TSPGD 18

Chapter 18

Had it been about an hour since Butler Aaron left with my letter?

A carriage sent to pick me up appeared in front of the inn.

“Wow… I got an answer right away.”

I had no reason to refuse the Grand Duke’s response. Still, I didn’t forget to remain on high alert.

I packed up my belongings and climbed into the carriage.

Not that I really had much to pack, but I cleared everything out anyway.

“I shall escort you.”

As I was about to get into the carriage, the driver held out his hand to assist me.

It was my first time receiving this kind of escort, so I awkwardly took his hand and climbed aboard.

“Uh… thank you.”

“It is my duty.”

I thanked him, took my seat, and stared straight ahead.

There was nothing I could do about how nervous I felt.

For some reason, the clattering sound of the horses’ hooves seemed particularly loud today.

After traveling for quite some time, we finally arrived at the Grand Duke’s castle.

It had only been a few hours since I was here last, but the treatment I received was completely different this time.

First, the guards politely greeted the carriage I was riding in. Then, when I got out in front of the main castle, Aaron and several servants came out to welcome me.

“Welcome to the Grand Duke Brüllhardt’s castle.”

I gave Aaron a slight bow in response and followed him straight to the study.

“This time, we’re going directly to the study instead of the drawing room?”

I casually asked Aaron as we walked through the castle.

“Yes. His Grace ordered me to escort you to the study.”

“Okayyy.”

They should have done this from the beginning.

I was a little annoyed, but I hurried after Aaron.

Still, I need to keep my guard up.

I widened my eyes.

I was about to meet the male lead in just a moment, and I was so nervous that my ears felt numb.

I was actually going to meet in person someone I had only ever seen in illustrations in my previous life.

I’m nervous.

I didn’t know what he would look like, what kind of atmosphere he would have… or how dangerous he might be, which made me afraid as well.

While I continued thinking, Aaron arrived at the study and stopped.

Knock.

He knocked on the heavy study door and announced,

“Your Grace. I have brought Lady Carbon.”

“Come in.”

A low, heavy voice echoed from inside.

Yet that deep voice, which seemed to fill the entire wide corridor of the Grand Duke’s castle, somehow…

didn’t sound unfamiliar.

What is this? Why does it sound familiar?

Could it be the familiar aura of a pervert?

An incredibly strange sense of déjà vu washed over me.

Creak.

Aaron opened the heavy study door, revealing the interior.

At the center of the somewhat dark, classic-style room sat a black-haired man.

That person is… Huh?

The person sitting in the seat of honor was undoubtedly the Grand Duke.

But he had an extremely familiar face.

My tightly wound nerves vanished in an instant from sheer shock, and a ridiculous, hoarse sound escaped my mouth.

“Eeeh?”

The Grand Duke looked at me and gave me a sly smile.

Somehow, it seemed as though he had expected exactly this reaction.

Yur?

Yur—the perverted mercenary who had failed to become a knight—stood from his seat and formally greeted me.

His red eyes gleamed dangerously.

“Lady Carbon. Welcome to the Grand Duke’s castle.”

“……Uh, wait. So, Yur, you’re His Grace, the Grand Duke of Brüllhardt?”

“That is correct.”

“You said your name was Yur.”

“My full name is Yurgen Brüllhardt.”

“Yur… Yurgen.”

I’m partly to blame for not recognizing him just because one syllable was missing, but this whole situation is seriously messed up.

“Then, if we’re going by that logic, you also said your name was Sugar, didn’t you? And you even claimed to be a man.”

The absurdity of the situation completely devoured my nervousness.

My words were no longer particularly polite.

“Huh? Do you think it’s easy for a young noblewoman to travel all the way to the North alone?”

I could feel myself getting a little angry.

The sensation of being hit hard on the back of the head left me reeling, and indignation welled up inside me.

Wow. I’ve never experienced anything like this before.

I was angry at myself for failing to recognize the male lead’s face, and I was angry at the ridiculous synopsis of the original novel.

The male lead was supposed to have black hair and red eyes!

That was the stereotypical appearance of a Northern Grand Duke, so I had firmly believed that black hair and red eyes were all I needed to identify him!

Who knew he could change his eye color?

“Well, I acknowledge that part. More importantly, please take a seat.”

Acknowledge what?

I answered naturally with a slightly defiant attitude.

“Treat me comfortably like before.”

“Can I really do that?”

“Yes. You can.”

“I cannot treat someone who came here of her own accord saying she wanted to become my mistress carelessly.”

