CH 68

“….”

What was left behind was her devastated self. Damon casually left those last words, not caring about her being left behind.

“Your Grace…?”

It looked like he kissed the back of her hand at the end… Elysia couldn’t remember very well. Oddly enough, when he touched her body, her mood went hazy. With the feeling of flying high in the sky, blood rushed through her body anew.

She didn’t believe it at first, but her actions earlier made it clear… Damon did something to her. Even though she didn’t know what it was, it clearly broke her spirit.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine.”

Elysia slumped back in her chair with a staggering body. At first, she thought it was because he was so handsome, so irresistibly beautiful, that she lost her senses.

“It wasn’t…”

“Yes?”

It wasn’t because of his face… There was something else. There were strange things that distracted her. She had to find it. If she didn’t, she would be wielded in his hands every time. She should refrain from contact with him, at least until she finds out why.

The most disturbing thing was the situation could not be solved even if the cause was found.

“Why… Why?”

The benefit he would gain by making her hazy… Elysia didn’t know that.

Was he trying to manipulate her by making a fool of herself? Maybe, brainwashing her was the goal. If she acted of her own will, it would be troublesome in many ways.

It seemed that he was using some kind of hallucination magic. Damon was good at magic as well as swordsmanship. Versatility was a word for him. If the magic really worked as she expected, she had no way to avoid it.

“No… There is no time.”

Elysia bit her fingernails in nervousness. She didn’t have as much time as she expected. At least, she thought she had time before she had to drink the poison… She had no idea that this kind of ending would come.

In the novel, it was only stated that she died after ingesting poison. Nothing like hallucinations or brainwashing was written in it.

He needed a doll… A doll who listened well and had no will.

“So my hands…?”

All the puzzle pieces fit together now. She didn’t know for sure, but it seemed that one of the activation methods was to be in contact with her once.

In addition, it didn’t seem like it would be completed in a short time. It seemed that countless contacts had to be made in order to completely brainwash her. So even though it was uncomfortable, Elysia fell asleep holding his hand.

If that were the case, all of his sudden actions are starting to make sense. They were all actions for a reason. She should have noticed sooner… Damon had a reason for everything he did.

Elysia realized today that she didn’t have much time… The remaining period was about half a year. Even this was just what she expected. Before that, she could have become a doll that lost her will first. She couldn’t stay sane with this nervousness.

“Edward…!”

Suddenly, there was a person passing by Elysia’s head. Damon made not only her but also the other hostages. She couldn’t imagine what it would be like for Edward. She was so naive when she believed him when he said he would make Edward better.

How amusing she must have been. It would have been ridiculous to risk one’s life to the opponent that was holding the hilt of the sword.

“Are you talking about Your Grace’s brother?”

She wondered how Julia knew Edward’s name, but that didn’t matter now. She had to check on Edward’s safety.

“So, did I get any letters from my brother?”

Originally, Edward often sent letters. He should’ve sent a letter since he had promised to contact her on the day of the ceremony.

“A letter?”

“A letter addressed to me.”

There was no way Edward wouldn’t send a letter. Damon said that Edward had arrived in the Logan Empire. If so, it was already time for the letter to arrive. This world sent and received letters using magic, so it didn’t take long to send and receive them.

“Did I get a contact from my brother?”

“That is…”

As soon as she brought up the letter, Elysia sensed something was wrong with Julia’s visibly flustered look. She was also suspicious of Julia being able to recognize Edward’s name right away. She had never told Julia about her family.

“I asked if something came.”

“…Calm down, Your Grace. Contact has been made.”

Upon hearing that there was contact, Elysia stopped being angry. Why didn’t Julia mention it until she asked?

“Why didn’t you tell me right away?”

“It wasn’t long before it came. I was going to tell you today.”

Even though she knew it was a lie, Elysia didn’t have the strength to argue with it. She had to endure even though it was unfair.

“Yes… Bring it to me.”

“I can’t give it to you yet.”

What did that even mean? Her brows furrowed at Julia’s words. Elysia didn’t have time to waste arguing like this when she was supposed to be in a hurry.

“What are you talking about?”

