TGDHC Chapter 152

Chapter 152 – Reward 

“Once the greenhouse is done, we’ll need to fix up the garden too.”

Hiiik.

The garden was enormous—bigger than the greenhouse.

The gardener’s face turned pale.

“Your Grace, with all respect… the workload is too much for a single gardener.”

From near the door, Whitley quietly added:

“That is true. We should hire more.”

“Then hire a few.”

“I will recruit three more gardeners.”

Whitley answered neatly and stepped back.

“Also, find good seedlings for the outdoor gardens. Choose ones that perfectly match the Grand Duchess’s taste. The rarer and harder to obtain, the better. Time is not an issue.”

“I will remember that.”

“And make sure you report everything to the Grand Duchess in detail.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

“I mean—tell her all about how much the garden will change. All of it.”

The poor gardener had no idea what the Duke wanted, but he bowed.

“I will follow your orders.”

“You’ve done your part well, so I’ll give you a bonus.”

“Thank you, Your Grace!”

The Duke waved him away as if finished with the matter.

Perel, standing nearby, looked oddly displeased, but the gardener practically folded himself in half with gratitude and hurried out of the office, smiling brightly.

He never imagined the Duke would be so generous.

‘This is my chance to gather all sorts of rare seedlings.’

Feeling unexpectedly blessed, the gardener almost skipped back toward the greenhouse.

***

“Double the budget for the staff dining hall.”

“…What?”

“And upgrade the tables and chairs too.”

Perel—who had been watching the smiling gardener leave—looked startled at the follow-up order.

“We already prepared items far better than before.”

“Then raise the rank of the cooks.”

After thinking a moment, Loic suddenly went “Ah,” as if remembering something.

“And send gifts to the children at the orphanage.”

“The quarterly supplies will be delivered soon.”

Perel narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

“And Her Grace has been sending small gifts regularly.”

“Send more anyway. Toys or something useful for their spring picnic…”

Perel was so bewildered by his master’s sudden generosity that he almost forgot he’d been offended earlier about the contract.

“What exactly is going on, Your Grace?”

“…Because they’re admirable.”

“Admirable?”

Of course, watching the children at the orphanage grow was admirable—but that wasn’t the point here.

“They’re all contributing in their own way.”

Loic said this while trying hard to hide the smile tugging at his lips.

“I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

Ignoring Perel’s grumbling, Loic turned to the window.

He couldn’t stop smiling for no reason.

Annette had asked to extend the contract herself.

He had been right.

Soft-hearted Annette would find it harder to leave the North as she grew attached to more things.

— ‘But I’ll tempt you properly.’

He couldn’t forget the blush that spread across her cheeks when he said that.

He had spoken boldly.

‘How am I supposed to seduce this woman?’

— ‘Some couples tie a ribbon around their bare bodies, apparently.’

Suddenly, Leon’s ridiculous voice popped into his mind.

Insane man.

There was no way he could do something so indecent.

‘Besides, Annette and I aren’t at that stage yet…’

But if it was common enough to be a “trend,” maybe married couples did those embarrassing things more often than he realized.

If he really went to Annette like that…

Loic imagined Annette poking his chest shyly.

‘Maybe… she wouldn’t hate it that much?’

He rubbed the tips of his reddening ears roughly—and met Perel’s stare.

His aide was staring dumbfounded at his blushing, ear-rubbing superior.

“Ahem. What about the prince?”

Loic cleared his throat, trying to regain composure.

“I checked. He definitely went as far as Monteluci Port and was turned back.”

Perel reviewed the prince’s route when he’d been denied entry.

“Opera is hugely important in Rondoris. The princess would not be happy to hear the Cariso troupe is performing in Blenheim.”

Rondoris was culturally rich but not resource-rich.

Princess Felianess—who oversaw all culture and art for the kingdom—strongly preferred local artists and troupes to stay within their borders.

The reason why Rondoris troupes rarely performed in Blenheim was because the princess quietly punished them if they did.

And Prince Lucion—her own half-brother—had publicly sided with the Grand Duchess, opposing her will.

No wonder she was furious.

“And… Princess Felianess has a very strong pride.”

Perel said this cautiously.

“Count Paccio surely reported that the marriage promise fell apart. The princess must be furious about that too.”

He was referring to the moment during the envoy visit when Loic clearly refused to divorce Annette.

But something bothered Loic.

‘Is the princess really such an emotional person?’

Despite her dislike of Lucion, his influence in high society was not small.

Loic had heard how Lucion—despite his public reputation as a scandalous bastard prince—won the hearts of rising nobles with his charm, often drawing them away from the princess’s faction.

And the money Lucion earned through opera and various businesses was a major funding source for the princess.

Meaning—despite his façade, he was actually quite useful.

A princess with ambition wouldn’t just toss someone like him aside.

Lucion himself was also suspicious.

To Loic, the prince’s reason for helping Blenheim was purely his desire for Annette.

‘Annette promised she wouldn’t give other men a chance but…’

He trusted Annette.

But he didn’t trust the other men.

“Make sure the prince is never alone with the Grand Duchess.”

Loic’s voice turned cold.

“I’ll accompany them myself.”

“And bring a lady-in-waiting. Place knights nearby.”

After thinking a moment, he added:

“But don’t let the Grand Duchess notice.”

“Understood.”

Perel nodded without complaint.

***

“Cecilia, were you crying?”

“No.”

“Then why is your face so swollen?”

In the guest palace’s private room, Cecilia sat with eyelids so swollen she could barely open them.

She kept her lips stubbornly shut.

‘What is this?’

Usually she would spill everything before I even asked.

But today the maid sat with her lips pouty, refusing to look at me.

‘Is she mad at me?’

She had been sulking since earlier. Something must have upset her.

I glanced at Perel.

He, too, looked away awkwardly.

‘Perel knows the reason.’

I was deciding whom to pressure first—

When the door opened and Prince Lucion entered.

“Your Grace.”

Lucion wore a light cream shirt tucked into well-fitted dark navy trousers.

In the Empire-style clothing that showed off his figure, the prince looked exceptionally handsome.

He smiled faintly—then flinched when he saw how crowded the room was.

“Well… His Grace the Duke is taking great care of my safety.”

Lucion joked softly, with clear meaning.

There were knights posted on both sides of the door and at each corner of the room.

Cecilia sat on my left, Perel on my right.

The room felt cramped.

“You’re very popular, Prince.”

I smiled calmly.

“The knights insisted on escorting you. These are only the ones we narrowed down.”

Lucion kissed the back of my hand and lifted his head, laughing loudly.

“I didn’t know the knights liked me this much.”

The knights’ expressions twisted in unison.

I also felt this level of security was excessive, but I didn’t argue with Perel’s orders.

Security of the Grand Duchy was not something I meddled in.

Since Lucion was staying at the castle anyway, I planned to move forward with the opera discussions.

“You already have a script?”

When I asked what kind of opera he wanted to stage, Lucion placed a script on the table.

“It was performed in Rondoris about ten years ago.”

“Ten years?”

I frowned slightly.

“I thought we were creating a new performance.”

“It’s practically new.”

Lucion shrugged.

“When it premiered, the reception was terrible. They canceled it immediately.”

He explained that almost no one remembered the piece.

My frown deepened.