I Was Marked as the Grand Duke Male Lead’s Stepmother - Chapter 56

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 56

 

Close enough to hear even the smallest breath. Morgan deliberately kept his gaze fixed outside the window.

 

Fleur’s words before boarding the carriage echoed in his ears, making it difficult to face Marisselle.

 

To calm the heat still lingering at the tips of his ears and his turbulent heartbeat, he had no choice.

 

If he looked at her even for a moment right now, not only would his heart not survive, but he had no idea what he might do with his paralyzed reason.

 

But despite these efforts, Morgan was following Marisselle’s figure faintly reflected in the carriage window.

 

Even her dimly reflected image was so beautiful that he found his heart stolen once again.

 

‘I want to see her alone…’

 

He didn’t want to share her with anyone. The thought that he wished only he could see Marisselle spun round and round like a hamster wheel.

 

“…Haah.”

 

‘Such terrible possessiveness.’

 

A sigh escaped him without his knowing.

 

“…”

 

The air had settled into an awkward and uncomfortable atmosphere.

 

As the silence lengthened, Marisselle became conscious of Morgan’s mood.

 

His expression didn’t look good either, so out of concern for him and to avoid disturbing his thoughts, she quietly began moving her hips bit by bit to slowly increase the distance between them.

 

“…?”

 

Though he was looking outside the window, what he was actually watching was Marisselle’s reflection in the glass. And that same her was stealthily increasing the distance from him.

 

“…What’s this?”

 

He frowned.

 

“Ah, well… Your Highness seemed to be deep in thought, so I thought I’d give you more space to be comfortable. Ahaha.”

 

Marisselle smiled sheepishly.

 

“I’m not uncomfortable. So stay still.”

 

“Ah, yes…”

 

He had clearly seemed lost in deep thought, yet Marisselle was quite surprised that he had noticed her truly minute movements.

 

‘As expected, a Sword Master is different…’

 

“Your Highness… may I ask you something?”

 

Since the silence was already broken, Marisselle gathered courage to ask what she had been thinking about all along.

 

He nodded his head in place of an answer.

 

“Will Your Highness be dancing at the ball?”

 

“…Dancing? Why are you asking that?”

 

Marisselle straightened her posture unnecessarily as she spoke.

 

“…Well, from my perspective, I’m already grateful just to have Your Highness accompany me as my partner, so I’m trying to make you as comfortable as possible. If Your Highness doesn’t want to dance, I thought we could be in another space during that time. How does that sound?”

 

‘Another space…?’

 

Though she said it was for his sake, Morgan felt displeased and unconsciously scowled.

 

Both her excessive concern for him and the way it sounded like an excuse because she didn’t want to dance with him.

 

“Do you dislike dancing with me?”

 

“Oh my. No, absolutely not. At a debutante ball, if you take away the imperial audience and dancing, it’s like a steamed bun without red beans. No, it would be like an empty can, so why would I refuse to dance?”

 

Marisselle grinned as she expressed her desire to dance.

 

“Then that’s settled. I have no objections either.”

 

Morgan, who had been secretly nervous that Marisselle might refuse, relaxed his expression in relief.

 

“Your Highness. For reference, I can’t dance well. This is my first time attending a party, and though I learned to dance, it’s my first time actually doing it…”

 

“So…?”

 

“Hehe. So, I might step on Your Highness’s feet.”

 

Marisselle looked apologetic but somehow seemed excited.

 

“What’s with that excited face?”

 

Morgan’s eyes narrowed at Marisselle’s expression, which looked somewhat mischievous as if hiding some scheme.

 

“What? Excited? Absolutely not!”

 

“But you are? Right now your expression is exactly like ‘I’m definitely going to step on them.'”

 

“Oh my. Your Highness. I said no. If I step on you, it would really be a matter of skill, not intention, so please believe me!”

 

Then Marisselle grinned with her eyes crinkling, and Morgan found it both pleasing and irritating.

