Chapter 42: 41

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***

“……Oh my, the Crown Prince could have just asked someone.”

The voice of Duke Alberton, who was interrogating the person who broke into the study with a harsh voice a while ago, suddenly softened.

Then, Duke Alberton spoke again with the sound of digging through books and documents.

“But how did you manage to mess around with all my books and documents? … It looks like someone has been searching here.”

The meaningful voice sounded as if he knew she was hiding under the desk.

Grace couldn’t even breathe now. All she could do now was rely on Owen, who seemed to be hiding her. Grace shook her head, eagerly looking up at Owen, blaming herself for being rash to him inside.

‘Please, please don’t say it.’

Owen replied with a smile to Duke Alberton without even paying attention to her.

“That’s what I’m saying, I slipped my foot here a while ago and ended up falling. That’s why I messed up your study.”

“Oh. Was that so? Are you hurt anywhere?”

In response to the sly answer, the voice of Duke Alberton showed signs of concern at once. Owen replied with a light smile to his concerned question.

“Fortunately, I’m fine. I’m really sorry about this. Duke Alberton. Not only have I lost my way, but I’ve even messed up your books and documents.”

“What are you talking about? I’m just sorry that I couldn’t keep the mansion clean. ……… And I’m also at fault for not educating my servants enough that resulted in such a mess as they didn’t dare to guide you properly. I’m sorry, your highness. I will immediately fire the servant, who was in charge of your guidance, and kick him out of this mansion.”

“You don’t have to do that. I told him to step back because I wanted to see the Alberton mansion, which is my future wife’s home.”

“Is that so? It would have been nice if you had told me in person.”

“That could not happen anywhere. Duke Alberton is one of the busiest people in this Empire. Thanks to your efforts, this Empire is running so well, and I can’t shamelessly ask you to guide me to your mansion at a time when you need to take a breath.”

“Haha, you are exaggerating. Your Highness.”

As Owen poured praises on Duke Alberton so much that he thought it was a little embarrassing, the suspicion mixed with Duke Alberton’s voice quickly disappeared.

Grace moved away from the desk where she was hiding, and watched Owen slowly walking towards the doorway where Duke Alberton was standing.

“Then, now that I’ve seen everything I have to see. Duke Alberton, would you mind escorting me to the party?”

“Oh, yes! Of course.”

When Owen asked for guidance to the party, Duke Alberton replied that he would be happy to do so.

Grace felt a little relieved at the answer. Finally, they seemed to be about to go out. With trembling hands, Grace hugged the little book hidden in the width of her dress.

“……Oh, wait a minute. I think I dropped a ring for Marianne over there because I fell a while ago.”

However, she could feel Owen, who had to go outside according to the guidance of Duke Alberton, walking back toward the desk where she was hiding.

At that moment, when Grace was nervous again at the sight, Owen, who pretended to be picking up something, approached Grace and spoke quietly so that only Grace could understand.

“……After a while, I’ll be waiting for you on the bench in the innermost part of the Secret Garden of the Alberton mansion.

“…….!”

“I accept the price of helping you by coming out there.”

Then, seeing Grace with a surprised expression on her face at the completely unexpected remark, Owen calmly stood up.

Just a moment ago, as he made an excuse, he was holding a small box of a ring in his hand. Then he walked slowly, and soon a sound of the door closing was heard in Grace’s ear.

“…….”

Soon after, the study became dark again, and there was no more sound of someone’s footsteps or signs of movement in the study.

Grace, who had been hiding under the desk in the study for a while even after that, barely got up when only the sound of her breathing could be heard in her ear.

She took a look around and came out of the study quickly, pressing her palpitating chest with her palm, still tense. If she gets caught this time after searching anymore, she can’t hope for luck like this time. Grace took a faster step than anyone else could see.

“Ha-ha, ha-ha…”

And only after coming out of the mansion completely, Grace could barely catch her rough breath.

Grace stole her sweaty forehead with her hands and looked down at the dusty book that was tightly wrapped in her arms.

‘I was trying to figure out the secret, but I feel like my head has become more complicated.’

