~Chapter 8~
Trivial Love
After receiving an enormous amount of jewels from the Valoran Duke, I couldn’t sleep all night. Seeing the hall filled with jewel boxes made my heart race and my hands tremble—I couldn’t just lie there quietly. I planned to visit the Duke as soon as daylight broke.
“The Duke said not to feel burdened and to just accept them.”
“Wait, Sir Spen. I’m receiving the jewels from the Duke in advance; I’m not getting them for free. If I can’t sell all of these, it’ll all become debt.”
“That is…”
“Tell him I’ll visit him tomorrow. Please return safely.”
Had I been too cold to Sir Spen? He hadn’t done anything wrong at all. He was just following his master’s orders and delivering them to me.
As soon as the day broke, I dressed in the neatest outfit from my wardrobe and climbed into the carriage. After passing the outskirts of the capital and traveling for a while, I passed through the forest where I had met the wolf Duke and finally saw the gray Valoran Duke’s mansion.
But… who were all those people?
In front of the Duke’s mansion, a row of guards in white uniforms, holding swords with gold decorations, were standing in formation. I didn’t even need to think twice—I could tell these were the Imperial Royal Guards.
Why would the Royal Guards come all the way to the Valoran Duke so early in the morning? Feeling uneasy, I stopped the carriage far enough away to avoid being seen. I told the coachman to wait and quietly slipped into the tall grass to hide.
“What is all this…?”
A long red carpet had been laid out in the gloomy Duke’s garden. Could it be that the Emperor himself had arrived? The number of guards and the luxurious carriage suggested as much. I felt like I had completely misjudged my timing.
I cautiously approached the formation of guards, and faintly overheard the knights at the back whispering:
“Why has he come today?”
“Probably to set a date for his engagement. The Emperor is particularly obsessed with the Duke’s marriage.”
“You didn’t know?”
“Know what?”
“This is something only the Emperor’s close aides know…”
“Tell me, just between us.”
I leaned forward slightly, drawn in by their interesting conversation. The Duke getting married? He didn’t even show his face at social events—how could he possibly get married? And to such a cold person… I almost felt sorry for the woman who would become the Duke’s wife.
Completely absorbed in the conversation, I didn’t realize that my body was sticking out enough to be noticed.
“They say the Valoran family only gains their true power after marriage.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know. It’s just a rumor.”
“Bah~ if they were strong, they’d already be strong.”
“No, look at how the Emperor treats the Duke. It’s all because of that power.”
“What a load of nonsense~.”
“It’s true. The previous Duke gained power after marriage… and then… suddenly… and died…”
True power only manifests after marriage? Why couldn’t I hear the rest clearly? What kind of power? What happened to the previous Duke?
Lost in thought, leaning forward to eavesdrop, I suddenly lost my balance and tumbled forward.
“Ah!”
My scream alerted the knights, and they immediately scanned the surroundings in a defensive stance.
Oh no… they can’t see me! What excuse would I make if I got caught? Would they drag me to the Imperial Palace for questioning?
Just as their gaze reached the spot where I was hiding, a large hand suddenly covered my mouth and pulled me back into the tall grass.
“Mmph! Mmph!”
It was so strong I couldn’t breathe, and a muffled sound of distress escaped my throat. Who could have done this…?
“Shh.”
The hand covering half of my face relaxed, and I could finally breathe. As I drew a deep breath, a sharp and intoxicating scent of perfume wafted through the air.
This perfume…
“Have you been well?”
Turning around, I saw the Valoran Duke smiling at me with cold, beautiful blue eyes.
His white shirt had a couple of buttons undone, suggesting he had hurried out to avoid unwelcome guests. His silver hair, slightly damp as if just washed, shone brilliantly in the morning sun. Could he be a god of beauty? I was momentarily stunned by his striking appearance before I managed to gather my senses.
“Why are you here, Duke…?”
“As you heard, I ran away to avoid the Emperor.”
“Then… is the Emperor really inside there?”
The Duke shrugged and smiled. That he casually admitted to fleeing surprised me, but learning that the Emperor was indeed inside the mansion astonished me even more.
Having lived in Korea, where I had never even seen the President in person, I was curious about this man who fled because he didn’t want to see the Emperor.
“Careful getting up. Are you hurt?”
“No, no.”
The Duke extended his hand first. The sunlight illuminated his back, making it seem almost haloed—though he was handsome, of course.
Just as I reached to take his hand to stand,
“D-Duke Valoran…!”
“Where? Where?”
“In the bushes… he’s running! He’s running!”
