The 21st Century Grand Grand Duchess in the Royal Academy - Chapter 26

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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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A Twenty-First Century Grand Duchess in the Royal Academy
The Only One
By the time Hwan’s reign had stretched past two years, I was devoting considerable effort to selecting a “modest” outfit at the Department Store. I needed something to wear to Sung Tae-joo’s wedding. I could dismiss Sung Tae-joo’s pleas not to stand out as nonsense, but Father’s commands were absolute.
This was because Father’s rewards and punishments were crystal clear. In fact, he had promised to buy me a bright red Bugatti if I remained silent throughout the formal meeting with the Han family. I thought the price for silence was quite generous—
‘Tae-joo will succeed me.’
Hearing Father say that, a Bugatti seemed rather modest. As I contemplated overturning my glass, an urgent text from Sung Tae-joo arrived.
[Hey, I really have to marry Da-young.]
I shot back a look of indifference, and another message came through.
[I’ll create a position for you at Castle Electronics.]
That was a tempting deal. Having joined Castle Electronics upon graduation, Sung Tae-joo was now flaunting his title as successor to Castle Group. The standing of Castle Electronics, the predecessor to Castle Group, was that significant.
With my university graduation approaching next year, Father had promised me a position at Castle Foundation. If I could exchange that for Electronics instead….
[If you don’t keep your promise, I’ll show you what a bastard really is.]
[Got it, you lunatic.]
And so I kept my mouth shut throughout the formal meeting, with the Bugatti and a position at Castle Electronics as my conditions. Father’s nonsense about Sung Tae-joo succeeding him was something I could overturn with competence—it was something I could simply ignore.
Once the formal meeting ended on a rather pleasant note, the wedding date was set quickly. As grandiose articles about the union of the legal profession and the business world poured out and the stock market fluctuated, Father called me in once more with another promise. If I behaved modestly at the wedding, he would gift me some shares of Castle Hotel in advance.
I wondered if he was planning to announce his successor at the wedding, but I coolly accepted. Regardless of Father’s intentions, Sung Tae-joo was still just a newcomer at Castle Electronics, far from ready to inherit Father’s position. I had more than enough time to prove myself.
“Hee-joo.”
Min Jung-woo entered the store with a welcoming smile. It wasn’t easy to see his face—he was pursuing a master’s degree in America. The fact that he’d come back to the country just to attend a classmate’s wedding suggested the Han family was quite remarkable.
“You’ve gotten a tan.”
“Me?”
“You didn’t study in America like you were supposed to—you just played baseball, didn’t you?”
“That’s not true.”
Despite the long time apart, the two of us conversed without any awkwardness. It was natural—we were the kind of people who called each other constantly despite the fourteen-hour time difference. We had so much to talk about. I had no friends, and Min Jung-woo didn’t particularly like having them; we found each other’s daily lives entertaining.
During university, I occasionally had boyfriends, but each time they struggled with the ambiguous existence that was “Min Jung-woo.” He was close enough to matter, yet he never crossed the line—handsome and kind. Min Jung-woo maintained exactly that level of presence while watching my boyfriends change countless times.
As if he knew their existence could never encroach on his territory.
From the beginning, the only men I didn’t dismiss were Sung Hyun-guk and Min Jung-woo.
“So what do you want me to help with?”
“Pick out an outfit for me. Something like a proper yangban lady.”
“For Da-young’s wedding?”
“Yeah.”
When I found myself in difficult or troublesome situations, Min Jung-woo was the person I thought of. He surveyed the clothes hanging in the store and selected a few pieces. He didn’t seem to be looking that carefully, yet what he chose was just right. Appropriately elegant, and appropriately modest.
“Are you dating anyone, oppa?”
“Me?”
“You don’t have any sisters, so why are you so good at picking out women’s clothes?”
Min Jung-woo shrugged and handed me a pink dress.
“I’ve never met a woman who asked me to pick out clothes for her.”
“Ugh.”
