My Dear Grand Duke on a Leash - Chapter 25
Chapter 13.1 — The dog, the lark and the Princess (9)
“If Chalonné’s specialty is Venus, then the attraction is the back garden. The atmosphere is really natural.”
When the unfamiliar voice roused him from his daze, before he knew it, Cain was already surrounded by the gentlemen.
Wherever he went, he was more popular with the same sex than with the opposite sex. He was also known as the Pied Piper, who charmed only businessmen, family heads, or officers.*
[ T/N: The meaning of ‘officers’ (장교) from here on out by the author means ‘A serviceman or servicewoman holding a position of command of authority in the armed services, navy or air force—military vessels.’ ]
Even when a young lady approached and shyly exchanged a few words, the conversation never lasted long. It was due to his temper, which he didn’t know how to control.
“Grand Duke Acheron. To think of letting the Arnu River run directly through the back garden… uncharacteristically economical for a royal palace, isn’t it?”
Economical.
It was a concise and graceful way of saying that the poor kingdom was struggling.
“I’ve heard that the country house in Katak, in the land of Acheron, has utilized new technology to turn its gardens into a splendid, dazzling paradise. Did you really make all the pagodas golden, Grand Duke?”
“Please ask me some common sense questions. It’s a waste of time to answer such a question.
It was an attitude that bordered on rudeness, and yet the Chalonné gentlemen who surrounded him gazed admiringly at the ‘manly’ demeanor of the former Helios officer.
“Oh, look… It’s a royal limousine. Is Princess Beatrice coming?”
The gazes of the nobles turned to one place. A royal limousine with the gold-engraved deer pattern, the symbol of Chalonné, on the body. It was an outing limousine for the royal family of Chalonné.
Whether it was or not, Cain just stared at the Arnu River indifferently. Because it was narrow but downstream, some nobles enjoying boating floated leisurely on the water with low current speed. In addition, the riverside was full of nobles enjoying chats at gazebos, benches, picnic parasols and tables.
“That… Unfortunately, it’s Princess Lariette.”
At someone’s remark, his shoulder stiffened abruptly like a goat struck by lightning, and he reflexively turned his head to see her in the passenger seat of the limousine with no ceiling. Queen Chalonné was quite displeased with the carriage-like, ceilingless design.
It was because of her merry second daughter, who often got up from her seat.
While tying her hair up in a half bun was something mostly for young girls, it looked good on her because she was lovely. In addition, even though he didn’t know who came up with the idea for the big white lace ribbon, somehow, it was dazzling and created an image of an angel with a halo shimmering.
“Princess Lariette is such a lovely yet pitiful person, isn’t she?”
…Pitiful?
Cain’s brow crumpled in blatant disbelief at someone’s nonsense.
“Her sister is Venus of Chalonné, and her friend is His Highness Narkissis. Even though she’s quite beautiful in her own right, for a woman to be second in command for the rest of her life is quite a handicap, isn’t it? She’s lovely, but it’s no wonder you’ve become such an ungainly personality…”
“Be careful with your mouth.”
As a piercing gaze fell from his blue eyes, the chattering gentleman’s mouth shut swiftly as if he was facing a gun.
“A mere noble doesn’t know the subject. Unless your finances are in dire need, I’d recommend an increase in your tutor’s salary lest you further tarnish your family name in a foreign country.”
A cold breeze snapped in the air.
Unless they were officers, quite a few nobles weren’t resistant to the direct barrage of words rather than nuanced attacks. Similarly, the young ladies, who had been eavesdropping on the conversation and looking for a chance to get close to the Grand Duke, quietly backed away as well.
In a different sense from Narkissis, he was a godlike man in another sense of the word, an ancient god, but women weren’t allowed to approach him. Just like even if the sword’s body was lacquered with gold, the fact that it was used as a weapon to cut a person’s throat didn’t change.
Cain was in an awful mood.
Something was definitely wrong with their eyes. Knowing Narkissis and Beatrice, he couldn’t understand it. While he didn’t want to engage in the lowly act of judging others’ appearances, honestly, wasn’t Princess Lariette the owner of an overwhelming beauty that washed over the surrounding landscape like paint?
…To say that she was a second place when she was someone whom people couldn’t speak to because she was so dazzling.
He was irritated by the inferior culture of the men. When they felt that their level wasn’t good enough compared to the woman they wanted, they turned that woman into sour grapes.
[ T/N: An idiom for sour grapes, ‘pretended disdain for something one does not or cannot have—rationalization of behavior.’ ]
Rather, if you were covetous, you should praise as you desire and as much as you were in awe, not blow your own trumpet.*
[ T/N: ‘Blow on trumpet’ is an idiom that means ‘to tell other people that you have done very good things and have very good qualities in order to make them admire you—blow your own horn.’ ]
Assuming that Narkissis has reverted to his inherent arrogance, these incompetent rascals weren’t above average in either looks or bloodlines, yet they didn’t even know the subject matter and dared to speak nonsense that Lariette was a second place…
“Grand Duke Acheron!”
The sound of an engine approaching and an ecstatic voice at the same time brought Cain to his senses.
By now, Riette had gotten closer to him.
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