CHAPTER 134…………………………………………….
Davi’s Prank
“Didn’t I examine both of your star signs thoroughly?”
“You’ve done something pointless without even a reward.”
Even in response to the duke’s cold remark, Davi only smiled faintly and nodded.
“I owe my life to Lady Anje; what does a reward matter?”
So, why on earth had Anje spared someone like this?
True to the man rumored to have kept countless young ladies awake at night, the first thing that caught the Side Duke’s eye was Davi’s face, delicate and almost as beautiful as any woman’s. Then, of course, his gaze fell on the glimpses of abs and a sleek physique showing through the loosely unbuttoned shirt, and on the tall stature.
For some reason, the duke’s mood darkened further, and he frowned.
“I don’t know what you want to say, but say it quickly and leave.”
“Of course. I don’t particularly like this kind of thing either.”
Davi glanced around the study, lined with books, and spoke sarcastically:
“Are you planning to marry Lady Anje?”
“Why, do I need your permission for that too?”
“If you intend to marry… you mustn’t.”
Davi spoke firmly, pulling two sheets of paper from her pocket.
“This one is an analysis of Lady Anje’s star sign, and this one is Your Grace’s. Do you see them?”
The duke gave a suspicious glance at the papers, covered in symbols and drawings incomprehensible to ordinary people. Then he glared back at Davi.
“Are you mocking me?”
The papers were filled with symbols that no normal person could ever interpret.
She must know that too.
“I don’t have time to joke around with you over such things.”
“Marriage isn’t a joke. That’s why I insisted on meeting Your Grace.”
Davi leaned over the table, staring into the duke’s eyes. Despite her lighthearted words, her green eyes tinged with blue seemed to draw him in.
“If Lady Anje marries you, she will die. Leo and Scorpio are naturally incompatible. An outgoing Leo and a secretive Scorpio simply don’t match. If you don’t believe me, recall all the things Lady Anje has endured while by your side.”
The duke’s hand, which had moved to summon a servant to drive Davi out, froze in midair.
Being ostracized in society was nothing. She had even narrowly escaped death recently. And now, looking back, it seemed suspicious that Anje had been so eager to escape the Duke’s household.
“If Davi is telling the truth… and Anje, who can read others’ fates, tried to leave to survive…”
A puzzle piece fell perfectly into place, and the Side Duke’s expression gradually hardened.
He realized that Anje clearly had feelings for him, and now all that remained was a proposal.
So, despite his busy schedule, he had found the time to acquire the most beautiful ring in the capital—and even ordered a special rose that blooms only in winter.
“If you truly love her, you must let Lady Anje go.”
A dizzying sense of loss hit him. Slowly, he closed and reopened his eyes.
“If I let her go… she’ll be happy without me?”
Davi’s face bloomed into a smile, as if she understood the duke’s small murmur.
“Of course. You know how fairy tales end: ‘And the princess lived happily ever after…’ Lady Anje will live such a life. But only if Your Grace disappears!”
After Hildegarde collapsed, Anje lost consciousness and hovered on the brink of death for a week. She was only able to move her body last week.
Since it had all been her choice, she neither felt anger nor resentment while lying in bed. On the contrary, she was relieved that everyone had survived.
But it seemed she was the only one who felt that way—everyone else around her was frantic.
On the day Anje was kidnapped, her great-aunt, who had been out, blamed herself for the negligence. Mariana felt the same.
By order of the Grand Duke, soon to ascend as emperor, a royal physician was specially dispatched to the mansion. After he left, the remaining nurses took care of Anje diligently. Yet Mariana hovered around, unable to take her eyes off her.
Being watched all day made Anje increasingly uncomfortable.
“Miss Mariana, I’m fine. The physician said my wound isn’t as deep as it looks.”
“I’m sorry… if only I hadn’t gone to see Algernon that day…”
Why are you crying when I said I’m fine?
The more Mariana fretted, the more exhausted Anje became. She pressed her head with her hand and spoke with as much patience as she could muster.
“Is Your Grace alright? It looked like Hildegarde’s arrow grazed you that day.”
Mariana dabbed her tears with a handkerchief and nodded.
“Brother is fine. Too many things to do, that’s all. Ah! Don’t worry. The physician said you must rest completely. So, no matter how busy, Brother won’t make you do anything for a while. He wouldn’t, if he had a conscience. Try it, see! Hah!”
Mariana muttered with a solemn expression, then smiled at Anje as if to reassure her.
“Looking at all the meetings and paperwork, it seems like unnecessary worry anyway. Honestly, I haven’t seen your face in a while myself.”
Does that mean she won’t see the Side Duke for some time either?
“Yeah… I guess.”
Anje gave a reluctant answer.
“So, Your Grace’s wound…”
Mariana picked up a piece of fruit cut by a maid and pressed it into Anje’s hand, shaking her head calmly.
“That man… if Brother’s wound had been severe, Mother wouldn’t have attended the tea party. Didn’t you see the atmosphere at home when Brother left for the campaign? It was like a funeral. You had to watch your every move. After you got hurt, it’s been similar these past few days.”
“……”
“So, what I mean is, there’s no need to worry. It was just a scratch.”
“But I clearly saw blood spreading through the shirt from a distance.”
“Must have been a slightly bad scratch.”
Mariana, still calm, suddenly gestured toward the head of Anje’s bed.
“Who put those flowers there?”
Anje turned and saw a bunch of purple sage, still dewy as if someone had just placed it there. The roughly tied flowers exuded a simple beauty.
“I wonder… did Josh leave them?”
“Josh? Now that you mention it, there was a flower there yesterday morning too…”
The scent of sage filled the room, making Anje feel at ease.
Mariana, tilting her head, changed the subject.
“Someone must have visited and left them. By the way, I think Algernon will become the emperor.”
Anje replied casually, “I see,” and Mariana squinted.
“You’re not surprised at all.”
Blinking, Anje suddenly realized her mistake. If Algernon became emperor, Mariana would become empress.
Empress… Mariana, timid and cowardly, who had struggled even as a princess, naturally felt overwhelmed.
Though the empress position is every woman’s dream, Mariana felt only fear. Even though Hildegarde was gone, there were countless women like her in society. Just imagining them targeting her made Mariana shiver, her hair turning white with fear.
That was why she had confided in Anje, though it seemed Anje already knew.
Since when, though?