 

It was pleasing because it seemed like a smile from someone who felt somewhat comfortable with him, and irritating because he knew she would show that pretty smile to other people too.

 

“Don’t smile like that.”

 

Thinking that she would smile the same way for other men made him feel spiteful.

 

“…?”

 

He did this before too, and now he’s telling me not to smile like that again. I thought he was picking a pointless fight over my smiling.

 

“Your Highness. What is it about my smile that makes you keep telling me not to smile like that? You did it before too. Is my smile that strange and unpleasant? If so, I won’t smile in front of Your Highness.”

 

Her tone was sulky. Morgan was flustered.

 

‘She won’t smile in front of me.’

 

I meant don’t smile in front of other guys, but my twisted expression came back like a boomerang.

 

“No. Ah, no… Haah…”

 

Morgan stopped mid-sentence, let out a sigh, hung his head low then raised it, and spoke with a troubled expression.

 

“What I meant was… don’t smile like that in front of other guys. When you smile, any guy would fall for you. So don’t let strange guys get attracted to you – only smile in front of me.”

 

As if embarrassed by his own words, he turned his head to the side as soon as he finished speaking.

 

“…?”

 

‘What is he saying? So, when I smile, all men fall for me?’

 

He’s really got it bad with those rose-colored glasses.

 

‘What am I that men would fall for me just from this one smile? If Morgan is right, then Hereise should have fallen for me a hundred times over by now.’

 

Marisselle was so dumbfounded she couldn’t speak.

 

‘I can definitely tell that Morgan likes me.’

 

But I can’t accept it or play along. I just have to pretend I don’t know.

 

“Your Highness, if I may be so bold, according to what you say, shouldn’t everyone who has looked at me and smiled have fallen for me and confessed, or been lovesick?”

 

“….”

 

Morgan wanted to say ‘There are!’

 

Right now there’s Rino, there’s Caden. Even that damn Kazuri.

 

Marisselle doesn’t know herself at all. Even now she dismisses herself as not having much charm. She has no sense of caution whatsoever.

 

He couldn’t list their names one by one and reveal them, and not knowing how many more wolves she’d be surrounded by, she’s just spouting such carefree nonsense.

 

Morgan was burning up inside.

 

“You just don’t realize it. All men are wolves. They just haven’t bared their fangs yet. So… don’t smile like that in front of other guys…”

 

This time his eyes drooped like a puppy’s, and it wasn’t a commanding tone but a pleading entreaty.

 

How could I stop a smile that comes out of habit? It’s impossible. But I can’t just make a promise I can’t keep either.

 

“No, Your Highness. Hereise has seen me smile countless times, but he shows no signs of falling for me at all. You said wolves don’t bare their fangs right away, right? Hereise and I have known each other for a long time, yet he hasn’t shown them. So you don’t need to worry.”

 

‘…Hereise?’

 

When Hereise’s name naturally came from Marisselle’s lips, all of Morgan’s attention focused there.

 

She doesn’t seem to realize it herself, but Marisselle sees Hereise as a man.

 

‘If he were just a childhood friend, she wouldn’t have used Hereise as an example right now.’

 

The first person she asked to be her cavalier was also Hereise.

 

His mouth tasted bitter.

 

He wanted to ask if she still liked Hereise as a man, but he was too afraid to voice it.

 

His heart ached.

 

“…Hereise is your childhood friend, not a man, isn’t he?”

 

He argued that her example was wrong. Hoping she would agree that he was right.

 

Then at least he would confirm that Hereise didn’t occupy a place in her heart.

 

“Ah…, that’s true too. But still, Hereise is a man after all. Not a woman. Anyway, what I’m trying to say is that it’s needless worry.”

 

Marisselle cut him off so he couldn’t say anything more about this issue.

 

I can’t ask him outright why he’s acting like this, and if I ask, there’s a possibility the words ‘I like you’ might come straight out of his mouth.

