Chapter 12: Chapter 6.1

Anne was startled by the words of the Grand Duke, who was staring at her. Anne’s cheeks reddened when she realized that his gaze was trained on one of her cheeks.

“I belong to no one.”

“Not yet, perhaps . . .”

As if hearing a funny word, the Grand Duke’s lips stretched languidly.

“Still, I should know.”

Suddenly, his straightened fingers grabbed Anne’s chin and tilted her face up. Anne’s body trembled at the sudden touch. Even though they were indoors, his hands were like ice cubes that didn’t hold the warmth of a human being.

He then turned Anne’s head to the side, left and right, watching her cheek as if observing. Then, his hand, which was lightly stroking the cheek with his thumb, fell off as if he had lost interest. However, his curiosity did not seem to have disappeared.

“Who was it?”

“. . .”

“That Whitmore?”

Embarrassed, she shut her mouth, as the Grand Duke immediately mentioned the name of her former fiancee.

“No. This . . . My father . . .”

Her voice died instantly. It was still embarrassing and shameful. There was nothing okay with the fact that a noble Lady was beaten by her parents.

“It was Count Libelois . . .”

There was no significant change in expression on his face, no hint as to whether or not it was in line with his expectations. He just pondered over her words.

“People in that house had a habit of messing around with what is mine.”

Regardless of whether Anne agreed with him or not, he called her his. As though she were his property.

At that moment, the Grand Duke, who had held her body in the blink of an eye, barely affixed his face to Anne’s cheek. The cold winter scent wafted from him, who had narrowed the distance, so much that even the woman who had just experienced winter could feel it.

“Do you want me to kill him?”

“. . . !”

Anne was terribly surprised by the casual mention of the word ‘kill’. As if she drank ice water, the cold seemed to invade her throat and into her body.

He sneered lightly and opened his mouth again.

“I can do it if it is my wife’s wish . . .”

The Grand Duke spoke of her father’s death as if he had given her the honor of choosing, leaving her the right to decide. It was her, the wife of who came for the marriage. Blood drained from Anne’s face as she recalled the rumor that he was a savage person who casually killed people with twisted judgment.

“That . . . I don’t want that.”

“Why? I didn’t know you were obsessed with your bloodline . . .”

He tilted his head as if hearing something strange. Anne was sure he didn’t understand why she was speaking so. The incomprehension on his expressionless face really showed. But she didn’t desire her family’s death just because she was slapped in the face due to a lack of affection.

“Thank you for your words, but I don’t want it. It’s boring.”

As if to ask why, he blinked his eyes slowly with a bored face.

“Instead, I have another request.”

When Anne asked, examining the Duke’s face, he made eye contact and nodded his head languidly. It meant to speak.

Anne took her breath, and then she spoke the other words she had rehearsed all the way through.

“I came to take the place of my brother’s crimes, but I heard that Your Grace also needs an heir, which is why you are marrying me.”

“. . .”

Although the words weren’t positive, the Grand Duke told her to go on, fixing his gaze on her.

“If . . . If I give birth to a child . . .”

The Grand Duke’s eyes, unmoved the whole time, swayed slightly at that moment, but Anne, who was hesitant and dragged her words, did not notice the change.

“Please let me go.”

“ . . . !?”

As soon as Anne had finished speaking, the Grand Duke’s expression morphed for a moment.

“I will leave the child behind, so you can make it your successor and spend the rest of your life with the woman you want.”

“The reason you want a child . . . Just to give it to me and leave?”

There was an illusion of a chill in his voice for a moment, but Anne calmly chose her words.

“To be precise, I am leaving an heir to Your Grace. You don’t want to spend those long years with me anyway.”

It might be an outrageous request, but she thought it was a pretty good offer, so Anne was confident. He would be reluctant to keep a woman he didn’t like as his true wife, and she wouldn’t have to be wary of his lover, whom he loved so much.

And she actually had another reason that was as fundamental as he first. She knew how far the Count’s obsession, which she had seen since she was young, would extend.

I happened to be able to enter into a marriage contract with the Grand Duke in this way, but my father will somehow use this opportunity to fulfill his ambitions.

Shortly after the marriage was decided, Anne decided that she would not live as the Grand Duchess, and that she would leave this place. When her family sold her over in the name of the family’s honor, Anne made a vow. She would present the most humiliating insults toward those who value the ‘honor of family’, and thwart her father’s ambitions.