Episode 42
Koa wasn’t the only one the Grand Duke assigned to stay by my side.
He also sent someone as a candidate when I posted an ad for a new teacher—and that candidate ended up getting the job. I guess the Grand Duke really does have a lot of talented people.
This time, I was hiring a teacher for magic.
I used the excuse of needing basic self-defense to convince my parents, but my real goal was to create an excuse to go out and meet the Grand Duke during the day.
But something was going wrong.
“Duchess.”
Mr. Herrington, the new teacher, sat with a very serious expression, resting his chin on his clasped hands. His mood was so heavy that my mother swallowed nervously.
“Lady Eilene’s level is very, very serious.”
“H-How bad is it…?”
“Haa…”
He shook his head slowly. It felt like one of those scenes where a doctor is asked, “Will she survive?”—but can’t even answer.
“She doesn’t even understand the ‘ma’ in ‘magic’—not even a single stroke of it.”
“Oh no…”
Mother clutched her head in despair.
Seriously? I’m sitting right here, you know?
Still, I couldn’t butt into their overly dramatic conversation—even though my pride was in shambles.
And honestly, it was because I’d already taken five lessons… and still couldn’t do a single thing.
According to the teacher, I had absolutely no understanding of how magic worked. He even said it was oddly impressive how little I knew.
Well, of course. I wasn’t even born in this world.
He kept saying things like “Feel the natural flow around you and gather that sense into your palm,” but… what does that even mean?
I told them I couldn’t do it, but Mother was just too shocked.
That’s because the original Eilene was apparently super smart and quick to learn anything. A genius who understood ten things if you taught her just one.
Compared to that, I… ugh.
Like I’ve said before, I was just a hardcore fangirl in my past life. A top-tier fan, that’s all.
“What should we do, Mr. Herrington?” Mother asked in a desperate tone.
To me, it sounded like, “What do we do to save my poor daughter?” Herrington didn’t hesitate to give advice.
“The best thing would be for her to read lots of books. In many different subjects. If possible, she should visit the bookstore every day.”
“Will that be enough?”
“Yes. It’s a very effective method. One day, it will just click.”
“Thank you, teacher.”
Mother wiped her tears, grateful to have found a way to “revive” her daughter.
Meanwhile, I sat beside her looking totally dead inside.
“Did you really have to go that far?”
“…”
“There had to be a better way to say it, like, ‘Eilene has great hidden potential and should try reading a variety of books’ or something… Ugh!”
I stopped myself from continuing. Even I was embarrassed by my own words.
I was pacing back and forth in my room, practicing what I wanted to say to Mr. Herrington. Basically, I was venting—but the truth was, I didn’t have the courage to actually tell him off.
Because if I did, it’d be reported to the Grand Duke right away.
And I really, really didn’t want him to know I was dumb!
I grabbed my hair in frustration and groaned alone. Meanwhile, Koa sat quietly on the couch, watching me.
Well, she’s my bodyguard, so of course she’s watching me… still, it felt awkward.
I glanced at her out of the corner of my eye. She must’ve noticed because she looked up and met my gaze.
“Should I talk to him for you?”
“N-No! Absolutely not.”
Koa asked kindly, thinking I was asking for help, but I quickly waved both hands to refuse.
Still, thanks to Koa and Mr. Herrington, I now had permission to go out and meet the Grand Duke during the day instead of at night. I had to be more careful of people’s eyes, but it was still worth it.
And today was the day I got to meet him in broad daylight.
“Eilene.”
Raymond stood in the middle of the street, calling my name from a short distance away. He smiled brightly as he waited for me to come closer.
Wow.
I completely froze at that smile.
Seeing the Grand Duke during the day was a whole new experience. The sunlight brought out every one of his handsome features in perfect detail.
Then I suddenly thought… I want to see what his body looks like under this sun, too. That was pure fangirl thinking! Even if it wasn’t exactly pure, I just knew it would look amazing.
“Raymond.”
I rushed toward him excitedly.
Just like at night, I wore comfortable clothes and hid my hair under a hat. Of course, Koa was following behind me.
“You look even better in daylight.”
Oh my gosh. Me too. Are we thinking the same thing?!
