Chapter 4
The moment I arrived at Marquis Briard’s estate, where I was told my grandfather was staying, and stepped down from the carriage, I took a breath.
‘Oh, so our ally is rich. This mansion is really luxurious.’
It was not quite as grand as the Snow royal palace, but it was still a very large and beautiful estate.
Marble pillars supported the front gate, and each pillar was carved with delicate patterns.
In the neatly trimmed garden, a fountain sprayed water into the air, and the droplets sparkled in rainbow colors under the sunlight.
This was Marquis Briard’s estate.
It was not very far from the Snow royal palace.
Just thinking that this was the home of one of the leading nobles who supported and protected me made even the stones of the mansion look beautiful.
“Welcome, Princess. I am Sefri Briard.”
“It’s nice to see you, Marquis Briard. It’s been a while.”
The marquis had come all the way outside to greet me personally. He looked to be in his late forties.
He had a gentle and polite impression.
Dark brown hair, and a neatly trimmed beard. The elegance unique to nobles seemed natural on him.
Smiling, he replied softly.
“Yes, I saw you from afar at the New Year gathering. I heard you recently suffered something terrible, so for you to come all the way here… are you truly all right?”
“As you can see, I am very healthy. I heard my grandfather was staying here, so I came to see him.”
I politely stated my reason as well.
“Mm… yes. I understand…”
Marquis Briard hesitated.
As he guided me into the estate, his steps subtly slowed.
His pace broke awkwardly, as if he were hesitating, and something strange passed over his face.
…
It was a troubled look.
His brows narrowed slightly, then relaxed again.
‘Why is he acting like that?’
Was he flustered because I came so suddenly?
Did he have another appointment and have to cancel it because of me?
Or was he simply worried that I should be resting instead of walking around?
Thinking about all that, I followed him.
The door to the reception room opened.
And at that moment, I understood why Marquis Briard had looked like that.
An old man with gray-white hair stood there leaning on a cane.
The splendid chandelier shone over his silver hair, making it glimmer.
His back was straight, and his eyes were sharp and alive, so much so that he almost felt like a young man.
But.
Even though he was supposed to be my maternal grandfather, that was not the gaze of someone welcoming his lovely granddaughter.
It was cold as ice.
No—that was not the real problem.
The real problem was that this was only the beginning.
“Greetings, Princess.”
Duke Jeyan’s voice rang through the reception room.
It was low and firm.
“Please understand that I could not come outside to welcome you because of my injured leg.”
“No, Grandfather.”
I quickly tried to walk closer, but then stopped.
Because his expression was too stiff.
“How did you hurt your leg? Are you all right?”
I asked because I was sincerely worried.
Duke Jeyan looked at me silently.
Then he said coldly,
his blue eyes shining like ice.
“Is this really the time to be worrying about my leg?”
His voice was sharp.
“You should be worrying about your own condition, Princess.”
“No, I’m fine, but…”
“It seems you still do not understand your own situation.”
Duke Jeyan’s mouth hardened.
“Seeing how recklessly you are behaving like this.”
“Pardon?”
In an instant, the air in the reception room changed.
It sank, heavy and cold.
The chandelier candles trembled slightly, and shadows danced along the walls.
Marquis Briard looked out the window as if pretending not to notice.
Andy had already disappeared long ago.
‘Wh-what is this?’
I was so shocked that I lost my words.
My throat tightened, and my mouth went dry.
All the things I had prepared to say to Duke Jeyan before coming here became completely tangled in my head.
My thoughts twisted together like a knotted thread.
What was this?
He had asked to see Blanche many times!
He even gave me a diamond mine so his granddaughter would not lose heart.
He had been firmly supporting Blanche from behind so Queen Phetra could not throw her out of the palace whenever she wanted.
‘I thought he would say, “My dear granddaughter! Grandfather missed you so, so much!”’
In other romance fantasy novels, all the grandfathers of the heroines were obsessed with their granddaughters, with hearts practically shining in their eyes.
…
‘Then why is my grandfather like this?’
This was strange.
Or had he become upset because Blanche kept refusing to meet him?
In the end, I told myself this was just because this novel had never been normal to begin with, so weird things were bound to happen.
I forced a smile.
“Haha. It’s been a long time since we met, so why are you acting like this?”
My voice trembled a little.
“You said you wanted to see me. That’s why I came here.”
“That is exactly the problem!”
Duke Jeyan’s eyes flashed.
Then he struck the floor with his cane.
Bang—!
The sharp sound ran across the floor and seemed to climb up through my feet.
