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Chapter 17
“A Fairytale for the Villain,”
On the deck, the soldiers whispered among themselves as they watched the Grand Duke swing his sword.
His movements were precise, like something out of a swordsmanship manual, yet the force behind them was incomparably greater than anything described in a book.
“They say no pirate using every trick can stand before him,” one murmured.
“Just watching this is satisfying enough. That’s why I joined the Navy too,” another said.
Many martial artists respected his swordsmanship, so there was no need to worry about manpower.
To them, the Grand Duke’s curse was like a war scar—he was a master of martial arts with fatal injuries.
Many joined the Navy out of curiosity but ran away soon after, while others stayed, fascinated by his mastery.
“How long has it been? I’d be exhausted by now,” one soldier said.
“The fishermen are the only ones enjoying this. All they have to do is catch and sell the fish,” another replied.
Every time the Grand Duke swung his sword, fish stunned by his strikes floated to the surface.
Fishermen waiting behind the ship busily sorted their nets.
“Hey! Stop chatting and train properly!”
Snow, who had lost weight trying to keep the master’s temper for days, shouted at the soldiers.
“Yes, sir!” they replied, quickly forming ranks and scattering.
“My lord.”
Snow approached from behind and offered a fresh set of clothes.
“You should change.”
“No need.”
The Grand Duke, drenched in sweat, continued swinging his sword.
“You will need them. Lord Chemain of the Magic Tower wishes to check on the Princess.”
“Why?”
“The Princess refuses his examination.”
For a moment, the Grand Duke’s gaze faltered as he swung his sword.
‘I will die in this mansion, even if it kills me, Grand Duke.’
Once again, the voice circling in his mind unsettled him.
‘Foolish Princess.’
Annoyance flared, and he released his emotion through the tip of his blade.
Watching the waves rise with each swing, he felt a brief sense of relief.
Snow asked again, facing the unresponsive Grand Duke.
“My lord, the Princess refuses the Magic Tower Lord’s examination.”
“…….”
“If it must be done, she has agreed to undergo it in your presence.”
He paused.
The tip of the sword, which had been stretching toward the sea, stopped mid-air.
“The reason?”
“I don’t know either.”
Snow shook his head and offered the clothes again.
As the Grand Duke slowly lowered his sword, a soldier ran to him—one responsible for maintaining his blade.
He tossed the sword to the soldier.
The soldier’s arms sagged under the weight; an ordinary person would have dropped it completely.
“Shall we summon the Princess to the ship?”
Snow grinned.
“No. I’ll go to the mansion.”
Grabbing the clothes Snow offered, the Grand Duke went straight to the command room.
Snow shouted at the soldiers to prepare bathwater immediately.
Isabel’s recovery was swift.
The initial ailment was not her shoulder injury but a mental issue, so it made sense.
‘But the Magic Tower Lord… I don’t like the sound of this.’
A bad feeling prickled her. The only person she could trust now was the Grand Duke.
Even her closest aide, Badel, couldn’t be trusted fully, which made relying on him seem absurd—but that was her current state of mind.
‘Will he come?’
Sitting on the reception room sofa, Isabel anxiously bit her thumbnail.
Unlike her long nails, her thumbs were short, gnawed down like a mouse had chewed them.
Click. The door opened, and she tensed.
“Princess.”
The voice she had been waiting for. Thankfully, it wasn’t the Magic Tower Lord but the owner of the house.
‘I didn’t think he would come… but he did.’
The Grand Duke entered, dressed in a neat, new outfit.
Yesterday, she had been told to marry another man after a broken engagement, so she hadn’t expected much.
Hiding her bitten fingers, Isabel stared at him.
‘Did he… bathe?’
His slightly damp black hair glimmered in the light.
‘He’s usually busy with training at this hour.’
Wearing a fresh suit instead of a naval uniform suggested some kind of appointment today.
As he neared, the scent of perfume replaced the sea breeze.
“Thank you for coming, Grand Duke.”
Sitting on the long sofa, Isabel awkwardly offered her thanks.
However, instead of sitting across, he walked to her side.
‘Does he want to say something?’
Wide-eyed, Isabel looked up at him.
Frowning, he seemed to be debating something, his lips moving without sound.
Then, without a word, he brushed aside her skirt and plopped down beside her.
His large frame pressed close to hers in the middle of the sofa.
Through her shoulders, arms, and the side of her legs, his higher body heat radiated toward her.
‘Why is he like this? There are two other sofas.’
Could this be the Grand Duke’s “exclusive” sofa?
“This was your personal seat? I didn’t know,” Isabel said as she rose to move to another sofa.
Thwack. The Grand Duke grabbed her wrist.
“Sit, in your place.”
His tone was more command than courtesy.
Unconsciously, Isabel lowered herself back down, settling half a handspan from him.
‘It’s a bit uncomfortable, but… I feel safer with him nearby.’