“Are you going to accept me as your mistress?”

At my question, Yurgen gestured toward the butler with his chin, telling him to leave.

The butler nodded and exited the study.

Once only Yurgen and I remained, I became nervous again.

“How did you know?”

“…You change your attitude quickly.”

“Didn’t you tell me to treat you as I did before?”

“You said you couldn’t.”

“If you become my mistress, I will show you the proper respect. But before that…”

I swallowed nervously.

His expression had become so intimidating that my throat felt dry.

My eyes naturally drifted toward the teacup sitting on the table.

“Can I drink this?”

“As much as you like.”

I took a sip of the tea, which was as bright red as his eyes.

It had a sweet, sour, and complex flavor.

Gulp.

His eyes stared intently at my throat.

As though he were watching to see whether I was actually drinking the tea.

What’s with him?

I couldn’t understand his behavior, but how could I possibly understand the mind of a pervert?

Besides, I was still too shocked by the fact that Yur was actually Yurgen to think straight.

“Phew. All right, then. Please tell me now. Are you going to accept me as your mistress?”

When I spoke, Yurgen lifted the corners of his lips and gave a slight nod.

“What is your relationship with the Crown Prince?”

“What?”

“I’ll ask again. Do you share the curse with the Crown Prince?”

I had no idea what he was suddenly talking about, so I tilted my head.

“What do you mean?”

“Ha… Then I’ll ask another question. It’s true that you haven’t shared anything about the curse with anyone, correct?”

“Yes. That’s right. But why are you suddenly interrogating me?”

He completely ignored my question and continued with his own.

“The letters have been scheduled for delivery?”

That was actually a lie.

Scheduling a letter for delivery cost a lot of money, so I had simply been bluffing.

“No.”

Gasp!

I was so startled that I covered my mouth.

I had intended to say yes, but my mouth moved on its own against my will.

Yurgen nodded while watching me, then leaned his upper body slightly forward and raised the corners of his lips.

“Then where are the letters?”

I was going to say they were at the bank, but…

“In my pocket.”

What the hell is this?!

Something was terribly wrong.

Words were coming out of my mouth completely independently of what I was thinking.

“Hmm. So they’re there. The effect seems to be working properly.”

From Yurgen’s next words, I realized that the tea I had drunk was not ordinary tea.

“What did you do to this tea?!”

“It’s Truth Tea. You didn’t know?”

“Of course I didn’t!”

Where on earth would I have ever had tea like this?

I had never even heard of such a thing.

“Is that so? Anyway, it seems you really don’t know the Crown Prince… Could it be a coincidence?”

At last, I was genuinely furious.

“Your Grace, the letters are currently in my possession, so I can submit them to the newspaper at any time.”

I was prepared to go all out, but Yurgen suddenly changed his attitude.

“I know. I’ll make you my mistress.”

“……”

“Then you know what you’ll have to do from now on, don’t you?”

As Yurgen spoke, he extended a hand toward me.

I stared at him as if to say, What am I supposed to do with that?

“I don’t know.”

“……Do you not know what happens to me if I don’t have physical contact with a woman?”

“I know.”

“Then why are you just sitting there?”

“You haven’t sent the letter to the Carbon estate yet.”

“The letter?”

The absurdity continued, but I didn’t forget my objective.

To completely separate myself from Count Carbon.

To accomplish that, Yurgen had to send a letter to the Carbon family stating that he would financially support me.

That way, Count Carbon won’t be able to invoke his guardianship over me and try to take me back!

That was the only reason I had gone through all this trouble to come here, so I made myself perfectly clear.

“…Is that all you need?”

“Yes.”

“Good. I like things that are simple.”

After hearing my request, Yurgen immediately went to his desk and began scribbling with a pen.

In the blink of an eye, he completed an official document and held it out to me.

“Check it with your own eyes.”

I nodded, accepted the paper he handed me, and quickly read through it.

He’s thorough.

Even though I hadn’t explicitly told him exactly what I wanted, he had written it all down perfectly.

He even emphasized the part about paying money in exchange for Count Carbon relinquishing his guardianship over me.

I didn’t know whether it was intentional, but that particular section seemed to have been written with slightly heavier strokes, making it stand out.

I’m satisfied.

So I nodded and handed the letter back to the Grand Duke.

He rang the bell and called for Aaron.

“Did you call for me, Your Grace?”

Yurgen handed him the document and spoke briefly.

“Send this to Count Carbon immediately.”

I quickly added,

“I’ll also tell you a few of the gambling houses my father frequents.”