“A mask?”
“If you’d rather not remove it, that’s perfectly fine.”
“No. This is the first time anyone has made such a request.”
For once, something unfamiliar colored his usually emotionless voice.
Anneliese had already looked directly into the Grand Duke’s eyes and remained completely unaffected.
The Grand Duke knew that as well.
He gave a slight nod.
“There’s no reason I can’t.”
Without letting go of the hand he held out to her, he lifted his other hand.
Long fingers reached up and effortlessly pulled the mask away in a single motion.
Then he brushed the strands of hair hanging over his brow back from his forehead.
“Well? Is that satisfactory?”
Anneliese swallowed involuntarily.
“Huh? Ah... yes.”
The shock made her stammer.
He’s not ugly at all.
He’s handsome!
No—handsome wasn’t even enough to describe it.
How in the world is this supposed to be a face so hideous it terrifies people?
If this was the “real” face Isaiah had spoken of...
Then everyone else who couldn’t see it was pitiful.
To live without witnessing even a fraction of such beauty.
His nose was perfectly sculpted, his lips elegant beneath it. Every feature seemed crafted with impossible precision. There wasn’t a single flaw to be found.
The angled light cast shadows beneath his dark brows.
In contrast, his amber eyes shone with startling clarity.
It felt as though those eyes could pierce straight through a person’s soul.
The Grand Duke studied Anneliese’s dazed expression with mild amusement.
“Just as strange as I expected.”
“You’re the one who should be saying that.”
Anneliese saw her own face in the mirror every day and had long since become indifferent to beauty.
Yet even so, the appearance before her now was almost unsettling.
Should she call it breathtaking?
Or divine?
At this point, maybe those people didn’t faint because he was ugly. Maybe they fainted from being overwhelmed by how beautiful he is.
The thought seemed entirely plausible.
“Why are you unaffected by me?”
It was the very question Anneliese had once asked herself. Apparently, the Grand Duke was just as puzzled.
“Aren’t I frightening? Horrifying? That’s what everyone else claims.”
Anneliese answered without hesitation.
“Not in the slightest.”
“Why?”
“I’m not entirely sure myself. But according to your knight, I resemble Saint Anellarion.”
“Isaiah said that?”
He fell silent for a moment.
“Perhaps.”
Curiosity flickered in her eyes.
“Do you agree, Your Grace? Do I really resemble her?”
The Grand Duke tilted his head.
The distance between them narrowed.
She could feel his gaze carefully tracing the contours of her face.
“Well…”
His fingers lightly touched her curly bangs.
A faint ticklish sensation brushed her forehead.
“I’m not sure. I can’t remember what she looked like.”
The way he spoke sounded as though he had met Anellarion personally.
As though he were searching through old memories.
As expected, he doesn’t know.
She wanted to ask why he desired the First Saint’s relic so badly, but decided against it.
He would probably just say he couldn’t remember.
The Grand Duke was a man wrapped in mysteries.
They say soldiers who suffer head injuries on the battlefield often have problems with long-term memory. Maybe that’s what happened to him.
For now, it wasn’t important.
Besides, the Grand Duke seemed distracted by something else entirely.
“Why is your hair curly?”
There it was.
She had wondered how long it would take him to mention it.
“It wasn’t like this before. Did you burn it?”
“...I styled it on purpose. This is the trend these days.”
“I fail to understand.”
There was no point arguing.
Before he could start criticizing her clothes too, Anneliese held out her hand.
The Grand Duke took it.
He squeezed her hand once, then released it and clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction.
“Tsk.”
Now what?
“A little more pressure and I’d break it.”
By now, Anneliese was becoming accustomed to the man’s bizarre comments.
“It won’t break.”
A hand settled around her waist.
The Grand Duke frowned again.
“Your waist is too thin.”
“I’ll tell you if it hurts. Don’t worry and just hold me.”
“Make sure you do. I’m not confident in my ability to control my strength.”
At last, he began to move.
As they danced, Anneliese found herself impressed.
He’s actually really good.
Whoever taught him deserves an award.
His lead was flawless.
