The carriage heading towards the Grand Duchy traveled slower than usual. It was because Aidel, who had fallen asleep as soon as they left the Count’s residence, seemed to have lost all her energy.

Caeron gazed intently at the woman who had fallen asleep with her body slightly leaning against his shoulder. Wrapped in his large coat, she looked unusually smaller and more delicate. She had a pitiful appearance, like a newborn young animal.

His gaze lingered on her beautiful forehead, long and thick eyelashes, and slightly parted lips as she breathed evenly. Caeron’s jaw tightened.

“Your Highness……”

Gregory, who was sitting on the opposite side, called out to the Grand Duke with a sigh-like voice. His face was filled with questions. Not only was it sudden that there was a future Grand Duchess, but it was also the first time he had seen the Grand Duke looking at a woman with such intense eyes.

“You must have many questions, but let’s talk about it later.”

He spoke in a low voice, lest she wake up, and slightly opened the window of the carriage. He cooled his heated body while facing the chilly night air.

After a long, patient journey, the carriage arrived at the Grand Duchy. Caeron lifted Aidel’s body, which was still in a deep sleep. Her body was so light that he could barely feel her weight.

Upon hearing the news that the Grand Duke’s carriage had passed through the main gate, the servants lined up in front of the entrance were all surprised, their eyes widening. It was because when the carriage door opened, the Grand Duke himself got out while holding someone in his arms.

‘Oh my goodness…!’

Although it was a dark night and the only light was from the gas lamps illuminating the front of the entrance, the person the Grand Duke was holding was clearly a woman. Even though her face was not properly visible as she was wrapped in the Grand Duke’s coat, her small stature and long, flowing honey-colored hair suggested that she was a woman.

Especially Marlin, who had served the Grand Duke since he was a prince, was more shocked than anyone else and momentarily lost her usual composure. However, upon seeing the Grand Duke looking at her, she quickly regained her expression.

“Marlin, is the Grand Duchess’ room ready?”

“……!”

At the word ‘Grand Duchess’ that came out of the Grand Duke’s mouth, the servants gasped in surprise once again. Marlin’s eyes also shook violently, but she soon answered in a neat voice.

“Yes, Your Highness. It is ready.”

“Good.”

Caeron moved towards the Grand Duchess’ room, which was prepared next to his own room. The Grand Duke and Grand Duchess’ rooms were connected by a single door between them, but it was the first time the Grand Duke had ever stepped into that room that had no owner.

Seeing the Grand Duke climbing the stairs while holding a mysterious woman, all the servants opened their mouths and had blank expressions.

“Lord Gregory, what is going on? Who on earth is that woman?”

As soon as the Grand Duke disappeared to the second floor, Marlin urgently asked Gregory, who had returned with the Grand Duke. The other servants also looked at him with the same eyes. It was as if they were asking him to quickly explain who the woman was that the Grand Duke had taken to the Grand Duchess’ room.

“Well, that woman is……”

Gregory scratched his head and made a troubled expression. He could explain the woman’s identity, but even he didn’t really know why the Grand Duke suddenly welcomed her as the Grand Duchess.

“Don’t hesitate and tell us quickly. I’ve never seen His Highness hold another person, especially a woman, in his arms before!”

Marlin urged Gregory to answer, as if frustrated by his hesitation. The other servants all nodded in unison at her words.

“She is Lady Aidel from the Fluor Countship.”

“The Fluor Countship? I knew about Lady Roselyn, but this is the first time I’ve heard that name.”

“Lady Aidel is the eldest daughter of the Fluor Countship. I heard she hasn’t engaged in any social activities at all until now.”

“Is that so? But how on earth did she and His Highness meet? Moreover, the fact that he carried her to the Grand Duchess’ room……”

“We stopped by the Fluor Countship today due to some circumstances. Afterwards, His Highness had a private conversation with Lady Aidel. Even I didn’t hear what kind of conversation the two of them had.”

Gregory looked meaningfully at the second floor staircase where the Grand Duke had gone up and continued.

“However, what is certain is that Lady Aidel is the future Grand Duchess recognized by His Highness.”

“……!”

The bodies of everyone in the Grand Duchy stiffened. Their wide-open eyes, as if in disbelief, showed how shocked they were.

* * *

Caeron, who had entered the Grand Duchess’ bedroom, carefully laid Aidel on the bed. The soft moonlight coming into the dark bedroom settled on the sleeping woman’s face. The sight of the woman lying alone on the large bed was a captivating subject in itself.

“Aidel.”

Caeron, who had called her name as if savoring it in a low voice, bent down and brought his palm to the woman’s cheek.

Her small face was held in one hand. The sensation of her smoothly wrapping skin was vivid. His thumb gently stroked her soft cheek.

‘It’s dangerous.’

The scent in the enclosed space, just like in the carriage, stimulated his lungs with a deeper concentration. Even though he wanted to leave the soundly sleeping woman alone to rest comfortably, he also felt the conflicting desire to wake her up right away.

‘Not yet…… It’s not time.’

He clenched his fist tightly, gathering the fingers that had been stroking her cheek, and straightened his bent body. If he couldn’t avoid the woman’s scent that brought a blind craving like a drug, he decided to smell it until he was sick of it……. But now was not the time.

Caeron, who had covered Aidel’s body with a blanket, turned around. He slowly closed and opened his eyes, as if trying to erase the image of the woman imprinted on his retina, and left the room.

“Your Highness.”

Gregory, who had been waiting in front of the Grand Duchess’ room, followed the Grand Duke as he walked towards the office.

