Betrayal of Dignity

Episode 17

“W, What the hell are you doing?”

“Your words have a lot of thorns so I wondered if it was the same with your tongue. But it’s the opposite.”

The Duke grabbed her cheek with his big hand, rubbing her lips with his thumb, which he had just dominated. A tightly lowered voice tickled her ears.

“I want to find out if I can have a successor at this point.”

Something exploded in Chloe’s heart. She pushed him back as hard as she could, then slapped him hard on his unblemished, sculptural cheek.

Slap.

She heard a bursting sound like a wave clashing, but the duke didn’t lift his eyes. Only one side of his white skin held a very slight redness. It wasn’t until Chloe felt the palms of her hands on fire that she realised that this wasn’t a dream.

“haa……haa….”

The duke smirked at her, who barely breathed in wildly because she didn’t know what to do in this ridiculous situation.

“Learn the basics of negotiations again, Miss Chloe Verdier.”

When he rang the small bell, the butler, who was waiting somewhere, quickly appeared. Chloe tried to pull herself together and swept her lips with teary eyes. She didn’t want to show a disheveled appearance, but her heart was still beating like it was going to explode, and she felt like she was about to collapse at any moment.

“The guest is going back. See her off well.”

With a clear congratulatory order, Chloe left the villa as if running away, omitting a farewell of courtesy to the Duke. If she could run, she would run. Gray, who was waiting in front of the carriage, ran with a frown as he watched her approaching with a limp, and legs dragging.

“What’s wrong?”

“Let’s go back, Gray. Come on.”

The returning carriage rattled exceptionally. As if she had a fever, her whole body was on fire. Chloe closed her eyes, feeling the same feeling as when she was seriously ill three years ago. The sense of despair of leaving her cane followed her again.

***

Chapter 7: The Duke’s Proposal

As soon as she returned to Verdier’s Castle, Chloe first washed her whole body. She still felt like she was having a fever all over. She asked Gray to put cinnamon and orange in the wine and boil it.

It was fortunate that the ingredients that the Duke had airlifted while coming hunting were still there. Chloe drank a cup of hot medicine that had not yet been cooled down and lay down on the bed.

Gray looked worried about Chloe, but he shut his mouth and stepped down without asking anything.

Don’t fall, Chloe. You have to get your head on straight.

Chloe’s body was surprisingly light the day after sweating, perhaps because she struggled to recall the memories of many years ago when she was sick. She finished a plate of breakfast after a long time, and in the afternoon, she began cleaning the old castle herself.

Following the wedding celebration, the royal family even sent another gift. Chloe thought her prediction was not wrong. Currently, the kingdom’s successor was proclaimed as Crown Prince Johannes, but it was the Duke of Tisse that was more widely known to the public.

The royal family was delighted at the news that the Duke, who had already greatly expanded his power, would marry a weak family, not a noble lady with a prominent background. The Duke must also be most aware of that fact.

After hearing that horses, cows and poultry were also arriving, she contacted the carpenter to fix the stable. It was right for her to take care of what she had to do now, even if she had to return it later.

She also did not forget to take care of Viscount Verdier, who was still lying down. He was still weak, but he finally seemed to admit that his second daughter had fled for forbidden love while pregnant with a child. Anxiety about the future weighed harder on him than his resignation and pain.

“Chloe. What did you hear from the Duke?”

To her father who asked cautiously, Chloe honestly didn’t know what to say. It was the gamble of her life, but at the end, an unexpected and unfortunate event took place, and she ran away without hearing the duke’s confirmation. In the end, nothing had been resolved, and she did not hear from the Duke even a week after the incident.

“It’s clear that he is upset because his proposal got rejected. Of course, he would.”

“Wait a little longer, father.”

Chloe put down the teacup and swallowed dry saliva. The last memory with him came to mind again. The dazzling sun that made her head throb. Her flying hat. His face smiling in the wind. Even the hot body temperature hidden in his lips, which suddenly approached her and dominated her like a beast.

“I am ready to get down on my knees.”

Holding her father’s hand, who was sullenly whispering, Chloe shook her head.

“Don’t say that.”

It was the same for her who had her stomach burning with frustration every day. However, as days went by, only one fact became clear. It was the fact that if the Duke really wanted to make it as if nothing happened, he would have been the first to inform the royal family.

“Miss, you have a guest.”

