GTMDWH | Chapter 82

~Chapter 82~

“…Am I crazy? I should’ve pushed him away, not closed my eyes!”

Leah messed up her hair with both hands and slumped back in the carriage seat.
Her heart was still pounding like crazy.

She fanned her flushed face with her hands.

‘Thank goodness he had something else to do.’

Otherwise, she would’ve had to ride all the way back with him to the mansion…
“Phew.”

She let out a sigh of relief.

‘But he looked a little serious in front of the carriage. Is something going on?’

She frowned slightly, then shook her head.

“That’s none of my business…”

But seriously, how was she going to face him again?

‘Why did I chug beer when I don’t even like it…’

If she hadn’t done that, things wouldn’t have gotten so weird.

“…Ugh.”

They both got carried away and made a mistake because of the alcohol.

‘I should tell him tomorrow it was just a mistake.’

She didn’t want to hear him say it was a mistake first—it would sting too much.

Still, no matter how tipsy or swept up in the moment she was—
How could she kiss him?

She promised herself not to catch feelings for him again!

‘Besides, he’s the Duke of Blumhardt, one of the empire’s five great dukes.’

Feelings aside, their social status was now worlds apart.

Leah took off her shoes and pulled her knees up onto the seat, hugging them.

She rested her cheek against her knees.

Her face still felt hot.

Was it the beer, or the heat from the kiss that hadn’t faded?

Even though it had been a long time, the kiss felt so familiar, like it had just happened yesterday.

It made her heart flutter.

‘…He must’ve been drunk too. That’s the only reason he kissed me.’

She kept muttering to herself like she was trying to brainwash her own thoughts.

She wanted to believe it was a mistake on both their parts, since she thought it was a mistake for him.

Soon, the carriage arrived at the mansion.

Leah was surprised when four knights escorted her all the way to the entrance.

“You were guarding me?”

“Yes, Miss Leah.”

“Wait, but why…?”

She wasn’t a noble like Raphaella or a duke like Johann—just a guest. It was a bit overwhelming.

“We’re just following His Grace’s orders. Please go inside, Miss Leah.”

The knight walked her to the front hall of the mansion.

He stood at the entrance, watching her climb the stairs with a determined expression—like he had to make sure she was safe.

‘What’s going on?’

Leah glanced back at him as she walked upstairs.

Raphaella was still fast asleep in her room.

After washing up and lying in bed, Leah touched her daughter’s soft, squishy cheek.

‘I hope she doesn’t whine tomorrow about missing the fireworks.’

As she stroked her cheek, Leah looked at the symbol on Raphaella’s neck—
The goddess’s mark was still there.

Even though she was doing what the goddess wanted, the mark still hadn’t disappeared.

That weighed heavily on her heart.

—

The Next Morning

“I wanted to see them too!”

Raphaella pouted.

“But you were fast asleep, sweetie.”

“Still! You should’ve woken me up!”

She huffed and stuffed grapes into her mouth.

Johann didn’t return until early dawn.

Then he left again shortly after.

Whatever it was, it seemed serious.

‘Honestly, I was worried about seeing him at breakfast, but…’

Leah was relieved inside.

“Next year, you have to wake me up, okay?”

“Alright, I promise, I’ll wake you no matter what.”

Leah kissed her daughter’s cheek.

“Did you have fun at the fireworks?”

Raphaella asked after calming down a bit.

“…Yeah, it was fun.”

But instead of the beautiful fireworks, the first thing that popped into Leah’s mind was kissing Johann.

Her face started to flush again, so she quickly drank some cold water.

“Ugh, I really wanted to see them too.”

“You’re so sad you missed them, huh?”

Leah picked her up with a smile.

“How about we go to the garden later and have a flower party instead?”

“Yeah! That sounds fun!”

Raphaella answered excitedly.

—

Meanwhile

“What?! They used monster poison?”

Matthias jumped up from the couch, furious.

“Yes.”

“They tried to use that on her, not even you or Raphaella?”

He rubbed his chin roughly.

“She might be a nuisance, sure, but this is the first time since they tried to assassinate you that they’ve gone this far.”

“I don’t get why they want her dead so badly.”

“Neither do I. They didn’t even try that with me—and I’m the crown prince. Using such a horrible poison on a common woman… it’s insane.”

Matthias stared at the vial Johan brought.

“One thing’s clear: the Empress owns this deadly poison and doesn’t use it lightly…”

Johan frowned.

“She only uses it on targets she absolutely wants dead, right?”

Matthias picked up on his thought.

“Yes.”

“That means she sees Raphaella’s birth mother as a bigger threat than me.”

He tapped the armrest, deep in thought.

“…Seems like it.”

Johann’s expression darkened.

What had Leah ever done to make the Empress target her?

“You said you have feelings for her, right?”
After a pause, Matthias asked.

“…Yes.”

“This might sound crazy, but what if you got engaged to her?”

“What? Engaged?”

Johan blinked in surprise.

“Yeah. I know it’s out of order for you, but it might be the best way to protect her.”

“Why?”

Johann frowned slightly.

“She’s already been targeted with monster poison. You can’t keep her safe just by hiding her.”

That was true.

He couldn’t just lock Leah away in the mansion for her safety.

“Instead, officially making her your fiancée might be safer.”

Matthias leaned in.

“If a commoner suddenly becomes the fiancée of Duke Blumhardt, society will definitely keep an eye on her for a while, don’t you think?”

“Exactly!”

Matthias clapped.

“If you show up to events with her as your fiancée, it’ll irritate the Empress—and we might learn more about why she’s so fixated on Leah.”

“…That makes sense.”

Johan’s voice was low.

He worried whether Leah could handle high society, but keeping her safe came first.

“Johann, I know you’re worried about her.”
Matthias patted his hand.

“She’ll be okay.”

“Yes.”

“Maybe the Empress will get flustered and slip up.”

And if that happened, they might finally be able to take her down.

“I really hope so.”

Johan murmured, filled with hope.

“For all of our sake, let’s hope.”

Johan nodded firmly.

“First, get engaged as soon as possible, and bring her to my birthday banquet.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Johann returned to the mansion after the talk.

He wanted to win Leah’s heart first before doing anything like marriage.

But for now, protecting her had to come first.

‘She seemed pretty shaken yesterday… How should I bring up the engagement?’

As he was deep in thought, heading up to the third floor, he ran into Leah on the stairs.

“Leah.”

“…You’re back, Duke.”

Leah looked flustered and avoided his eyes.

“About last night…”

“I-it was a mistake. We were both drunk. Let’s just forget it happened.”

She rushed to speak before he could finish.

‘A mistake?’

So that’s what she thought.

She might’ve mistaken it for a slip-up, but he didn’t.

“I didn’t think it was a mistake—”

“I just wasn’t thinking straight because I drank. It didn’t mean anything, so let’s not make it a thing, okay?”

Leah spoke firmly.

That hurt.

“…I see.”

“Well, I need to stop by the annex, so I’ll get going. You should rest, Duke.”

Leah gave a quick bow and hurried down the stairs.

Johann stood still, hand on the railing.

He didn’t move for a while.

‘…So you really thought it was that meaningless?’

She said it was just the alcohol, not feelings.

It left him feeling empty.

‘Of course she wouldn’t accept me that easily.’

But that didn’t mean he was giving up—not even close.