“It’s not that I’m keeping the letter…”

“Then, who is keeping it?”

No, Julia didn’t even have to say. Elysia recognized with whom the letter was kept.

It was Damon.

He had Edward’s letter. She knew she wouldn’t have much at the Grand Duke’s castle, but this was severe.

“No, don’t tell me. Because I know who has it.”

“Madam….”

Although she was so angry, Elysia didn’t have the energy to go and argue with Damon. Her fury erupted at her helpless situation. While she knew it wouldn’t be easy, her imagination and reality were different.

“Is all contact managed by His Grace?”

All she could do was suppress her anger as best she could. At that time, only those in power could show their emotions as they wanted.

“Yes, it is.”

“All right, I understand.”

Inside her, it seemed like she was boiling to death though Elysia smiled and didn’t show it.

“What are you going to do today? Do you have something?”

She didn’t have the money or the power to save Edward right away anyway. What was certain was that Edward was not dead yet. It was as if Edward and Elysia were sharing a life. Edward was safe, at least as long as he still needed her.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes? What?”

“No… no.”

Having to smile pretending to be okay without being okay was her current position. Elysia knew that better than anyone else. Except for the fact that her life was in danger, it was not much different from her life at the Count’s residence.

Even there, she was an underdog. She was accustomed to holding back even when things were unfair and pretending that nothing was wrong with her.

“What I wanted to do is to recruit additional staff.”

“Recruiting additional staff?”

“Yes, I want to hire a gardener because the situation about the garden is serious.”

“It was pretty bad.”

She had never seen such a bare garden. It would have been better without it.

Nonetheless, she couldn’t care less about what would happened to the garden right now because her mind was all over the place. She wondered why Damon had her letter. He wanted her cut off from the world.

After all, he was using her with her status as the Grand Duchess, so he had no intention of letting her go outside. She wasn’t that stupid. Elysia knew at least that the powers given to her weren’t real. She had no intention of taking advantage of this position.

“First of all, the greenhouse is the most serious.”

Elysia couldn’t figure out what he wanted. He wanted a doll-like grand Duchess yet allowed her to change the household. Was this really right?

“Julia.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

“Call Estelle, Marchioness Blair.”

* * *

The only person she could rely on was Estelle. It was funny to her that she turned to Estelle, an outsider, to help manage the house, but she couldn’t help it. Surprisingly, Damon immediately granted the request to meet Estelle.

Perhaps she allowed Estelle because she belonged to the Duchy. Still, Elysia desperately needed her.

“Your Grace, it’s been a while.”

“It’s been a while.”

It was the first time she had met Estelle since the wedding. Maybe it was because she was someone she used to see every day. It had only been a few days though it felt like she was seeing Estelle again for the first time in a long time.

Elysia obviously knew that Estelle was Damon’s people, but when she saw her, she felt the tears come out of her eyes. Seeing someone she knew, her emotions ran wild.

“Your Grace?”

“Welcome.”

“Is something wrong?”

Reborn as Elysia Caitlyn, she had never met a middle-aged woman who was kind to her. The Countess was the only grown woman around her. She missed a sweet voice and way of speaking. In addition, Elysia was scared.

It was very difficult to live with Damon, who was stalking her. She couldn’t stay sane, she was sick of being terrified every time.

“No, no.”

In the meantime, she met someone who had been kind to her, so of course, she was about to burst into tears. She barely suppressed her emotions and acted as if nothing had happened. No matter how kind she was, she couldn’t forget that Estelle was another watcher sent by Damon.

“I called Estelle because I wanted to seek your advice because I was still lacking.”

“As long as Grace calls, I’ll come anytime.”

It had only been two days since she got married, but it had already been so hard. She thought that at least she had plenty of time left, which seemed to be a shock as it wasn’t.

“Thank you.”

When she realized that Damon had already tried to kill her from the moment he first met her, the goosebumps all over her body did not stop. She was slowly dying, like a frog in a pot, unaware that the water was boiling.

No matter how hard she tried, there was no way the frog would get out of the pot.

“Did Estelle know about the Grand Duchy’s situation?”