Chloe turned her face and looked out the window. Finally, the person she was waiting for arrived. Her heart quickly hit two beats.

“Tell him to wait in the parlour. I’ll get ready and go down soon.”

At Chloe’s words, who didn’t even ask who the other person was, Gray hesitated a bit, then bowed his head. These days, Chloe wears a perfect dress as soon as she wakes up at dawn, and her hairstyle hasn’t been disturbed like a person who wants to go out.

While dealing with things inside and outside the castle in an appearance that seemed to collapse soon, she sometimes looked out the window and sighed for a long time. It looked like her mind was half absent, and he was worried that she would collapse while busily moving around.

“Should I tell him to come back next time?”

“Guest? Who is it?”

Gray cleared his throat a little when Viscount Verdier asked.

“It’s Duke Tisse.”

“The time has come.”

Viscount struggled to get up from the bed. Chloe grabbed her father’s hand, who was about to get down on his knees, running barefoot at any moment.

“Father is sick, so I’ll meet the duke.”

“No, Chloe. Still, asking for forgiveness myself….”

“It was the Duke who wanted to get married. We don’t have to ask for forgiveness, Father.”

Chloe cut off her father’s words with a trembling voice. At this moment, the same goes for her legs shaking due to tension, but she judged that it would not be good to let her anxious father and the Duke meet.

“Because unmarried women have the right to refuse a marriage proposal .”

Of course, what she said was not wrong. However, to bring down a family whom the highest nobleman did not like, was an easy thing to do even with closed eyes.

“Well, but….”

“It’ll be fine father. Please wait a little bit.”

Chloe hurried to her bedroom, leaving her father behind, who was still anxious. She didn’t need anything else to prepare to welcome the guest. However, it was because there was something to deliver to him.

“You came now.”

As soon as she saw the Duke welcoming her in the bedroom, Chloe froze there.

“Lady…”

Gray, who showed up belatedly knowing that he(duke) had disappeared from the parlour he had guided, was speechless. Chloe closed her eyes once and opened her mouth.

“It’s not polite to enter a woman’s empty bedroom, duke.”

“I can’t stand it because I missed you, Miss Chloe.”

Chloe tried hard to open her mouth, hoping that the old velvet sofa he was sitting in would swallow him up.

“I’ll take you to the parlour. This is my personal place, so I don’t think it’s the right place to talk to the Duke.”

“We’ll soon be in a relationship where we don’t need personal space, but if it’s comfortable for the young lady to keep a distance from me, I’ll do it.”

The shadow of the duke trudging from his seat covered her. It didn’t take seconds for the duke to walk across her little bedroom. Thump, Thump as her heart pounded like beating the ribs, the Duke softly kissed her in the ear and whispered,

“I’m sorry for the delay in preparing a proposal.”

Chloe’s eyes wide open. The Duke asked, pleasantly watching her long eyelashes tremble.

“Are you surprised?”

“Duke…”

“Close the door.”

Bang!

The door of the bedroom was roughly closed with a bang in front of the motionless Gray.

***

Chloe closed the door as if breaking it and followed the duke who returned to his seat and sat across from him.

“Would you like me to bring you some tea?”

Lightly Ignoring her words, the duke nodded,

“Open it.”

The red box on the table was an antique design decorated with gold. Chloe opened the box with trembling hands.

What caught her eye was a beautiful jewel that made the small room feel bright for a moment. It was a necklace dangling with large diamonds, and earrings with diamonds that were splendidly crafted in the shape of drops of water. She had never seen such a splendid and beautiful jewel in her life. It was the same when her mother was still alive.

“It’s a jewel that’s been handed down from generation to generation to Duke Tisse. Originally, it was a tradition for my mother to deliver, but the former duchess didn’t like this marriage very much.”

The duke simply spoke out, referring to his mother like a stranger.

“…I’m sure she would. I understand.”

“Are you pretending to be calm or are you really not impressed?”

Chloe decided to answer the Duke’s question honestly.

“I don’t know what the duke will say, so I’m afraid to freely make any other reactions.”

The Duke looked straight into her eyes and threw the words like a wedge.

“I’m proposing to you right now. Chloe Verdier.”

***

Comments from Korean readers:

I’m enjoying it.

It’s so much fun ㅜㅜ

Damien, why are you so charming? It’s not rated R19, but I’m really excited. I think the writer has the best writing skills!