So I Was the Persecuted Grand Duchess Destined to Die? Chapter 134

Chapter 134

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“You look exhausted.”

“I am… I don’t even know how today passed. At least there’s no banquet afterward. If there had been one too? Wow… I don’t even want to imagine it.”

No matter how much they tried to prevent it, the number of victims caused by the High Priest had been significant.

To mourn them, all celebratory imperial banquets for the coronation had been canceled.

That, too, was very like Callian.

With such a righteous emperor, the Empire would surely rise again.

Click.

The door opened, and Callian—looking noticeably tired—entered with a hearty laugh.

“My apologies. I kept you waiting.”

“Not at all, Your Majesty.”

“We’re alone, so spare me the formalities, Brother. Becoming emperor doesn’t change the fact that you’re my benefactor.”

“…‘Benefactor’ is too grand a word.”

“Why? Without you, I—no, this Empire—wouldn’t be standing here. And Renée, I’m deeply grateful to you as well.”

“I didn’t do anything worthy of that, Your Majesty.”

Callian shook his head firmly and sank into the sofa.

Though he had ascended the throne, in front of Xavier he remained familiar and open as ever.

“So then—what do our national heroes, the Duke and Duchess of Celeste, intend to do next? For the record, this younger brother will be exceedingly busy from here on out.”

“We know.”

“Do you? Then perhaps you’ll remain in the capital and help me—”

“That’s your responsibility. We’re returning to the North soon.”

“What? Why?!”

Callian shot upright as if spring-loaded.

He wasn’t the only one startled.

“We’re going back to the North?”

That was the best news I’d heard all day.

Apparently my eyes were sparkling, because Xavier smiled faintly and nodded at me.

“Isn’t that a bit heartless? I even gave you a medal. Won’t you help your poor younger brother?”

“Brother. My wife says leaving home only leads to hardship. I can’t make her suffer any longer.”

“X-Xavier! When did I ever say that?!”

This man! Saying whatever he pleased in front of the emperor?!

I tried to clap a hand over his mouth in horror, but he only laughed and wrapped an arm around my waist.

Across from us, Callian shook his head with dry amusement.

“Unbelievable. I’ll have to get married quickly at this rate. This is unbearable.”

“Do it. Strongly recommended.”

“…To think the great Duke Xavier Celeste would say such a thing. Duchess, you’re remarkable. I suppose I can’t stop you. But at least send carrier pigeons often. Better yet—visit the capital once every quarter.”

“We’ll think about it.”

Though Callian still looked reluctant, he didn’t press further.

After chatting a little longer, we left the palace under his personal send-off.

Back at the townhouse, the atmosphere was practically festive.

“Your Grace, Your Grace! Invitations to banquets and tea parties are flooding in again. Should we host a grand one ourselves?”

Phil greeted us with unusual excitement.

The house he had served all his life had now solidified its position as the Empire’s foremost noble family.

But Xavier shook his head firmly.

“Tomorrow, once preparations are complete, we return to the North.”

“What? Without staying longer in the capital? The nobles are lining up to pay their respects!”

Karl asked in surprise.

Xavier simply nodded and took my hand.

He must have noticed my fatigue without me saying a word.

“I have no need for greetings. Renée is tired. I won’t keep my wife in such a complicated place any longer.”

I blinked.

At some point, Xavier had begun to see straight through me without needing words.

He seemed to understand that the place I truly considered home was the ducal castle—

and my small, cozy cottage.

“Oh…”

Phil faltered, then, noticing how worn I looked, straightened solemnly.

“Understood. Your Grace, Your Grace. You’ve worked hard today. The bath is prepared—please rest comfortably.”

For some reason, his eyes shone with suspicious determination.

‘W-Why…?’

That look made me uneasy.

But I was too tired to question it.

I headed straight to the bath, assisted by the Ga-Na maid squad.

“Hot baths really are the best…”

It felt like just yesterday I’d been sneaking into the ducal bathhouse because I didn’t even have proper hot water.

Everything we’d gone through passed before my eyes like a panorama, and my longing to go home deepened even more.

After bathing and changing into sleepwear, I entered the bedroom.

“Xavier? Why are you standing there?”

“Oh.”

He stood stiffly by the door, ears bright red.

When I stepped beside him and looked inside—

I froze too.

On our first day at the townhouse, there had been a rather embarrassing whipped cream cake.

Now it had… evolved.

It was a three-tier cake.

And the chocolate plaque on top wasn’t a short message anymore—it was practically a letter.

The content was the most astonishing part:

We will forever support the eternal love of His Grace and Her Grace ♥
P.S. Your Grace, last night I had an extraordinary prenatal dream.
A lovely white rabbit hopped right into the ducal castle!
May we look forward to joyful news soon?
— The Townhouse Staff

“P-Pr… prenatal dream…?”

My face burned instantly.

This was beyond teasing—this was creative harassment.

“To avoid disappointing those expectations, I suppose I’ll have to work harder.”

Xavier said it in an absurdly serious tone, doubling my embarrassment.

I scratched my head awkwardly and plopped down at the table.

“Haha… Let’s just eat it!”

I immediately attacked the chocolate “letter,” chewing it to pieces.

“Ha.”

Xavier dragged a chair beside me and sat down.

‘Wow. This is actually delicious.’

The cake was packed with seasonal fruit.

Truly impressive.

But that aside, his gaze on my profile was scorching.

I kept shoveling cake into my mouth to avoid looking at him.

“Is it that good?”

“Yes! Ah—Xavier, you should eat too. I can’t just eat alone—”

I reached to hand him a fresh fork.

But his cool scent reached me first.

He gently lifted my chin—and pressed his lips to mine.

My eyes widened—then slowly closed.

We shared a long, sweet kiss.

“There was cream on you.”

After pulling away, he licked his lips lightly and grinned.

So this time, I leaned forward first and gave him a quick kiss.

His eyes widened slightly—rare for him.

“You said you wanted a reward tonight, didn’t you?”

Heh.

I couldn’t resist teasing him.

Immediately, his gaze darkened.

“You… seem eager to lose sleep tonight.”

“Huh? Of course not!”

“You started it.”

“Ah!”

In one smooth motion, he rose and scooped me up bridal-style.

No one was watching, but I buried my face in his neck anyway.

A low laugh rumbled in response.

I lifted my head slowly and met his violet-blue eyes.

“Renée. I love you.”

The confession came like an ambush.

No matter how many times I heard it, my heart still fluttered.

I pressed my forehead to his and smiled.

“I love you too, Xavier.”

Perhaps the reason we shared hearts and rewrote timelines to return here—

was simply for this moment.

After countless days and countless turns of fate, our hearts had finally found their rightful place.

Our lives, layered over each other’s pulses,

would now become one eternity no one could ever sever.

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“So I Was the Persecuted Grand Duchess Destined to Die?”
The End

T/N And just like that, we’ve reached the end.

Thank you for reading So I Was the Persecuted Grand Duchess Destined to Die? and staying with Renée and Xavier until the very end. It’s been such a joy sharing their story with you.

Thank you for all your support 💕