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Chapter 12
A Fairy Tale for the Villainess
When the Grand Duke asked if she usually played like this, Isabel let out an awkward laugh.
“Well… thanks to it, my stamina got better. Haha.”
“With the beast. And the horse.”
“?”
What is he even saying.
So what—when you’re sane and I throw a stick, you’re going to fetch it?
Isabel rolled her eyes and gave a vague nod.
At that, the Grand Duke’s face went pale in an instant. He pressed his hand to his forehead and slowly rose.
Isabel jumped up as well.
Maybe she was too tense. Her legs wobbled, but the Grand Duke naturally reached out and steadied her.
“Even in this condition, you just stayed still, Princess?”
He glanced over her forearms and calves.
The red bite marks left by the beastly Grand Duke’s playful nipping.
Even in the dim surroundings, he spotted them like a ghost.
“It didn’t hurt that much, so it’s fine.”
“How can that not hurt!”
The Grand Duke practically shouted—something he almost never did.
‘What the heck, what’s wrong with this man all of a sudden?’
Startled, Isabel flinched her shoulders.
Sure, she understood he was confused after becoming human again, but yelling at the person who played with him was just rude.
‘Thanks to who, my nights and days flipped around?’
Hands on her hips, Isabel straightened up.
“Excuse you? You think I’m not capable of yelling back? You should be thanking me! What’s with the attitude?!”
She raised her voice just as loudly.
The Grand Duke fell silent for a moment, surprised, before speaking more quietly.
“You risked your life just to hear me say thank you? Are you sane?”
“I don’t know what fantasy you’re living in, but do I look like a woman who’d risk her life just for your gratitude?”
“If that wasn’t risking your life, what was it!”
“Who risks their life playing?”
The Grand Duke scoffed up at the sky in disbelief.
What—if gathering a few sticks wasn’t playing, then what did he call it?
‘Forget it, talking to him is pointless. Let’s see if I ever play with him again starting tomorrow.’
Isabel spun around and headed for the tower.
“Princess!” the Grand Duke called from behind, hurrying after her.
Isabel sharply turned her head, pointed to the hat lying far off, and—
“Whatever. Go fetch my hat.”
—then marched into the tower.
Just as he was thinking how strange it was for a princess to speak like she was ordering around a dog, the Grand Duke froze.
‘Damn it—why am I RUNNING?’
When he came to his senses, he was already sprinting toward the fallen hat.
“Your Highness, did you go out for another dawn stroll today?”
Asked the maid as she scrubbed Isabel’s limbs in the hot water.
“Mmhm…”
Isabel replied without opening her eyes.
Even though she was bathing in broad daylight, her mind felt hazy.
Running around the back garden with the Grand Duke every night had boosted her pathetic stamina—but now her sleep schedule was ruined, and she only felt awake once evening approached.
‘At this rate, I’ll bond more with the beast than with the Grand Duke.’
It felt like raising a pet.
‘But why is his personality such trash when he’s human?’
Honestly, if not for the face, she’d never grow attached.
Isabel sighed as she thought about what happened at dawn.
“What should we do about the hat hanging on your door, milady?”
“Hat?”
“Yes. It was sitting right outside your room this morning. Did you drop it during your outing?”
Ah. So the Grand Duke did fetch it.
He listens so well sometimes. Like a puppy.
Isabel snorted and waved a hand.
“Throw it out. I’ll buy a new one later.”
No way was she wearing something that had rolled around in dirt twice.
“Are you going out today?”
“Yep. I’m gonna blow some money.”
She was planning to relieve all the stress from their argument—using his funds.
Isabel leaned her head back, closed her eyes…
…and drifted off.
Thus, she missed the maids whispering, which would lead to massive misunderstanding.
“Her Highness keeps sleeping during the day.”
“Maybe she’s pregnant?”
“Watch your mouth, Laura! She hasn’t even had her wedding night!”
“But Daisy said she spent a night in the lord’s quarters recently…”
“T-then could it possibly be…”
“We’re supposed to report everything, right? Let’s report this too.”
The two maids exchanged dramatic looks—and nodded.
“My lord?”
Snow called out to the Grand Duke, who was training on deck.
It was rare to see him training himself while drilling the soldiers.
He swung a sword the size of a woman’s body, drenched in sweat.
