CH 53.2

The Grand Duke’s eyes, which had been staring out the window far away, lazily closed.

The subtle anxiety that plagued him throughout the monster hunting grounds had all disappeared since he returned to the Grand Duke’s castle, but another unexplained anxiety came to him again.

“Strange . . .”

Not too long ago, he had been very pleased with Anne’s docility, as she was extremely obedient.

No matter the insults, she would be unwaveringly aloof and did not care about strange words that provoked her. He felt a sense of pride when she had become obedient unlike before, and was satisfied that she would stay calm. He thought that if she would no longer act the way he wanted to, he would be able to hold her more firmly.

Lately, however, she had calmed down so much more and reserved her words. No, it was better to say she was being virtually unresponsive. It was his wish that she would live as if she had died in the Grand Duke’s castle, but her helpless appearance gradually overwhelmed him with anxiety.

“She’s not a woman to sit still . . .”

Even if he deliberately provoked her during an affair, she would shed tears insensitively, but she would not show any emotion, such as glaring at him like she used to. When the unsentimental eyes of a doll looked at him, something inside felt sore. It wasn’t even lust.

He doesn’t understand why he felt so confused that he missed her old self, but he somehow hated Anne’s changed appearance.

As he pictured her lifeless face, he suddenly remembered the advice Salton had given him. Then, an unexplained nervousness clung to him.

Come to think of it, it had been a long time since he had heard her voice. As he pondered, he realized that the last thing he heard was a moan.

“Did I get it wrong . . .”

A weak heart was starting to appear inside him.

He swore he would never feel these dirty feelings, but he actually knew it too. There were times when he was overcome by nasty jealousy, and there were times when he was angry with himself for not being by her side in a moment of danger.

The confusion about whether it was time to stop entangled in the past and resolving his own resentment against her stuck to him for quite some time.

Then, she finally came to him and spoke for the first time in a while.

“It’s a letter from the Libelois house.”

“There is no need for you to go to the succession ceremony of the Libelois family title.”

The letter was crumpled in his hand. Anne looked at the letter on the floor and tried to turn around as if her business was over.

The Grand Duke momentarily grabbed her arm. Anne, who looked down at her hand, looked up at him with dry eyes.

“Is there anything else?”

He was glad that she had spoken to him after a long time, but he was reluctant to ask her to leave. But the anxiety he had felt about her appearance was scratching his nerves uncomfortably.

“Do you want to go?”

“. . .”

He could see the dead eyes shaking very slightly. He was chilled at the slight change in her. Even if she didn’t say anything, she wanted to go.

He finally agreed to it on condition.

And while she was gone, he decided to think about why he felt uneasy about her change and why he was shaken by her.

* * *

The Grand Duke allowed her to go to the capital under three conditions: to stay only in the Grand Duke’s residence in the capital, to go everywhere with knights, and to return quickly after completing her errands. It was quite unexpected that he gave permission even though he was reluctant, but he was not a man that can get understood in the first place.

Beside Emily, who was checking that nothing was missing from her luggage, Anne opened the window wide. There were still traces of snow in every corner of the garden, but the air was different.

Winter is over.

Spring was coming. Neither the fresh flowers nor the green leaves could be seen yet, but the fierce air flow had changed. Now, even when she breathes in, her nose is not spicy, and she can feel the subtle scent of spring.

“Madam, it’s done now.”

Anne smiled as Marie tied her hair finely and gave her a wide-brimmed hat.

The woman in the mirror, wearing a ragenta blue dress resembling a blue hydrangea, was quite worth looking at. There was no gloomy expression as if she had been assimilated into the Grand Duke’s castle. With a slightly excited face Marie tied the long ribbon of the beige hat neatly around the back for the last time.

“Are you excited about going to the capital?”

“Yes. I didn’t get a good look last time. By now, the capital should be splendid with spring flowers, right?”

When she asked a question related to the capital, Marie, who had become somber, did not shy away from the conversation like she had done for so long. On the day she allowed Marie to attend to her again, Marie knelt down and apologized and Anne had forgiven her.

She, too, was only one of those to whom the Grand Duke had given his mandate. She didn’t want to blame Marie for her hard work. And she knew Marie wasn’t the Grand Duke’s real lover, and she didn’t feel too bad about it now.

So, even though she tried to deny it, Anne admitted only one thing to herself. She hated the thought of the Grand Duke going to another woman’s room.