#065. Time Flies So Fast
The Grand Duke let out a cheerful laugh and gently patted my head, as if he had figured out what I was trying to say.
“It would be nice if everyone were as rational as you.”
“I truly think so too.”
I meant it. What always made things difficult for me was human emotion.
If people judged things rationally, they’d realize that agreeing with me was the best option. But instead, they’d get swept up in emotions and oppose me for no good reason.
In this life, it was Lady Starte who acted that way, and in my previous life, it was mostly officials who resisted me on emotional grounds, forcing me to suppress them over and over.
Maybe that’s why I empathized with the Grand Duke so well.
“So, Your Highness, are you thinking of crushing those who refuse to obey you while you’re at it?”
If that’s the case, wasn’t that strategy you just used kind of bad? Wouldn’t it only provoke more resistance if you give off the impression that you’re acting based on your feelings?
I tilted my head, and the Grand Duke gave me a mysterious smile.
“Hey, you just said it yourself. I’m the undisputed next Emperor.”
“Which is why, even more so…”
Mid-sentence, I realized the Grand Duke’s real intention.
Wow, if that’s really true, that’s a seriously twisted personality.
I narrowed my eyes and pressed him.
“Are you saying you pretended on purpose?”
The mischievous smile on the Grand Duke’s face was as good as a confession. I let out a sigh.
So, basically, the Grand Duke had deliberately acted like a foolish, arrogant tyrant who was swayed by me.
To make his opponents underestimate his abilities and lower their guard. And to make it seem like I, someone with no power, was someone they had to keep an eye on.
“Should I say that’s kind of… pitiful?”
The words slipped out of me unconsciously—and they were sincere.
From my side, it was an efficient tactic, since I could make people wary even without holding any real power.
But from the other side’s point of view, it was practically mockery.
“Well, they brought it on themselves.”
The Grand Duke chuckled, resting his chin in his hand.
“They looked down on me, so of course I had to make them underestimate me. In the end, all they have left is the reality of having to bow their heads to me. Isn’t that more humiliating? Realizing that the kid they once saw as pathetic and useless is actually standing above them now?”
I couldn’t help but sigh again.
Should I be relieved that he’s doing this before becoming Emperor? Or should I be worried that he’s imitating a tyrant just to mess with his subordinates?
“Why? Are you going to stop me?”
The Grand Duke looked at me with an intrigued expression.
Would he actually listen if I said I would? Should I stop him?
“…No, not really.”
In the end, it’s their fault for failing to see through the Grand Duke and daring to bare their teeth at their lord.
Having their pride trampled was actually a merciful punishment, if anything.
Besides, I had no real reason to stop the Grand Duke.
It’s not like he was truly acting like a tyrant, and a bit of playful “lovestruck-tyrant” pretending wouldn’t destabilize the Empire.
And it’s not like I’m in a position to offer advice about how the Crown Prince should behave.
After all, I’m just a candidate for Grand Duchess—not a sworn vassal of the Grand Duke.
If he really had the temperament of a tyrant or later neglected national affairs out of pride, that would be a huge problem.
But judging from what he just said, it seemed like he fully intended to demonstrate his abilities once he became Emperor.
If that’s the case, then pretending to be incompetent for a brief moment in his youth… wasn’t the worst idea.
“If that’s what Your Highness wants, then I’ll follow your lead. I’ll support you.”
Unlike the many cases of scheming ministers ruining a nation, I’d never seen a country fall because of a beautiful woman. I just needed to act like I did earlier.
“Even after 10 years, you really are…”
The Grand Duke’s hand, which had been stroking his chin, froze.
That familiar gaze—one I’d seen countless times over the past 10 years—landed on me again.
It held a mixture of irritation and amusement.
By now, I was so used to it that it didn’t bother me anymore.
“You still haven’t changed. —You know I don’t like it when someone blindly follows my lead, right?”
“I’m not blindly following you.”
I pushed back without hesitation.
“I’m simply cooperating because we reached the same conclusion.”
