Chapter 10
Dragging along a daughter who barely survived—now I understood why Trisha had wanted so badly to leave the ducal house. The Duke of Kainan was even more of a scumbag than I imagined.
“Wait, seriously? They’re really going to drag me off like this? Isn’t this a bit much?”
In my head, I saw that bastard Dorian sneering at Trisha. At this rate, I was going to end up meeting him at the wedding hall tomorrow. A wedding, when what he really deserved was a solid slap across the face?
And he was a Grand Duke, so I wouldn’t even be able to say a word at the ceremony…
“Huh?”
Then—an idea flashed through my mind. It seemed too far-fetched to actually work, but…
“Ah, screw it. Nothing to lose anyway.”
I abruptly stopped struggling. The knights dragging me seemed surprised and paused for a moment.
Seizing the moment, I straightened up and fixed my posture toward the butler. Then I spoke in the lowest, most commanding tone I could muster.
“You’d better think carefully. Things are about to get very complicated for you.”
“I’m not sure I follow.”
“This isn’t a command from the Duke’s daughter.”
“!”
“I’m ordering you as the Grand Duchess. Stop this immediately.”
Even a snot-nosed toddler would know who’s higher—duke’s daughter or Grand Duchess. There’s no way a seasoned butler in the ducal household wouldn’t understand what I was implying.
“You all know very well who I’m marrying tomorrow.”
The butler’s face turned pale as he grasped my meaning.
“If there’s even a scratch on me, I’ll have your heads the moment the wedding is over.”
“!”
“!”
I was speaking with as much authority as I could muster, but my heart was pounding out of my chest.
“Please, let this work.”
I wasn’t sure if such a cheap threat would actually sway them, but it was too late to take it back.
After throwing out a threat about cutting off heads, my anxiety only grew.
“What if they go and tell the Duke and I get punished even worse?”
“……”
“……”
“……”
But surprisingly, it worked like a charm. The knights looked at each other and quickly let go of my arms.
“We’re sorry, my lady. No—Grand Duchess!”
“Wait, it worked?”
With a thud, the knights dropped to their knees. The cold, emotionless expressions they wore were gone. These burly, bear-like men now looked like they were about to cry. It was almost funny.
“We’ve committed a grave offense.”
“We were only following the butler’s orders. Please, forgive us!”
Sensing their desperation, the knights pointed at the butler. Misery loves company, I guess. The butler, who had been watching in a daze, quickly dropped to his knees when he noticed my gaze.
“Butler.”
“Please, Grand Duchess, have mercy!”
“And why should I?”
I spat out the words as coldly as I could and turned my back on him. My heart was still racing, but this was a battle of will now. I couldn’t afford to back down.
“Why would I forgive someone who stood over me like a master and tried to drag me around like a dog just moments ago?”
“I’m sorry. I’ve committed a grave sin.”
“Then die.”
His unnaturally youthful face turned ashen. Apparently, he never expected me to go this far. Like a fish gasping for air, the butler opened and closed his mouth without saying anything.
“Didn’t you just say it yourself? That you committed a sin worthy of death.”
“Y-Yes, but still…”
“I didn’t know you were so quick to say things you didn’t mean.”
“This is unfair, Grand Duchess.”
“I don’t see what’s so unfair about it.”
“I was merely following the Duke’s orders. Surely you don’t think a mere butler like me truly wished to treat you that way?”
Pfft.
I couldn’t help but let out a laugh. The guy was full of it—his face was too sincere earlier for that to be the truth.
“Shameless bastard. I was going to let it go, but now you’ve pissed me off.”
“Now you’re blaming your master? That’s hilarious.”
A panicked look crossed the butler’s pitiful face. Willing to throw his master under the bus to save himself? Pathetic.
“If the Duke surrounds himself with trash like this, that says a lot about him too.”
“Selling out your master? Fine. Let me return the favor.”
“Huh?”
“You two.”
The knights who had been quietly crouching nearby straightened up nervously.
“You called, my lady?”
“Whip the butler and throw him out of the estate.”
“!”
“What are you waiting for? Get him out of my sight.”
As I glared at them, the knights jumped into action and tied up the butler’s arms. He screamed and cursed at them, but they ignored him. The scrawny man was no match for them—it was laughable how little resistance he offered.
The tables had turned completely.
“Lady—no, Grand Duchess! Please show mercy!”
“Shut up. Take him away.”
“Please! I swear I’ll never be disrespectful again. Forgive me!”
“Not interested.”
“If you order me, I’ll do anything! Just please…”
Now that was a phrase I liked—“anything.”
With a small nod from me, the knights dropped his arms. Actually, “flung him” was more accurate. The butler crumpled to the floor, his face a mess of tears and snot.
“Well, scaring him worked, at least.”
“You may go now.”
“What about the butler?”
“Leave him here. I have a use for him.”
“U-Use me… for what…?”
He whimpered, but I ignored him.
“Don’t go to my father. Hide somewhere else. Unless you want to get crushed in the middle of all this.”
“Understood, Grand Duchess.”
Seems like I was officially being called Grand Duchess now.
Every time I heard that word, Dorian’s pale, smug face flashed before me—and it made my skin crawl. But I had to endure it for now. I walked toward the butler, who was just starting to collect himself.
“You said you’d do anything I asked?”
“Y-Yes.”
“Why should I believe that? You just tried to sell out your master to save yourself.”
“!”
“Give me something useful. A tool, information, anything that gives me control over you.”
“Right now?”
“Do I need to whip you to jog your memory?”
“You’re a butler—surely you know some family secrets, dirt, or leverage. If you don’t want to get hit, better start thinking fast.”
“Nothing comes to mind right away. Please, give me a moment to think.”
“Valerie, go fetch the knights again.”
“Yes, my lady.”
“W-Wait! I remember something!”
With trembling hands, the butler dug into his inner pocket. Knew it. No one ever forgets—desperation makes people think real fast. He carefully held out a piece of paper.
“A piece of paper? That’s it?”
“What’s this?”
“It’s the ownership deed to the Parnon Mine.”
“Why do you have a mine deed? Not the Duke?”
“The Duke asked me to deliver it to the Grand Duke of Twallen after tomorrow’s wedding.”
“The Grand Duke of Twallen…”
Dorian!
The word “Grand Duke” made me instinctively snatch the document out of his hands. Sure enough, the official imperial and Kainan seals were there. A legitimate, emperor-authorized deed.
“He was going to give this to Dorian? Why?!”
“Explain. Why are you handing this over to the Grand Duke?”
I shoved the paper in front of his face. His lips trembled, and he spoke in a whispery voice.
“It’s part of the dowry.”
“Dowry?”
“You may not know this, but the Duke offered a substantial dowry to the Twallen Grand Duchy to secure this marriage.”
“He offered it? You mean he already handed it over?”
A creeping sense of dread washed over me.
This idiot. He didn’t actually give the entire dowry before the wedding, did he?
“Yes, a portion has already been—”
Shit.
I scowled, and the butler wisely shut his mouth. The Duke of Kainan wasn’t just an idiot—he was a complete idiot. Who hands over a dowry before the ceremony?
“You said ‘a portion.’ So not all of it?”