The Royal Guards searching for me had spotted the Duke. Without hesitation, he gripped my hand tightly and said, “Sorry, I must run,” before taking off at a brisk pace.
I had never imagined a noble lady’s life would involve running through a forest in heels.
We ran deep into the woods to lose the guards and stopped in front of a large tree when we could no longer hear them.
Running nonstop with my fragile body left me breathless. My feet hurt terribly from running in heels. I collapsed against the tree with a thump.
“Ouch…”
As I fussed with my aching feet, the Duke knelt before me, already catching his breath.
“Are you hurt?”
“Just my shoes… it’s fine, I’ll recover soon.”
“I’m sorry. We couldn’t be seen.”
He seemed genuinely apologetic, removing my shoes and holding my feet gently. Not used to anyone helping me with shoes, I flailed in surprise.
“It’s fine, don’t touch them! They’re dirty!”
“I am only examining the wounds.”
Despite my protest, the Duke continued inspecting my feet. The careful touch tickled, making the sensation oddly uncomfortable, though my heart raced at his hands’ proximity.
My feet had red scrapes here and there.
“It will take some time to heal. I will treat the wounds when we return; you must let me carry you.”
“Excuse me?”
He sighed softly, holding both my shoes and gesturing for me to climb onto his back.
Breathless from running, face flushed, and feelings swirling in my chest, I didn’t want to be carried. I stood up barefoot instead.
“Give me back my shoes.”
He followed me, still attentive to my feet.
“You can walk in them. Here.”
“If I wear these now, I won’t be able to wear shoes tomorrow.”
“That’s fine. And I came to discuss the jewels, so I must refuse your kindness.”
“Why refuse?”
The Duke didn’t respond, still focused solely on my feet. His normally cold face now bore the expression of a concerned puppy, almost making me laugh.
“You gave far more than I requested. As Sir Spen told you, I have no intention of receiving the jewels for free.”
He didn’t seem to hear me. He was only looking at my wounded feet.
“I will pay monthly for the jewels. I don’t know when I can sell all of them, but next time, please stick to the list I send.”
As I spoke, my feet lifted into the air. The Duke, still focused on my injuries, finally picked me up in his arms.
When people are shocked, they can’t even scream—I experienced that firsthand. Eyes wide, I could only look up at him.
Sweat ran down the Duke’s neck despite his calm expression. He walked steadily, never glancing at me.
The soft grass tickled me from feet to head.
Thump, thump, thump—my heartbeat raced.
By the time we returned to the mansion, the Imperial Guards had already left. The Duke, as if expecting this, carried me effortlessly to his room.
I exchanged glances with the surprised butler and Sir Spen, silently pleading, “Save me.”
He sat me on the sofa, kneeling with one knee by my feet, and brought a small box of medicine. I wished this awkward silence would end quickly.
“I- I’m fine now. I should go back.”
“I will see you off.”
“No!”
I shouted, forcing the topic away from his care.
“Actually… I overheard the Royal Guards. They said the Emperor came regarding your marriage.”
“Ignore it.”
“Why avoid the topic?”
Closing the box with a soft thud, the Duke ignored my questions and rose.
“I’m curious… You have wealth, youth, and good looks.”
“Do I?”
Did I say something wrong? Until the mention of marriage, his face had been cold, but now it seemed slightly softened.
“The Emperor is concerned about your marriage, so it must be a good match. Someone suitable for you.”
His expression subtly shifted like hot and cold waves.
“I will not marry.”
“?”
He returned to his original expression: cold eyes, gentle smile, an odd but fitting combination.
“Love is the most trivial thing of all.”
The Duke’s words oddly resonated with me.
Yes. What could be more trivial than love? Yet why did his eyes look so sad? As if he had been hurt by love…
Night fell. At the end of a long day, looking at the white moon, I recalled our conversation.
“Trivial love.”
Why did his cold expression hide so much pain? This man, who seemed to have never experienced love, carried such a wounded expression—it intrigued me.
I chastised myself: Take care of yourself, Serna. You promised to live well this life, after nearly being driven off a cliff by love in your first.
Still, unlike most people with sweet illusions about love, I couldn’t help feeling a pang of sympathy for the Duke, who shared my pragmatic view.
The guards had mentioned the previous Duke—so perhaps it was related to his parents. I had gone to discuss the jewels but hadn’t learned anything about him personally.
Lying down, I kept thinking of him, tapping my head lightly.
“Stop thinking about it.”
I vowed not to get closer to him. Not to that man.
Shaking off the endless questions, I ended the day.