Soon, Lord Chemain of the Magic Tower entered the room unsteadily.
“Ah, you’re already here.”
Every wave of his thin arms jingled bracelets.
The sound made Isabel stiffen.
The Grand Duke’s eyes lingered on her tightly clenched hands before moving to Chemain.
“So he wishes to examine the Princess,” he said.
“Yes, Grand Duke. But why does the Princess look like that?”
Had he secretly stolen money?
Chemain tilted his head.
“I don’t understand.”
Isabel answered calmly, though anxiety showed.
Why was her body trembling so violently at his presence?
“Ah, your tone toward me has changed, Princess,” Chemain said seriously.
Could it be…
He studied her carefully.
“You don’t remember me, Princess?”
Chemain’s eyes widened.
“Has the Princess’s memory been affected, Chemain?”
The Grand Duke spread his legs slightly.
The contact of his legs against hers strangely eased some of her fear.
‘I should have sat closer, like before.’
She almost wanted to cling to him.
“That’s impossible, Grand Duke. My treatment was perfect.”
“Perfect, you say.”
He glanced at her expression.
Isabel nodded, confirming it.
There were no lingering aftereffects, and her memory was intact.
‘The problem is that I’m possessed.’
She had no prior memories of encountering Lord Chemain in her past life.
“Perhaps for another reason, you may not remember me,” Chemain said, as if reading her thoughts.
Isabel stared at him, wide-eyed, and he smirked playfully.
“Let’s investigate that later. For now, let’s proceed with the examination.”
He took out a magic stone, chanting an incantation.
Blue light like a mirage rose from the sapphire-like stone, floating around Isabel like fireflies.
She watched the ethereal display in fascination.
The dancing light eventually dispersed into the air.
“Fortunately, no curse remains. You’re clean,” Chemain said.
He tossed the stone, now an ordinary rock, onto the table. It crumbled slightly, dirtying the surface.
“However, I feel two distinct powers from the Princess.”
Chemain held up two fingers.
“Powers?”
Instinctively, Isabel clutched her skirt.
‘So easily discovered?’
What if Chemain, a slightly unhinged experimenter, realized her abilities and decided to use her as a test subject?
At least she wasn’t named Hansel or Gretel—avoiding a death flag from that witch.
“Hm, from here, Grand Duke, I’d like you to leave. This will be a secret between the Princess and me.”
Chemain grinned at the Grand Duke.
He silently studied Isabel.
The usually confident woman looked different before the Magic Tower Lord.
“Princess.”
He called softly.
He intended to stay if she asked.
But the response was unexpected.
“I will be alone with the Magic Tower Lord for a moment, Grand Duke.”
Her voice was crisp, but her eyes trembled anxiously.
If she was this uneasy, she could have just asked for help.
The Grand Duke frowned but did not move.
“Grand Duke, please leave,” Isabel insisted, looking at Chemain.
‘Why is she afraid, yet wants to be alone?’
Though he had no intention of standing, his body moved on instinct.
He glared at Chemain, who rubbed his forehead tiredly.
“If it’s not my beauty captivating the Grand Duke, stop staring,” Isabel said.
“Keep it brief,” he said.
“Understood.”
The Grand Duke strode out, the door closing with a loud thud.
Being alone with the Magic Tower Lord was torturous.
‘Did I encounter him before being possessed?’
It was hard to steady her trembling body.
“Since you’re uncomfortable, you don’t have complete amnesia,” Chemain said.
His respectful tone was gone, replaced by a casual arrogance.
“Please show respect, Magic Tower Lord,” she said.
He looked similar in age but behaved like a centuries-old man.
“Even if the Emperor himself came, my tone wouldn’t change, so don’t complain.”
He reclined on the sofa, tapping his back with his thin arms.
“I normally wouldn’t interfere, Princess of Dezar, but consider yourself lucky.”
“I wouldn’t call myself particularly lucky,” Isabel replied.
“Then you must have spent your fortune in luck. Without me, you’d have succumbed to the curse.”
Even if she had gone to a fake priest, she would have died.
He scratched his chin and chuckled.
“Get to the point, Magic Tower Lord.”
“You probably haven’t told the Grand Duke, but I already know, Princess.”
“……Know what?”
“Your healing ability.”
Chemain casually ate a date given by Snow.
“How… do you know that?”
“Believe it or not, Princess and I had a sort of cooperative arrangement.”
“No way.”
“It’s true. You gave me blood, and I eliminated those who knew your secret.”
“!”
She recalled nothing. Could that explain her body’s reaction?
Meanwhile, Chemain tried tossing a date into the air and catching it—but failed repeatedly due to slow reflexes.
“Came to catch a thief, and can’t even do this,” he muttered, sitting properly.
The jingle of bracelets and falling dates littered the floor.
“A thief…?”
“You stole it, Princess. Hook’s watch.”
Chemain’s playful expression vanished, replaced with a serious gaze at Isabel.
