Chapter 168 — Barter
‘I miss her.’
Perel tightly pressed his lips together, pretending he hadn’t heard that muttered remark.
‘It’s good news that the two of them have become a proper married couple, but…’
Lately, his lord had started to feel downright frightening.
The moment Her Grace left yesterday, the Grand Duke had relentlessly driven the knights through patrol inspections.
The knights, who had thought this was just a relaxed outing, were thrown into confusion as they chased after their commander, forced to keep increasing their pace without a break.
— “It’s not like monsters are chasing us. Why is the commander in such a hurry?”
He had so much energy that even the knights were at a loss for words.
‘He’s become a monster in a different sense.’
In the end, the inspection schedule that was supposed to last until the next morning was finished before the sun even set.
But the moment they returned to the villa, the Grand Duke visibly sagged, his shoulders drooping in disappointment.
Only then did Perel realize the reason his lord had rushed everything so desperately.
— “Your Grace, Her Grace won’t arrive until tomorrow.”
— “……She might have come back early.”
And so, the Grand Duke lingered outside the villa until night fell, and even after a full day passed, he was still like this.
Watching the Grand Duke anxiously tapping his foot, Perel blasphemously found himself thinking of a puppy waiting for its owner to come home.
Bang!
The Grand Duke struck the terrace wall with his fist in frustration.
“I’ll go get her.”
“Yes?”
“Johas!”
The Grand Duke shouted toward the knights resting in the distance.
“We depart in five minutes! Prepare yourselves!”
The knights scrambled to their feet, not knowing what was happening.
‘No, it’s not even noon yet!’
Holding back his inner frustration, Perel quietly sighed as he saw the Grand Duke’s face brighten at the thought of going to meet the Grand Duchess.
The carriage rattled along the rough mountain road.
Holding back a yawn, I gazed out the window at the forest path of the Selvanis territory.
When I said I would leave right after breakfast, the Countess couldn’t hide her disappointment.
— “You must be tired after staying up late. Why don’t you stay one more day? Or at least rest a bit and leave after lunch…”
Last night, over tea, we had grown very close.
When I asked her to speak casually, the Countess had been awkward at first, but before long she was calling me Annette and naturally holding my hand.
Maybe there really was something special between family.
Talking with the Countess felt comfortable and pleasant.
Seeing her reluctance, I briefly considered staying another day, but Loic’s drooping eyes kept flashing through my mind.
In the end, I boarded the carriage after soothing her disappointment by promising to invite her when we held the opera.
‘If I go back early, Loic will be surprised.’
Thinking of his happy face, I swallowed a smile.
Cecilia, sitting across from me, started nodding off shortly after the carriage departed.
I thought I should rest my eyes too and leaned my head against the carriage wall.
‘Am I getting motion sickness?’
Suddenly my stomach churned violently, and my vision flashed white.
Thud.
A heavy, dull pain surged through me as if I’d been thrown onto the ground.
It was dark, and I couldn’t see well.
The damp air smelled strongly of mold.
As my senses slowly returned, my vision cleared to reveal the inside of an old log cabin.
Just moments ago, I had been inside the carriage.
‘What is going on?’
I tried to sit up to understand the situation—
Sharp nails dug painfully into my shoulder, pressing me down.
“Ugh!”
A suppressed cry escaped me.
“Oh dear, my apologies.”
A chilling voice I had heard before echoed beside my ear.
Someone was behind me.
A man in a dark robe slowly stepped in front of me and pulled back his hood.
“I almost harmed someone so precious.”
“Shaman…!”
It was the yellow-eyed shaman I had seen by the lakeside.
I didn’t know how he had done it, but it seemed I had been kidnapped.
Summoning a person out of a moving carriage—
I had never even heard of such power.
A chill ran down my spine.
The shaman leaned his pale face close and spoke.
“If you promise not to do anything foolish, I won’t bind you. This is my way of showing respect to Your Grace.”
I nodded calmly, forcing myself to stay composed.
“Very well. You’re quite reasonable.”
With a satisfied smile, the shaman waved his hand, and two chairs slid over from the corner.
“Please sit. The floor is cold.”
He sat down first.
My legs trembled, but I forced myself to stand and sit as well.
