The Grand Duke is Obsessed with the Fake Villainess Chapter 4 – Say You Were With Me

[Translator – Kie][Proofreader – Starfall]

Chapter 4 – Say You Were With Me

Everyone in the room was startled, their eyes fixated on the person who had just spoken. The voice wasn’t particularly loud, nor was it soft, but it resonated clearly within the chamber.

‘Did he just say… with me?’

Selina, too, looked at Janus with a mix of doubt and anticipation. Despite the numerous gazes directed at him, Janus’s eyes remained locked on Selina.

“You could have simply said you were with me. There was no need to go through such trouble.”

The nobles began to murmur amongst themselves.

“Is… is that true?”

“With the Grand Duke?”

“Impossible.”

“But His Grace wouldn’t lie about something like this.”

Morgan, who had been aggressively interrogating Selina, sputtered, “Is that true? If it is, why didn’t you say so in front of everyone?”

“Exactly! Why didn’t you say anything when you were being accused like that?”

The sudden turn of events had left Selina just as bewildered.

‘Why is His Grace telling such a lie?’

This was the first time Selina had seen Grand Duke Justia face-to-face since she was five years old. After Janus inherited the mysterious power from the pact between the Sephia imperial family and the dragons, he had been constantly deployed to the battlefield.

‘I heard he has no interest in anything but war.’

The Sephia Empire and the Autumn Empire.

The war between the two empires, which had been going on for ages, was gradually turning in favor of Sephia due to the dragon’s blessing bestowed upon the imperial family.

The person who had contributed the most to this was Janus’s late mother and the current Emperor’s older sister, Princess Christa. The people of the empire respected, cherished, and revered Janus, the war hero who continued to bring victory to Sephia.

The nature of this power and the specific abilities inherited by each successor were kept strictly confidential by the imperial family. The reason was the fear that the information might be leaked to enemy spies, putting the empire at a disadvantage.

However, two characteristics were known to all citizens of the empire: the successor gains superhuman combat abilities, and if the successor does not marry their designated partner, they will die young. This led to the spread of romantic tales about the successors and their partners, capturing the imagination of the people.

The young ladies couldn’t hide their envy and jealousy at the thought of Selina being alone with such a figure. Even the young men were puzzled as to how someone like Selina could have been with their hero, the Grand Duke.

‘I don’t know the reason, but this is an opportunity. An opportunity I must not miss.’

Selina decided to play along.

“Well…”

She felt a pang of guilt lying in front of everyone, but she calmed herself and said, “It was to protect the Grand Duke’s honor.”

Seeing Morgan’s contorted face, Selina continued, “Although it’s true that Young Master Patel and I have decided to end our engagement, the formal process isn’t complete. If it were known that His Grace was alone with someone like me, wouldn’t that tarnish his reputation?”

The nobles nodded in agreement with her reasonable explanation.

“Indeed, it would have caused quite a scandal for the Grand Duke.”

“Count Arsene’s daughter made a wise decision.”

“My Lady.”

Janus’s voice suddenly came from beside her. Selina was startled by his sudden proximity and looked up at him as he continued speaking.

“In the future, please speak up right away to avoid such unjust situations. You shouldn’t have to suffer any injustice.”

“Th-thank you, Your Grace.”

Ingrid, who had been quietly standing next to Eric, asked,”Forgive me, Lady Selina, but I find this difficult to believe.Were you really with the Grand Duke? Didn’t you two meet for the first time today? And how is it that you were alone, without even Young Master Chase as an escort?”

“Ah… yes, at that time, His Grace and I had something to discuss in private…”

“That’s what I’m curious about. Could it be that His Grace is lying out of pity for you? He is a benevolent person who loves all the people of Sephia.”

Will, who had been observing Ingrid, asked, “May I ask which family you are from?”

Ingrid replied somewhat shyly, “I am Ingrid, the third daughter of Baron Hazel.”

“Lady Hazel, forgive my rudeness upon our first meeting.”

Will’s eyes suddenly sharpened.

“Listening to you, it seems like you’re convinced that LadyArsene is the culprit.”

Ingrid was visibly flustered by his words.

“Th-that’s not true. When did I ever…?”

“Both Lady Arsene and His Grace have confirmed that they were together. Isn’t it strange to demand an explanation of what they talked about before you’ll believe them?”

The other nobles nodded in agreement.

“Right, they both said the same thing.”

“What more needs to be said?”

“Since when…”

Will leaned down, closing the distance between himself and the slightly shorter Ingrid Hazel, his gaze unwavering and intense. “Did we become obligated to report our every move to you?”

“Will Chase!”

Seeing Ingrid’s frightened expression, Eric immediately intervened. “This isn’t the military. You shouldn’t be so aggressive towards a noble lady!”

He then turned to Ingrid and gently asked, “My Lady, are you alright? Would you like to move somewhere else to rest?”

“Oh… I apologize for the trouble today. I think I should be going now.”

With those words, Ingrid’s tears began to flow anew.

Selina sighed as she watched the scene unfold.

‘Nothing’s been resolved.’

She looked at Eric, who patted Ingrid’s shoulder as she buried her face into his chest and cried, signaling Selina for help.

‘Looks like I have to clean up his mess again.’

“Um… Your Highness Princess Helena, although we are all eager to find the culprit, the banquet is far from over. Might I suggest we focus on finding you a suitable replacement for your gown? If you could tell me your measurements, I’ll prepare something for you as quickly as possible. Would a traditional Sephia dress be alright?”

As if on cue, the maid attending to the princess recited a detailed list of Her Highness’s measurements, preferred colors, and favored patterns.

It was quite a long list, but Selina memorized it on the spot, wrote it down on a borrowed paper, and asked a servant to deliver it to the Arsene County estate.

The Arsene County merchant group was quite large, and they had traditional Sephia dresses amongst their goods. Although ready-made clothes were not as high quality as custom-made designer clothes, Selina decided it would be better to have a dress altered to fit the princess’s measurements than to borrow someone else’s dress.

The princess was very pleased with the new dress that arrived shortly after.

“I think this suits me better than the dress I saw earlier. Thank you, Lady Arsene.”

Seeing Princess Helena’s delight, the nobles who had gathered to watch knew that the incident had been smoothly resolved.

* * *

After a good cry, Ingrid left the lounge with the Crown Prince and went home even before the new dress arrived.

Eric expressed his regrets at her early departure but offered her a royal carriage, instructing the coachman to take good care of her.

Leaning back against the soft carriage seat, exhausted from crying, Ingrid clenched her jaw, her teeth grinding silently.

‘What’s the relationship between those two?’

She was shocked when Janus was the one to say that Selina had been with him.

‘I know that woman was with the Crown Prince.’

Ingrid was the one who tore Princess Helena’s dress.

She had orchestrated the incident, knowing that neither Selina nor Eric could defend themselves publicly.

‘I wanted to make her the most notorious villainess in the empire this time. But Grand Duke Justia, of all people, resolved the situation. Was he protecting her? Or was he stepping in for the Crown Prince?’

In any case, Ingrid’s outburst in front of so many people was a mistake.

Ingrid composed herself. She silently vowed to be more careful in her actions to achieve the future that she desired. Sᴇaʀch* Thᴇ NøvᴇlFirᴇ(.)nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

[Translator – Kie]

[Proofreader – Starfall]