So I Was the Persecuted Grand Duchess Destined to Die? Chapter 83

Chapter 83

Thump, thump.

Even now, I could vividly feel his pulse through our still-intertwined hands.
At this point, I couldn’t even tell whether the pounding heartbeat belonged to him—or to me.

Th-this has gotten bigger than I thought…

Setting aside the countless eyes focused on us, I couldn’t help thinking that boldly revealing our faces like that might not have been the best move.

I stood there at a loss, sneaking glances at Xavier Celeste’s side profile when—

Dong— dong— dong…

Twelve chimes rang out, announcing midnight.

“C-cough.”

The chief palace attendant, who had been standing blankly among the crowd, finally snapped back to attention and stepped toward the edge of the dais. Ringing a small bell to draw attention, he swallowed dryly and proclaimed in a booming voice,

“Honored guests, the midnight bells have rung. Let us all remove our masks, pay our respects, and celebrate His Highness Callian Rembrandt’s twenty-second birthday.”

At last…
It was the Crown Prince’s birthday.

As if the earlier commotion had never happened, applause erupted throughout the hall.

“Congratulations on your birthday, Your Highness Callian Rembrandt!”
“Our heartfelt congratulations, Your Highness!”

Callian Rembrandt had already removed his mask and stood proudly at the center of the dais. Seeing his bare face, he was even more handsome than I had imagined—enough to surprise me.

For a moment, I thought our eyes met.
Maybe it was just my imagination?

Wink.

Then, as if it were a signal, the Crown Prince smiled broadly and winked in our direction before speaking,

“I hardly know how to contain myself in the face of such warm congratulations. I offer my gratitude and honor to everyone who has graced this night with their presence.”

While the Crown Prince conducted himself with flawless grace—

“Let’s go.”

After giving the Crown Prince a small nod, Xavier gently took my hand and slipped us out through the crowd.

“P-please, maintain order! In accordance with the guest registry, each house will now proceed to greet His Highness in turn—”

“Your Highness Callian! To see you grown so splendidly is the Empire’s greatest joy…”

Seated at the ornate place of honor, the Crown Prince received the endless stream of congratulations with a calm smile. Everything flowed smoothly, as though the chaos from earlier had never existed.

Thanks to that, Xavier and I managed to retreat without trouble to a quiet terrace at the far edge of the hall.

“Haa…”

Beyond the terrace railing, the imperial gardens spread out beautifully below.
But as lovely as the night scenery was, I was in no state to appreciate it.

What on earth just happened?

How many disturbances had there been in such a short span of time?!

For some reason, my little hut felt achingly dear to me tonight…

No matter how I thought about it, life in the hut was better. No troublesome entanglements with people… That was the only time I ever felt truly at ease.

Not the spacious townhouse, nor the cramped studio apartment from my previous life—only the hut at the Grand Ducal estate felt like home.

I want to go back already…

But to do that, there were still many hurdles to overcome.
And more importantly—the banquet wasn’t even over yet.

“Ughhh…”

I staggered forward and slumped against the railing.

After hearing me sigh repeatedly, Xavier, who had been standing quietly beside me, finally spoke.

“Are you dizzy?”

“No… I’m just exhausted.”

As my condition worsened, everything felt burdensome—the heavy necklace and earrings, the unnecessarily voluminous dress, the tightly cinched corset.

I felt suffocated.

I just want to lie down.

When I lifted my skirt slightly, I saw my feet—still in heels—were swollen.

Ugh. Nothing doesn’t hurt.

Right now, all I wanted was to lie down somewhere and roll around without a care in the world…

I was barely managing to straighten my upper body, my lips drooping, when—

“Excuse me for a moment.”

“Huh? Ah!”

Xavier gently took my waist, spun me around, and lightly seated me on the railing.

It happened so fast I didn’t even have time to protest.

The railing was high—it’s not because I’m short!—and my feet dangled helplessly in the air.

“You’ve been limping for a while now.”

Thud.

Without hesitation, Xavier dropped to one knee and deftly removed my shoe.

“I-I’m fine…!”

Suddenly exposed, my bare foot made me feel oddly embarrassed, and I hurriedly tried to hide it beneath my skirt.

Perhaps realizing what he’d done, Xavier’s ears quickly flushed red as well.

“A-ahem. My apologies for touching you without permission.”

“You say that pretty late, don’t you?”

I snapped back reflexively, but honestly, aside from being embarrassed, it didn’t feel bad.

Xavier quickly stood up and leaned against the railing.

An awkward silence settled between us.

“Hahaha!”
“……His Highness is truly…”

Faint music, laughter, and fragments of conversation drifted out through the balcony doors.

My heart was still pounding wildly.

Buried beneath the white noise, I silently prayed that Xavier wouldn’t hear it.

This is so awkward.

But enduring long silences was far too cruel a fate for someone like me.

“Um—”

“Renée.”

“Ah.”

I tried to speak first to break the tension, but unfortunately, he had the same idea.

“Y-you go first.”

“No, you may.”

“It’s really fine…”

“I don’t mind.”

“……”
“……”

Damn it.

Even more awkward!

Neither of us knew what to say, our words failing to meet as the conversation stalled.

Still, I was far better at talking than he was, so I gathered my patience and tried again.

“Ahem. Earlier, the Emperor summoned you, didn’t he? What did you talk about?”

“Ah.”

As if he’d momentarily forgotten, Xavier’s gaze sank.

Judging by his reaction, it clearly hadn’t been good news.

“To be precise, the Emperor himself didn’t summon me. As expected… the Empress was there.”

“Did Her Majesty issue some kind of warning?”

“If only she had.”

Xavier shook his head with a bitter smile.

“She invited us to the temple. You and me.”

“W-what? Me too?”

“Yes. The High Priest will personally bestow blessings upon the newlyweds.”

I tilted my head.

A blessing?

At first glance, it sounded harmless—but the implication was obvious.

“It’s laughable,” Xavier said flatly. “She behaves as though she herself were a god.”

He had clearly read between the lines.

“I planned to visit the temple eventually, but such a blatant invitation leaves a bad taste.”

In truth, he hadn’t been keen on this trip to the capital in the first place.

But reluctance and refusal were two different things.

So this is… the weight of being a Grand Ducal couple.

Knowing that all too well, we both swallowed our sighs.

“What do you think they’re plotting?”

“I don’t know. But I have no intention of dancing to their tune. We’ll need to prepare thoroughly—especially you.”

He let out a small chuckle and removed his mantle, draping it over my shoulders.

Apparently, I’d been hunching from the cold without realizing it.

The long cloak fluttered in the breeze, my hair scattering with it.

For a moment, Xavier seemed strangely distracted before clearing his throat and carefully fastening the cloak.

Though his eyes were fixed on the clasp, his hands fumbled repeatedly.

Now I was the one feeling embarrassed…

I lowered my head.

After a few more clumsy attempts, his rough hands finally withdrew.

Then, breaking the silence—

“……Renée.”

Just as Xavier was about to say something—

BANG—!!!