So I Was the Persecuted Grand Duchess Destined to Die? Chapter 31

Chapter 31

BANG—CRASH!

The door flew open with an earsplitting slam.

“Lady Renée!”

And there she was—
the peacock maid.

Today, just like every other day, she was dressed to kill. She must have sprinted here without stopping, because with every ragged breath, her gold-threaded hair swayed and shimmered like spun sunlight.

It was a stunning sight, but—

“Ghk!”

Maybe because the last image of her in my head was her trying to grab my hair like she was auditioning for a K-drama, every single body hair I owned stood straight up.

“W-What is it…?”

It’s coming.
That bad feeling.

And damn it—this time I didn’t have the Grand Duke around to use as a human shield!

I forced an awkward smile, tensing up so hard my bones might have squeaked—

—but contrary to her dramatic entrance, her voice came out soft.

“Lady Renée… I heard you’ll be staying in the main building from now on?”

“Uh… yeah. I guess so.”

“Congratulations. Truly. This room feels even brighter now that it has finally found its rightful owner.”

Well—
the room was bright. Sunlight poured through the tall windows, bouncing off the chandelier and making it glitter like it was showing off.

I narrowed my eyes suspiciously and asked carefully,

“Thank you… but why are you here?”

Because being alone with you is kind of terrifying, okay?
Please just say your business and leave.

Maybe she sensed my reluctance.

Her face… drooped, almost shyly.

And then she walked closer and—

Dropped to her knees right in front of me.

“Huh?!”

I blinked like an idiot, completely frozen.

With her head bowed low, she spoke in a thin, trembling voice.

“Last time… I committed a terrible offense. I’ve come today to apologize.”

Her voice was the kind that made you feel sorry for her against your will.

But I wasn’t about to relax yet.

She means what happened in the library, right? An apology now? What’s the angle?

I stared down at her—still kneeling, still pitiful—

completely confused.

Can someone’s attitude really flip that fast?

But… the more she spoke, the more it started making a strange kind of sense.

“The truth is… I genuinely believed you were doing something scandalous, Lady Renée! Because I was the one who witnessed you meeting a strange man whose identity I did not know!”

“…What?”

In an instant, Xavier Celeste’s words from the library flashed through my mind.

Reveal who that man is. Someone even reported he’s your secret lover…

So the person who’d reported my “secret lover” was her.

“On the day I visited the cottage without warning… I only wished to surprise you. I truly meant well—I wanted to keep you company, to give you someone to speak with… but you looked so perfectly matched with that handsome man that I—! I misunderstood!”

Nooooo—STOP!

Please, I’m begging you—do not ship me with Ternox!

“That makes absolutely no—”

I started to protest in horror—

when the maid’s gaze snapped up from the floor.

And she looked straight at me.

“!”

Her face—beautiful as it was—was completely twisted with emotion.

Oh my God. A beauty.

A beauty who was exactly my type.

All beauties are correct, but she was the kind I personally had a weakness for—
a sharp, cat-like face.

Eyes that tilted upward at the corners.
Huge eyes that somehow took up half her face.
And irises so clear and bright they looked like finely cut sapphires.

I tried to force my heart back into my chest, but I still couldn’t stop staring.

Her cherry-red lips parted again.

“To be candid… House Hugo has long served House Celeste as their closest retainers. And before you arrived, Lady Renée… I was the one who remained at the Grand Duke’s side, devoted to supporting him.”

As she said it, she covered her mouth as if embarrassed, eyes drifting away shyly.

Oh… that tone.

So there was something.

It sounded like they’d known each other forever—childhood companions, the kind who grew up together.

“But that is all in the past now.”

Her eyes turned sad.

When a shadow fell over such a dazzling face, it looked heartbreakingly tragic—
and sure enough, her lashes shimmered like she was fighting tears.

“The true Grand Duchess has arrived… and I became the Grand Duchess’s maid. So please… understand that I feel more familiarity with His Grace than I do with you.”

“Y-Yeah. Sure. Totally…”

A cold line of sweat slid down my spine.

Because a very bad premonition had just struck me.

This is such a cliché.

Two childhood friends who bickered because they never realized their feelings.
One of them secretly hoping things would stay that way forever—
until—

A sudden political marriage.

Then misunderstanding.
Then distance.
Then heartbreak.

I knew this pattern far too well.

Don’t tell me…

Was I the villain wedged between them?

Was I the “evil woman” role who ruins their relationship?

If so, then—

The way Xavier Celeste had been icy to her in the library…

Was that… him forcing himself to cut her off?
Some tragic performance to protect her?

“……”

And honestly… it did explain something.

Even when he acted cold to me, Xavier Celeste did try to look like a loving husband in public.

Guilt hit me so hard I almost gagged.

And right then—

the beautiful woman in front of me grabbed my hand.

Tightly.

“But I have decided, Lady Renée.”

Her eyes shone with determination.

“Katharina Hugo will become your closest friend.”

“…Me? Your friend?”

How did we get that conclusion?!

Also—her name is Katharina. Even her name is pretty.

Ignoring my confused reaction completely, Katharina Hugo continued with passionate intensity.

“House Hugo was born to serve House Celeste. And now that you have become a true Celeste as well… it is only right that I cast aside my personal feelings and offer you my loyalty.”

Her expression was genuinely resolute.

And judging by her intensity—

she clearly believed the spent the night together rumor with her whole chest.

Meanwhile, I—now locked into full Reader Perspective Mode—was internally being ripped into a thousand pieces.

AHHH—Katharina! WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?!

You think the man you love just became a real married couple with me—
and you still want to be my friend?!

Because it’s your duty?!

“Th-That’s… not necessary…”

I didn’t even know what misunderstanding she was running with anymore, but the deeper she went, the heavier my dread became.

I couldn’t even tell where this all went wrong.

But then—

“So… will you forgive my past misconduct… and accept me as your friend?”

Katharina Hugo’s soft hand stroked mine gently.

And then—

A single tear slipped free.

It rolled down her smooth cheek like a pearl.

No…

Angel.

This woman is an angel.

Somewhere along the way, the fact that this angel had once tried to grab my hair blurred into irrelevance.

Fine. She’s an angel with a competitive streak.

Either way, her radiant presence made it impossible to refuse.

I forced a smile and nodded.

“Of course. Katharina.”

Katharina Hugo’s face brightened instantly—like a blue rose blooming in full sunlight.

“Thank you, Lady Renée! How can you be so kind…? I truly thought I might lose my position as a maid. And honestly… after what I did, it would have served me right…”

She covered her mouth again, looking so frail and remorseful that the terrifying library version of her might as well have been a myth.

Panicked, I rushed out reassurance.

“There’s no way! You acted out of feelings for the Grand Duke, right? You misunderstood—deeply—but still. Misunderstandings can be fixed! Nothing is ruined! Nothing’s beyond saving!”

Even if ruined love stories are my guilty pleasure—

even if people say the greatest of faith, hope, and love is… doomed romance—

I didn’t love the idea of being shoved into the villainess role when I didn’t even know what story I was in.

I need to remember something. Anything. Even a tiny clue about this novel…

I was just clinging to that new goal when—

“Lady Renée, then… to celebrate our friendship, would you accompany me tomorrow? There is something I truly wish to show you.”

Clap!

Katharina Hugo clapped her hands, smiling brightly—

and her eyes, for a split second, looked oddly sharp.

But at the time, I assumed it was just my imagination.