I’m in the Arms of the Cursed Grand Duke - Chapter 43

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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 43

 

“Maid!”

 

“Young master, don’t run. Oh, and don’t take off your clothes!”

 

Young Zephyrus ran pattering over and hugged his maid. He rubbed his chubby cheeks, red from the cold, against the maid’s face.

 

His father was busy with domain affairs, and his mother, despite being the Duke’s wife, still maintained a knight’s lifestyle. The maid they had carefully selected with great care was another family member to Zephyrus.

 

They were happy.

 

Until Zephyrus was cursed.

 

It happened when neither the Duke nor the Dowager Duchess were home.

 

From the floor he stepped on, from his flowing tears, ice continued to spread outward.

 

“No, you can’t come. Don’t come.”

 

The child had cried so much that he stepped backward with swollen eyes.

 

“It’s okay. It will be okay, young master.”

 

The maid slowly approached while comforting Zephyrus. The child wanted to be held too. He wished this frightening thing was just a dream.

 

“Hic, hiccup.”

 

He didn’t have the courage to refuse the hand the maid extended as she came near.

 

He wiped away his freezing tears and took that hand.

 

Crack—

 

He shouldn’t have taken it.

 

The maid froze white while keeping her kind expression.

 

“…Maid?”

 

Dark clouds gathered in the sky that had been clear and blue. A blizzard struck. Bloody tears flowed from the maid’s eyes.

 

“Why did you take it? Why did you freeze me? Why did you take it? Why did you freeze me?”

 

The bloody tears also froze at some point.

 

“I’m, I’m sorry. I’m sorry…”

 

It froze, froze, and froze again. Even the snow falling from the sky was red. The deep red ice crushed little Zephyrus.

 

It hurt. He couldn’t breathe.

 

**

 

“Sorry…”

 

Zephyrus’s tears flowed down and froze. Ice dripped down and piled up on his pillow. Just as the air cold enough to freeze even breath was about to leave the room.

 

“Master…?”

 

Clemente quietly opened the door.

 

She knew she shouldn’t enter someone else’s room without permission at this hour of the night.

 

But she couldn’t help it because she felt the intensifying cold.

 

She waved her hands to melt the ice filling the room. She passed through the office where he always sat and went inside.

 

Since it had the same structure as her room, finding the bedroom wasn’t difficult.

 

And inside, she found Zephyrus shedding tears with a pained expression.

 

“I’m sorry…”

 

Seeing him continuously muttering apologies, she could guess what kind of dream he was having.

 

Clemente slowly placed the back of her hand against Zephyrus’s cheek.

 

“It’s not master’s fault.”

 

These were the words she had wanted to say to her younger self.

 

Just as it wasn’t her fault, it wasn’t Zephyrus’s fault either.

 

All of this, you see.

 

“You can overcome it well.”

 

She placed her hand up and slowly stroked Zephyrus’s head. Until his face became peaceful. Continuously.

 

“Yawn—”

 

Until she fell asleep while stroking, that is.

 

**

 

Dawn.

 

Zephyrus tossed and turned.

 

Something felt heavy.

 

Wondering if he had overdone it the day before, he opened his eyes.

 

“…?”

 

Crimson was wrapped around him. A long, wheat-colored arm crossed over his body.

 

With movements that seemed like they would make creaking sounds, he lowered his head.

 

“…Clemente?”

 

“Mmm… are you awake?”

 

Clemente rubbed her eyes and sat up groggily.

 

“Why are you here…?”

 

“You seemed to have a scary dream yesterday. It kept getting cold, so I stayed here.”

 

“I understand that much, but…”

 

Clemente noticed what the stiffly frozen Zephyrus wanted to ask.

 

“Ah, I fell asleep without realizing it. Sorry!”

 

“Now you’re saying sorry—! …Sigh.”

 

Zephyrus’s voice rose, but he soon sighed and got up from the bed. He now knew that talking would be useless.

 

“I’m fine, but you can’t do that with other people.”

 

“I know that. Am I a child?”

 

“I’d appreciate it if you’d acknowledge that you sometimes act like one.”

 

“Oh come on.”

 

Clemente laughed and brushed off Zephyrus’s worry as she stretched.

 

“Come to think of it, did you read that letter?”

 

“Letter? Ah, I haven’t read it yet.”

 

Zephyrus neatly put on his clothes. Clemente naturally brought washing water.

 

After finishing washing up, Zephyrus tore off the wax seal stamped with Demeter’s insignia.

 

The neat and elegant handwriting began with ordinary greetings.

 

However, the content became more serious as it went on. Clemente, who had been watching Zephyrus’s face harden accordingly, asked.

 

“Is it bad news?”

 

“It says she’ll visit the manor directly.”

 

“Then why do you have such a scary expression?”

 

“It seems Nerhi has extended his reach here too.”