That was half-true, half-false.
Unlike my previous life, when I was constantly restrained, I didn’t want to fully unleash my abilities this time.
But I did want to protect Tula’s well-being. And now that I’d gotten involved with four direct members of the royal family, I couldn’t just quietly fade away like some old noble.
So I figured pretending to be a favored concubine acting arrogantly on the Grand Duke’s affection wouldn’t be the worst strategy.
Of course, this was a path I never would have chosen if the Grand Duke hadn’t chosen it first.
Because I couldn’t be sure I’d do a good job at it.
But just as he said, the Grand Duke doesn’t like it when I just go along with him. So I needed to at least pretend to resist.
From my perspective, any real debate would end with things going the way he wanted anyway, so why waste energy?
“You know, I feel like you’re getting better and better at talking back.”
I smiled softly.
“I’m also getting taller, you know.”
As for the talking part—I was already fully developed. If anything, I’d gotten worse, not better.
“Really? Doesn’t seem like it.”
The Grand Duke raised his hand above my head as if measuring my height.
“That’s because you’re growing even faster than me, Your Highness.”
If we’re both still growing, it would make sense that my growth isn’t obvious.
“Ah, well, that makes sense.”
The Grand Duke looked me over slowly—from the top of my head to my toes. His gaze seemed to be comparing me to how I used to be.
“—You’re right. You’ve definitely grown quite a bit.”
“It has been 10 years since we met, after all.”
The Grand Duke leaned back into his chair.
“Already 10 years, huh. Feels like we just met yesterday.”
That was probably because we were both reincarnators. The way a five-year-old feels ten years versus how an adult perceives it is completely different.
“Yeah. Time really does fly.”
But since I was still hiding the fact that I was a reincarnator from the Grand Duke, I just changed the subject.
“By the way, on the way back, could you drop me off at Spinel Palace instead of Jasper Palace?”
Spinel Palace was where Lady Starte was staying. The Grand Duke frowned slightly.
“Again? She never listens anyway—what’s the point in exhausting yourself?”
He wasn’t wrong. If she hadn’t listened by now, it was clear she never intended to.
“Still, I feel like I should at least do what I can.”
This time, I wasn’t going to tell Lady Starte to break up with him.
“You’re really something. Even though she clearly knows he’s engaged, she still had an affair—and yet you’re still worried about her.”
The Grand Duke clicked his tongue lightly, thinking I was worried about Lady Starte.
But that wasn’t it.
I wasn’t worried about Lady Starte—I was worried about what she might do to Lady Melek. Worried that it might spiral out of our control.
Ten years ago, Lady Starte didn’t even have a valid reason to want to kill me.
At most, she might’ve been jealous that the Empress paid attention to me. I had never even had a one-on-one conversation with her.
And now? That same person who tried to poison a mere three-year-old is having an affair.
Her lover has a fiancée, and despite countless warnings, she refuses to end things with Mastera’s heir.
Isn’t the outcome way too predictable at this point?
No matter how I look at it, all I can imagine is Lady Starte trying to assassinate Lady Melek. And whether she succeeds or fails, the truth would come out eventually.
If it gets that far, the situation will be much harder to manage.
That’s why I want to clean it up quickly—before things escalate—and preferably without digging up her attempted poisoning from ten years ago.
“If it doesn’t work out, don’t be too discouraged. Even I failed to persuade Mastera’s heir.”
Not knowing my true intentions, the Grand Duke had the carriage head toward Spinel Palace and said that.
Don’t be discouraged if I fail? If I fail, it’ll end with one—or maybe even all three—of them dead. But of course, I couldn’t say that.
“Sure. I’ll just try. I guess I’m doing it because I’d feel uneasy if I didn’t do anything.”
So I just smiled and deflected the question as I got out of the carriage.
Ah, seriously. I’m not doing this for Lady Starte, but since I am trying to save her from a future that ends in execution, she should at least be a little grateful.
I let out a quiet sigh and walked into Spinel Palace—to save the life of the woman who once tried to poison me.