It’s okay. Stay calm.
Since I disappeared from the carriage, Cecilia would inform the knights immediately.
Loic would come to save me.
“No one will come.”
As if reading my thoughts, the shaman smiled cruelly.
“So don’t hold on to pointless hopes.”
“You underestimate the Blenheim Knights.”
I said it deliberately, sounding confident.
The shaman scoffed.
“Well, unfortunately, that excellent Blenheim Knight Order won’t even realize you’ve disappeared.”
Unable to hide his delight, he pointed at the floor.
“Do you see it? What you’re standing on right now is a magic circle for equivalent exchange.”
Startled, I quickly lifted my foot.
Only then did I notice the large magic circle drawn on the floor.
“It’s an exchange spell that swaps two objects of roughly equal value.”
The shaman crossed two fingers.
“Do you know who was lying here just a moment ago?”
Something clicked in my mind.
“…Lady Meisel?”
“Sharp as expected.”
The shaman’s lips curled upward.
Then that meant Lady Meisel was now in the carriage?
But Cecilia would notice right away—
As if answering my thoughts, the shaman explained kindly.
“I placed an illusion spell on Lady Meisel. To the eye, she’s indistinguishable from Your Grace.”
My heart tightened.
So people would mistake Meisel for me?
“Don’t worry too much. The illusion will wear off soon.”
Then the shaman made an ‘oh’ expression.
“Come to think of it, I forgot to tell her that the illusion would disappear.”
After pretending to think for a moment, he shrugged.
“Well, she’ll live as the Grand Duchess for half a day at least. That should be enough time for her to exchange a few words with the Grand Duke she’s always wanted.”
What nonsense.
I bit the inside of my mouth and carefully controlled my expression.
“What do you want?”
Seeing my flushed face, he raised both palms, clearly pleased.
“My god will tell you that personally.”
His god—he meant the dragon.
“He’ll be arriving here shortly.”
“The dragon… is coming here?”
Ever since meeting the dragon’s gaze, I still suffered nightmares from time to time.
That enormous eye, the fear it gave me—it was still carved deeply into my mind.
Seeing my bloodless face, the shaman smiled sickly.
“There’s no need to be so afraid. Everything is simply following a predetermined fate.”
At that moment, a strange light passed through the shaman’s yellow eyes, and his pupils stretched vertically.
An indescribable, chilling presence filled the room.
The shaman’s body trembled, and as he slowly blinked, a vivid golden glow surfaced in his eyes.
Instinctively, I understood.
What stood before me now was no longer the shaman.
It was the dragon.
The dragon slowly rolled his neck, then narrowed his eyes at me.
At that moment, for the first time since coming to this world, I wanted to go home.
“…Your Grace, are you alright?”
Cecilia asked drowsily as she opened her eyes.
She seemed to have woken when Meisel’s body bumped against the carriage.
Meisel looked around in confusion.
The scenery outside the speeding carriage rushed past.
“Your Grace?”
Cecilia tilted her head.
“…I’m fine.”
Meisel replied calmly, recalling the Grand Duchess’s way of speaking.
The words came out a little stiff, but Cecilia didn’t seem to notice anything strange and simply replied ‘Yes,’ closing her eyes again.
‘The shaman was right!’
Her heart pounded wildly.
After all this time, Meisel had finally reclaimed her place.
Starting today, she would finally become the Grand Duchess of Blenheim.
‘Even if it’s as Annette Blenheim.’
It didn’t matter if the Grand Duke mistook her for someone else.
She didn’t even mind being called Annette for the rest of her life.
As long as she could live beside the Grand Duke forever, nothing else mattered.
‘I want to see the Grand Duke as soon as possible.’
Just as Meisel was filled with anticipation—
Hiiiin!
The carriage convoy suddenly came to a halt.
Outside, knights murmured loudly, calling for the commander.
“Did the Grand Duke come out to meet us?”
Cecilia asked, rubbing her eyes as she looked at Meisel.
‘Once we return to the castle, I’ll start by firing that disgusting maid.’
Frowning deeply, Meisel heard the carriage door suddenly open.
“Annette.”
The Grand Duke smiled brightly as he met Meisel’s eyes.
