Chapter 69: Love Triangles (2)

A few days ago, Gris had learned about the importance of maintaining aristocratic dignity during her liberal arts lessons. Proper etiquette dictated that an aristocrat should know how to keep a secret and refrain from spreading said secrets to others.

That, however, was only the textbook definition of how a noble ought to behave, and it could not have been further from reality. To say that the nobility were extremely curious people would not have been an exaggeration. Indeed, it was common practice among the aristocracy to gossip, slander those who had fallen out of favor with them, and trade important information.

Fortunately, rumors about the fake Yuliana living in the Byrenhag Estate had not yet been whispered among any social circles, so she was currently safe from being the target of any scandals. Nevertheless, Gris wasn’t entirely comfortable with participating in gossip and just nervously nodded her head

“Yes, I think he will be married soon.”

Adele lowered her head surreptitiously at Dirk. “Looks like the child has been forgotten. There should be no more cause for friction between us now.”

Gris was puzzled by Adele’s statements. Was she referring to the Grand Duke?

“The child?” Gris asked in confusion.

Stephen kept an eye on Adele to determine whether she was beginning to tire of their fruitless exchange. “Adele,” he interjected, “I believe it’s better if you rest for now. Your lips are becoming pale.”

Adele glanced at Dirk to see if her behavior had also caused him to be concerned for her health. “Really?”

“You do look a little tired,” her brother nodded as if to tell her it was alright if she wished to rest. “We will be staying in Byrenhag mansion for the time being, so there will be plenty of opportunities to talk more in the future. Let’s just rest for today.”

Stephan quickly leaped at the opportunity to end the conversation. “Allow me to escort you to your chambers,” he offered a hand to Adele, “I had a room specially prepared for you.”

While Gris carefully observed their interactions, she had deciphered the more treacherous intentions behind Stephan’s words. If everything was able to happen the way Stephan intended, then sooner or later she and Dirk would be left alone. His persuading Adele to rest was a trick to remove the hindrance separating them, the real focus of his plans.

Gris felt as if the air had been choked from her lungs, but there was nothing she could do to avoid being alone with Dirk. She wondered if she could truly convince herself to marry him for the sake of leaving this mansion safely.

Adele’s interest had been piqued by Stephan mentioning a special room made specifically for her, so she followed him out to the hall. Gris, on the other hand, remained seated and again looked down at her tea. Sunlight bounced off the table as the silence permeated the air.

The light reflected Dirk’s face onto the surface of her red tea. He was sitting with his torso leaning forward and seemed to be appreciating the scenery outside the window, but after a short while, he glanced at her. At first, his gaze fell over Gris’ face and then wandered to her ruby earrings. His eyes came to rest on her clavicle, and he tightly clutched the cushion beside him.

Gris reached for the sugar bowl and stirred a couple cubes into her tea, pretending that she wasn’t aware of anything going on. She had wanted to ask Dirk a few questions about himself, but the story of the duke that Adele mentioned a while ago would not leave her thoughts.

Gris could not contain her curiosity and was the first to break the silence.

“Can you tell me what is the story behind the forgotten child? It’s my first time hearing about such a tale.”

She was not sure why she was so curious about Vianut, especially in front of the man she was set to marry. Vianut was not the kind of man whom she needed to get involved with, even in the future.

Realizing her error too late, Gris struggled to think up a way to change the topic before he could reply. Dirk focused his attention on the table and answered her question with surprising ease.

“It is literally as we said,” he explained. “When he was younger, the Duke had wanted to marry a certain child, but unfortunately she passed away in vain. It’s a long story, so I think it best if I tell you the details later.”

Gris only nodded because it seemed that the forgotten child was not an appropriate topic to talk about at the moment, especially since this was supposed to be their first reunion in years.

During the lull in their conversation, Dirk anxiously bounced his hands upon his knees.

“You have changed so much,” he ventured cautiously, “it feels so strange.”

The strange feeling referred to the discrepancy between younger Yuliana’s personality, which he knew well, and the drastically different temperament exhibited by the young woman sitting in front of him. Gris nervously held her breath and tried to pretend that everything was alright.

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“What has changed?” she asked.

Dirk’s clear, green eyes delicately stared at her.

“Um, I think you’ve become very feminine and pretty.”

The purity of his answer tickled her ears.

Dirk’s irises dropped to the floor as if they no longer knew where to go. Gris also wasn’t sure where to focus her attention anymore. It had been a long time since she encountered a man who acted so nervous and timid in front of her. Curiously, she felt like she was once again the Princess of Grandia, for some reason.

Dirk fidgeted and raised his teacup, but it trembled. He didn’t want her to see the way his fingers quivered, so he put the cup down again.

“So, what do you think of me?”

By how shyly he posed his question, he seemed like a boy hoping for a compliment from a childhood friend who had become so beautiful. Gris looked at the rug’s intricate patterning as she answered.

“You look handsome.”

She realized that nervousness had engulfed her as well, since she had been unable to bring herself to make eye contact with him as she replied. Were there other ways of showing a lack of courtesy aside from this one?

Gris looked up and furtively met his gaze. With his naturally golden hair, Dirk truly fit the description of a handsome, young man. Because of the black cloak covering his upper body, she could moderately feel the weight of his tall stature.

“Yes,” she continued, “you really do.”

Only then did his smile widen, exposing his dimples. He touched his cheek, which had become ruddy from happiness and embarrassment.

He then started talking again. “…Did you hear that we might get married?”

“… Yes, I heard that would be the case.”

“What do you think about it?”

Her opinion did not really matter. Stephan would make sure they would be wed as long as he willed it, and all she had to do was fulfill her duty as a bride.

The only choices that he gave to Gris were either to marry or run away. In both scenarios, her life was on the line, so she hadn’t decided yet.

“I do not know,” she replied.

Dirk nodded at her careful answer. His reaction indicated that he was also unwilling to rush his decisions. “I do not know, either.”

“…”

“I don’t know your feelings,” he continued.

Gris raised her eyebrows.

Her feelings? Her feelings… She never expected someone would be curious about that.

“My feelings…?”

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