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As soon as she looked up, she froze. On the hillside, a monster bigger than a house was snorting and looking down at them. The monster resembles the dinosaur Triceratops, which her students loved when she was a kindergarten teacher. Its entire body was covered with blue scales that looked as sharp as frostbite.
“Damn it… It’s Drake.”
Next to her, the Grand Duke held her hand and muttered as he slowly backed away. At that moment, she remembered what she saw in a book about monsters. Drake was a dragon without wings. There were two types, one that breathes fire and one that breathes cold air, but the one in front of them now seemed to be a bell that emits cold air.
‘Then why did the villagers freeze to death?’
She didn’t have time to think. Drake raised his head and began to open his mouth.
“Run!”
As soon as she ran after being led by the Grand Duke, a cold wind blew fiercely with a roar from behind. Looking back, she was stunned. As soon as a chill rushed over their place, the air froze and shards of ice as sharp as blades pierced the ground. Drake’s power was terrifying. Behind them, ‘thud, thump’, they heard footsteps following them. That huge monster would overtake them in just a few steps. It was a time when she was contemplating how to deal with it because she thought it was impossible to escape.
“Oh!”
She stepped on the shaky ground and caught her toe on a protruding tree root.
“Be careful!”
The Grand Duke, who tried to catch her as she fell while running at full speed, also tripped. In the end, it was when they rolled down the slope together and finally came to a stop.
Thud.
The footsteps of Drake, who had been following them relentlessly, stopped. It was too soon to be relieved. It just stopped to freeze them to death. It was the moment when the monster drew in its breath again, making an unpleasant squeak above its head. Suddenly, a phrase she had read in a book came to mind.
Ice attribute drakes are vulnerable to light and heat.
Today was cold and cloudy. It was the moment when she gathered her mana and clashed her fingers to clear the clouds above her head and reveal the sun.
Pop!
A huge explosion sounded overhead. The moment she thought it was strange that Drake was emitting cold air, the remains of the monster rained down in front of her eyes.
“Damn it…”
As if relieved, the Grand Duke took a deep breath and muttered something bad as soon as he took a deep breath. Only then did she feel something. Holy power? But the only people here were she and the Grand Duke.
She raised her head and looked around, but when no one was there, she looked down at the Grand Duke in surprise. Even though the monster had already disappeared, his eyes were full of worry. It’s about worrying about something other than your life. Only then did the scattered things in my head come together like a puzzle. The Holy Power she felt when she first met the Grand Duke in the cabin, and the Holy Power that wrapped around the carriage as soon as the Grand Duke left during the attack of the yeti group, was actually not Sir Daniel…
“…Don’t tell Daniel about that.”
It belonged to the Grand Duke. At that moment she realized so. Then, did the holy object that the imperial family was aiming for also mean this man? As she stared blankly at him, the Grand Duke made a troubled face and opened his mouth.
“Hazel, please…”
“I won’t tell anyone. Do not worry.”
He stared at her with confused eyes for a moment, then sighed in relief and pulled her into his arms. Soon, hot lips touched her forehead. It wasn’t until she felt a heartbeat thumping his chest against her cheek that she realized it.
Wasn’t she being embraced by the Grand Duke right now?
* * *
While the maids were busy helping her get dressed, she stared blankly at herself in the large mirror.
‘It wasn’t long before I accepted that this face was mine…’
Her appearance with her hair up and makeup was even more unfamiliar. How about a fancy dress? She was expecting a light yellow silk dress at best, but when she received the finished dress a month ago, she couldn’t keep her mouth shut for a while. The dress, embroidered with silver threads so dense that the background was not visible, glittered as if embroidered with gold leaf. She hadn’t seen anything so glamorous, even when she was working part-time at a wedding shop.
“Am I not too awkward?”
“Oh, that’s awkward. You are so pretty.”
“It’s like a fairy.”
“Thank you.”
While listening to the gentle praises of the maids and not knowing what to do, someone knocked on the door. It was the Grand Duke. As soon as the Grand Duke, who was ready to leave, entered, he stopped and could not keep his mouth shut. At that moment, as soon as she saw him, she realized that his mouth was wide open, and she lifted her chin with her hand.