 

The letter’s content wasn’t long. But it seemed to say everything she wanted to say.

 

To explain just the key points, it went like this:

 

[I refuse to accept another rejection of my visit request. The date will be around next month. If caravans can enter, there’s no reason I can’t go.

 

The Marquis of Demeter maintains contact with Pruina’s cadet branch. Be careful.

 

I have no intention of maintaining the engagement. But I also have no intention of making enemies. I’ll keep a good watch on father, so just keep in touch.

 

From your friend since birth, written by Liriart Demeter.]

 

Liriart of House Demeter was a friend with whom he’d had quite a lot of interaction.

 

Although they were engaged due to an agreement between houses, Liriart also seemed dissatisfied with the engagement.

 

Zephyrus would have sent a letter breaking off the engagement long ago if Rossia hadn’t stopped him.

 

“Hmm. Do you think I can control my curse to some degree?”

 

“Well. Wouldn’t everything depend on what master does?”

 

It was the right answer. Zephyrus nodded and settled at his office desk.

 

At least within this room, he would handle the curse perfectly no matter what happened.

 

Realizing that going outside the room immediately would be too much, Zephyrus set that as his first goal.

 

Once Tei’s medicine was made, he would summon the cadet branches.

 

They had just sent a letter of protest saying they must see the Duke’s face directly this time too.

 

‘Even if I don’t go out urgently, just showing my face should serve as a warning.’

 

I am still here. Don’t have foolish dreams—that kind of warning.

 

Nerhi, who had already crossed the line, needed to be dealt with, but that warning would likely work on the remaining elders and cadet branches.

 

After all, these were people spouting nonsense about whether the Duke was really still alive, or whether the Dowager Duchess still held power.

 

If he could just apply pressure properly, things would probably be fine for a while.

 

The problem of the cadet branches running wild.

 

Come to think of it, Nerhi was really complacent too.

 

Wasn’t he constantly stirring things up, thinking that Zephyrus would absolutely never come out of his room, that he wouldn’t even show his face?

 

It’s not like he would know why Zephyrus was staying inside his room.

 

‘…Could he possibly know?’

 

He didn’t think that would be the case, but.

 

It wouldn’t hurt to find out.

 

But that was something he could just give orders for.

 

For now, what he had to do was clear.

 

“From now on, all reports will be face-to-face. Tell Rossia that.”

 

“Oh. Going hard!”

 

“The sooner I go outside, the sooner everything will be resolved.”

 

Clemente gave him a thumbs up.

 

“Then should I tell Airite and Tei to come again?”

 

“Not the young master. Tell the physician to come.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Make sure you bring the physician yourself.”

 

“I’ll do that. Let me change clothes first.”

 

Come to think of it, Clemente had also come here after sleeping, so she was still in her pajamas.

 

“…That’s something you don’t need to mention, it’s obvious.”

 

Clemente giggled and left the room. Zephyrus let out a soft sigh and rubbed the back of his neck.

 

‘Aren’t you curious who Liriert is?’

 

Zephyrus felt both disappointed and relieved at the same time.

 

**

 

A dim room.

 

The only light came from the fire boiling a pot. A man passed through the flickering shadows and groaned as he lifted the pot.

 

When he poured the bubbling, unidentifiable liquid into a triangular flask, strange smoke rose and the liquid’s color changed.

 

“Su-success… Ahem!”

 

His throat was dry from not speaking for so long.

 

The man who had been briefly pleased, Airite, soon hardened his expression.

 

Next to the experiment table lay a very old book, opened.

 

It was a book with medicinal herbs drawn in by hand, one by one.

 

Airite looked down at the book with cold eyes and soon let out a sigh.

 

‘I don’t want to get involved in political fights…’

 

Whether he wanted it or not, he had already stepped foot into that fight.

 

For him, who only wanted to live a life with medicinal herbs, this was truly agonizing.

 

‘Anyway, this person is no help to my life.’

 

Airite thought this as he shook the flask.

 

The medicine that automatically clumped into a round shape was completely identical to Nerhi’s medicine that Harvie had given him.

 

When poisoned, one would gradually become dazed, emotions would dull, and hallucinations would appear. If the medicine was administered for even a little longer, fever would rise and one would start babbling nonsense. Those were the symptoms of the medicine he had made.

 

He would need a patient to try it to know the exact effects, but.

 

He hoped this would be the first and last time he made this medicine.

 

After revealing that someone was poisoned by this medicine, he would have to make an antidote.

 

Airite gathered the medicine and closed the old notebook.

 

On the front of the book, written in childish handwriting, it said:

 

[Interesting Medicinal Herb Improvement Research Journal]

 

Crea Wishid.

 

Airite Wishid.

 

It was the name of someone he had parted ways with over different ideals more than ten years ago.

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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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