 

That would be troublesome.

 

‘It’s dangerous for Morgan to form some kind of romantic line with me before he even meets the female lead.’

 

I don’t have confidence to handle whatever aftermath might follow.

 

‘Right now survival is more important to me than some mere love game.’

 

So I wish Morgan would stop digging himself deeper and just patiently wait for the female lead he’ll fall in love with later.

 

“…The social world is crawling with guys like Kazuri. Your smile has something that captivates hearts. So bad guys like Kazuri mistakenly think you’re smiling because you like them. You could be in danger. That’s why…”

 

His quietly subdued voice contained worry and sincerity.

 

“Ah… so that’s what you meant. I didn’t understand and…”

 

I had a pointless misunderstanding.

 

‘Thinking that Morgan has fallen for me…’

 

Though she didn’t voice her thoughts, she was too embarrassed to lift her head.

 

“Thank you, Your Highness. I suppose I should be careful as you said…”

 

Marisselle spoke in a deflated voice, fidgeting with her fingertips out of embarrassment.

 

Only then did Morgan seem somewhat relieved, a smile forming on his lips.

 

“I’m grateful you understand my sincerity.”

 

* * *

 

“Wow…”

 

Marisselle couldn’t tear her gaze away, captivated by the splendor and grandeur of the Imperial Palace she was seeing for the first time in her life.

 

‘The Imperial Palace really is different!’

 

It looked like a real palace where she might meet a fairy tale prince.

 

‘Oh! That’s right. This is a real palace and there’s a real Crown Prince over there!’

 

Marisselle imagined by herself and then found it absurd by herself, quietly chuckling inwardly.

 

Morgan watched Marisselle’s constantly changing expressions and quietly covered his mouth to hide his laughter.

 

Just then, the carriage gradually slowed down and came to a complete stop.

 

Then another spectacular sight unfolded before their eyes.

 

As if it were a carriage parade, ornately decorated carriages lined up in rows.

 

After some time passed, a procession of carriages began forming quite a long tail behind them as well.

 

It seemed it would take quite a while to verify identities and gain entry.

 

While waiting, Marisselle peeked her head slightly out the window to observe the Imperial Palace and the carriage procession.

 

No, just as she was about to peek out, Herbot, who had come as an escort, suddenly reported to Morgan through the window.

 

“Your Highness. They say they’ll escort you separately to the front of the banquet hall.”

 

Morgan looked at Marisselle and asked for her opinion.

 

“Waiting would be boring, so how about we go ahead first?”

 

Marisselle nodded, and Morgan immediately signaled to Herbot.

 

The carriage immediately changed direction and stopped close to the banquet hall, and after Morgan got out of the carriage first, he extended his hand to Marisselle.

 

Marisselle recalled the incident when she almost fell in front of Morgan before, and this time she lifted her dress hem high to make sure she wouldn’t trip over her dress.

 

This revealed her white, slender ankle.

 

And she concentrated all her nerves on her feet, her eyebrows nearly meeting at her brow.

 

Morgan found it amusing. And feeling mischievous, he gently took Marisselle’s hand and said,

 

“Hold on tight. Don’t dangle around like last time!”

 

She almost lost her concentration due to the troublemaker and nearly fell like last time.

 

But she immediately stood safely on both feet on the ground and smiled brightly at Morgan as if to show off.

 

“Haah…”

 

“…?”

 

Marisselle tilted her head innocently, not understanding Morgan’s sigh.

 

Morgan felt anxiety creep in at Marisselle’s bright smile.

 

‘Just moments ago she said she’d be careful… It seems I need to be even more alert.’

 

Morgan sighed again.

 

He wanted to take Marisselle home just like this.

 

Unaware of Morgan’s feelings, Marisselle took his hand and led him forward as he hesitated.

 

“Your Highness? Shall we go?”

 

Morgan let out a small breath and reluctantly escorted Marisselle into the banquet hall.

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