grand Duke, grabbed Robert’s arm, who was trying to keep the conversation going. At that moment, Robert’s eyes turned as if he had grasped Anne’s existence.

To his sister, who had interrupted him, he soon muttered with an annoyed face.

“You are rude, Angroanne. Did you not see I’m busy talking with the Grand Duke right now?”

“It’ll just be a moment. Your Grace, excuse me for a moment.”

“You will need time to share the relationship between siblings.”

With the Grand Duke’s brief approval, Anne suppressed her anger and gave a strong glance. Soon, Robert rolled his nervous eyes and followed her.

The two left the banquet hall and moved to the guest room. Robert saw a large sofa and laid down his large body.

“As expected, of the Grand Duke’s carriage. I arrived in one day. If you tell the other nobles about this, they will faint.”

Robert tampered with the soft side of the sofa, and he acted arrogantly as if he belonged. He even whistles, saying that she had a great castle, from where she came from.

Her brother’s face, humming as if it was his home, made Anne choke.

“I think you have been doing very well after sending me here.”

“Angroanne, you have become the Grand Duchess. Do you feel like thanking this brother now?”

Even at the cynical words, he sarcastically skimmed over Anne’s outfit.

“We’re not even close, what the hell have you done? I know there was a monetary deal between His Grace and Father, so please tell me in detail.”

This was the reason Anne wanted to speak with Robert separately. She thought that she would ask him about the background of the contract that they had as he was the self-proclaimed heir.

Robert patted the table made of precious ivory, and raised his legs up on the table as if to show off.