I Seducing the Black-Hearted Duke Wasn't Me - Chapter 55

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 55
“Goodness, what on earth happened to you? Are you alright? You’re not injured, are you?”
“I’m… well, just a bit confused, but otherwise fine…. In any case, I’ve been trying to find out how to get to Jedo.”
“Hmm? Jedo? Oh, you’d best avoid there for now, dear. There’s a festival atmosphere all about. So many people flooding in, it’ll be absolute chaos.”
“A festival atmosphere?”
A resident seated at a nearby table extended a newspaper toward her as she spoke.
The woman’s dark brown eyes fixed on one of two photographs printed on the page.
“Look here. The Grand Duke Bernstein’s engagement to the Marquis Zaherette has set all of Jedo in quite the uproar….”
“Leon Obsidian!!”
“Heavens, you startled me!”
The woman who had suddenly shrieked snatched the newspaper away, crying out.
“This can’t be! Oh my goodness, it’s real! Wow, they’re absolutely identical. Wait—then that means!”
Her eyes gleamed like stars.
The residents, meanwhile, regarded her with sympathetic looks.
Something about the poor girl seemed unwell; perhaps she’d suffered some serious injury.
Regardless, the woman clutching the newspaper lifted her head with a radiant smile.
“Wait—an engagement ceremony? And the other party is… Erna Zaherette? That can’t be right….”
“Yes, miss?”
“If I go to Jedo, could I possibly meet this person?”
“What? The Grand Duke? Oh my, you’ve got lofty dreams, haven’t you? How on earth would we ever arrange for you to meet someone so far above our station?”
“No! I can do it. In fact, I’m certain I can. I’m… special, you see!”
The woman clung to the shop owner’s arm, pleading urgently for directions.
Flustered, the owner muttered “My goodness…” repeatedly, at a loss for words.
The other patrons simply shook their heads and clicked their tongues in disapproval.
Another poor soul smitten by Grand Duke Bernstein’s portrait, they seemed to think.
It happened often enough that no one found it particularly noteworthy.
* * *
“Time does fly, doesn’t it?”
“…….”
“I sometimes wondered if a day like this would ever come. Even when I thought it might, I worried we’d drift apart again at the last moment….”
“…….”
“Our young Marquis has grown up so fast—before we knew it, so very tall—and now off to be married…… oh my!”
“Lora. Please don’t talk about me as though I’m a child you’ve finished raising. And it’s an engagement, not a marriage. Besides, I’m not going anywhere. My fiancé dreams of becoming a live-in husband, apparently.”
He’d readily hand over the Grand Duke’s seat to me if I asked.
I spoke while watching Lora’s tears fall in succession beyond the mirror.
Still, she showed no sign of dimming the emotional glow that had already overtaken her.
‘I hope this day ends quickly.’
I sighed and rose from my seat, then paused mid-motion.
This wretched Dress would give me no peace.
“It’s so cumbersome….”
“You must bear with it. Other ladies dress like this regularly, you know. Oh! Don’t kick at the hem like that!”
Lora fussed over me as though I were a headstrong debutante making her first appearance in society.
I steadied my breathing beneath the weight of the dress and examined my reflection in the mirror.
Multiple layers of crimson velvet and pristine lace cascaded downward, creating a voluminous silhouette.
Golden embroidery traced along the surface with subtle radiance, while small pearls scattered across the hem’s underside enhanced the elegant atmosphere.
Though it might have seemed excessively ornate, the red trim and gold thread detailing that framed the waistline refined the overall silhouette with dignity, resulting in a style that showcased the ceremonial gown’s inherent majesty and grace.
The problem was how uncomfortable it all was.
“Do bear with it. How many people have their eyes fixed on this engagement? And the journalists will surely be lying in wait—you must be captured looking as beautiful as possible!”
“But the banquet hall is off-limits to the press anyway, so there won’t be any photos….”
“Hush!”
“……Alright. I’ll manage to get through today somehow.”
The royal banquet would span three days in total.
Though it was nominally a celebration of my and Leon’s engagement, from the second day onward it would be nothing more than a social gathering for ordinary nobility, with attendance not strictly required.
So I steeled myself and descended the stairs with determination.
“I’m here, Leon.”
When I reached the lower floor, Leon was already waiting, fully prepared.
His Military Uniform—a striking combination of red and white—made it clear at a glance that we were a couple.
He lifted his gaze, spotted me standing at the top of the staircase, and smiled before striding forward to meet me.
