So I Was the Persecuted Grand Duchess Destined to Die? Chapter 70

Chapter 70

When my expression suddenly turned sour, Lady Diana let out a soft laugh.

“Did the two of you fight?”

“Oh, no way. Who on earth would dare fight His Grace the Grand Duke?”

“……”

That would be you, her eyes clearly said—though she didn’t put it into words.

What exactly is my image here…?
Wow. That stings a little.

In the end, I spilled everything that had happened today.
Going to the boutique to look at dresses, briefly running into a girl named Bianca, then eating ice cream—right up to Ternox raiding the salt-bread shop.

“Xavier and ice cream… pfft. Yes, he does like it. He likes it very, very much.”

Lady Diana looked like she was on the verge of bursting into laughter.

“But is that really something to be embarrassed about? I mean, a grown man can like ice cream or salt bread! It’s not like I made fun of him for it!”

The more I talked, the more unfair it felt.

I never mocked Xavier for liking ice cream or salt bread!
If anything, he was the one who got self-conscious and snapped all on his own!

Seriously—so annoying!

As I fumed quietly, Lady Diana spoke again.

“Xavier is a very shy child. Having his true feelings exposed must have embarrassed him.”

“He has way too much to be embarrassed about… I still don’t get it!”

“One day, you’ll understand him too. Until then, don’t hold it against him. Our dear child has such a generous heart—let it slide a little.”

“Okaaay…”

Well…
No matter how you looked at it, the Grand Duke was just a big kid in a grown man’s body.

I’m the adult here. I’ll endure it.

Once I thought that way, everything seemed trivial.
I exchanged a brief smile with Lady Diana.

Honestly, just getting it off my chest made me feel lighter.

“But you said you met Bianca Blanche earlier?”

“Oh—yes. I did.”

I’d skipped over that part pretty lightly too.

Lady Diana missed nothing.
She tapped the table lightly, thinking, then stopped.

And then she said something I never expected.

“I know now that your life at House Blanche was never easy for you.”

“……”

“I’d like to apologize, even now, for opposing you without truly knowing the kind of child you are.”

As she finished speaking, Lady Diana gently brushed a hand down my shoulder.

At that warmth—her gaze, her touch—my nose stung unexpectedly.

Right… I never truly felt like I belonged anywhere.

Maybe that’s why I kept drawing a line between this world and my former life in Korea, insisting that one was real and the other wasn’t.

“Never forget this. I, Xavier, and beyond that, House Celeste itself… we are your one and only family.”

Ah.

“No matter who you are or what you become, this is your home. We will protect you, no matter the cost. That needs no justification. Remember that.”

At those gentle words, something surged up from deep in my chest.

Only now did it truly feel like this was where I belonged.

Looking back, this world—now my entire life—was full of precious people.

The Ga-Na maid squad who supported me from the very beginning.
Ternox, infuriating but always stepping up for me and Xavier in the end.
Katharina and her debut-mates, who became my closest friends after many twists and turns.
Lady Diana, who understood and embraced all of me.
The staff of House Celeste, including Karl.

And…

Still annoying, but…

Xavier too—who I’d somehow grown fond of, despite myself.

“Yes. Of course, Grandmother.”

I smiled, holding back tears with all my strength.

Lady Diana smoothed my hair gently, as if she understood everything.

“Then… shouldn’t we make House Blanche pay the proper price for insulting our dear child?”

Her eyes suddenly turned cold.

The warmth from earlier vanished without a trace, and for a moment I could almost see flames raging behind her.

“…Huh?”

Wait—hold on.
Why are you suddenly fired up like this?!

“Ohhh, this is going to be a very enjoyable banquet.”

With a crooked smile and a resolute motion, Lady Diana rose from her seat.

I followed her awkwardly, unable to hide my shock.

She clasped my hand tightly and walked lightly along, then whispered cheerfully,

“Now then! Let’s go prepare to flatten those brats’ noses.”

I was so overwhelmed by her momentum that I couldn’t even respond.

How is it that…

For the first time, Lady Diana and Xavier looked exactly alike to me.

Meanwhile, at the Imperial Palace — Night

Inside the Crown Prince’s private reception room.

A handsome man sat leisurely on a high-quality velvet sofa, sipping black tea.
Even in the dead of night, his platinum-blond hair gleamed brilliantly.

His golden eyes—darker still—made his noble bloodline immediately obvious.
Only royalty were born with gold eyes.

He was the rising new sun—

Callian Rembrandt, Crown Prince of the Rembrandt Empire.

Just then—

Knock, knock, knock.

A knock sounded, and the door opened smoothly without a sound.

Eyes that shimmered like molten gold sharpened as they caught sight of the figure entering.

“What? Why’d you come alone?”

Despite his lofty appearance, Callian spoke playfully as he set down his teacup.

“Greetings, Your Highness.”

The visitor answered with a curt greeting.

Xavier stood there, his expression stiff as ever.
Unlike the Crown Prince’s dazzling gold, his attire was dark and somber.

Yet his violet-blue eyes gleamed sharply.

Callian grinned and shrugged.

“Relax. It’s just us. Are you really going to treat me like a stranger?”

“…Ahem.”

Only then did Xavier glance around the empty room before sitting on the sofa opposite the Crown Prince.

Contrary to Callian’s assumption, Ternox was probably listening in through magic outside the door.
And with the Crown Prince’s knight guarding the terrace around the clock, neither of them was truly alone.

“So, Callian. Have you been well?”

“Of course. I’ve been very well. But seriously—why’d you come alone?”

“Who else would I bring?”

“I did write it clearly in my letter.”

The Crown Prince stared at Xavier with a face that screamed this is hilarious.

Xavier shook his head, clearly fed up.

“Callian. Stop making that face. This isn’t the time.”

“What face?”

“The one that says you’re dying of curiosity.”

Xavier’s icy expression cracked slightly, irritation slipping through.

But Callian didn’t care—he crossed his legs casually.

“Well, of course I’m curious. I hear the frigid Grand Duke of the North is completely smitten with his Grand Duchess.”

“……”

Xavier’s hand paused midair as he lifted his teacup.

Sharp-eyed Callian immediately noticed the tips of his ears turning red and struggled desperately to hold back his laughter.

Xavier frowned and snapped coldly.

“You should replace your informants. That’s baseless nonsense.”

“Come on—informants? The rumors are everywhere. North or not.”

“Groundless rumors.”

Whii—

Instead of replying, Callian let out a short whistle.

Back when they were young—

Close in age and bonded as pages, the two had grown up remarkably close.
Though after the previous Grand Duke’s madness worsened—and the previous Grand Duchess passed away—their meetings had grown rare.

Even so, the bond between them hadn’t rusted.

Callian pouted exaggeratedly.

“Brother. I heard that the moment you arrived in the capital, you skipped visiting this little brother of yours and went dress shopping instead. So—did you buy a lovely dress to wear to my birthday banquet?”

But Xavier wasn’t someone to be pushed around.

“You’ve got nerve talking about that. A masquerade ball—did you know about it?”

“Of course. Found out just this morning.”

The Crown Prince answered with a familiar, resigned look.