The Grand Duke, who only blinked at her, finally shut his mouth and walked towards her. Wearing a formal dress decorated with the same pattern of silver thread embroidery, he looked much more mature with his hair neatly pulled back as he always does on official occasions. Was her appearance very awkward? The Grand Duke in front of her just stared at her and said nothing. When she got nervous, she cracked a joke.
“It’s unfair that Your Highness’s rule doesn’t include a ban on opening your mouth.”
“Then, why don’t you take this opportunity to make a lover’s rule book?”
“Oh my goodness!”
It was supposed to be sarcastic, but the maids didn’t know what to do and blushed. The Grand Duke winked at the attendant standing behind him. The attendant who came closer was carrying a large velvet box. The moment the box was opened, the maids stopped and admired it.
“Wow.”
It was the jewels that even impressed her. Inside the box were glittering ornate necklaces, earrings, rings, and bracelets adorned with large emeralds.
“Oh my God, isn’t that something the Grand Duchess used to wear while she was alive?”
The elderly maid muttered to herself. Those words made the jewelry in front of her even more burdensome.
“Your Highness…”
She quietly asked the Grand Duke who stood behind her and put the necklace on her.
“Is it okay if you fill me with your mother’s jewels? You should give this to your wife.”
“That’s right. It’s something to give to my wife.”
Also, the maids were ignorant and blushed. The purpose of today’s ball was to confirm that the rumors among the nobles that they were dating were true. So they were just pretending to be dating for real. That must be the reason. Every time the Grand Duke’s fingertips brushed the nape of her neck and the lobe of her ear, she repeated herself, holding back the trembling of her body.
“As expected, emeralds go well with your eyes.”
The Grand Duke standing behind her looked in the mirror and smiled. She had to admit that he was a good fit.
“Do you like the dress?”
“It’s really pretty.”
It was sincere. She didn’t think she would be able to wear something so pretty and fancy even at her wedding.
‘Should I return it when I leave?’
She was immersed in realistic thoughts while looking in the mirror, but the Grand Duke took a step back and looked at her with his eyes.
“You are pretty in my eyes too.”
It’s a pretty dress for anyone to see.
“It looks like a moon butterfly.”
The moment he added that, she realized. Silver pattern on a yellow background. The dress she was wearing now resembled the wings of a moon butterfly. Did he order it like this on purpose?
‘Does the Grand Duke like moon butterflies?’
She held the Grand Duke’s hand and tilted her head as they went outside. The carriage, which had been slowing down, stopped in front of the Hobart baron’s mansion.
“I arrived from the House of the Grand Duke of Blaine!”
She heard someone shouting loudly outside, and a servant in an unfamiliar outfit opened the door. The Grand Duke went out first and politely extended his hand to her. It was fortunate that both the Grand Duke and she were wearing gloves. The Grand Duke wouldn’t feel the cold sweat or heat rising from his hands.
“Welcome, Your Highness.”
Was this the Baron of Hobart? A stocky middle-aged man bowed to the Grand Duke and asked for a handshake.
“Then let’s go in.”
The baron who invited her did not greet her properly. It was a shame that she had really come.
“Your Highness, the Grand Duke Elliot Blaine, and Miss Hazel, the Witch of the Black Forest.”
The moment the ballroom door opened, an attendant standing in front of the door shouted. All eyes were on her as she walked down the grand staircase arm in arm with the Grand Duke. It was clear that her humble introduction was intentional. The men looked at her in amazement, and the women giggled behind the fans. Everyone’s eyes were wide open saying, ‘The rumors were true!’
It was a false rumor that the Grand Duke and the Witch were dating. It was said that such rumors were circulating in the social world. Looking at the reaction now, it seemed that the purpose of quelling the suspicions of the nobles had already been achieved. It was when she was halfway down the stairs, escorted by the Grand Duke. Her eyes met with a group of familiar people.
‘Princess Monette?’
Princess Monette, surrounded by the ladies she saw at the ball at the Grand Duke’s, was already holding her handkerchief and sobbing. Hazel looked away. She felt sorry for the princess who seemed to really like the Grand Duke. However, shouldn’t the princess understand that the alliance with the Monette family was rather fueling the imperial family’s vigilance? This love affair was fake. One day, when everything was over, the princess would be able to marry the Grand Duke.
She’d like to say this, but it’s a breach of contract.