VNC 25

Chapter 25

“Yes. But how did you know? It wasn’t listed on the delivery confirmation, so we were just about to send it back.”

“I thought it might be. I like shrimp.”

The only people who knew about Esselian’s allergy were the butler, the head chef, and Roni.

Esselian was a man who never revealed his weaknesses.

He had kept the butler and the chef under strict watch, but Roni—who was practically his stalker—had managed to find out anyway.

Esselian never ate shrimp himself, but he often served shrimp dishes when entertaining guests.

The fact that the item wasn’t on the delivery confirmation meant it hadn’t been intended for Murchelli or Naiven either.

‘Roni must have interfered.’

Shrimp appearing where there should be none?

And on top of that, Roni had conveniently handed over a recipe book. That said it all.

Roni must have laid the groundwork to get shrimp brought in.

That was how it went in the original story, too.

‘To think she actually intended to harm Esselian….’

Even if she wanted to drive a wedge between us, wasn’t this going too far?

In the original, Roni’s plan succeeded. Titiana memorized the entire recipe book, drove the head chef out, and took over the kitchen herself. And after that…

“Hem, hem.”

The moment Shuwen rolled shrimp wrapped in cheese into her mouth, Will stared at her, practically bursting with curiosity, urging her for a reaction.

The chewy texture and rich flavor melted gently on her tongue.

“Ah—hot.”

Will, who had been waiting for her verdict, looked disappointed at her first remark, but a moment later his eyes sparkled with anticipation again.

“Well? How is it?”

Shuwen tilted her head slightly after chewing the gratin carefully.

“How did you make this? It looks similar, but the taste is different. What’s the difference?”

“That’s because I used my special sauce. Which one do you prefer?”

“Obviously.”

“Obviously….”

With the spoon in her mouth, Shuwen cut herself off playfully.

Will was dying of curiosity.

At last, the spoon pointed to one dish.

“This one!”

“Yes!”

When Shuwen chose the dish Will had made, he clenched his fist and let out a cheer, clearly overjoyed.

“You like it that much? Doesn’t His Grace enjoy it too?”

“When many people enjoy my food, I feel like I’m truly alive. No matter how many times I hear ‘it’s delicious,’ I never get tired of it.”

Smiling, Will watched contentedly as the Grand Duchess resumed eating.

‘Hmm, I really want to prepare even more good food for her….’

Unlike the Grand Duke, who ate only small portions without a word, the Grand Duchess ate heartily, which made Will feel especially fond of her.

Just as Shuwen finished her plate, Will’s work was also done.

“Your Highness, it’s ready.”

Sophie, who had been tasting the gratin Will made beside them, neatly stacked the finished sandwiches into a basket.

Shuwen stepped forward briskly.

“Sophie, let’s go—quick!”

It was time to bring snacks to Esselian.

“The forest is so vast that even I don’t know exactly where His Grace is at the moment.”

Shuwen had already heard that Esselian had gone hunting with Murchelli.

The forest surrounding the Grand Ducal Castle was enormous.

Because of its size, a guide was necessary, and the forest’s management and guiding were handled by the groundskeeper.

“James hasn’t returned yet. I do have a guess where His Grace might be, but I’m worried that Your Highness may be pushing yourself.”

“Don’t worry about me. I’m sturdy.”

Unfortunately, it seemed Esselian’s guide still hadn’t returned.

At Shuwen’s words, Sophie and the groundskeeper narrowed their eyes.

By then, it was already common knowledge that Shuwen had been bedridden the day after encountering a direwolf.

“I layered up properly, too.”

Distrustful gazes clung stubbornly to Shuwen’s face.

She pointed in turn at the large coat that reached nearly to her ankles and the scarf wrapped around her neck.

After falling seriously ill once, she had no desire to repeat the experience.

When she was younger, she’d been even sicker than this—but pain was still something she never got used to.

“This won’t do. Walking would be too much for you. I’ll take you on horseback—how about riding behind me?”

It was Shuwen who stopped the groundskeeper from bringing a horse.

“I ate too much earlier, so I need to digest. I’ll walk for that. Really, I’m fine.”

Shuwen was afraid of horses.

Back when she was learning to ride, she’d fallen and been frightened badly enough to cry her eyes out. Since then, riding made her uneasy.

“It’s quite far. And wild animals may appear.”

“I’ll catch them.”

“Surely not with your bare hands?”

Shuwen’s hand pointed at the groundskeeper’s waist.

Since animals could appear at any time, he always carried a sword.

Without realizing it, the groundskeeper let out a hollow chuckle.

“Please don’t keep speaking so disrespectfully to Her Highness.”

Sophie snapped sharply, and the groundskeeper closed his mouth with an uncomfortable expression.

Silence fell.

“The forest is quiet, isn’t it?”

“…Animals don’t show themselves much during the winter.”

Though Shuwen tried to change the subject, the mood refused to lighten.

“Sophie, why are you suddenly like this?”

Shuwen whispered, just loud enough for Sophie to hear.

Sophie shot the groundskeeper a glare.

“I don’t like the way he looks.”

“…You shouldn’t judge people by their looks.”

“But Your Highness went to the plaza just to check whether His Grace was handsome!”

“Shh!”

Only Titiana and Sophie knew that Shuwen had gone to see Esselian.

Worried someone might overhear, Shuwen quickly covered Sophie’s mouth.

Rustle. Rustle.

Suddenly, the faint sound of grass brushing together reached them.

