-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: Why Are You Undressing?
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“Countess Wens.”
He called Roje’s name in a low voice. The Grand Duke, who had been glancing at her, slowly turned his gaze away.
“Your clothes are all wet.”
Her soaked uniform clung damply to Roje’s body. As her figure became sensuously apparent, Grand Duke Arteum felt quite awkward looking directly at her. Only then did Roje check her own state.
‘Ah… I must have spilled water when I dropped the cup earlier.’
She was soaked through. Roje subtly lifted her wet clothes with her thumb and forefinger and muttered,
“Oh, it’s fine. I think it’ll just dry…”
She hadn't spilled hot liquid; it was just a matter of letting it dry. Roje lowered her head and patted her clothes.
‘It’ll dry quickly once I keep wearing it.’
Lightly shaking out her clothes, Roje lifted her head to face forward. And then,
“…Grand—Grand Duke?!”
She involuntarily shrieked at the Grand Duke’s unexpected appearance. The Grand Duke, who had been perfectly dressed just moments ago, was now shirtless! Roje’s face flushed hot. Unable to hide her bewildered expression, she covered her face with both hands. Whether Roje was startled or not, the Grand Duke, who had unbuttoned his last button, completely stripped off his shirt. Roje peeked at the Grand Duke through her fingers. Her lips felt parched.
‘I don’t know where to look.’
The Grand Duke’s upper body was visible through her fingers. He looked like a perfectly sculpted statue. He approached Roje, wearing only his trousers.
The Grand Duke approached, holding his shirt in one hand. In this situation, Roje seemed to be the only one feeling awkward. *Flutter.* The pure white shirt fluttered and rose into the air. And then it landed precisely on Roje’s head.
“Ah…”
“Wear it.”
The Grand Duke said indifferently, then immediately turned his back. The Grand Duke’s ears, as he stood facing away, were somehow flushed red.
‘Is he giving it to me because it might be see-through?’
She couldn’t help but be surprised by his unexpectedly kind gesture. This wasn’t the first time she’d seen an unexpected side of him that didn’t fit his moniker of ‘Mad Grand Duke.’
‘He took care of me at the last banquet too.’
The Grand Duke’s consideration wasn’t bad. However,
‘I could just put on my robe…’
Roje glanced at her robe on the sofa.
‘Still, it would be rude to refuse the Grand Duke’s kindness after he took off his shirt, right?’
Roje decided not to disregard the Grand Duke’s consideration. If she refused in this situation, the Grand Duke would feel awkward. She put on the Grand Duke’s shirt over her uniform. Her uniform underneath was quite damp, but it was a dress, so she couldn’t take it off. And asking to borrow his trousers would be too awkward. The Grand Duke’s shirt was not the right size for Roje’s small frame. The sleeves fluttered over her fingers. The hem of the shirt reached below her hips, fitting loosely like a dress.
“Thank you. I’ll have this shirt laundered and returned to you.”
The Grand Duke, who had been standing with his back turned, rotated his body upon hearing Roje’s voice. The Grand Duke’s eyes, as he looked at Roje, trembled slightly. She had clearly hidden her figure…
‘Why… is it more stimulating?’
Usually, the more you cover, the less striking it becomes. But seeing Roje wearing his shirt, something ticklish bloomed inside him. Roje and the Grand Duke’s eyes met. The moment his gaze met Roje’s transparent violet eyes, nothing else entered the Grand Duke’s vision. Only Roje filled his sight. The ticking clock hands stopped. The curtain, swaying gently beside the half-open window, also halted in mid-air as if gravity had vanished. The reception room was incredibly quiet, as if the flow of time had been severed. It was a bizarre distortion, as if all time had stopped. What was happening, even though it wasn't magic? The Grand Duke simply harbored a strange question, unaware that his entire attention was focused on Roje. Roje’s lovely, shining purple eyes. Her long eyelashes, moving along her eyelids, stirred incredibly slowly. Roje, wearing the soft white shirt and tucking her hair behind her ear, her small, delicate lips subtly moving, created an enigmatic atmosphere.
‘Was Countess Wens… a woman with this kind of aura?’
Roje felt uncomfortable with the Grand Duke staring at her without saying anything.
‘I can’t tell what he’s thinking at all.’
She offered an awkward smile and looked at the Grand Duke. Seeing Roje, with her slightly curved eyes, dimples, and utterly pure appearance, the Grand Duke felt a tightness in his chest.
‘How stifling. Did the lunch I ate upset my stomach?’
The Grand Duke clutched his uncomfortable chest and stared at Roje. Roje recoiled under the Grand Duke’s intense gaze. She hadn’t done anything wrong, yet her heart felt as tiny as a bean in front of him. It was hard to endure the Grand Duke’s cold gaze, silently fixed on her. Moreover, he was currently shirtless. Roje felt awkward in so many ways. She wished he would say something. After wiggling her fingers for a long time, Roje hesitantly called out to the Grand Duke.
“Um, Grand Duke.”
Roje’s clear voice echoed in the Grand Duke’s ears, who had been staring at her without moving for a long time. And at the same time, as if a spell had been broken, everything returned to normal. The loud ticking of the clock, and the swaying curtains. As if nothing had happened, the flow of time resumed, unchanged from before.
“Are you alright?”
Roje asked the Grand Duke again.
“You’ve been holding your chest for a while. Are you feeling unwell?”
The Grand Duke’s fingers, which had been clutching his chest, twitched. He slowly lowered his hand and replied casually, as if it were nothing.
“I’m fine.”
It was still stifling, but this much was tolerable. The Grand Duke walked to the sofa opposite Roje and plopped down. He was still shirtless, but he didn’t seem to care. Roje, however, was different. His bare chest in front of her made her incredibly self-conscious. Not only was he handsome, but he had a great physique too.