“What is it?”
Fwoosh—his blade sliced through the air toward the sea. The wind pressure split an incoming wave in two.
“You seem distracted. Something troubling you?”
“Snow.”
“Yes?”
“Never mind.”
He stabbed the sword upright into the deck, ending the topic.
Despite swinging that massive blade for nearly an hour, he showed no exhaustion.
His sweat-soaked shirt clung to his body, showing off a perfectly sculpted torso.
One would think he’d strip the clingy shirt off, but he never did—just rolled the sleeves up to his elbows.
He didn’t let his attire fall into disarray under any circumstance.
“If something is bothering you, tell me. If I can solve it, I’ll handle it.”
“You can’t.”
“Please don’t underestimate me.”
“Pregnancy.”
“…Huh!?”
Yep. Definitely not something he could fix.
Snow shot upright, scanning the deck in panic.
Thankfully, the soldiers were too busy shouting through their drills to overhear.
The Grand Duke jerked his chin at a few sloppy trainees, then marched toward the command room.
“And even now, he notices everything…”
Snow waved his wand. The ankles of those soldiers suddenly gained sandbags.
He hurried after the Grand Duke.
“Which woman? Who dared climb into Your Grace’s bed?”
“At night.”
“When you were transformed?”
Holy—
Snow’s hands trembled as he fiddled with his glasses.
“When did this happen?! I never detected a broken barrier!”
He had commissioned the Mage Tower to construct a magical barrier that sealed the Grand Duke in every night.
So the beast wouldn’t rampage beyond the estate.
Sure, it sometimes broke and he escaped—but that was rare lately.
And now this was happening?
“You mean it’s someone inside the castle? Is she alive?”
The Grand Duke never cared about the women his beast-self mauled—so what had changed?
“She’s very alive. According to her, they met every night.”
“Consistently!?”
There was such a woman?
“Ahem, must’ve been… eventful nights, my lord.”
“Enough nonsense. Send for a physician.”
He clicked his tongue.
The maid’s report—that the princess was sleeping more during the day and thus might be pregnant—echoed in his skull.
“Where should I send him?”
“To the tower.”
“Yes sir, right away— Wait. The tower?”
Don’t tell me… Princess Isabel!?
Snow’s eyes bulged.
The Grand Duke merely nodded and massaged his brow like it hurt.
“Good heavens.”
Snow’s imagination went wild.
He dispatched a physician to the tower immediately.
But less than 30 minutes later, even more shocking news arrived.
“My lord, there’s a problem!”
The Grand Duke shot up from his chair.
“She’s pregnant?”
“No, Your Grace. The physician couldn’t examine her.”
“?”
“Because the princess went on a leisurely shopping trip!”
“…What?”
That fragile girl who looked like she’d collapse if touched… staying up all night then going shopping?
“She has stamina.”
The Grand Duke let out a hollow laugh.
“Where is she?”
“You’re… you’re going to find her?”
“I need to see her face myself.”
While Karl Baschke was gone—
Snow White leaned on his hand at a desk in the corner of the command room.
A gaudy, noblewoman-style vanity mirror sat oddly atop the plain desk.
Snow pulled out a palm-length wand and tapped the mirror.
A thin beam of light seeped into the silvered surface.
“Mirror, mirror.”
Talking only to himself—as the mirror obviously couldn’t answer—Snow stared at his own reflection.
“Who’s the most perfect man in the world?”
「Snow?」
The mirror rippled like water—and a man’s voice came through.
“Knew it. I’m the most perfect.”
Snow grinned, taking the fact the speaker said only his name as affirmation.
「You little brat. Dragging the Tower Master into your pranks again? You’ve got guts.」
The mirror was a secret communication tool linked to his teacher, Tower Master Chaiman.
Chaiman swore in multiple languages Snow didn’t even know.
“Let’s get to the point, Master.”
Snow cut him off smoothly.
「You rude, insolent little—」
“My lord has been acting strange, Master. Ever since he met Princess Isabel Dezar.”
「…What happened.」
“It seems he’s been meeting the princess every night.”
「Impossible.」
“…”
「What in the literal hell did you just say!?」
Curses and the clanking of thin bracelets rang from the other side.
Chaiman was probably flailing his arms in a panic.