The sound of the cane hitting the marble floor spread through the entire reception room and echoed against the walls.
It felt like an icy blade had brushed across my body.
As I stood there, shocked enough to feel my spine turn cold, he spoke in an even harsher voice.
“Why did you recklessly come outside?”
Each word drove in like a nail.
“The palace is safer for you. Outside, it is much easier for you to be attacked. What would have happened if an accident had occurred on your way here?”
His voice was not especially loud, but the pressure it carried was enormous.
The air grew heavy. It became hard even to breathe.
But this level of pressure could not intimidate me.
I had endured much worse than this.
I had delivered the best results even while getting cursed at from every direction by complete lunatics.
I raised my brows and lifted my chin.
“Then, Grandfather—or rather, Duke Jeyan—you mean you do not want me leaving the palace?”
“That is correct.”
…
Now that he answered calmly, the anger inside me only burned hotter.
I looked straight at him and answered clearly, word by word.
“I refuse.”
“…What did you say?”
“I said I refuse.”
I raised my voice.
“So you’re telling me to spend my whole life trembling inside a palace full of enemies?”
Duke Jeyan looked at me quietly as I challenged him.
For a brief moment, he narrowed his eyes in surprise.
Then he nodded with a serious face again.
“Yes. Do that.”
What in the world was this grandfather saying?
I frowned.
My jaw tightened, and I ground my teeth.
“…Don’t you think that’s too much? I’m your granddaughter.”
“Is this really the time to be emotional?”
Duke Jeyan’s voice turned even colder.
“You nearly died in the recent assassination attempt. It was fortunate that it happened in the palace. If it had happened outside, you would have died immediately without even receiving a proper antidote.”
…Damn it.
So this was what it felt like to be beaten by words.
It felt like I was being hit over and over with facts until I was falling apart.
My head felt a little dizzy.
‘Wow. Even so… isn’t this too much?’
Is that really something you say to your precious granddaughter—
or to the royal heir you support?
I barely managed to calm the part of me that wanted to go wild like a mad dog.
I took a deep breath in and out.
…
Then I forced myself to smile.
The corners of my mouth twitched, and my cheek muscles stiffened.
“Really? So, Grandfather—no, Duke Jeyan—you’re telling me to do nothing and live like a dead person in that filthy palace?”
Duke Jeyan frowned.
The deep lines on his face became even clearer, and his mouth turned into a straight line.
“Your words have become rough.”
“They have no choice but to!”
I shouted.
“I nearly died from poison, and my only grandfather is telling me to stay trapped in that dangerous place.”
I glared at him.
But Duke Jeyan did not move at all.
His expression was firm like a rock, like a statue carved from stone.
“That is the best method for someone with Your Highness’s nature.”
His voice was still cold.
“You hate stepping forward, you are easily frightened, and you have no ambition. If you wish to keep your life, this is your only option.”
“Grandfather.”
“I requested an audience many times because I wanted to give you a precious antidote.”
Duke Jeyan let out a long, deep sigh.
“You refused to meet me for years, and now suddenly you come here like this. It is completely absurd.”
I had no answer.
My throat closed up.
You could not simply erase Blanche’s timid past with a stroke like an eraser.
‘Ah…’
My breath caught.
My chest felt so tight it was painful.
…
Only now did I feel it clearly.
I was truly not the real Blanche.
Everyone remembered the Blanche of the past.
So of course it was natural that the Blanche of now, suddenly acting like this, would seem strange and unpleasant to them.
But.
It was different.
I was not that Blanche.
But I was not a fake Blanche either.
Because now, I had decided to live as Blanche.
So I—
had to move in order to prove who I was.
I lowered my head and stared at the carpet beneath my feet.
The red patterns looked blurred.
Then I clenched my fists tightly.
When I raised my head again, I looked between Duke Jeyan and Marquis Briard and declared clearly,
“I will not live like that anymore. The Blanche of the past is gone now.”
Since I had transmigrated, it was true that I was no longer the original Blanche but a new Blanche.
Of course, explaining that would only create even more complicated problems, so I chose to leave it unsaid.
“Wh-what do you mean by that?”
Marquis Briard asked carefully, watching Duke Jeyan’s reaction.
The hand holding his teacup was trembling slightly.
“You mean you intend to change?”
Curiosity showed in his eyes, as if asking what exactly I was planning to do.
“And if you do change… how do you intend to change?”
Right now, I had to win over these stubborn men first.
Most of my clients in my past life had been men exactly like this.
And handling, convincing, and winning over men like them—
was what the old me did best.
I quickly began thinking.
