TGDWDS 38

Chapter 38

“May I hold your hand?”

His voice echoed softly through the pitch-black basement. It was a gentle and kind voice.

Hearing it, Anise took the Grand Duke’s hand, which had been resting close to hers.

“Thank you. Let’s go.”

His forearm and hand were warm, as they always were. In the end, Anise moved forward, relying on him.

Hayang seemed to have calmed down as well and remained still in her arms.

“Are you all right? If we go a little farther, there should be a switch that will turn on the lights along the wall.”

The Grand Duke slowly guided her forward. Not long after, the wall lamps lit up, and Anise spoke.

“I can see now.”

Blinking, Anise slightly pulled herself away from the Grand Duke, whom she had been leaning against. As she moved away from him, the warmth disappeared.

The thick coat the Grand Duke had placed over her shoulders earlier was still there. Yet, for some reason, she felt strangely cold.

She barely managed to suppress the shiver running through her body. Anise was about to take another step when she suddenly stopped.

The Grand Duke was standing still.

When she turned around, she saw him staring blankly at the arm she had been holding.

“……Aren’t you coming?”

At Anise’s question, the Grand Duke finally raised his head.

“We should go. Let’s head back together.”

Anise and the Grand Duke retraced the path they had taken.

Anise shrugged her shoulders and suddenly voiced a question that had occurred to her.

“Is there anyone else who knows about this place besides me?”

“You and I. No one else knows about this place. It’s a place only the Lisandros can use.”

Anise had never once thought of herself as a Lisandro.

Just as she struggled to continue speaking, the Grand Duke spoke in a voice that now carried a hint of amusement.

“Ah. Our Hayang knows about it too. Look carefully. Remember this, and when your mother is in danger, take her out through here. Understand?”

“Peep?!”

Their conversation had become playful.

Listening to them, Anise pulled herself together and said,

“……I’ll keep the secret well. Thank you.”

Once again, the end of the passage where the lamp had been placed came into view. They passed through the pitch-black, chilly darkness and climbed the stairs.

Before long, they arrived at the first floor of the West Wing.

After locking the door again with the key, the Grand Duke held it out to Anise.

“This key can open the doors to this place, the main building, and the iron gate. Keep it.”

The key he handed her was small and thin, about the size of a finger.

“As you saw earlier, the door leading outside the main gate can only be opened from the inside, so you won’t need a key for it.”

The Grand Duke looked at Anise.

“I’ll entrust the management of the estate, along with the key, to you.”

Anise took the key, clenched it tightly in her hand, and replied,

“I’ll keep it safe and make sure to return it when the contract ends.”

“……Understood.”

She felt as though she should attach the key to her pendant and wear it around her neck. Anise carefully put it away.

The two of them walked toward the central staircase on the first floor of the West Wing.

At that moment, Butler Alfredo and his aide, Alec, appeared through the entrance.

“Your Grace. A message has arrived.”

The Grand Duke took the piece of paper Alec held out to him and slightly furrowed his brow.

“If you’re busy, you should go. I’ll learn the rest on my own.”

Anise spoke firmly, making it clear that he didn’t need to worry about her.

The Grand Duke’s gaze turned toward her again. He seemed as though he were swallowing back words he wanted to say.

After a moment, he handed her an envelope.

“This is for you, Anise.”

Written on it were the words:

To Miss Anise Lisandro

“Do you know where the seal stamped on the back comes from?”

“……Huh? This is…”

Anise turned the envelope over, her eyes widening when she saw the circular seal stamped into the wax.

“Was this sent by the Temple? I believe that’s the emblem used by the Holy Kingdom.”

The Grand Duke continued to observe Anise’s surprised reaction before asking casually,

“Yes. That’s correct. Are you acquainted with the High Priest?”

“No. Not at all. I met him for the first time at our wedding.”

“I see.”

At that moment, Anise sensed that the Grand Duke was subtly wary of the High Priest.

Come to think of it, he had seemed the same way when she received the High Priest’s blessing at their wedding.

Surely…… the High Priest isn’t among the reasons he might want to kill me, is he?

Anise’s eyes widened anxiously.

She needed to prevent something like that from happening in the first place.

She spoke confidently.

“May I open it here?”

“Do as you wish. The letter was addressed to you, after all. Then, I’ll be going.”

“Wait.”