I looked up at him in awe, standing so close my face was almost touching his chest.
“Like… a squirrel.”
“Huh?”
“Nothing. Let’s eat first.”
I didn’t catch what he said and asked again, but he just said it was time to eat.
Come to think of it, he always talks about food first, doesn’t he?
But do I mind? Not at all! I happily walked beside him, matching his pace.
We headed to another restaurant.
“Welcome!”
There were a fair number of customers in the large dining hall, but the staff guided us to a private room in the back, completely separate from the main area.
I sat at the only table in the room, still confused, when Raymond leaned his chin on his hand and said,
“This is one of my secret spots.”
“Oh, I see.”
“The food here is famous. You’ll love it.”
He smiled with his eyes slightly crinkled, and my heart fluttered.
It seemed he had already placed the order, because servers soon came in carrying dish after dish.
“Wow.”
It was a feast of delicious-looking dishes I’d never seen before. Mostly seafood, and the flavor was rich and satisfying—no wonder it was popular.
“This is so good!”
“Glad you like it.”
Raymond hadn’t touched his utensils yet. He just sat and watched me eat with a soft smile.
I happily tried different foods and spotted a dish of malcang mushrooms on the table.
“They have malcang mushrooms here too?”
“I told them to bring it since you like it.”
“Aha.”
He’s sneakily obsessive sometimes.
He reminded me of a mom who, after hearing you like one side dish, makes it every day for a month.
I reached into a large pot and picked up a clam that looked like a scallop. I tried to separate the meat from the shell, but it wouldn’t come off. Determined to eat it, I used a knife—but the shell shattered completely. Even the plate underneath broke.
“Ah…”
Now I couldn’t eat it at all…
Feeling both sad and disappointed, I sat in shock. Raymond, clearly angry, called out in a sharp voice.
“Aska.”
The waitress named Aska rushed in, panicked. She must’ve sensed his mood from just his voice. When she saw the mess in front of me, she started trembling.
“Y-Your Grace…”
“Do you see this? Why didn’t you separate the shell ahead of time?”
“I-I’m sorry. I’ve committed a terrible sin…”
She dropped to her knees and collapsed to the floor.
Wait, is that really that big of a mistake?
Startled, I hurried to stop him.
“No, Raymond, it’s okay. It was my fault. Don’t scold her.”
“That’s not true, Eilene. If things had been done right, this wouldn’t have happened.”
He wasn’t wrong, but…
It still felt like he was just blaming someone else, and it left a weird feeling in my chest. Raymond clicked his tongue and gestured with his chin.
The waiting staff quickly came in to clean up the mess and brought out new dishes. This time, they neatly separated the seafood for easier eating.
Once everything was back in place, Raymond finally looked at Aska again.
“Eilene asked, so I’ll forgive you. You may leave.”
“Th-Thank you, Your Grace.”
Aska bowed again and again before leaving the room.
“Go on, eat.”
“Huh? Oh… okay.”
I picked up my fork again, still in a daze from what just happened. Raymond looked at me and smiled gently, like he hadn’t just been super intimidating.
He had gone from icy cold to warm and kind again, and the sudden change made my heart race.
Whew… villains really are something else. He gave me chills. Thank goodness I’m a useful ally—otherwise, he might’ve treated me like that too.
He’s my handsome favorite, but I guess even he has a side like this.
I remembered scenes like this from the novel, but seeing them in person felt totally different.
Grateful for my current position, I continued eating when suddenly—
“Eilene.”
“Yes?”
“I have a question.”
“W-What is it?”
He called my name so calmly, but it made me flinch. My voice even shook because of what just happened.
“Were you scared earlier?”
“Um…”
Raymond asked directly, and I couldn’t answer clearly. I just trailed off.
He let out a small sigh and gave me a soft smile.
“If it makes you uncomfortable, I won’t act like that in front of you. No—I’ll try to stop doing that altogether.”
Oh. You really don’t have to… but thank you.
My head was spinning from the Grand Duke reflecting on himself, but I decided to just accept it and feel comforted.
“Thank you, Raymond.”
Maybe he felt embarrassed about his earlier behavior, because when I smiled at him, his cheeks turned a soft peachy pink.