I grimaced and headed into the fitting room. Min Jung-woo smiled with amusement as he looked at the shoes arranged beautifully. While he was examining a few that would match the outfits he’d selected—
“Ugh, isn’t this way too gaudy?”
I emerged in the new outfit. My face was twisted in irritation at how strange the refined silhouette felt on me.
“Is it not fine?”
“You think this is fine?”
“A little rustic is actually what makes it pretty.”
“Who says that?”
“The elders.”
Hee-joo nodded in resignation, picturing the faces of her in-laws’ family members. The navy two-piece and black tweed she tried on next were no different. Not bad, exactly, but somehow tacky and provincial.
“Is this the right choice?”
“It is, I’m telling you.”
Min Jung-woo nodded without much conviction and signaled the surrounding staff. Understanding his cue, the employees immediately gathered around Hee-joo.
“Oh my, this color suits our customer so well. You look absolutely beautiful.”
“Mary Janes would work nicely with this outfit. Would you like to try them on?”
“If you’re open to higher heels as well….”
Faced with so many options that it drained her will entirely, Hee-joo lost her resolve to shop with any real intention. She simply—
“I’ll take these.”
She purchased the very first dress she’d tried on and the very first shoes she’d worn.
The two of them left the Department Store and headed to a nearby café.
“My blood sugar is crashing, seriously.”
Whether his words were exaggerated or not, Hee-joo’s eyes lit up as she gazed at the cakes in the display case.
“Ordering one of each kind feels a bit much, doesn’t it?”
“You want to eat them all?”
“Yeah.”
“Then let’s order them all.”
Min Jung-woo called over a staff member with a look that said why not.
“We’ll take everything from here to here.”
With an order straight out of a drama.
Looking at the twelve varieties of cake placed on the table, Hee-joo burst into laughter. She was the one who’d said she wanted to eat them all, but she found it consistent of Min Jung-woo to actually order everything.
“You really seem to have no sense of self.”
“Me?”
“Yeah, you’re always telling me to do whatever I want.”
“Is that so.”
Min Jung-woo laughed after taking a bite of the matcha cake. He did say that kind of thing often in front of Hee-joo. Do whatever you want.
“You should do what you want to do.”
“What if I want to do something really bad?”
“Well.”
Min Jung-woo’s expression grew serious as he tilted his head. His eyes deepened as though he were deliberating at length, but the answer came more easily than expected.
“You should still do it. If you want to.”
“Ugh, boring.”
Having lost interest, Hee-joo focused back on the cake. Min Jung-woo, meanwhile, felt that this kind of contemplation had been rare for him in a long time. It was a question he’d been asking himself consistently, ever since the beginning.
Even when he turned a blind eye to Hee-joo stealing Ryu Min-seok’s key, even when he smiled at her saying she had a boyfriend.
In his teens, he’d thought his feelings toward Hee-joo were something akin to compassion. As he turned twenty and found himself wanting to see her more often, he wondered if it was affection. Even now, long after that, he hadn’t defined it. He only knew it was a deep and profound emotion.
Whenever the desire to be her one and only clashed with the urge to draw closer, Min Jung-woo had learned to settle for what was enough. It was a way of reminding himself that he was already unique to Hwan—irreplaceable in a way no one else could be. He knew that the girl who could only play tough in front of others confessed her struggles and doubts to him alone, without hesitation. So for now, this was sufficient.
Above all, he wanted to keep Hwan in his life for as long as possible. He had no intention of becoming one of those “boyfriends” she discarded after three months of wearing them down. Besides, he had his own path to walk. The same path his grandfather and father had carved before him, and for that, he could afford no distractions or complications.
So he would wait.
“Your boyfriend’s calling again.”
“Don’t answer it. We broke up yesterday.”
“Again? The relationships keep getting shorter.”
“Tell me about it. All the decent men must be dead.”
Watching Hwan without a shred of regret in her expression, Min Jung-woo grew even more certain. This was good. Waiting still didn’t feel difficult.

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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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