CH 82

Chapter 82

Elysia’s shoulders flinched and trembled when he said that he had no intention of letting her go.

…Why? To him, when her use was over, she would no longer be needed.

“We vowed to be together forever.”

“….”

She never made such a vow? It seemed that he must have mistaken it on his own… or was he talking about the wedding vows?

Still, there were not many nobles who kept their wedding vows straight. No, it was right to say that there were only very few. Since they were just getting married out of necessity, there was no need to keep the faith. But now, Damon seemed to think they were married because they loved each other.

“What… vow?”

“Didn’t we say it at the time of our wedding vows?”

“Ah… The wedding vows.”

Who could say no on the spot? If they said no, then the marriage wouldn’t take place at all. She couldn’t understand why someone who knew everything was this naive. Besides, there were very few couples who actually kept that vow.

“I did…”

Even though it was only in words, it was actually a vow. Because of that, Elysia wondered if Damon had acted this to anyone other than her, or was she just being fooled by his professional acting?

“I don’t want to put the wife in danger.”

“…Danger?”

“Of having children.”

Since they did not do their marital affairs, she could not have children. It was like looking at the sky to get the stars.

“I absolutely do not want to continue this heinous blood.”

Damon seemed to really hate the Grand Duke’s family itself. He hated it so much that he was forced to marry her. On the one hand, it was heartbreaking. The more she listened, the more she couldn’t tell who benefited from the existence of the Grand Duke’s family.

In fact, the person concerned was actually suffering so much.

“Still, Julia worked hard.”

“Does Julia know… the story about the greenhouse?”

“Only Julia and Sebastian know. The other servants don’t know about the secret of the Grand Duke’s family.”

Nonetheless, what Damon said was the Grand Duke family’s weakness. It couldn’t be good that many people knew since this weakness could have been exploited. While it was difficult to force him into the greenhouse, it was unknown, so there could have been forces determined to get rid of him.

“They don’t even know the details. And since Julia is the longest-serving servant in the Grand Duke’s family, she knows that I used to hide in the greenhouse.”

For some reason, Sebastian had a hard time with Julia. Looking back, she also seemed older.

“I guess she had been planning to change the greenhouse before the wife came to the house.”

“Why me…?”

“Because she noticed I was giving the greenhouse to the wife.”

…The greenhouse?

Elysia widened her eyes.

“Yes? Are you giving me the greenhouse?”

“Yes.”

Even though he mentioned that there was a tradition that Grand Duke Raphael decorated the greenhouse and gave it to the Grand Duchess, it was just a moment ago that Damon said that no one had given it to anyone except the first Grand Duke.

“You said the previous Grand Duchesses never received it.”

“That’s right.”

So, why was he suddenly giving her the greenhouse?

“Actually, I was going to give it to you after decorating it nicely. Will you accept this greenhouse?”

“I am…”

She couldn’t answer right away.

Having already listened to all the explanations, there were some things that she couldn’t easily accept. No one would ever say they would accept such a terrifying gift all at once. The gift was really Damon-like… because it was an unusual gift.

It was like giving her a weapon to kill him, so it was no different from putting his own leash on Elysia’s hand.

“Is it okay if you tell me this secret?”

“Are there any problems?”

“…You’re telling me how to harm Your Grace, right?”

Even that was not enough, he even offered to put the weapon in her hand. If she were in his place, Elysia would try to hide it and not let it be seen instead.

“It does not matter if it’s with the wife.”

She didn’t always understand Damon’s trust in her. Even though she never once did anything to earn Damon’s trust, he believed in her from the beginning. Besides, she wasn’t even a true grand duchess. It was only a marriage made for political reasons, yet every time she saw him acting very nice, she felt strange.

“…What are you going to do if I say I don’t want to receive it?”

In fact, she did not want to receive such a scary gift. Elysia was just afraid that he had shared secrets about the Grand Duke’s family. Her goal was to divorce him safely without knowing anything.

The more she knew about him, the harder it would be for her to get away from him.

“It is the wife’s freedom. I have no intention of forcing you. After all, everything in the Grand Duke’s castle belongs to the wife.”

It was a contradiction to say that everything was hers while not giving her a private room…

Every time she saw him, she felt like he was anxious to give her everything he had. Elysia thought it would be nothing strange if she were to die in the outer castle. Still, things were different from what she expected.

“Is it okay if I get rid of the greenhouse?”

“That, too, is your freedom. It is possible for the Grand Duchess to get rid of the greenhouse.”

It was strange.

