CH 42

Shortly after the conversation with Gerald, Luana returned to the duke’s mansion. Of course, it was after he promised not to put her in the dungeon anymore.

“You hate the dungeon?”

“Of course, I hate it!”

The duke put in various things; it was a place worth living, but there’s no freedom! She was not free to cook and look at her Jangdokdae! As Luana spoke enthusiastically, the duke looked at her.

If there is one thing that has changed since they met again, it is this. He used to only listened quietly to what she said, but now, sometimes he smiles a little, then Luana will stop talking.

There was not much difference in the duke’s mansion when she returned. The Jangdokdae, which she had worked hard to make, was safe under Way’s control, and others remained unchanged. The only thing that changed was the duke.

He followed Luana throughout her movements, like a duck following its mother. It was okay at Gerald’s house because no one was watching, but this was in the duke’s mansion. Luana tried to convince the duke to go away, but that didn’t work.

“Wouldn’t other people look at us think it’s weird?”

“I’m the lord, so who’s looking at me strangely?”

‘Whose lord?’

Luana pressed down on what she wanted to ask back.

“Don’t you go to work?”

“I took a vacation for the time being.”

When the duke, who had not taken a vacation so far, suddenly said he would take a break, the imperial palace went into an uproar. Some said that the duke’s physical condition might have deteriorated. However, the person involved slowly gained weight again because he was following Luana and eating her dishes. Among them, the duke’s favorite was hot chocolate, which had a stronger flavor than cocoa.

Luana, who used magic to make chocolate, succeeded in making thick hot chocolate by melting it, and the duke loves it. She has to help the duke gain weight, so Luana offers him hot chocolate whenever he wants. Because of that, he started to smell sweet chocolate, which he used to smell like iron when she approached.

‘Yeah, it’s good up to here. This is good.’

Late at night, Luana took a deep breath and stood in front of the door.

‘Should I go in there or not?’

Lugard, who walked her to this place, looked at her strangely.

“Aren’t you going in?”

“I have to go in. But why are you using honorifics?”

Lugard looked as if she really didn’t know why.

‘I don’t know. I didn’t know. I didn’t want to know!’

“Just speak informally.”

“No, I have to be polite. You’re someone the duke has affection for.”

That’s not it! The duke just liked Luana because of her cooking. He has been obsessed with her lately because he’s afraid she’ll run away. But since it looks different to others, people treat Luana differently.

But the treatment was very burdensome for her; she convinced everyone that the duke had no feelings for her.

‘Just treat me the way you all used to!’

She thought it would be much more comfortable.

How long did she stand in front of the door? Eventually, the door opened, and the duke appeared.

“It’s time to go to bed.”

“Yeees.”

Lengthening her answer, Luana tried to hold out as long as she could, but it was useless. It was because the duke pulled her in. After being dragged in, Lugard was seen lowering his head.

‘No, it’s not like that!’

Luana entered the duke’s bedroom and flopped down. The duke, who was looking at her, sat across from her.

“I don’t think this is right.”

“What?”

“Can we at least use a separate room?”

“Why?”

“Everyone misunderstands!”

“What kind of misunderstanding do they have?”

‘This whole thing is a misunderstanding, You’re old enough to know everything, and yet you still need an explanation?’

Luana took another deep breath.

“Men and women shouldn’t share a room when they’re over seven years old.”

“I’ve never heard of that before.”

“So, adult men and women shouldn’t share the same room!”

“I’ve never heard of that before.”

“What do you mean you’ve never heard of it? You know what happens when a man and a woman are in one room!”

She thought she explained it too excitedly; Luana uttered the explanation she had been holding in her heart and bowed her head in shame.

“Nothing happened.”

As the duke said, nothing happened. She was just staying up all night while being hugged by the duke, who had a sweet scent.

“What if something happens?!”

“How can there be something that will happen?”

In the meantime, the duke made an exciting expression.

‘Ugh!’

