So I Was the Persecuted Grand Duchess Destined to Die? Chapter 73

Chapter 73

The person standing before me was none other than Xavier.

Why are you… here?

As if he were truly in love with me, he gently brushed my hair back, his face full of concern.

“……”

It felt… strange.

As I lay there blinking slowly—

“It’s alright. Go back to sleep.”

His low, gentle voice resonated through me.
Even as he spoke, the hand patting my shoulder was warm—comfortingly so.

Ah… right. This must be a dream too…

I closed my eyes again.

The Next Day

When I opened my eyes, my entire body felt light and refreshed.
The kind of clarity you get after sleeping really well.

Today’s condition: excellent!

“Nggh—!”

Stretching widely, I sat up and glanced out the window—only to see the sun already high in the sky.

“Gasp. How many hours did I even sleep?”

Good thing I didn’t have any plans today.
If the banquet had been today, it would’ve been a disaster!

Between the long journey to the capital and all that shopping, I must’ve overdone it without realizing.

This frail body, honestly…

Still, at least I didn’t collapse completely!
Staying positive, I was about to get ready to wash up when—

My eyes landed on the empty space beside me.

“…Hm. So it really was just a dream.”

I’d had such a strange dream last night.
It felt so vivid—like something I’d actually lived through—that it gave me chills.

Still, learning about Renée’s past wasn’t exactly a bad thing.

I’d experienced it so clearly, in first person.
That meant I didn’t need to fake having lost my memory—there was at least some benefit.

Well… it felt too real to be pleasant, but—

It’s not like I actually lived through it.

See? I’m great at separating myself when it matters.

More than anything, my body felt light, so my mood was good too.
No way I was letting some silly dream ruin this refreshing morning.

“Renée, are you alright?”

“Ugh…”

The second dream—the one with Xavier—lingered strangely in my mind.

Still, it’s just a dream. Hey, hey—don’t get excited on your own!

I’d heard stories about people dreaming they dated a celebrity they didn’t even care about, only to suddenly become fans afterward.
If that happened to me, it would be a huge problem.

Xavier isn’t a celebrity—he’s someone I see every day.
I can’t afford weird misunderstandings.

I know that. So why am I like this?

Arrhythmia, arrhythmia…

Even so, I pressed a hand to my racing chest and hurriedly climbed out of bed.

Just then—

Knock, knock, knock.

“Madam! Are you awake?”

“Yeah!”

“I’m coming in.”

Perfect timing—Betty appeared, carrying a basin of water.

“My goodness, Madam. Are you feeling alright?”

“Huh? I’m totally fine.”

“Oh, thank heavens. You had a fever last night—we had to call the physician. It was chaos!”

Setting the basin down, Betty examined me closely, her expression serious.

“What? I did?”

“You don’t remember anything?”

“Uh…”

I’d thought I just slept for a long time, but apparently this fragile body couldn’t even handle that.

Still, since I felt completely fine now, I confidently put my hands on my hips.
Betty laughed despite herself.

“His Grace found you groaning in pain and immediately summoned the doctor. You suffered terribly through the night—we had to change your nightclothes twice.”

“Oh. I see.”

No wonder my pajamas felt slightly different.
So it wasn’t my imagination?

As I absentmindedly fiddled with the hem of my one-piece nightgown—

“His Grace was extremely worried. He stayed by your side until dawn.”

That unexpected remark slipped from Betty’s mouth.

The scenes I’d dismissed as dreams resurfaced in my mind.

Wait… then…

Was last night actually real?

But the thought didn’t last long.

No way.

It must’ve been because the first dream—where I fully immersed myself in the original heroine—triggered the second one.

Shaking off the thought, I deliberately splashed my face more vigorously.

“Splash! Splash!”

“M-Madam, why are you washing so aggressively…?”

“This wakes you right up! Whew! Fully awake! Anyway, Betty—don’t worry so much!”

I flashed her a confident grin and gave a big thumbs-up.

“Well… as long as you’re alright, Madam…”

With a conflicted look, Betty wiped the water from my face.

After changing clothes and stepping into the hallway, I ran straight into Katharina, who was hurrying toward me.

“Lady Renée! Are you feeling alright?”

Ugh.
Looks like I’ll be hearing this all day.

“Of course! I feel amazing—well, amazing afternoon, I guess.”

“The journey from the North must’ve been exhausting. And you were already so delicate to begin with!”

Honestly, the dress shopping drained me far more than the week-long journey ever did.

But I couldn’t bring myself to say that to Katharina’s bright face, so I just laughed it off.

“You haven’t eaten yet, right? Let’s eat together in the garden.”

“Sure.”

The two of us walked hand in hand toward the garden.

The afternoon garden—filled with blooming yellow and red flowers—was beautiful.
Not as grand as the ducal castle, but the townhouse had its own charm.

One big difference from the North was the massive glass greenhouse.

That was our destination.

“Oh! And we received letters from our friends. I already read mine—Phil should be bringing yours soon.”

Katharina said this as we sat at a neat table in the center of the greenhouse.

“Oh right. That means they must be in the capital too.”

Even if we’d met recently, girl talk was always fun.

Accepting the teacup Betty handed me, I smiled softly—and Katharina smiled back.

“Yes. The banquet is tomorrow, so we’ll see them then. After that, how about hosting a large tea party and inviting other young ladies in the capital?”

“Well… sure. Let’s do that!”

Images of Lilian, Julie, and Serena—each with their own charm—flashed through my mind.

A gathering of beautiful young ladies × N?
There was no way I was missing that.

“Hehehe.”

I laughed slyly, making Katharina briefly give me an odd look—
which soon softened into as long as you’re happy.

“The weather’s nice today.”

Since I wasn’t very hungry, I had a simple egg sandwich for lunch.

Taking a big bite, the rich flavor of mashed egg filled my mouth.

“Mmm~ delicious.”

“There’s more, so please eat plenty!”

“Mmh!”

Nom—

“Pfft.”

Cough, cough!

I suddenly choked.

“!”

Because my eyes met Xavier’s—who had just entered the greenhouse—from across the room.

“Oh my! Lady Renée, are you alright?”

“Here—use this handkerchief!”

Katharina and Betty spoke at once, but I barely heard them.

“Oh dear.”

The moment our eyes met, Xavier abruptly turned away—as if he’d seen something he shouldn’t have.

“What—what was that?”

I wiped my mouth with the handkerchief, utterly bewildered.

“Oh?”

Following my gaze, Katharina noticed the Grand Duke retreating and let out a small sound of surprise.

“How unusual. Why did His Grace just leave like that?”

She sounded genuinely confused.

“Did you two argue?”

“Me and His Grace? No?”

He’s always rude—nothing new there.
I swallowed that thought and asked instead,

“Why do you ask?”

“Well… he’s usually always hovering around you, Lady Renée.”

“Huh? No way.”

“Hm? I think he does…”

We tilted our heads at the same time, equally puzzled.

After a moment, Katharina broke into a bright smile.

“Well, if he’s not talking to you, that’s great for me! Renée is mine!”

She pulled me into a tight hug.

“Y-Yeah…”

Cradled like a plush doll in her soft embrace, I nodded halfheartedly.

Yeah… I probably imagined it.
There’s no way that arrogant Grand Duke would avoid anyone.

But—

It wasn’t my imagination.