People from the Grand Duke’s family couldn’t get rid of the greenhouse, but the Grand Duchess could. This greenhouse was absolutely unfavorable to the Grand Duke’s lineage. On the other hand, it was too advantageous for the Grand Duchess, it felt even unfair.

“The greenhouse key. One is managed by Julia.”

A golden key fell into her palm. It looked so new for an old one. She was stunned by the splendid appearance of jewels, even on the key. Even in a place like this, the Grand Duke’s overflowing wealth was revealed.

However, as she was surprised by the blue jewel hanging in the center, Elysia thought it would be a black jewel, of course.

Because he was a grand duke who was so black.

“It is now up to the wife to decide what to do with the greenhouse.”

“Can Your Grace just tell me about your weakness like this?”

It was because it was the only way to neutralize Damon. She didn’t realize it earlier, but she did now. He was losing his power. It was like a feeling of drowsiness somewhere. No matter how familiar he was, he also seemed to be out of control.

“You are still having a hard time.”

While he tried not to show it off, his expression changed slightly. Seeing him a little weak and tired, Elysia knew that he was still affected by this greenhouse.

“I guess it’s because it’s been a while. It’s nothing to worry about.”

“I don’t care if you leave.”

“It’s alright. We can stay a little longer.”

It was interesting to see Damon in his weak form. He seemed like he would have this kind of appearance… a weakened Damon. It was something she couldn’t even recall in her dreams. But now, in front of her eyes, he seemed completely relaxed.

Of course, even if Damon was in a weakened state, she couldn’t win against him anyway.

“You can take a walk every evening.”

Elysia was surprised to hear that she would come to the greenhouse every evening.

Nonetheless, was this man really going to die? He wouldn’t say this unless that were not the case. In addition, he said he didn’t want to succeed the Grand Duke’s family, and it was clear he wanted to die quickly…

“It’s fine as long as I’m with the wife.”

She was not some kind of recovery tool, and nothing would change if she came along…

She couldn’t understand Damon’s behavior.

Elysia, who went to bed after such a ridiculous night’s walk, couldn’t sleep at all. She knew too much overnight. When she learned all this, it became difficult for her to be certain whether she would be able to escape the Grand Duchy safely.

“Are you awake?”

“Yes.”

Tossed and turned all night, she barely fell asleep.

When she woke up, Damon wasn’t there already. It was only natural that he would wake up early every morning. Going to the greenhouse with him last night was like a dream, and it still didn’t feel real. However, perhaps laughing at her, the key on the desk was shining nobly.

“What about Julia?”

“The chief maid is downstairs. Is there something wrong?”

“No, nothing.”

Elysia was about to ask Julia again about the greenhouse, but she shook her head. If she asked Julia, the answer would be the same. Indeed, the terrifying greenhouse had fallen into her hands.

Rachel and Chloe, unaware of anything, started mending her.

“You seem to be getting more and more beautiful.”

She was embarrassed by the outpour of compliments pouring in from the morning. Even when she looked at her, her appearance was radiant day by day. Elysia even wondered if she originally had a face like this.

“Seeing the two of you together with the Grand Duke is dazzling.”

“That’s not true.”

She couldn’t keep up with Damon. Unlike Elysia, who did all sorts of treatment every day, Damon didn’t do anything. Even if she became a little prettier, it was within the general category. Meanwhile, he was not a being in the human category in the first place.

“By the way, the greenhouse.”

“Yes.”

“Is it true that they hired a gardener?”

“Yes, I heard so.”

She checked with Rachel and Chloe just in case, but they didn’t seem to know much. Regardless, there was no reason for Damon to cheat on her with something like this.

“What would you like to change into?”

Picking out clothes every morning was also a chore. Rachel and Chloe brought at least five sets of clothes each morning and gave her choices, each time not knowing what to choose.

“The most comfortable…?”

Anyway, all the designs were great, so it was best to choose the one that was most comfortable to wear.

“Of course.”

She laughed because her life, which had changed in just one month, was strange yet funny. Did she ever expect to live such a luxurious life?

“Where is His Grace?”

“He asked me to tell you that he was sorry he couldn’t have breakfast with you.”

Elysia thought they would have a meal together today like yesterday, but perhaps not. At the same time, she couldn’t understand herself feeling a strange sadness.

“Your Grace, did you sleep well?”

“Ah, Julia. Good morning.”

As she descended the steps, guarded by Chloe and Rachel, Julia came out to meet her. Although she had waited on her from the morning, she did not usually wait in front of the stairs so Elysia wondered if there was something urgent.

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