I Don’t Need the Grand Duke’s Regret - Chapter 45

Chapter 45
Translator: effe

The ruler of the Empire being blinded by forms of value such as friendship and love.

It was pathetic.

Fortunately, there was no letter from the ‘father’ trying to give Ricardo absurd rhetoric this time. He doesn’t know if that should be considered fortunate.

“Your Grace, may I come in?”

A voice came with the sound of knocking on the door.

Ricardo threw the parchment into the fireplace without hesitation and spoke.

“Come in.”

The person who appeared after the door opened was Nasir. Ricardo narrowed his eyes as he stared at him. He then glanced behind Nasir’s back.

“Why did you come in alone?”

“What?”

Nasir blinked at the unexpected question. Then he put his hands together and spoke.

“She must be in the eastern greenhouse.”

Nasir gave a faint smile.

Ricardo particularly disliked how Nasir mentioned Armilla’s name. Therefore, instead of using her name, Nasir used the term ‘she’ to refer to her. He did so because Armilla felt uncomfortable when he addressed her as the Grand Duchess.

To Nasir’s answer, Ricardo placed his hand on his waist. He tapped his firm waist with his fingers through the thick leather belt and tilted his head.

“Didn’t she know I’m back?”

“Maybe she hadn’t heard the bell?”

Nasir replied seriously to Ricardo’s earnest attitude.

It was strange, come to think of it. Armilla was restless whenever Ricardo even briefly left the mansion. That never changed since she arrived at Renato.

Armilla’s behavior had become even more unusual after their marriage. On days like today, when he returned after being away from the mansion for a few days, she would linger in front of the study and sneak in with Nasir.

“Perhaps she went to the eastern greenhouse. The eastern greenhouse is in a corner, so the bell may not reach there… Your Grace?”

Nasir, who had been offering excuses for Armilla, could not finish his sentence.

Ricardo, who had been staring at the fireplace, suddenly stood up. He hurriedly left the study. His movements are full of anxiety.

This left Nasir alone in the study. He couldn’t even set down the documents he had brought, as he heard the sound of his master’s footsteps growing further away.

* * *

Bianca hid behind a pillar as the study door opened.

When she heard the sound of the determined footsteps, her heart began to beat rapidly. She nervously smoother her hair and pulled down the collar of her maid uniform to reveal more of her chest.

“Your Grace!”

Just as Bianca was about to gather her chest, the black cloak swiftly passed by her. Bianca hurriedly reached out to the person who was moving away.

But Ricardo didn’t stop despite her calls. He walked briskly towards the eastern greenhouse, clearly preoccupied with something urgent.

“Your Grace, it’s me, Bianca!”

Bianca ran after him and shouted, but Ricardo ignored her. Watching the Grand Duke completely ignoring her, Bianca blushed.

The Duke despised all women, but it was slightly different with Bianca. He claimed it was because of her usefulness as a Jaquette, but Bianca didn’t believe it.

The Duke must have also had feelings for Bianca, it’s just that her status as a refugee prevented him from keeping her close.

As evidence, he secretly asked her to procure the Agahpia juice. It was to let her know that he had married Armilla but would not have a child.

For some reason, he hadn’t sought out Bianca since Peter arrived at the estate. Nevertheless,

“Your Grace!”

Bianca called out desperately. The Grand Duke seemed to still be conscious of the gazes of others around him.

There was nothing she could do. She had to comply with his wishes and play along.

“Your Grace, I have something to report regarding Lady Armilla!”

As soon as Bianca mentioned Armilla’s name, Ricardo stood still. He stared sharply at Bianca who was running towards him. Feeling exhilarated by the fact that she had caught his attention, Bianca stood before him.

“Your Grace, I hope you did well suppressing the beast. It’s fortunate that there wasn’t much snowfall during this expedition.”

“Get to the point. What’s going on with Armilla?”

Ricardo cut Bianca’s greeting off and spoke coldly. Hurt by his cold demeanor, Bianca said.

“You’re always looking for that woman.”

Ricardo’s expression turned sharp at Bianca’s blunt words. As he slowly lowered his gaze, Bianca’s heart began to race. She tilted her shoulders coquettishly and smiled.

“Well, that woman tried to uncover His Grace and our secret. She acted like she was the real Grand Duchess so I told her about the Agaphia juice. Kuh, she was so surprised.”

Ricardo’s gaze turned fierce at Bianca’s confession. He sneered at her.

“You’re talkative.”

“What about that woman you picked up from the mountains? You can just discard a woman like that. Unlike her, I know my place. Your Grace has been regularly taking the medicine so you don’t have to be bothered.”

Bianca finished her statement and straightened her body. She leaned forward as much as she could and approached Ricardo.

“Embrace someone who’s prepared for Your Grace, not some bothersome woman.”

“Ha. Didn’t you say you knew your place? You’re running wild without knowing your place.”

Ricardo’s sarcasm poured onto Bianca. He grabbed her by the hair and lifted her up.

“Aack!”

Bianca screamed loudly as Ricardo grabbed her by the hair. The sharp scream was so piercing that the servants working in the nearby hallway came running.

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