Following his movements effortlessly, she began the conversation she had come here for.
“Your Grace. You still need Aldeon’s holy relic, don’t you?”
The Grand Duke, who had been watching her without looking away since the dance began, answered immediately.
“I do. Did you bring it?”
“Of course.”
The relic rested safely in a pouch tied at her waist.
“Would you like to see it?”
“No need.”
He sounded remarkably indifferent for someone who had traveled all the way from the North because of it.
“You don’t seem like the type to lie. Keep it for now.”
Seriously, this man is strange.
The Grand Duke inclined his head slightly.
“As you requested, I declined the Imperial Family’s proposal. I assume you intend to ask for something in return for that little box.”
Anneliese nodded.
“That’s right.”
“What do you want?”
“Marriage.”
She spun in a graceful circle.
Their hands stretched apart.
Then she returned to him, settling back into his arms.
“Please marry me, Your Grace.”
The moment the words left her lips, the Grand Duke stopped moving.
What expression was he making?
Unfortunately, they stood too far from the lights for her to see clearly.
What if he refuses outright?
Not giving him a chance to speak, she hurried on.
“Please don’t misunderstand. I only want a legal marriage. Nothing more. I won’t ask for anything beyond that. We only need to remain married until I inherit my county title.”
The Grand Duke remained motionless in the center of the corridor.
“I know this must be surprising. I have no interest in the North or your household. I simply need this marriage to avoid marrying the Crown Prince.”
The instant she mentioned the Crown Prince, the hand holding her tightened.
The Grand Duke spoke at once.
“Robert Hildegard. That fool wishes to marry you?”
At the same moment, every candle illuminating the corridor went out.
Did a gust of wind blow through? But all the windows are closed.
Darkness swallowed the hallway.
Caught off guard, Anneliese answered,
“Huh? Yes.”
“...Ha.”
His reaction was stronger than when she had mentioned the holy relic.
This man really hates Crown Prince Robert.
Excellent.
She hated him too.
Maybe they had more in common than she thought.
“Ridiculous.”
Perhaps she should talk about the Crown Prince even more.
At this rate, it felt like the Grand Duke might actually agree.
“You intended to marry him?”
I literally just said I didn’t.
Suppressing the urge to say so aloud, Anneliese adopted a mournful tone.
“Absolutely not. But he is the Crown Prince of the Empire. Unless I marry someone like Your Grace, there may be no way for me to escape.”
“...How troublesome.”
He frowned thoughtfully.
“All I need to do is take you as my mate?”
He was surprisingly cooperative already.
Wow. He must despise the Crown Prince on a truly impressive level.
The backup plans she had prepared—Plans B, C, and D—suddenly seemed unnecessary.
If it was going to be this easy, I should’ve slept longer yesterday instead of drafting a marriage proposal.
She had spent hours gathering scarce information about the North.
Still, everything was working out.
Anneliese quickly continued.
“There is one additional request. It shouldn’t be difficult for someone like Your Grace.”
“This time it is truly only one request?”
Yes, yes. You’re holding a grudge now, aren’t you?
“Just one.”
She glanced around the dark corridor.
“But before that... could we relight the lamps? It’s far too dark.”
The candles along the walls remained extinguished.
The only illumination came from the moonlight filtering through the windows.
Even that was nearly gone behind thick clouds.
If they continued dancing like this, someone was bound to trip.
“Ah.”
The Grand Duke sounded as though he had only just realized.
As if darkness posed no inconvenience whatsoever to him.
His hand moved through the air.
Anneliese’s eyes widened as she looked out the window.
Did the clouds just move with his hand?
With a casual gesture, he swept aside the clouds obscuring the moon.
Brilliant silver light flooded the corridor.
Under the moonlight, shadows danced across the sharp line of his nose.
A handsome man remained handsome even in silhouette.
The Grand Duke clicked his tongue and lowered his hand.
“For now, this is my limit.”
After doing something no ordinary human could possibly accomplish, he remained completely unfazed.
Anneliese stared at his profile in stunned silence.
He really isn’t normal.
There’s something different about him.
After all, this man is...
