So I Was the Persecuted Grand Duchess Destined to Die? Chapter 85

Chapter 85

Xavier Celeste didn’t dodge the breath attack.

Instead, he charged straight into it.

This definitely isn’t a finished product. A breath attack at this level won’t even scratch my blade.

An explosive surge of blue aura burst from his sword and split the breath attack head-on.

The pillar of fire cleaved in two and streamed past on either side of him.

Without slowing down, Xavier sprinted directly at the monster.

“Kyah—!”

Startled, the monster beat its wings and tried to retreat—but Xavier was faster.

Vwooom—!

In an instant, he closed the distance to the monster’s throat and swung his sword in a wide arc.

Blue aura flared along the blade, dancing like flames.

The sword—completely wrapped in aura—shone so brightly it stung the eyes.

“It’s over.”

With a voice so low it seemed to pierce the ground—

KWAANG—!!!

A pale blue aura, like the color of the man himself, speared straight through the monster’s neck in a single strike.

Meanwhile.

Not far from the imperial palace—

“Hmm.”

Inside the tall spire of the Grand Temple, someone had been watching everything unfold.

“Is it still too much, after all?”

A handsome man with long silver hair lowered a long telescope and murmured.

Though his tone sounded mildly disappointed, his half-lidded eyes glinted sharply.

Even from here, the thick dust and the screaming chaos only heightened his emotion.

In his vivid red eyes was something like curiosity—perhaps even childlike delight.

“But this is only the beginning.”

With that meaningful line, the man’s refined lips curved into a smooth, elegant smile.

The Crown Prince’s birthday banquet ended early due to the disgraceful incident: a monster attack.

Thanks to the swift response of Xavier Celeste and Callian Rembrandt, there were fortunately no casualties.

However, the massive shockwave that spread through the capital—fueled by countless eyewitness accounts—could not be stopped.

“A monster?! Has doom fallen upon the Empire?”
“Watch your tongue!”
“But if the monster the First Emperor sealed centuries ago has appeared now… how is that possible?”

Because so many people had seen it with their own eyes—and because rumors always swell beyond reason—the story of that night ballooned out of control.

And among all the stories, one house was spoken of more than any other:

House Celeste.

As the Empire’s one and only ducal house, House Celeste had always drawn intense attention.

But now, the Celestes—who had held their ground in the North for so long—had finally made a visible move.

Even their arrival in the capital was enough to seize everyone’s gaze.

And in the end, it was the Grand Duke of Celeste who slew the monster—making the impact far greater than anyone imagined.

“Doesn’t it seem suspicious… how perfectly he responded, as if he’d been waiting?”

Of course, there were whispers from the Second Prince’s faction, claiming it was too convenient that such a disaster happened right when the Grand Duke—who never showed his face in the capital—came to town, suggesting something “rotten” behind it all.

“You fool. How dare you say that about the savior of the capital!”

That line of suspicion never became the mainstream.

Because it was an undeniable fact: the Grand Duke had saved lives.

So rather than being blamed, the Grand Duke was seen as a hero.

A mood quickly formed that “as long as the Grand Duke of Celeste is here, we’ll be safe even if monsters appear again,” and the panic that had nearly swallowed the capital settled down surprisingly fast.

“Hero of the Empire!”
“Long live House Celeste!”

And as Xavier Celeste, the iron-blooded Northern Grand Duke, became firmly established as a hero—

Someone else’s image shifted along with his:

Renée Celeste, the Grand Duchess—born Renée Blanche of House Blanche.

The sinister rumors that had clung to her—a bastard, a cursed red-eyed girl—melted away.

“I came to see the dress Grand Duchess Renée wore.”
“Do you have a ruby necklace? The highest grade.”

In boutiques and jewelers across the capital, everything Renée Celeste had worn at the imperial banquet became the new standard—leading trends overnight.

Ruby demand even exploded so dramatically—simply because it resembled her eye color—that prices skyrocketed.

Considering that nearly every noble in the capital had attended the Crown Prince’s banquet, the influence was enormous.

Now everyone was watching for Renée Celeste’s next move.

Whatever she wore—whatever she ate or drank—would become the capital’s next craze.

But…

“Huaaam~”

Renée Celeste, now unknowingly at the center of all attention, was sprawled half on a sofa, yawning lazily.

“…Ahem, Your Grace. Will you not read more of the letters?”

The capital townhouse’s head butler, Phil, finally spoke up after watching silently.

Even at this very moment, invitations to tea parties and banquets were pouring into the townhouse for Renée.

By all social expectations, as the lady of the ducal house, she should seize this moment—making appearances, building connections, strengthening influence.

But—

“Tell them the Grand Duchess is frail and took a severe shock after the banquet, and is bedridden.”

From a single-seater sofa nearby, Xavier answered instead, legs crossed.

His tone sounded flat, but Phil—sharp as he was—could tell.

He’s saying something so gentle…!

And to be fair, it wasn’t entirely false.

Renée had fainted right after the monster appeared, and she didn’t wake until late the next evening.

Objectively speaking, she looked rosy and perfectly healthy now.

So it should have been time to return to her “Grand Duchess duties”…

Yet strangely, not a single person tried to pressure her—not even the strict Diana Celeste, who actually urged her to rest for the time being.

“Isn’t ‘bedridden’ a bit exaggerated?” Renée scratched her cheek, sounding at least somewhat self-aware.

“It’s not exaggerated, my dear. You truly do need rest,” Diana said, pushing up her glasses as she checked each letter’s sender.

Beside Renée, Katharina Hugo, who had been feeding her chocolates, nodded fiercely in agreement.

Watching them, Xavier drove the point home.

“Fine. Then go attend every one of these parties.”

“I’m dying of illness. Oh no… I can’t… I must lie down immediately.”

With a theatrical groan, Renée flopped sideways, using Katharina’s thigh as a pillow.

“Hohoho. Lady Renée—here. Say ‘ah~’.”
“Waaah~”

Renée bit into the almond chocolate Katharina fed her, looking like she owned the entire world.

She had not even a speck of Grand Duchess dignity, but Xavier wore a soft, almost fond smile, as if she were simply adorable.

When did our Grand Duke grow up so much… to fall into such a beautiful love…

Having watched Xavier since he was a child—just like Karl had—Phil swallowed his emotion, nearly moved to tears.

And that special event we prepared on the first night at the townhouse… His Grace seemed quite pleased.

The handmade cake and rose-petal “big gesture” that Phil and the head maid had arranged—Xavier had said nothing about it, but with his personality, the fact that he hadn’t scolded them at all was practically a success.

We might even hear more good news soon…

With faces like theirs, their child could probably conquer the world with sheer beauty—

It was only Renée who had absolutely no such thoughts.

Springing upright again, she stretched with a long, stiff yawn.

“Mmm~ Still, it feels kind of wasteful. We came all the way to the capital, but I don’t know how long we’ll stay, so I can’t even tend my garden. I’m getting a little bored…”

“Hm, is that so?”

At that moment, Diana’s eyes flashed.

Her blue gaze pressed silently toward Xavier.

But Renée—already trotting over to the window with Katharina—noticed nothing at all.

“Xavier. Our girl is feeling restless.”

In a voice only Xavier and Phil could hear, Diana whispered.

“So… did you prepare that?”