Upon arriving at the office and sitting on the sofa, Caeron sharply scanned Gregory’s face as if searching. Although his face looked relatively calm in the carriage, he couldn’t know the circumstances inside.

“Did you…… perhaps smell it too?”

Gregory rolled his eyes for a moment to interpret the Grand Duke’s words about whether he had smelled something. Ah! That’s what you’re talking about.

“Yes. I smelled it too.”

“As expected, you too……?”

Caeron’s eyebrows twitched. Although he had expected it, it bothered him that Gregory nodded his head as if he felt the same way.

“How could I not notice when the scent was so intense?”

“……Right. Are you not affected at all?”

He didn’t like the relaxed expression that seemed different from himself, who was struggling to control the urge brought on by her scent.

“That’s not the case. I also had a hard time.”

“As I thought……. It wasn’t just me.”

With a faint sense of relief, the thought of Gregory feeling the same emotions as him towards Aidel made his insides start to boil.

Should I send him to the Ellios Grand Duchy……. Several ways to deal with the Grand Duchy’s capable and loyal chief aide quickly crossed his mind.

“Y-Your Highness? What’s wrong?”

Gregory was startled by the chilling gaze staring at him and showed a flustered expression. Cold sweat formed on his forehead, which was extremely tense in front of the Grand Duke’s beast-like eyes.

“Are you angry because of that smell? The suspicious smell wafting between Countess Fluor and Marquis Chalet!”

“……What?”

“Isn’t it obvious that they were trying to hand over Lady Aidel to Marquis Chalet by any means? They were trying to do a marriage trade.”

Gregory spoke in an indignant voice as if angry. Upon his words, Caeron realized that there had been a misunderstanding in the conversation so far.

“So, what you smelled wasn’t a real scent like a fragrance, but the smell of suspicious circumstances?”

“Fragrance? What fragrance are you suddenly talking about?”

Gregory tilted his head as if he didn’t understand the Grand Duke’s words, but then clapped his hands together as if he remembered something.

“Ah! Speaking of fragrance, the other Lady Fluor at the Count’s residence earlier had a rose scent. It did give me a bit of a headache though……”

Roselyn, was it? She was beautiful, but the scent was a bit excessive, as if she had wrapped her entire body in rose perfume. Gregory, whose head had ached from the strong scent, slightly frowned as the scent came to mind again.

From his words, Caeron clearly realized.

‘Am I the only one reacting to her scent……?’

Even if the inside of the carriage was spacious, there was no way the scent that was so intense to him wouldn’t reach Gregory, who was sitting across from him. Judging by the fact that he had smelled the scent of another woman, there was nothing wrong with his sense of smell either.

“Your Highness, are you alright?”

Gregory, who felt that the Grand Duke’s momentum that had been hostile towards him had subsided, sighed with relief. Instead, he asked worriedly, seeing the Grand Duke who seemed to be in deep thought.

“No. It’s a relief.”

Gregory, who had no idea that he had tried to get rid of his existence, brought up the question that had been on his mind for a while.

“By the way, why did Lady Aidel suddenly become the Grand Duchess instead of an aide? Do you know how surprised I was? The other people in the Grand Duchy are also in shock right now.”

“As you saw earlier, she wanted complete independence from the Fluor Countship. That’s why she even took the Imperial University exam.”

“Then you could have given her the Imperial University acceptance certificate and brought her in as an aide to the Grand Duchy. Your Highness…… Did you perhaps fall in love with Lady Aidel at first sight?”

It was a reasonable inference he had made while looking at the Grand Duke’s gaze towards Aidel from inside the carriage. If he had intended to scout her as an aide but proposed to her upon meeting her because he fell in love at first sight, it would have been somewhat understandable.

Aidel was a beauty who had no rivals to dare compete with her in the Empire, even in his eyes. Of course, the Grand Duke had never shown any interest in such beauties before, but since she had enough academic knowledge to enter the Imperial University at the top of her class, she had sufficient charm that was different from other women.

‘Fell in love at first sight’……

At Gregory’s words, Caeron recalled the first time he met her in the library archive. Even if it wasn’t her captivating scent, the way she looked at him resolutely while trembling was quite impressive.

Was it a misconception brought on by the interest and curiosity he felt from another person for the first time? This unfamiliar thirst brought on by her scent that only he could smell……

The reason would be revealed as time went by. However, Caeron concluded that the fascination he felt towards her was not the kind of romantic emotion Gregory had mentioned.

“It’s a contractual relationship based on each other’s needs. A noble woman can only engage in independent livelihood activities after divorce.”

“A contractual relationship?”

“Yes. I agreed to write her a divorce letter after she serves as the Grand Duchess for three years while attending the Imperial University and takes charge of the Grand Duchy’s administration. What she’ll be doing will be similar to an aide’s job, so we’ll both be able to get what we want.”

“But……”

Gregory trailed off. It was too unusual to call her a contract Grand Duchess based on a mere deal, given the Grand Duke’s extraordinary gaze towards her. However, the Grand Duke’s expression, who had already reached a conclusion, was so resolute that he couldn’t dare bring it up.

“Although it’s a temporary contract, keep this fact to yourself. Instruct the other servants to respectfully serve her as the Grand Duchess. You should also assist by her side so that she can smoothly carry out the Grand Duchy’s administration.”

“……I understand.”

He couldn’t go against the words of the Grand Duke who had already made up his mind. However, what kind of influence her existence would have on the Grand Duke in the future……. Gregory’s eyes deepened, lost in thought.