CH 7

“You’re a little nervous, aren’t you?”

Elena widened the distance by squeezing Damian’s shoulder with her hand. Damian easily stepped back and grinned.

“It has nothing to do with the summoning of Lady Locke, the Grand Prince couple.”

You’re going to come out like that?

Elena let out a cold smile.

“I heard that the Grand Princess broke into the Grand Prince’s class.”

She was certain because the maid secretly told her after seeking Loena out. It was clear that the Grand Duke had silenced her from the fact that Loena didn’t say it herself.

‘I know she’s a little girl, but she turns out pretty great.’

Since she is Loena’s maid, it must have been Loena’s order.

Elena was delighted with the situation in which she gave her clues while cleverly keeping her promise to the Grand Duke. To the extent that she just reflected on the past when she thought Loena was just a bad-tempered daughter-in-law.

Damian shrugged his shoulders exaggeratedly and said.

“Oh my, did you even know that?”

“You’re pretending you don’t know. Did you call the person who tried to hide it from me so openly to the study?”

“Well, the Grand Duchess thought I’m indifferent.”

“Hmph.” Elena let out her snort as if it were ridiculous.

At that moment, she suddenly remembered Loena, who had kissed her cheek a while ago. She pretended to give a kiss and gave some very good advice.

[Why don’t you ask Father directly instead of me? Father is an attention whore, so if Mother gives him the attention you didn’t give before, he’ll be blunt.]

With a smile on her face, she said, “Father is an attention whore.”

It wasn’t clear what the word ‘attention whore’ meant, but it didn’t seem like a very good word.

However, it was interesting enough to move Elena’s heavy footsteps to the Grand Duke’s bedroom.

As she was quite curious about the archduke’s reaction.

‘Tch, kids these days make up their own words. They seem to be subtly enjoying things that adults don’t understand, don’t they?’

Elena treated it simply as slang for young people.

However, there was more joy than an expression of displeasure on her face.

Certainly, as Loena said, she was definitely getting her bite when she gave the Grand Duke attention.

It was close, as if he would pour it out with just a little bit of pressure.

After a while, Elena shifted her gaze to him as she thought of questioning Damian again.

Butㅡ

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Elena looked at Damian’s expression and crumpled her face.

He wondered if he was making a stupid expression, and frowned at her words. Then Damian said firmly.

“Why did you laugh just now?”

“What do you mean by laughing just now? Oh, my.”

Elena withdrew her laughter and responded coldly.

Damian then narrowed the distance again and leaned one of his arms against the wall.

“I asked why you laughed, Wife.”

“Don’t mention the word ‘wife’, it doesn’t suit you.”

Elena replied somewhat sharply and pushed his shoulder back again but it wasn’t pushed back this time.

‘Behaving like a child.’

When Damian didn’t want to move, Elena came closer to him. As she approached him until they almost kissed, Damian stepped back in surprise.

“W-What the hell is this…!”

“No, you kept coming closer to me, so I thought you wanted to kiss me.”

“I’m not like that…!”

Damian couldn’t continue his words, his face reddened.

Whether he did or not, Elena spread her distance again, and put one of her legs on another leg.

It was funny how the person who met several women trembled with just a kiss, anyway. Elena said with her cold face.

“I know. That you hate touching me as much as I do.”

“…”

“No one in the Empire would know. The fact that we are perfectly strangers who haven’t even spent the first night.”

Elena scoffed and she whirled around Damian. He remained silent without making any excuses.

Elena asked as she raised her hand as if she was about to touch his shoulder.

“If you don’t want to be kissed, tell me. What happened in the study?”

Then she tapped Damian’s shoulder playfully.

***

“Are you back?” I welcomed Hannah, who secretly returned.

“Yes, Young Madam.”

“How did Mother react?”

“She didn’t look upset. But I can’t figure her out at all. Did you understand it right?”

“Well…”

As I was extending my words, Vivian, the maid, entered the room.

“Miss! The Grand Duchess has just entered the Grand Duke’s bedroom!”

“Shh! Vivian, what are you going to do if someone hears you? Besides, what do you mean ‘Miss’? It’s been a long time since she became the Young Madam.”

When Shuli, who was next to her, scolded Vivian, Vivian’s lips twitched. I asked Vivian with bright eyes.

“Did she really go in? Hm?”

“That’s true, isn’t it? It’s a special thing for people who never go into each other’s bedrooms at all.” Vivian’s voice was lower than before.

“If they sleep together and have a child…” As Hannah spoke anxiously, I shook my head firmly.

