Chapter 8
8
==
The moment the truth that should not yet have been brought into the world escaped the woman's lips, Walter lunged at Grace like a leaping beast. And, without concealing his murderous intent, he bound her and muttered.
"How dare you, where do you get off?"
Grace unflinchingly met Walter's murderous aura, which even his longtime subordinates struggled with, and instead widened her large eyes even further, continuing to speak without hesitation.
"For the past thirteen years, Your Highness has thoroughly concealed himself. Three years in the arms of Grand Duchess Richmond, and the remaining ten years residing in the Wall of Death, where no one would find you."
Grace was certain that Walter was a human of the same kind as herself. They held their breath and waited, growing stronger until the world forgot their existence and became careless.
"Richmond must be reclaimed and returned to the Grand Duchess, and Your Highness must return to your rightful place."
Grace held out the insignia she had been holding.
"While heading to the capital with my parents to pay respects to the Crown Prince, I encountered a battered knight. Before he died, he left these words with my parents, which can be summarized as follows."
Walter's gaze deepened as he looked at the insignia. Grace whispered, watching his dark eyes.
"'The real Crown Prince is being protected by the Grand Duchess of the Richmond Duchy.'"
A shiver that started at the top of his head ran down his spine to his toes.
"And that day, my parents were also turned to black ash by assassins sent by the Empress."
Grace took a step back and knelt on one knee towards Walter, as if a knight offering his sword to his lord, pledging allegiance. She offered herself to him.
"Take me and wield me as you please. I will become the sharpest sword guarding Your Highness's secrets, and I will become the most tempting bait to keep the Richmond's jackals in check."
A cold silence fell. The murderous intent that seemed ready to snap her slender neck became slow and cool, like the current of the deep sea. Walter accepted the insignia Grace held out.
The insignia of the roaring black tiger returned to its owner's hand after more than a dozen years.
One of the knights had disappeared, and it seemed he had dragged his injured body to meet Duke Taylor. The face of the knight who had looked down at him and smiled flashed through his mind like a phantom.
At the same time, he was as bewildered as if he had encountered a landslide. It was not yet time to reveal his identity. Walter coldly stared at the kneeling Grace and agonized. Grace Taylor was not in his plans. No, she was a woman he didn't even know existed.
After finishing his deliberation, he asked coolly.
"So, how should I wield you, this sword of yours?"
Then Grace, as if she had been waiting for it, raised her head and answered in a steady voice.
"Your Highness simply needs to love me in front of everyone."
Walter burst into a frosty laugh.
"Why not just ask me to take you as my wife, since I'm going to be ridiculed by everyone anyway?"
At his sharp mockery, Grace rose from her spot and said without hesitation.
"No, there's no need for that. Marriage is cumbersome for me as well. I simply need a reason to be by Your Highness's side."
The smile completely disappeared from Walter's face.
"To return to your place, Your Highness needs Richmond and Taylor. Seize me, the only bloodline of the late Taylor. I will reclaim the two houses and place them in Your Highness's hands, and then, together with Your Highness, we will destroy our enemies."
Walter was silent for a moment before speaking in a low, subdued voice.
"You speak very easily. Everyone knows that the current Taylor Ducal family is in the clutches of the Duke and Duchess, and that you have been deprived of everything and are simply being driven out. Moreover, hasn't Taylor lost its former glory long ago?"
"Just as Your Highness waited and prepared for the time, so did I."
"……."
"A sword is not just what you see, is it?"
It was an audacious remark, almost presumptuous. There was no hesitation, no blockage. Walter's gaze slid along the lines of Grace's face.
A white, round forehead, eyebrows with a hint of brown, eyelashes spread like fans, and beneath them, eyes like green grapes. A straight nose and a sunken philtrum, small lips of pale pink.
As she said, he had hidden himself for the past 13 years, waiting for the time. He had thoroughly made those who survived the Wall of Death his allies, clouded the Emperor's mind, and uncovered the secrets of those who had turned their swords against him.
Even so, it would be a difficult fight. It was true that he was in a situation where he was desperate for a sword, but that didn't mean he could just grab anything.
The Taylor Ducal family, fading away with extravagance and gambling debts. A justification, but a concubine who could not become an heir or a member of the family.
How much resolve did the woman in front of him, who looked like she would break if touched, really have?
The man's gaze deepened. Without warning, he reached out and wrapped his hand around Grace's nape. Grace's body bent like a wildflower from the strong force. In a situation where she would fall over if Walter let go, as she stopped breathing in surprise, darkness descended in a surprise attack.
His breath tickled her lips like a mirage. In the darkness that fell like a curtain, Grace froze. His black eyes filled her vision, and a wild scent filled her lungs. The breath of another person felt at the edge of her lips bound her whole body. After boldly telling him to love her, she was ridiculously overwhelmed and unable to say anything.
This won't do. I have to look strong and composed, like a sharp sword.
The moment Grace clenched her fist tightly to regain her senses, Walter pulled his wet lips away from her at a distance where their breaths met.
"I have no intention of just 'pretending' to be anything. There's always a gap if you do it half-heartedly."
A breath laced with a terribly low voice flowed into Grace's teeth.
Walter felt the slender neck in his grasp stiffen and released Grace. The attitude, which was even polite unlike the rough grip, seemed to represent his reason. But there was not a shred of humanity in his cold expression.
"Lovers? Since you boldly announced that you have a man hidden in the sacred chapel, we won't be packaged in such romantic words. And above all."
"……."
"If I feel you're useless, I'll abandon you without hesitation. But, is this much resolve enough?"
The quiet words struck Grace.
'Resolve?'
In that instant, her true nature, which had been shielded by the guise of elegance and restraint, peeked out.
What resolve had she made as she watched her collapsing family from the sidelines? What had she vowed as she buried her parents, who had returned as ashes? So, what's so special about this?
A fire-like rage settled in her green grape-like eyes. Grace suddenly reached out and cupped Walter's face, pulling him in. Despite her weak strength, the man was helplessly pulled in.
If Grace felt darkness from him, Walter felt an encroaching forest. At the same time as he narrowed his eyes, something soft and tender overlapped his lips.
The pink lips were surprisingly warm and soft. The breath that tickled between her lips became like a childish prank. Walter, who had suddenly pushed Grace, ridiculously froze.
As his movements stopped, Grace stepped back like a breeze through the forest. Only a lukewarm scent remained where the wind had passed.
"Is Your Highness prepared?"
Her slender cheeks were tinged with a faint pink, but the energy in her narrowed eyes was no less than that of a warrior facing war. Walter, who had been blankly watching her, could only let out a burst of laughter.
He had momentarily forgotten because of her fragile appearance, which seemed like she would bend if he grabbed her. Like a general who burns the ship he came on and charges at the enemy, the woman in front of him had shattered the place she belonged with her own hands and come out. Walter admitted that he had been taken aback and straightened his posture, which had been bent by being pulled in.
Grace Taylor.
Walter habitually pulled his chin in and narrowed his eyes. He slowly opened his mouth, holding his breath like a beast trying to capture its prey.
"Good. Then I should hear your plan. How you will seize Richmond under the guise of my love, and how you will reclaim Taylor."
It wouldn't be too late to listen and judge whether he could use her properly or not.
He swallowed the unspoken words and slowly rubbed his lips, which still seemed to have the scent on them.