The groundskeeper stopped and stretched out an arm, signaling them not to come closer.

He placed a hand on his scabbard. When the rustling repeated, he drew his sword.

It was definitely not the sound of the wind.

The trees around them were still, and the sound was coming from a thicket some distance away.

“…”

The groundskeeper moved ahead.

But the moment he saw what was hidden in the bushes, drawing his sword felt embarrassing.

At the same time, he felt relieved.

“It’s just a rabbit.”

He lifted a snow-white rabbit by the scruff of its neck. Shuwen was startled. A sharp trap had clamped down on the rabbit’s hind leg, and blood dripped steadily from the wound.

“It’s caught in a trap. We don’t usually set traps, but this time it was done on His Grace’s orders. Poor thing—something unnecessary got caught….”

“Why did he order traps set this time?”

Shuwen asked curiously.

“I don’t know that much. I simply follow orders.”

The groundskeeper shook his head awkwardly. Setting the rabbit down, he began walking again as though nothing had happened.

“Wait.”

Shuwen, flustered, called out to his retreating back.

“Is there a problem?”

“No—are you just leaving it here?”

“Yes.”

The answer was far too firm.

“Then it’ll die.”

“That can’t be helped. It’s the law of nature, and the fate of that animal… Ah. My apologies. I spoke out of turn. Please forgive me, Your Highness.”

Realizing he had been presumptuous, the groundskeeper bowed his head.

Regardless, Shuwen looked down at the rabbit.

After a moment, as though she had made up her mind, she picked it up with both hands and tucked it into her arms.

“What are you planning to do?”

Sophie looked back and forth between the groundskeeper, Shuwen, and the rabbit now snug inside Shuwen’s coat, her eyes filled with uncertainty.

“I’m going to treat it and let it go. It’s too pitiful to die.”

Naturally, there was no one who could stop the Grand Duchess once she had decided.

They spotted a familiar back only after walking for quite some time.

When the ash-brown head turned around hurriedly, it was almost a relief to see.

It was Murchelli.

“Ah, I thought His Grace might be here.”

The groundskeeper also recognized him and walked forward with a bright expression.

Shuwen took the basket from Sophie and passed the groundskeeper in a rush.

‘He’ll be moved, right? He’s not going to cry, is he?’

With those thoughts in mind, Shuwen was almost running—

Bang!

An unexpected gunshot echoed dully through the forest.

Shuwen froze in place.

Esselian, holding a long rifle, widened his eyes in surprise.

Murchelli wanted to know what Esselian was really thinking. He didn’t believe his cousin’s claim that he merely wanted to return a courtesy. Nor did he like the idea of obediently following Esselian.

‘How far is he planning to go?’

Murchelli was nothing more than a foil.

The same went for Naiven.

Anyone who wasn’t a direct member of the Lanied family was treated as a mere accessory.

From childhood, they had been used as tools to sharpen the abilities of the Lanied Grand Duke’s heir.

Murchelli hated that.

He loathed it.

He had been forced to do things he didn’t want to do, to endure everything—for Esselian’s sake.

Even as time passed, Murchelli still despised Esselian.

And now Esselian even possessed the cure. It made Murchelli sick with envy.

“What do you think he’s going to give us as a gift? Any guesses?”

Murchelli whispered, careful not to let Esselian hear.

Naiven shook his head.

“That’s not what matters to us.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. Obviously.”

What mattered to them was the Grand Duchess—nothing else.

Esselian was frightening, but their madness was just as terrifying.

“Are you ready?”

“At the right moment, I’ll make an excuse about having a stomachache and slip away. When that happens, you need to keep Esselian occupied. No matter what.”

Naiven finished speaking quickly, barely opening his mouth.

As always, Murchelli nodded.

“Murchelli.”

Esselian, who had been gradually slowing his pace, suddenly twisted around and stared at them.

Watching Esselian brace himself by planting the long rifle on the ground and resting his hand atop it, Murchelli frowned slightly.

Half-turned, Esselian looked as irritating as ever.

Murchelli followed the direction of his gesture.

But there was nothing there.

Only trees dusted with pure white snow, and a path untouched by footprints.

“I’ll give you the first chance.”

Even hearing that, Murchelli couldn’t grasp his intent.

“What? A chance for what? Weren’t you giving us a gift?”

“I’ll give you the gift soon, so stop pestering me. I told you—this is a ‘chance.’”

Esselian smiled faintly and lifted his rifle.

With its barrel, he pointed at Murchelli, Naiven, and then at the ground, as if urging them forward.

Murchelli was about to protest, but Naiven grabbed his arm, forcing his mouth shut.

Naiven, too, couldn’t fully read Esselian’s intentions.

Still, for now, he did as he was told and walked ahead.

“When we were young, my uncle used to say this. Murchelli, you’re thoughtless and easily led around, and Naiven, you think too much—that it would get you into trouble.”

“What?”

“He said that when the two of you were together, you’d end up being toyed with by Naiven.”

Sensing something ominous, Naiven stopped in his tracks.

But Murchelli had already walked far ahead, leaving distance between them.

“I hate people who don’t know their place and covet what belongs to others.”

The trace of a smile vanished from Esselian’s face, leaving it sharp and cold, as if honed by a blade.

In an instant, he raised the rifle and aimed at Murchelli.

Murchelli’s hand twitched, trembling. The muzzle shifted, pointing toward Naiven, who stood a little farther away.

“I hate that most of all—especially when it’s you.”