Married To A Savage Duke

“If you don’t mind, may I ask why you visited the castle?”

After lighting all three tall candlesticks, Cherryl faced Rosaline. The red-haired green-eyed princess looked chic. The woman still appeared calm, quiet, and elegant even if she didn’t move at all.

“Honestly, I’m not the only one who wanted to visit here before the wedding ceremony.” Rosaline avoided answering her question by changing the subject. “Haven’t you heard about it, Lady Milose? Many aristocrats had asked for an audience to meet Archduke Blkanov, but all were rejected. Even Marquis Milose was among them.” Rosaline looked her in the eye upon mentioning Cherryl’s father. Cherryl, who couldn’t care less about that useless name, nodded in agreement.

“I guess Cade didn’t want our wedding delayed because of anyone. He’s a little sensitive about that these days.”

Worried that she might injure herself before the wedding ceremony, Cade even promised to teach her horseback riding only after it was done.

“Is that so? I didn’t know that the Grand Duke had put so much thought into your marriage.”

Rosaline looked puzzled. It felt like he had hit the mark, but Cherryl got back to the main point.

“So after asking for a room here in the main castle, the Grand Duke rejected you. Your business must have been urgent if you came to see the Grand Duke personally, Your Highness.”

Rosaline stopped rubbing her head with the towel and glanced at Cherryl with a calm smile.

“I’m sorry. I can’t tell you about it in detail since it’s between the both of us, Lady Milose.”

“Just between the both of you, huh?” Cherryl repeatedly blurted out and lowered her gaze. Then, she made eye contact with the empress again.

“I wonder if His Grace feels the same way?” The question wasn’t meant to be sarcastic.

Realizing that she was asking out of curiosity, Rosaline shrugged and answered, “It’s hard to give you a definite answer but it will be difficult for the Archduke to tell you about our conversations, My Lady.”

“That’s enough of an answer.”

Since it was an awkward subject to talk about, Cherryl simply assumed that the princess was Cade’s ex.

“You must be tired after I took all of your time. I’m not that shameless so I won’t be asking for bath water right now. The long journey exhausted me and I just want to sleep.

“You’re welcome. If you need anything, please pull the rope and call the servants. They’ll serve you without any inconvenience.”

“Thank you. When the sky is brighter, how about having a chat with me over refreshments? I’ll be waiting for your call, My Lady.”

“Yes. I hope you have a good rest.”

Cherryl bowed politely and exited the bedroom. She treated the princess as if nothing had happened earlier, but her heart was filled with emotions that couldn’t be named. In the original novel, Rosaline was just a minor role without even a proper name.

She went to a foreign country as soon as she turned into an adult so they shouldn’t have encountered each other in this Empire. Cherryl, who arrived at the hall on the first floor, paused for a moment before she recalled her fading memories. She hesitated about her next destination as if she stumbled upon a crossroad. Did Cade go back to the drawing room? After taking the princess to the guest room, he didn’t promise to see her separately, so there was a chance that he went back to the office or bedroom.

*SIGH*

Frustrated about what she was going to do alone at dawn, Cherryl sighed as if the ground was about split open. She was the one who needed an explanation, so why was she looking for him? When she remembered Cade and Rosaline bickering, her heart ached and it didn’t feel good. Her eyelids were heavy after waking up from a short nap and her head was throbbing with tangled thoughts. If anyone saw Cherryl wandering around in white in this dark castle, they would think that they had seen a ghost. She thought it would be good to organize her thoughts after being awake for a bit. After much thought, she climbed the stairs with a half-staggering step toward her bedroom. Not anywhere where Cade would be. Upon arriving on the floor where her bedroom was located, Israel trudged. There wasn’t a single ant nest in the quiet hallway where only the distant pitter-patter of rain rang. Just when she was just about to grab the door handle, she heard a deep baritone from behind her.

“Where are you going?”

Instead of screaming, she took a deep breath and looked over her shoulder. She tried her best not to show him that she was shivering as if she was about to collapse. A man who completely hid his traces in the dark gradually appeared.

“If you want to ask me anything, I would have told you to come to me anytime.”

“I don’t think I have anything to ask you.”

Cade looked down at Cherryl with darkened eyes as if he couldn’t help but feel confused.