Chapter 91
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I'm a homebody who ended up possessing the body of a villainess locked away in a desolate tower.
Chapter 91
'Huh? What's the problem?'
I had been looking forward to sharing good news in this pleasant atmosphere, but I found myself shrinking back like a frightened lizard.
I couldn't understand why he was displaying such an attitude.
'Isn't this actually a good thing?'
A lodger who had fallen behind on room and board could now pay regularly.
Yet contrary to my expectations, the Blaire Grand Duke's expression only grew more rigid.
"Your Grace?"
"It seems the Princess is quite desperate for independence."
"I... well..."
Hearing his calm voice, I found it even harder to respond easily.
The Blaire Grand Duke Residence.
A place where delicious meals appeared three times a day, and where someone cared for me.
A warm chamber where I could now sleep soundly without any worries.
Even in terms of security alone, the Grand Duke Residence was a hundred times safer than the mansion in the Capital.
Yet the reason I was hurrying to settle my lodging fees and leave was...
'Because he's about to marry a Young Lady from a prestigious family?'
I couldn't bring myself to voice it, so I forced it down, but as far as I knew, Kaian Blaire was indeed someone who needed to marry soon.
Last time I didn't remember it clearly and let it pass, but recently the forgotten details from the original work suddenly flashed through my mind.
'The Grand Duke was a secondary male lead in the original work... and ultimately ended up marrying a daughter from another family.'
I couldn't remember the family name, but she seemed to be a Young Lady from a prestigious family in the Empire.
'Her name was Camellia, I think...'
After the mention of their marriage, there was no further detail about what kind of married life they led, but well, that wasn't my concern.
One thing was certain: in the not-too-distant future, there would be a future mistress entering this Blaire Grand Duke Residence.
'I'm done with eating the bread of others' eyes.'
Wouldn't the presence of a strange woman (though I had claimed to be a distant relative) sitting firmly in a newlywed couple's home be sufficient grounds for complaint?
Though I phrased it as speculation, it was practically a foregone conclusion.
After clearing my throat once, I carefully opened my mouth to answer his question.
"...I can't keep imposing on someone else's home, can I?"
But again, the Grand Duke gave me an answer outside my expectations.
"Have you been thinking of this place as someone else's home all this time?"
"I... what?"
"I didn't know you thought that way. Haven't you brought quite a few people here yourself?"
"Ah..."
Faced with his airtight logic, I could only close my mouth again.
The painters, the Mages from the Magic Tower... even Ian.
Now that I thought about it, I had made all these people stay at the Grand Duke Residence as if it were my own home, having only obtained permission from the Grand Duke himself, who was the actual owner.
As that fact came back to me, I realized something I had been overlooking.
'When did it start...?'
I began to think of the Blaire Grand Duke Residence as 'my home'.
Though our first meeting had started with an abduction, I had grown so comfortable here that I no longer even thought about it.
...Was that why the Grand Duke wore such a betrayed expression on his face?
"...Hmm."
As I surveyed the Dining Hall, which was decorated as lavishly as if he were about to propose, I shook my head inwardly.
'No way.'
It didn't make sense.
Even if I had only ever experienced romance through media my entire life.
Even if I was a hopeless romantic who had never even had a crush—spending my school years studying, my university years drowning in assignments and grades and job hunting, and my working years obsessing over performance reviews!
I would have to be an idiot not to understand the context of this situation.
"Y-Your Highness."
The first word took an eternity to escape my lips, but the rest tumbled out far too quickly.
"Do you perhaps have feelings for me?"
"What?"
Oh no.
I frantically clamped my mouth shut at the words that had spilled out unbidden, but it was already too late.
The Grand Duke's face went rigid—utterly, completely rigid.
Anyone could see he'd been struck a direct hit.
Watching him face-on, I could confirm it with absolute certainty.
I had thought it impossible, I had doubted and doubted, but...
'He really does have feelings for me?'
Really? Truly?
First came shock, then came panic.
Why?
'This absolutely cannot happen.'
The reason was obvious. In reality, it couldn't!
In the original story, the Grand Duke falls head over heels for Lemeia at first sight, as if by fate itself.
Which meant that he hadn't met her yet, and if he were to encounter Lemeia according to the original plot, there was no telling what would happen.
Moreover, after the Grand Duke's love failed, the woman he married was someone else entirely—not me.
So there was only one response I could give right now.
"Ha, hahahaha, hahahaha!"
I forced out a long, strained laugh, narrowing my eyes, then met his gaze again as if nothing were amiss.
"I really did tell a terrible joke, didn't I? Yes, that's right! Hahaha! It was a joke. Hahahaha! There's no way that could be true."
"Why would there be no way..."
"Yes, yes, Your Highness! Hahahaha! Absolutely! Definitely! There is absolutely no way! Hahahaha! I can't believe I made such a silly joke without thinking! Right? Hahahaha!"
My exaggerated laughter proved remarkably effective at silencing him.
Of course, I didn't dislike the Grand Duke—he was far too handsome and impressive for that.
In fact, having experienced several thrilling moments with him until now, it would have been natural for me to be completely enchanted the moment he fixed me with those profound eyes and began his courtship.
And it wasn't just his face—he had a home, a (magical) carriage, power, and a good family background(?). He was a man who had everything!
But still....
I slowly let my smile fade.
'The Grand Duke is misunderstanding right now.'
He was a lonely man.
The only people around him were the Aides he met for official business, and I had never once seen him meet with a friend.
It was only natural—during his childhood, when he should have been making close friends, the succession struggle had consumed his attention.
Moreover, bearing the heavy title of Grand Duke, he would have needed considerable courage to open up about his past.
So wasn't it natural that my own feelings toward him changed once I learned of his history?
'Then what must he be feeling?'
At the very least, he must now regard me as a friend he could trust more... but what if he had mistaken that unfamiliar feeling of trust for romantic affection?
That was precisely what concerned me.
If the Grand Duke had never experienced such a relationship before, the possibility was all the more likely.
People often confused fondness between individuals with romantic love.
So I should step aside and let the Grand Duke develop a modest affection for Lemeia as the original story dictated, and marry a Young Lady from a respectable family without incident.
'Even setting everything else aside, the very fact that I'm entangled with the Grand Duke feels strange.'
An illegitimate princess of Salt.
In the original work, merely an extra with no presence whatsoever.
From a distance, it felt absurd—an outsider not even meant to exist in this world falling in love with him.
...In any case. Before the atmosphere could become any more awkward, I hastily picked up my fork and changed the subject.
"The dessert looks especially delicious today!"
I made sure not to forget to bring the cake to my mouth in a deliberately unrefined manner, devoid of all grace.
But then.
But then...!
"You've made a mess."
By the time a soft handkerchief touched the corner of my mouth, it was already too late.
"Ah...."
Hmm.
This... this is flirting, isn't it?
Has he decided to go all in?
The moment I confirmed that the owner of the handkerchief that had brushed my lips was the Grand Duke, I sensed I could hold out no longer.
Even Sun Tzu, the legendary author of the Art of War, once said:
'The thirty-six stratagems—retreat is best.'
...When something is beyond your capacity, you must flee.
With exaggerated dramatics, I clutched my stomach and scrunched my face in feigned distress.
"M-my stomach suddenly...!"
"What?"
"Oh dear, an upset stomach! I must have eaten too much! Well then... it was delicious!"
Leaving the bewildered Grand Duke behind, I scrambled to my feet and fled from the table.
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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