TGDHC 60

Chapter 60

Lakeside Date (1)

I tried hard to keep smiling as I subtly signaled the Grand Duke with my eyes to look out the window.

“…….”

Seeing my awkward expression, the corners of the Grand Duke’s eyes drooped.

“You must be tired right now.”

Wait, why does he look so heartbroken?

“I’m not tired.”

But seriously—just look outside!

It’s pitch dark out there. What’s the point of going to the lake if we can’t see anything?

“I just thought… you might be tired. Didn’t you say you have a busy schedule tomorrow?”

“I’m fine. Actually, I was hoping to get some fresh air.”

The Grand Duke nervously licked his dry lips.

He clearly looked worried, I’d say no.

Seeing him so tense… I didn’t have the heart to refuse.

“……Then, shall we go now?”

It’s cloudy tonight, so the moonlight is weak—we probably won’t see much.

“The area’s been closed for a while, so it might be a bit messy…”

The Grand Duke quickly added, his face lighting up.

“I’ll send someone to tidy it up right away. It should only take about an hour.”

“Take your time.”

He must’ve been really bored lately.

Maybe it’s lucky that Cecilia went home early?

She had been all excited about finding the perfect recipe for an outdoor tea time.

Now, here I was, going on an unexpected night outing.

***

In less than an hour, I got into the carriage with the Grand Duke.

It’s the first time we’ve shared a carriage together.

As he sat across from me, the big carriage suddenly felt very small.

How can someone have legs that long?

Every time the carriage swayed, his folded knees almost brushed mine.

Maybe it was the dark scenery outside the window.

Or maybe it was the warm, soft light inside the carriage.

Why do his eyes look so sparkly tonight?

Every time our eyes met, my chest felt tingly.

“You look… very beautiful tonight.”

His low voice broke the silence.

The tips of his ears turned bright red, as if he’d mustered a ton of courage just to say that.

“Oh my, thank you.”

I smiled softly.

Honestly, I was wearing the same dress I’d worn to the orphanage earlier because I was too lazy to change.

The kids had tugged at it so much, the hem was a mess.

Our Grand Duke knows how to sweet talk now, huh?

Feeling a bit proud inside, I said,

“You look amazing tonight too, Grand Duke.”

He gently bit his lower lip at my words.

“Th-thank you.”

What’s with that shy, sleepy gaze?

His build is like a mountain, and yet he acts so bashful.

“It’s… thanks to the clothes you picked for me…”

His ears flushed even redder.

He’s not wrong.

It’s just a plain shirt, but why does he make it look so good?

“I hope people don’t get the wrong idea.”

“Huh?”

“Your face is glowing. What if people think it’s daytime and all come outside?”

“P-please stop…”

His neck was turning red now too as he clenched his fists tightly.

How could I not tease him when he’s this cute?

With his bangs half-falling over his eyes and the carriage light softly hitting his face—he looked too good to be real.

My cheeks were sore from smiling when the carriage arrived at the lake entrance.

Ahem.

Looking like he had made up his mind to take control now, the Grand Duke said seriously,

“From here, I’d like to walk. Is that alright with you?”

“Of course.”

He reached out and helped me down from the carriage, his hand trembling slightly.

“Thank you, Grand Duke.”

The lake was blocked off by a tall iron gate.

The two guards quickly opened it when they saw him.

“Let’s go.”

Just as we started walking—

Huh?

For some reason, my hand naturally intertwined with his.

When did we start holding hands like this?

His large fingers gently slid between mine, wrapping around them.

That firm pressure didn’t feel bad at all.

It must’ve started when he helped me down from the carriage…

But before I could think more, he was already walking, and I followed along, our hands still linked.

“Wow!”

Any awkwardness I felt about our hands disappeared the moment I saw the view ahead.

Lining both sides of the wide path were beautiful, old trees.

Even though it should’ve been pitch dark, the path was glowing brightly.

Tiny lights were scattered like stars, resting among the branches.

At the end of the glowing path, half-hidden in mist, was the vast lake.

“Grand Duke?”