In addition, Crown Prince Owen caught her searching through the study.

Grace clasped her head with a face full of complicated emotions. Why on earth did he tell me to come out to the garden after a while? Even as he mentioned it as the cost of hiding her. No, rather than that, why did he even lie and hide her? She couldn’t even figure out what the hell was going on.

‘What if the knights of the Alberton family were summoned to the secret garden?’

If it were, it would have been better to run away. But…

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‘…..I don’t know what he is thinking, but I have no choice.’

In any case, the Crown Prince grabbed one of her weaknesses a while ago. In order to keep his mouth shut, it seemed right to follow what he said.

And she was vaguely convinced that he would not tell the knights of the Alberton family about this. That was because he also contributed to hiding her.

Eventually, Grace carefully walked down the path to the secret garden, as Owen said a while ago.

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When night fell, the inside of the secret garden of the Duke of Alberton was quiet and eerie.

Grace killed the footsteps so that no one could hear them and walked to the bench she promised Owen. Then Grace’s face, sitting on the bench and waiting for Owen, was full of sorrow.

‘Am I really doing right now?’

No matter how much Owen hid her, even if he caught a weakness that was not a solid one, he shouldn’t have come this far till here? Maybe this thought was causing another misunderstanding.

Grace became nervous again with complicated thoughts and tension.

‘…I can’t do it either.’

After all, Owen and she should avoid talking alone in a place like this.

Grace thought so and raised herself. It was to kill the sound of footsteps again and go out of the secret garden. Grace hid herself in a shady place and cautiously walked to the door of the secret garden.

Eventually, when Grace reached the entrance to the Alberton mansion from the secret garden and was about to open the door, Grace encountered Owen walking towards her from the opposite side.

Grace looked straight with wide eyes at Owen approaching.

“Where are you going? Lady Grace.”

Crown Prince Owen, who was dressed more splendidly than a while ago, questioned the embarrassed Grace with a low smile. Grace fumbled and replied, avoiding his persistent gaze pouring towards her.

“…I’m sorry. I think I made a mistake.”

“What do you mean? I don’t know what the Lady is thinking and how she got it wrong.”

Owen persistently talked to her, blocking Grace’s way, who was twisting her body as if in trouble and trying to escape.

[T/N: This nasty guy!! (╯▔皿▔)╯]

Grace asked questions as she spoke, glaring at Owen, who kept trying to continue talking to her.

“Your Highness must know why I’m doing this, right? I think you know what it implies when a gentleman meets a married woman secretly at this late hour.”

“……To think they’d say that. Even though the lady and I are about to be part of the same family soon?”

[T/N: I guess family as a sister-in-law since he will be marrying Marianne.]

“Yes. Rather, the aristocrats who like to talk will think that now they have a more interesting gossip.”

“……..”

“Thank you so much for saving me from trouble. But I don’t think this is how you get paid for it.”

Grace looked straight at Owen for a moment, staring down at his face and listening silently.

After that, Grace politely grabbed the end of her dress and lifted it up to say goodbye to him, meaning that she didn’t want to talk anymore.

“I’ll pay you back in any way for the grace you’ve given me today. Then, please excuse me.”

Without any regrets, Grace turned her back on Owen and came out of the secret garden. But at that time, Owen looked at Grace’s back away from him and said a few words.

“Does this mean that I can tell Duke Alberton what happened today?”

“…….What did you say?”

Grace looked back at Owen standing behind her with a ridiculous expression at those words.

Owen then, who faced her again, smiled with one corner of his mouth up. Then he walked up to where Grace was standing and said, blocking her again.

“I definitely said I wanted to talk to you in return for hiding you. Why should I lie and hide you when I haven’t received the price.”

“……I’m sorry, but I never asked you to hide me, Your Highness. And I didn’t ask you to lie. I asked you not to reveal what you saw there.”

“I don’t think that’s the only thing.”

“I’m sorry, but what does it mean? Your Highness?”

“The one that is hidden in the waist of your dress now.”

“……!”

“I think you want me to keep silent about that too, don’t you?”

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