“Erna. You’re positively radiant today.”
“That’s my line.”
When he heard that she’d never been moved by praise from the world’s most beautiful man, he let out a soft laugh.
“Come now, I mean it sincerely. How can I make you believe me?”
I pushed his shoulder away smoothly, brushing off his honeyed words that could charm anyone.
Not because I was uncomfortable, but because something was on my mind.
“I’ve heard rumors about it, but is that really a military uniform?”
“It’s something like a spectacle, honestly. From what I gather, His Majesty had it made entirely new just for today.”
“Why go to such lengths?”
I hadn’t realized the Emperor was taking this banquet so seriously.
‘Well, intellectually I understand it, but.’
Traditionally, engagement or wedding ceremonies called for formal dress matching between the couple.
Yet somehow, the Emperor had sent me a dress, while Leon received a garment that blended an imperial uniform with formal dress styling.
‘Leon’s expression when he first saw that outfit was quite something.’
He’d complained that he wasn’t wearing a proper dress uniform, questioning whether this was an engagement ceremony or a knighthood inauguration, and I’d barely managed to stop him from storming into the palace right then and there.
Thanks to that, I’d spent the last few days rattling off compliments—how striking he looked, how perfectly it suited him—until my jaw ached from smiling.
“This is His Majesty’s chance to properly mark that I’ve returned to the royal family.”
“It’s surprising you didn’t oppose it outright until the end.”
“I’ve had a change of heart. Being used isn’t pleasant, but separately, isn’t this an opportunity to make a proper statement in front of everyone? An opportunity to ensure you can’t run away from me.”
“I told you I wasn’t planning to leave.”
Of course, I’d thought about it at the beginning, but not anymore.
“You said you wouldn’t know until we entered the hall. And to be more precise, I’m still the one trying to seduce you.”
“So. You’re going to play all your cards?”
“Of course. I’m that desperate.”
True to his words, the contract only specified our relationship up to the engagement.
What came after existed nowhere in the documents.
‘The problem is that somewhere along the way, I’ve begun to take for granted that Leon and I will continue together.’
Barring any serious problems, we’d probably end up married eventually.
And thinking about it now, it didn’t seem like such a bad prospect.
Even a vague confidence that I could stop him if he ever harbored ill intentions toward me.
“Shall we go then?”
Leon extended his hand toward me.
As I naturally took it, he interlaced our fingers, holding me firmly.
“Yes.”
I smiled softly and looked ahead, releasing my gaze from him.
“Let’s go see what awaits.”
The battlefield of today!
* * *
Inside the crowded banquet hall.
The Emperor had indeed lavished care on this event, and the scale was staggering.
With Isabel and Duchess Merciel’s enthusiasm added to the mix, the banquet had become something genuinely unprecedented.
The choice of venue itself was telling.
‘Isn’t this a bit much?’
The Sun Palace at the center—the largest in the imperial palace.
And the Great Hall within it, known to be the grandest banquet hall.
It was typically opened only for the coming-of-age ceremonies of imperial family members, state marriages, or coronations—a place of considerable historical significance.
And yet His Majesty had willingly opened such a place for an engagement celebration, not even a grand wedding ceremony itself.
“Even if the Grand Duke has declared independence from the imperial family, His Majesty wants to show that he still retains the status of a prince.”
“Indeed, there are even nobles who still address the Grand Duke as ‘Your Highness the Prince.'”
From that perspective, this too was the Emperor’s familiar favoritism, and the nobility whispered about it among themselves.
Though not everyone seemed entirely convinced.
“Erna. What are you pondering so deeply?”
“I was just realizing just how remarkable a person you are.”
“Really? I didn’t know I was this impressive either.”
Leon, never letting my gaze escape him, blocked my path and spoke.
He’d been detained by the Emperor just moments ago—when had he slipped away?
“I can’t understand why everyone is so desperate to keep me in their sights.”
Leon looked with distaste at the nobles eager to speak with him.
“They all want to make their mark, I suspect. Look at this banquet hall alone—it shows how much His Majesty favors you.”
“True. I suppose flattery is preferable. Some of the ladies even had tears in their eyes, I heard?”
He said this last part seriously, as if finding it somewhat unsettling.
My gaze naturally drifted toward another cluster of people gathered to one side.
Now that I thought about it, there were an unusual number of women in white dresses tonight.
As if they were all demonstrating something together.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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