I looked at him, stunned.

Didn’t he say the lake was closed off? Why is it so lit up?

“I thought you might not be able to see well at night…”

The Grand Duke avoided my eyes, looking awkward.

Thanks to him, everything was perfectly visible.

It was truly beautiful, but…

“Grand Duke… don’t tell me you made the staff set all this up?”

No, that definitely must not be it!

The idea that the Grand Duke had to work late just to set the mood for the Grand Duchess’s night outing made me break into a cold sweat.

“It’s not that. I asked the wizard,” the Grand Duke said, watching me carefully. “For someone like him, it’s as easy as pie. So please don’t worry about it.”

“Really?” I asked.

“They are using a magic circle to travel anyway.”

Phew, what a relief.

I let out a breath of relief.

“Were you worried I was overworking the staff?” the Grand Duke asked with a gentle look.

“Well, not exactly…”

As I mumbled to myself, the Grand Duke smiled in a curious way.

“I’ve never met someone like you before,” he said.

“Someone like me?” I asked.

“Perel told me that everyone finds it amazing how kind you are to the staff. They’ve never seen a lady of the house treat them like that.”

Well, you are kind to everyone.

The Grand Duke added softly, “That’s a good thing.”

I hesitated, unsure what to say.

It’s probably because I’ve always lived as someone with no power… of course I’d care about these things.

But I couldn’t say that out loud.

“I mean… thank you,” I said finally.

With a gentle voice, the Grand Duke brushed his thumb across the back of my hand where our fingers were entwined.

Without realizing it, I tensed up.

That soft and slightly ticklish touch made me feel strange, and I couldn’t think clearly.

Why is the Grand Duke suddenly being so forward?

All my thoughts focused on that hand, and the words I wanted to say disappeared.

The Grand Duke didn’t say anything either, so we walked in silence for a while.

At the end of a short forest path, the lake finally came into full view.

“…”

I was speechless as I gazed at it.

The enormous lake, surrounded by a curtain of trees, reflected the faint moonlight and clusters of stars on its surface.

Each breeze sent soft ripples from far away, drawing gentle circles over and over.

And yet, the lake remained perfectly still.

So quiet, in fact, that even the constant little thoughts that usually buzzed around in my head seemed to fall silent for once.

What a peaceful place…

I looked back at the Grand Duke. He was also staring quietly at the lake.

His sharp eyes shimmered softly, dark as obsidian.

His hand in mine felt warm and steady.

That strong, comforting grip helped calm my heart.

I’m glad… that this man is the Grand Duke.

The real Annette probably never knew—

That the Duke of Blenheim could have such a warm, gentle presence.

***

“Shall we sit for a while?” the Grand Duke asked as we walked a little further along the lakeside.

“Oh?”

There were a table and two chairs, just like the ones in the garden of the Grand Duke’s mansion, placed side by side.

Soft lighting made the table look like it was ready for a peaceful teatime.

“Did the wizard do this too?”

“…The tea was prepared by Whitley,” he answered, pulling out a chair for me.

“I didn’t tell him to do it. He volunteered.”

He quickly waved his hand, clearly worried I’d think he was overworking his staff.

But I had just asked out of curiosity.

I chuckled softly.

The Grand Duke looked a bit embarrassed but poured me some tea himself.

“Drink it while it’s still warm.”

Oh, it really is warm.

The tea was just the right temperature.

“The wizard probably warmed it before he left,” he explained, noticing my puzzled expression.

I pouted slightly.

“So the wizard listens to you so well… but he never once agreed to meet with me!”

“…Should I call him here right now?”

The Grand Duke’s face turned serious.

“No! This is about my pride!”

Since the first time I tried to visit the wizard, I had knocked on the tower door several times.

But he never answered.

I even wrote letters and sent invitations to set up a meeting, but nothing worked.

According to Perel, the only person in the whole castle who could summon the wizard at will was the Grand Duke.

Apparently, that was written into the wizard’s contract.

“I still don’t understand why you want to meet him so badly,” the Grand Duke said, blinking as if a little annoyed.