HBM 14

‘What should I do…?’

Julie quickly thought things through.

Haem was simple-minded, but incredibly sharp when it came to noticing things. Of all things, he had noticed her swollen cheek.

It didn’t matter if people knew she had been slapped.

‘But the problem is that he realized Miss Grace was slapped.’

Julie hesitated, knowing this might damage Grace’s reputation.

At the same time, she wondered if this could make Duke Lucas Black feel even more protective toward Grace.

‘But I can’t act recklessly.’

After some thought, Julie decided to hint at it indirectly.

The rest of the judgment would be up to the Duke’s aide.

If it was necessary, he would report it. If not, he would forget it.

“I was hit.”

“You were hit? By who?”

Julie shrugged lightly.

“By someone who wouldn’t face any consequences even if they hit someone.”

Haem tilted his head, looking confused.

“Then… does that mean Miss Grace was hit too?”

“I’ll give no comment on that, Haem! Now then! Since you asked two questions, can I ask one more?”

“You have another question?”

Julie nodded energetically.

“Of course! Honestly, I had a mountain of things I wanted to ask. There’s even a chance that our Miss and Duke Black might get married!”

Smiling brightly, Julie stepped a little closer to Haem.

Haem looked at her nervously.

“In that sense, I feel really lucky to have a chance to talk with you like this, Sir Haem. I’ve actually been very nervous since earlier, wondering how to start a conversation. You were driving the carriage so solemnly that I didn’t dare speak to you.”

It was a complete lie, but Julie said it in a persuasive tone.

As expected, the simple Haem puffed up proudly at the small compliment.

“S-solemn, you say? Hahaha! I see! So, what do you want to ask?”

“Well, why has His Grace’s marriage been delayed? I know he’s very busy, but he seems to have married later than the average age…”

“Ah. That’s a bit complicated… The truth is, even though His Grace looks fierce, he’s actually a romantic person. He doesn’t believe in marrying without love. Ah, if he finds out I told someone this, I might lose my head, Julie. So please keep this to yourself.”

Julie had expected a simple answer like, “He just doesn’t want to marry,” but instead she received unexpected information and covered her mouth in shock.

‘A romantic man who won’t marry without love!’

…Yes!

She quietly clenched her fist.

She knew she hadn’t been wrong.

Unlike the foolish men of the Oelin Marquis family, Lucas Black was one of the “good men.”

‘I knew it.’

Julie was the fourth of six sisters.

She had three older sisters and two wild younger ones.

Having grown up watching and hearing countless romantic dramas, she was confident in her ability to judge men.

Until now, she hadn’t had enough information to decide whether Duke Lucas Black was a good man.

But after seeing that ridiculous little performance in front of the pen shop earlier, she was convinced.

‘He’s good enough!’

He was a duke.

And yet, for Grace’s sake, he had willingly embarrassed himself to shut down rumors.

Even if his expression was fierce and intimidating, she didn’t care.

In fact, Julie found that reassuring.

‘The courage to accept laughter just to protect my lady. If it’s him, he’ll cherish her.’

Although his past reputation had been quite terrifying, she had heard that after stepping down as Commander of the Knights, he focused only on managing his territory.

He rarely visited the capital’s townhouse unless summoned by royal order or during important administrative periods.

Among high-ranking nobles, that was rare.

Most tried to stay close to the royal court, but although he was favored by the royal family, he preferred living in his own lands.

‘If they move to his territory after marriage, Miss won’t have to be bullied by the Oelin father and son…’

Julie couldn’t shake the thought that Lucas Black was a far better husband candidate for Grace than she had expected.

“He’s even romantic… I think His Grace is even more wonderful than I imagined.”

That was more than enough reason to become openly biased.

And Julie had seen it.

The way Lucas Black looked at Grace.

Even though they weren’t officially married yet, he looked at her warmly and attentively, like someone already precious to him.

“Ah… he’s such a good man.”

“…Pardon? His Grace?”

“Isn’t he?”

“Well… yes, that’s true… Ah, me too! I think so too!”

“Think what?”

“That marriage without love is empty! Of course you should marry someone you love!”

‘…Ah, he wants praise too.’

Julie’s widened eyes curved into a smile as she nodded.

She almost patted Haem on the head but barely held herself back.

“Of course. Sir Haem, you’re very wonderful as well. Are all the men of House Black like this?”

“Hahaha! The men of House Black are famous for being romantic.”

“Oh my! I’ve never heard that before, but I’ll believe it!”

While Haem and Julie chatted about trivial things and grew friendlier, the carriage carrying the four of them arrived quickly at the Black family’s townhouse.

“Thank you for coming such a long way. I am Gabriel, the head butler in charge of managing this residence.”

Gabriel, the chief butler of the Black family’s townhouse, greeted them politely and led Grace and Julie up to a small reception room on the second floor.

Lucas and Haem had excused themselves in the lobby, saying they had somewhere to stop briefly.

After opening the rightmost door on the second floor, the butler briefly introduced the room.

“This is called the Sunset Room. The view of the sun setting beyond the horizon is magnificent. We have prepared warm tea on the terrace, so please enjoy the scenery while you wait.”

With his neatly combed gray hair, the butler guided them respectfully before going downstairs.

As soon as the door closed, Julie quickly ran to the terrace and opened the windows wide.

Just as the butler had said, the plain stretching beyond the terrace was breathtaking.

“I didn’t realize the Black residence was this far out. And it’s right beside such a vast plain!”

The breeze flowing through the window helped Grace relax a little as she looked outside.

There was a tea table prepared on the terrace, but after sitting in the carriage for over two hours, her body refused to sit any longer.

Grace leaned against the terrace railing and gazed at the wide plains, thinking of Lucas.

‘He wasn’t as terrifying as I thought… but he’s still scary.’

She couldn’t read him at all.

But one thing was certain—the frightening man seemed to have some degree of interest in her.

And that certainty had grown stronger from the conversation they had just before getting off the carriage.

‘Grace, have you ever been told that you’re not very good at hiding your emotions?’

‘…How did you know? Can you see my feelings too, Your Grace?’

‘Yes. To be honest, I didn’t notice at first. But once I did, I kept seeing it. And you seem far more honest than I initially thought.’

She had been truly shocked.

‘Did I show that I was scared of him?’

Well, she had been trembling so much—of course he would notice.

Embarrassed, she said,

‘I’m sorry, Your Grace. I didn’t mean to… I feel ashamed to face you.’

‘Oh, no. I understand that feelings don’t always obey our will. You have nothing to apologize for.’

…He was more generous than she expected.

She felt relieved.

A little touched, even.

Especially considering what happened in the city earlier.

She began to wonder if she had judged him too harshly.

But then his next words made her feel something strange.

‘I was surprised and curious… but I didn’t dislike it. Your… honesty.’

‘…Pardon?’

He lifted the corners of his moderately full lips in a faint smile.

What was that expectant look in his eyes…?

‘No, rather, I found it very impressive. I liked it.’

Liked…? Why…?

‘If I may be brave enough to say so.’

A cold sweat ran down Grace’s back.