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Chapter 06
The two of them left the mansion and climbed into the black carriage waiting at the entrance. Like a perfectly choreographed play, their movements were flawless—no one had reason to suspect a thing.
Eliana walked with her back straight, eyes fixed ahead. Surprisingly, it was Grady who noticed the cold sweat forming at her temples.
‘She’s not shameless—she’s just pretending to be.’
Had he not been standing close to her, putting on a show for Viscount Hoffman, he might have missed it. The woman, with her stiff posture and pale face, biting her lips, looked no different than she had at the funeral.
“That outfit’s a bit much for your condition, isn’t it? Ah—unless you’re enjoying this?”
Grady clicked his tongue as he looked her over the moment they sat down in the carriage. His tone was far from the affectionate one he had used outside.
“This isn’t something the Duke should concern himself with,” Eliana replied coldly, her voice sharp like frost despite her trembling shoulders. She was still stiff with tension.
Grady let out a soft sigh at her rigid demeanor.
He hadn’t expected to see a reflection of his younger self in a woman he’d only met three times.
That was why he’d shown her unnecessary kindness.
“So you do know how to speak properly.”
“What do you mean?” Eliana tilted her head, confused.
“When you called my name earlier. I thought you were calling me with your nose, not your mouth.”
“What?!”
“It was a voice I’ve only ever heard in bed.”
Eliana’s face flushed a deep red. Grady looked at her, intrigued, as though savoring a truth he couldn’t yet face himself.
“Oh my! Who is that?”
“Isn’t that Duke Cryber and that seductress?”
A noblewoman paused, covering her mouth with a fan as she whispered.
The capital’s most famous street was packed despite it being a weekday. The rain that had lasted all week had kept people inside, and now they all seemed to have come out at once. The streets were so crowded, there was hardly room to step.
“Nervous, are you?”
Seeing Eliana’s chest rise and fall rapidly, Grady gave her hand a pat. The unexpected gesture of comfort made Eliana exhale slowly.
She hadn’t even realized where he was taking her.
“It would’ve been nice if you’d warned me in advance.”
“You thought everyone would welcome us or something?”
Grady raised his eyebrows. It was the same expression he wore when looking at that silly young lady who’d stripped and run into his bedroom, begging him to marry her.
“I never expected that. I just needed time to prepare.”
“Well, for someone unprepared, you’re handling this pretty well.”
As the two walked, the crowd parted for them. Grady leaned down to whisper softly in her ear, drawing yet more gasps and whispers from the people around them.
“My goodness, her husband hasn’t even been dead a week! Look at that dress!”
People murmured about her red lace dress. Hidden behind fans, their voices were low, but the words were cutting.
“And those lips, too!”
Each step Eliana took was like walking through a hail of arrows—public scorn striking her from all directions.
But she moved as though she couldn’t hear them. Poised, calm, and elegant. Her hand on Grady’s arm was slick with sweat, but she raised her chin proudly, pretending not to be affected.
“You’re quite the actress, aren’t you?”
Grady looked down at her with curiosity, surprised by how she kept smiling through the insults.
Startled by his warm breath near her ear, Eliana flinched. Grady reached out and gently smoothed her hair—a move as practiced as one would expect from the Empire’s most notorious playboy.
Noblewomen nearby sighed as they watched him.
Eliana returned their stares with a graceful smile.
“Thank you for the compliment, Your Grace.”
It wasn’t so much acting as it was surviving. But rather than explain, Eliana chose to play along.
She still didn’t know why Grady had come looking for her. But she had noticed how pleased he seemed with the proud, composed woman she was pretending to be—so she kept silent, letting him believe what he wanted.
“‘Your Grace,’ now? At the Marquis’ estate, you called me by name. But out here, it’s all formalities?”
Grady stopped walking, turning to her with a mischievous smirk. Their watchers also stopped, waiting for what would happen next. It was almost comical, but no one dared to laugh.
“What are you doing?” Eliana asked, eyes wide in alarm at the mock-hurt expression on his face.
“Testing how well a seductress handles problems, I suppose.”
He whispered it just for her, a sweet smile on his face.
Grady hadn’t wanted this situation either.
It wasn’t Eliana’s fault. But if he didn’t act out with these petty provocations, there was nowhere else to release the frustration building inside him.
‘Why did it have to be the Emperor who noticed her?’
Grady frowned, thinking of Empress Rosella and Emperor Mateo.
“Oh, Grady. That look doesn’t suit you. Pouting like a child just because I didn’t call you by name?”
Eliana calmly reached up and brushed his furrowed brow as if soothing a sulking boy.
Grady froze in place.
The noblewomen watching gasped, unable to hide their surprise.
“…Is this why they call her a temptress?”
Grady laughed dryly as he took her wrist, removing her hand from his forehead.
“Wasn’t that the right answer?”
“…I’m shocked at how easily I fell for a trick I already knew. No wonder they call you that.”
“I’m glad. At least it means I passed the test.”
Eliana didn’t flinch. Instead, Grady pulled her hand toward his mouth.
“You’d have scored even higher if you aimed here.”
His lips brushed across her fingers.
“My apologies. I’m not familiar with Your Grace’s personal tastes.”
Eliana didn’t show the slightest surprise. She looked up and locked eyes with him. Their faces were close enough to almost touch.
“Why do you keep provoking me like this?”
“And why did Your Grace visit my estate twice?”
The crowd’s whispers faded. Eliana and Grady had eyes only for each other, glaring like enemies about to strike.
Nobles around them blushed and fidgeted, feeling the heat of the tension between the two.
“As far as I remember, nothing happened that night.”
Their breaths mingled, sweet and intoxicating. Their gazes clashed like blades, sharp and unwavering.
“You’re forgetting the time you were unconscious.”
Grady’s lips brushed her heated ear. The rough calluses on his hand grazed her delicate neck like a threat.
“…”
“Think about it. What did you steal from me?”
As Eliana parted her lips to speak, Grady yanked her hand and pulled her through the crowd. People stepped back, startled by his sudden movement.
He led her through the throng without pause.
‘What is it he thinks I stole?’
Grady’s broad back shielded her. With her hand in his, it was all she could see.
“Where are we going?”
She dug her heels in, resisting.
Grady turned back and pulled her closer.
There was no time to scream. A gust of wind swept past her ear.
“Someplace where we can be alone.”
“Ahh!”
Her scream followed his whisper.
“What else would a scoundrel and a temptress do? We can’t disappoint the public, can we?”
Grady shrugged at Eliana, who was struggling against his grip. The noble ladies who had fancied him were practically hyperventilating.
Eliana’s blue eyes scanned the crowd. Every gaze she met was filled with lewd curiosity and desire. It felt like insects crawling up from her feet.
“A temptress…”
Her red lips parted slowly, then closed again. Her whisper pierced Grady’s chest like a needle.
“Still better than a whore.”
Her gaze toward him was icy sharp.
“You sold yourself to get that position. Not exactly wrong, is it?”
Grady sneered, brushing off the sting in his chest as a hangover. Her moist, trembling eyes looked like they could spill tears at any moment.
But his expectations were wrong.
Eliana raised a slender arm, bound tight in red lace. Her cold, bony hand slowly brushed down his face.
“So how much are you planning to pay for me, Your Grace?”
Her lips sparkled with wicked charm.
Even while standing in Grady’s dark shadow, she glowed as if bathed in sunlight.
As if she were a light that simply could not be dimmed.
