TGDLBF 21

Chapter 21

The Water Tastes Strange

“Lisa, how about this pink hairpin for the young lady?”

“I think it’s good. Since we’re only braiding the front row of hair, we can pin it slightly toward the back.”

“Okay, let’s do that. Wow, our little lady is going to be the prettiest one today.”

Ugh! This is driving me crazy. It took over an hour just to pick out my outfit and dress me, and now it looks like it’ll take another hour just to do my hair.

“Casey, stop it. I’m getting tired.”

“Oh dear, but today is the morning His Grace the grand duke returns to the North. You have to look your best. You must be far prettier than Lady Elena. Not that you aren’t already, of course.”

Today was the day the grand duke was leaving for the North. Perhaps because of that, the entire duchy was busy since morning.

Casey was hard at work from early on, saying she’d make the grand duke fall for my cuteness and beauty, and that she’d definitely have me recognized as his future granddaughter-in-law.

“You saw Lady Elena all dressed up, didn’t you? She even wore two heavy necklaces when she came.”

She noticed that in detail. I mean, was that really something to be taken so seriously?

“You’re not going to tell me to wear two necklaces too, are you?”

“Of course not. Overdoing it can backfire. And more importantly, your face is your weapon.”

Casey replied with a sly grin.

Thankfully, she hadn’t completely lost her mind. It would’ve been nice if Lisa held Casey back a little, but lately even Lisa had been changing a bit.

She wasn’t as flashy as Casey, but she subtly encouraged her.

Both maids were in a frenzy, insisting I needed to make a good impression now that even the grand duke liked me.

It was true the grand duke had opened his heart to me, but he hadn’t officially acknowledged me as his future granddaughter-in-law yet.

Even when we met someone from the imperial family, he only referred to me as ‘this child’ and never publicly acknowledged me in front of his family.

Honestly, I was relaxed about it, but Lisa and Casey seemed eager for it to happen soon.

“Young lady, come stand in front of the mirror.”

Casey pulled me by the hand. Standing in front of the mirror, I was once again amazed by my own beauty.

Really, this face was stunning no matter how many times I saw it.

Sparkling blonde hair that looked like it had been sprinkled with gold dust and blue eyes that were so beautiful they looked like blooming flowers.

With skin so white and flawless and a sharp nose, this was beauty on a whole other level.

How much prettier would I get once I grow up?

“Wow! Our little lady is so beautiful. It’s like an angel has descended from the heavens!”

Just as Casey was about to start her dramatic praise again, the door suddenly burst open and the grand duke appeared. Standing behind him was Rikael.

“Your Grace!”

Lisa and Casey hurriedly bowed. Caught off guard by the early morning visit, they now paid me no mind.

I saw with my own eyes their trembling fingertips under the sheer pressure of the grand duke’s presence.

Standing blankly in front of the mirror, I turned toward the grand duke as he strode toward me.

“Hewwo.” (Hello)

And like a well-mannered child from the land of etiquette, I placed my hands over my belly and bowed.

The grand duke said nothing for a long while, just stared at me.

His gaze was so intense it felt like his eyes were burning, and I held my breath. To survive, I had to stay on the good side of the top predator—the grand duke.

Why did he come here? Wasn’t he supposed to be busy preparing to leave?

“Were you happy to see the Duke?”

“Pardon?”

“I asked if you were happy to see the Duke.”

His question was unexpected and strange, especially when I had been so tense.

Was he talking about when I went to visit the Duke? Did he think the Duke wasn’t pleased to see me?

“Yes! I was happy. I’ll go see him again.”

I answered proudly, wanting to show that the Duke was fond enough of me to welcome my visit, even if it was unannounced.

But the grand duke’s brows furrowed deeply. Did he disapprove of me visiting the Duke without permission?

As I was puzzled, an even more out-of-the-blue comment reached my ears.

“Let’s go to the North.”

“The Nof?” (North?)

The North? What was that supposed to mean? I turned to look at Rikael standing behind him, clearly confused.

But he said nothing.

I rolled my wide, clueless eyes.

“There’s nothing left for you to learn here. Let’s go to the North. I’ll hire tutors for you and you’ll be able to learn many things.”

“So you mean… you want me to go live in the North with you?”

“Yes. That’s what I mean.”

The breath I’d been holding from tension slowly escaped. While the tension faded, a new kind of pressure surged in.

Or rather, was it excitement? I had been worried the grand duke might not like me, but the fact that he was saying this now meant he was close to accepting me, right?

If so, I was truly grateful. I looked at Rikael, standing behind the grand duke, with a sense of relief.

His purple eyes swirled turbulently—I couldn’t tell from his expression whether he wanted me to go or not.

“What about the Duke? Will he come too?”

“Of course not. The Duke will stay here.”

Yes. That was the problem.

If Rikael left and I left too, what would become of the Duke? Jake and Andy would also have to live without their older brother.

In the original story, after the Duke dies, Rikael and his brothers head north together. If that timeline was being pushed up, it was not a good sign.

Being acknowledged by the grand duke was important, but saving the Duke came first.

“You want to come with me? There are lots of tasty candies in the North.”

“I’m sorry, but I… I don’t think I can go.”

Seizing opportunity was important in life. But every opportunity came with a price.

“You can’t go? Why not?”

The grand duke’s brow wrinkled deeply. He didn’t look pleased, but candy wasn’t enough to sway me.

“If the Duke stays here, then I’ll stay too.”

“Young lady, please say you’ll think about it at least. You can’t just refuse the head of the family like that,” Casey said, nudging my side.

“Casey, stop poking me. If the Duke is here, I have to stay too. I can’t leave the one who brought me here all alone. You’ve got to have loyalty.”

“Loyalty?”

“Yes, loyalty. The Duke was the first to accept me as a foster daughter.”

Acknowledgment is acknowledgment. Loyalty is loyalty. I couldn’t throw away loyalty just to seize an opportunity.

Honestly, it wasn’t just loyalty, it was a matter of life and death for the Duke.

The grand duke couldn’t know that, but if saving the Duke succeeded, it would ultimately be good for him too.

I looked straight into the grand duke’s sharply gleaming eyes. Then, with what sounded like a sigh, the sharpness in his eyes faded.

Was he frustrated because things weren’t going his way?

“Very well. I suppose there’s no helping it.”

His voice, heavy and subdued, fell like a stone. At the same time, his shoulders sagged slightly.

He must’ve never been refused before.

Everyone would’ve bowed their heads the moment he gave an order.

I felt a little bad—but there was no helping it.

That day, the grand duke left without any hesitation.

I stayed. And so did Rikael. As usual, he remained cold and aloof.

I wanted to at least talk to him for a moment, but he didn’t say a single word about the North.

Perhaps the grand duke returned in defeat because he couldn’t take Rikael with him because of me.

It may have disappointed him now, but since it’s to save his son, the grand duke will understand my decision someday.

* * *

After the grand duke left, oddly peaceful days followed.

To be reincarnated into a romance-fantasy novel and be at peace? That just seemed suspicious. I worried I might be quietly poisoned at this rate.

I was eating cookies as a snack when I lifted my glass to drink some water.

“Ugh.”

“Young lady, what’s wrong?”

“The water tastes a bit off…”

Maybe it was just me, but the water had a slightly fishy aftertaste.

Lisa, who had been straightening the bed, rushed over.