‘This is unfair.’
She even started to think that perhaps Grand Duke Arteum, not the scoundrel Eric, was the true protagonist of this novel. Her flushed face couldn’t be fully covered by her hands. Roje couldn’t bring herself to lower her hands, peeking at the Grand Duke. The Grand Duke, who had been sitting nonchalantly on the sofa, belatedly realized that Roje was uncomfortable with his appearance.
‘It’s not polite to receive a guest half-naked.’
He looked down at his own body once, then spoke softly to Roje.
“I’ll go get dressed.”
***
“You need to change public opinion, Grand Duke.”
The Grand Duke had since returned, fully dressed. He faced Roje and listened silently to her words.
“Do you happen to know what your reputation is, Grand Duke?”
Roje spoke to the Grand Duke in a cautious tone.
“I am well aware that my reputation is infamous. I made it so.”
Roje nodded in relief at the Grand Duke’s objective self-awareness. If he understood his position well, communication would be quicker. It saved time by not having to say unnecessary things.
“That’s right. Grand Duke, you carry the labels of the Imperial family’s problem child, the madman of the North, and the empire’s butcher.”
Every single one of Roje’s words struck the Grand Duke’s heart violently. He knew his position well, but this was the first time he had heard such words to his face. Roje’s words subtly annoyed him, but he didn’t show it, merely furrowing his brow slightly.
“I overheard your execution plan in my husband’s study.”
“…Those damn Imperial faction bastards.”
The Grand Duke reacted as if he had expected it, muttering a low curse. They had finally crossed the line. The Grand Duke and the Imperial faction had been walking a tightrope. Now, it was time to see the end.
“However… I couldn’t see the details of the plan. My husband came in right after I discovered the documents.”
Grand Duke Arteum showed no agitation at Roje’s words. That was probably due to his confidence. The Grand Duke was confident that he wouldn’t die from such petty tricks.
“Still, I can tell you this one thing for sure: they will use your infamous reputation to execute you.”
Roje’s voice was filled with conviction. She looked at the Grand Duke with unwavering eyes. Because she clearly remembered the death he met in the novel.
“I will save you. So you won’t die, Grand Duke.”
Save me, she says… For some reason, he found himself smiling at Roje, who bravely declared she would protect him with her frail, delicate body.
“How many nobles still support you, Grand Duke?”
“…Your family, the Serviat family. Besides them, about three other families remain.”
All others, excluding these, had lost their lives. They had met a brutal end through the schemes of the current Imperial faction. The Grand Duke and the remaining nobles had risen over the graves of their friends and families. They had lost children before their eyes and bid farewell to parents. It was difficult for them to live in their right minds. But because their lives had been cultivated through the sacrifice of others, they couldn’t easily die. They had endured in a hellish life, refusing to perish. Even with fierce provocations, they didn’t draw their swords, only gritted their teeth. Not because they feared death, but because they didn’t want to foolishly abandon the lives that had been protected for them.
“Are you still in contact with them?”
The Grand Duke stared at Roje, who questioned him as if conducting an interrogation.
‘She says she’ll save me… but I can’t fully trust her yet.’
He had inadvertently blurted out information as if possessed, but any further leakage didn’t seem right. While he was sure Roje had a favorable impression of him, handing over all information wasn’t in the Grand Duke’s nature. There was a possibility Roje might make a mistake elsewhere, and even the smallest detail could become a huge variable. Grand Duke Arteum raised his head, looking at Roje with cold eyes. His upper body, which had been leaning forward, subtly shifted back. With a sunken gaze, he skillfully changed the subject.
“Speaking of which. Didn’t you ask me to lend you money then?”
Roje was speechless at the Grand Duke’s sudden change of topic.
‘Ah… he still doesn’t fully trust me.’
She seemed to have gained some trust, but his belief wasn’t complete. There was an urgent problem that needed to be resolved immediately, but Roje calmly took a breath.
‘Right, no need to be too hasty. If I push too hard here, I might just create unnecessary misunderstandings.’
Roje hid her true feelings and smiled sweetly. Borrowing money was also a crucial task for her. Capitalist society was brutally cold. Money was absolutely necessary for her to stand on her own after divorce.
“Don’t feel pressured to speak. I owe you my life, so I can give you any amount.”
It was coming. *Gulp.* Roje swallowed hard, her throat dry with nervousness. Would the Grand Duke readily lend her the amount she wanted? The Grand Duke had spoken with a relaxed expression, but Roje was utterly anxious. The amount of money she wanted to borrow was not small. Roje chewed on the Grand Duke’s words and mumbled,
“Any amount…?”
The Grand Duke nodded lightly at Roje’s words. How much did she want that she was so hesitant?
‘I could easily spare about 100 million Res.’
Grand Duke Arteum’s finances were solid. He hadn’t indulged in pleasure or extravagance, so there were no unnecessary expenses. The Grand Duke maintained a relaxed expression, unable to imagine how much Roje would ask for. And then his expression crumbled. The amount she proposed exceeded the Grand Duke’s wildest guesses.
“Please lend me 10 billion Res.”
“…”
Grand Duke Arteum was speechless for a moment.
‘What did I just hear?’
He stared blankly at Roje, doubting his own ears. Yes, he couldn’t help but be surprised. 10 billion was an astronomical sum that an ordinary person couldn’t even dream of touching. A commoner’s annual living expenses were 1 million Res. A Count’s annual salary was 1 billion Res. So, Roje was asking to borrow an amount equivalent to 833 years of a commoner’s living expenses, and 10 years of a Count’s salary.
“You said ‘any amount.’ I—I can pay back all that money.”
Roje spoke carefully, clutching both hands tightly. Roje’s eyes, full of certainty, sparkled brightly.