“They can’t be sleeping together. She will definitely come back.”

“Why are you so sure about that?”

Hannah, Vivian, and Shuli looked at me at the same time.

‘How do I know? I saw it in the book. Those two are a thorough business couple.’

I didn’t have to say this and just laughed bashfully.

I was the one who enticed the Grand Duchess into the Grand Duke’s bedroom anyway.

Akid only knew I kissed the Grand Duchess, but he didn’t know I had whispered to her.

The kiss that followed made the Grand Duchess blush in embarrassment, but she must have thought a lot while chewing on my whispers.

‘In that sense, the relationship between my parents-in-law is very strange.’

Even in the original story, the two continued to have a bad relationship.

Should I say that they’re busy growling when they encounter each other without talking?

But when they work together, they get along so well.

‘Well, that’s why they’ve been a business couple for so many years.’

I erased the thought of my parents-in-law.

I ordered Hannah in advance to give clues to the Grand Duchess, so that the rest will go on its own.

At first, I had no intention of choosing between the Grand Duke and the Grand Duchess.

‘I’d rather get both.’

In order to please both the Grand Duchess and the Grand Duchess, it wasn’t necessary to take the form of taking either side.

So I didn’t speak directly and made the Grand Duchess hear from the Grand Duke

‘This is enough. The two of you should take care of the rest.’

I smiled viciously like a man who had done a bad deed. Then Vivian said.

“Oh, Young Madam, you’re smiling strangely again.”

“What’s wrong with my smile?”

“It’s because you’ve been smiling like this with your mouth wide open since last time.”

“I-It could be like that.”

Seeing the face Vivian mimicked, I backed away in awe. Then she grinned and muttered.

“Anyway, it’s nice to see you smile a lot.”

“That’s right. I like the Young Madam’s smile the most.”

At this, Hannah responded with a grin.

“Even money can’t buy our Young Madam’s smile, of course.” Shuli rambled. 

“Why is everyone doing this, all of a sudden?” I became very unfamiliar with the attention focused on me, so I reacted a bit shaky.

Hannah, Vivian, and Shuli were all maids who followed me from April’s Castle.

Of course, it hasn’t been long since I knew them, but Loena’s most reliable people remained unchanged.

It was the maids who worked hard enough to please Loena, who had a filthy personality. At first, I was worried that anyone would find out that I wasn’t Loena, but it turned out to be too much.

Rather, they rejoiced, saying that I seem to have regained my former self. In the meantime, it was strange as if puberty came early.

Of course, it was their standards, but maybe Loena wasn’t just being sarcastic from the beginning. It wasn’t that I didn’t understand at all if she became more wicked because she failed to adapt to the newly changed environment.

Obviously, I still can’t forgive Loena for harassing Akid.

I suddenly got a sense of playfulness and opened my mouth.

“If you are really curious, come spying on the Grand Duke’s bedroom. I voted for Mother to go back to her bedroom.”

The three people’s eyes widened at the sudden bet offer. After a while, Hannah asked.

“Young Madam, are you going to rob our pockets now?”

“Who wants to pay? Let’s make a bet.”

“Ey, how can we slap Young Madam on the forehead?”

Shuli trembled and dissuaded me. I provoked them with that vicious smile of courtesy.

“Are you scared?”

“How…!” Vivian’s desire to win was activated and she became dreary. Shuli said with a smile.

“Alright. I have no choice but to do it because the Young Madam wants it. You can’t cry later because you get hurt, though?”

“Shuli might be going to see the stars.”

“Wow, that’s scary.” Shuli grinned with a face that showed she wasn’t afraid at all.

After the bet was made. Hannah, who returned after quietly spying on the Grand Duke couple’s bedroom, answered with a sullen look.

“The Grand Duchess has returned to her own bedroom.”

“Yes!”

I clenched my fists and jumped. Then, with a mean smile, I prepared to let go of the night.

“Precisely.”

“Young Madammmm… ”

Let’s make Shuli scream in pain.

“Hey, Madam, how spicy are you trying to get your hands to be?” Vivian tried to pretend that nothing was wrong.

“Should I go first?” Hannah went first without fear.

“Whoo, whoo.”

There was no way to let it slide in the bet. I said with a sly smile.

“Let’s go see the stars, guys.”

On the next day. On the foreheads of Hannah, Vivian, and Shuli, red chestnut marks were evident.

Even when other servants are puzzled and ask, they just make strange noises and say, “I saw a star…”

It was like that.

The Young Madam had no mercy.