Yes, let’s be honest. The duke fell asleep so peacefully that she wondered if he was a man. It was Luana who suffered. Although he is a little thin, she was being embraced by a handsome man with a handsome face and body, so how can he not have dark desires? At first, she tried just to sleep quietly, but he kept reaching out to her these days.

‘I wanted to touch his solid abs and lean my head against his hard chest… But I can’t do that!’

If she does something wrong, she’ll meet her doom. She was at a loss as she thought about how she would make the duke understand this. Luana, who had been whipping the air several times, gave up everything and drooped her hand. She wasn’t confident he would understand this, so she was dragged to bed by him again today.

“I’ll sleep on the sofa. Let me sleep!”

“No, you might run away again.”

“I won’t run away anymore.”

She tried to rebel once more but to no avail. The duke’s hard, callused hands naturally wrapped around her waist. He then buried his face in Luana’s nape. The duke suddenly held her in his arms like a doll, and her face turned red.

‘Oh, God!’

There was no answer to the earnest call of God. Still, she couldn’t give up yet.

“What if you misunderstand someone you like later on? You’ll regret it by then, right? Sir Legion, are you listening? Are you sleeping?”

He was listening, but Legion didn’t answer. Luana stopped talking, thinking he was asleep. Then she raised her hand and put it on the duke’s hand.

As the duke lifted his head to peek at her, her ears were red. The red ears looked so appetizing that he wanted to bite them. However, he held it in because it seemed like Luana in his arms would run away if he did that.

The doctor told the duke to follow his heart, but it was not easy. But one day, he might be able to do everything he wanted. He thought so and closed his eyes again.

***

You need to be healthy to get revenge.

Ingrid has held out so far, believing only that word. She ate, walked, and moved, trying to get her body back to normal. But even if her body recovers, how can she get revenge? The emperor’s surroundings were always full of knights, and she was restricted in movement.

So she thought about how to approach the emperor and finally found the way.

“Ingrid.”

The dazzling emperor approached her with a smile. Ingrid smiled faintly at him. It took a long time for her to act this way. She was staring at him with no expression at first. If it’s too soon, the emperor will be suspicious. She slowly pretended to open her heart and allowed the emperor to come.

As a result, she has come this far.

“Your Majesty.”

“Call me Raytheon.”

“How can I do that?”

“Because you can call me that.”

“No.”

As she said so, Ingrid bowed her head with a bitter expression. It was not wise to greet him in a friendly way just because she opened her heart. She also had to show some rejection because she was the princess of the kingdom he destroyed.

“Ingrid.”

The emperor called Ingrid’s name with a sad expression. Everything was going according to plan. At this rate, one day, she’ll have a chance to kill him. She believed in that one thing and endured the disgust.

“It’s all my fault.”

He doesn’t even regret what he did in the past. He doesn’t even say he was wrong. He just had to be paid for living that way.

Again, Ingrid didn’t answer. She just kept quiet, looking at the flowers in the greenhouse. She decided to fill the sadness in her heart by doing this, but she still missed her family very often. Although her youngest sister, Luana, didn’t seem to think of her as a family. But she would still miss her because Luana comforted her. Ingrid knew she couldn’t see her again as she had her life.

“Ah, right. About Luana. Shall I call Luana?”

The emperor asked.

“Didn’t you say she ran away from the duke?”

Ingrid knew the latest news about Luana because the emperor told her. She heard that Luana ran away from the duke and found her freedom.

‘Now you’re going to call her? How?’

When Ingrid looked at the emperor with doubt, he answered.

“She has been taken back. That’s why the duke took a vacation he never had before.”

Her heart sank.

Luana, who had run away, was caught again. Moreover, the duke, the infamous murderer, took his vacation and locked Luana in the duke’s mansion. She shuddered at the thought of what her little sister was going through.

Ingrid clenched her fists to stop her trembling hands.

‘The empire, why do you want to take everything away?’

There was a new wave of hatred. But now, she knew she couldn’t reveal it.

“I miss Luana.”

Ingrid smiled and said so.