As the Grand Duke began to leave, Anise grew anxious.

Her hand shot forward and grabbed his sleeve.

Meanwhile, Diego, who had been about to turn away, froze in place.

Against his black shirt, the small, snow-white hand holding him stood out clearly.

Just like the moment she had grabbed him when he asked her to dance at the Imperial Palace.

Just like the moment she had tried to stop him from approaching the Crown Prince, who had been speaking recklessly.

Just like the hand that had clung to his arm and leaned against him in the basement moments ago.

Each time, Diego found himself unable to take his eyes off Anise’s hand as it held onto him.

He looked at that hand again and again, as though it might disappear at any moment.

Meanwhile, Anise stared blankly at the Grand Duke.

Then Hayang suddenly cried out.

“Peep-peep!”

“……?!”

Startled, Anise quickly withdrew her hand.

A look of disappointment immediately appeared on the Grand Duke’s face.

Only then did Anise become embarrassed.

Turning her gaze toward Hayang, she said,

“Ahem. Please be a little quieter, Hayang.”

“Peep.”

Anise turned to the Grand Duke.

“It’s just…… I thought it would be better if we shared the contents of this letter. I know you’re busy, but please listen to this before you go.”

Then, almost as if deliberately showing him, she opened the letter and began reading it aloud.

“……Oh. They’ve invited me? They suggested that I visit the Holy Kingdom when I have time.”

However, Diego’s face became filled with complicated emotions as he listened.

“Read it first. I’ll only listen to what you’re willing to share.”

The words he had repeated and turned over in his mind echoed in his ears.

He clenched his teeth tightly.

Anise was still reading the letter.

Diego stared intently at her.

After standing like that for a long time, he stupidly asked,

“……Is that so?”

“Yes.”

Anise tilted her head while keeping her eyes on the letter.

“I’m grateful for the invitation, but it’s so sudden. What should I reply?”

There was no answer.

Only then did Anise look away from the letter and at Diego.

But he was already gazing steadily at her.

Anise blinked in confusion.

Meanwhile, Diego looked at Anise without blinking even once.

Eventually, he slowly opened his mouth.

“You can do whatever Anise wants. But if you want to accept the invitation, let’s go together.”

Diego smoothly curved his lips into a smile and said,

“Then I’ll be going first. Butler Alfredo will tell you the rest about managing the estate. Feel free to look around.”

“Oh. Yes.”

Diego’s gaze shifted to the wyvern in Anise’s arms.

“Hayang. Goodbye. Daddy is…… going to go now. Take good care of Mom.”

“Peep!”

Anise stared blankly as the Grand Duke disappeared.

It felt as though something had just flashed past her in an instant.

She felt that whatever she was missing was probably connected to it, but she couldn’t figure out exactly what it was.

“……”

As her thoughts became muddled once again, Anise shook her head.

She simply stopped thinking about it.

“Anyway, he showed me everything, so there shouldn’t be any misunderstandings now.”

As long as she could stay away from death, that was enough.

After the Grand Duke left, Anise entrusted Hayang to Sara.

Then she took off the coat the Grand Duke had placed over her and handed it to Anne.

“Where should I look next? I’d like you to tell me more about managing the estate in the West Wing.”

In response to Anise’s question, the gray-haired Alfredo bowed his head and said,

“Once we check the areas of the West Wing that require maintenance, everything will be finished.”

Anise opened her notebook again and began writing down what Alfredo told her.

Afterward, she asked about the things she had been curious about.

“What about the other buildings? How are they managed?”

“The East Wing, which contains the library, and the annex behind the main building only require inspection once a year, so they require relatively little maintenance.”

“Oh. Then what about the main building?”

“In the main building, there is the task of preparing and distributing the budget for managing the entire estate.”

Anise’s hand, which had been moving diligently across the page, briefly stopped.

“……That’s something the Grand Duke should handle, so I suppose I only need to take care of the rest.”

She wasn’t a true Lisandro, nor was she the true Grand Duchess.

As someone bound to the Grand Duke only by a contractual relationship, it made no sense for her to become deeply involved in the estate’s budget.

However, Butler Alfredo bowed respectfully and said,

“His Grace said that he would hand over the budget proposal to you at any time if Your Ladyship wishes to see it.”

“……Huh?”

Anise blinked rapidly in surprise.