Märchen For A Villain - Chapter 17

Watching the Grand Duke wielding a sword on the deck, the soldiers murmured.

 

The modest movements were like a swordsmanship textbook, but its power was enormous and incomparable to those written in the manual.

 

“They say that pirates who use various magic can’t move in front of him.”

 

“It makes me happy to see him like this. That’s why I joined the Navy.”

 

There were many martial artists who respected his sword, so there was no need to worry about his troops.

 

To them, the Grand Duke’s curse was like a kind of war scar. A master of martial arts with fatal wounds.

 

There were many people who joined the navy out of curiosity and then ran away, but the many remained respected the status of the Grand Duke.

 

“But how many hours has it been? If I were you, I’d be exhausted.”

 

“Only the fishermen will be excited. They can just grab it and sell it.”

 

Every time the Grand Duke swung his sword, stunned fish floated to the surface. The fishing boats already waiting behind the ship were busy clearing their nets.

 

“Hey, don’t talk and train properly!”

 

Snow, who had become thin after several days to please his master, shouted at the soldiers. The soldiers dispersed quickly in line.

 

“Lord.”

 

Snow walked up to the Grand Duke and held out the new clothes he had brought.

 

“I think you should change your clothes.”

 

“No need.”

 

The Grand Duke continued to wield his sword in his sweaty clothes.

 

“You will need it. Tower Lord Chaiman wants to check the Princess’s condition.”

 

“Why?”

 

“The Princess is refusing.”

 

The eyes of the Grand Duke who was wielding the sword trembled for a moment.

 

“Even if I die, I will die in this mansion, Grand Duke.”

 

The sound of Isabelle’s voice ringing in his ears again disturbed his mind.

 

‘She’s a foolish Princess.’

 

His annoyance arose, and he vomited his emotions with the tip of his sword.

 

As he swung his sword, he felt at ease for a moment when he saw the sea with waves.

 

Snow asked again to the unanswered Grand Duke.

 

“My Lord, the princess is refusing to receive treatment from the tower lord.”

 

“…”

 

“If it must be done, the Princess said she would receive treatment with your presence.”

 

Stop.

 

The tip of the Grand Duke’s sword, which had stretched out toward the sea, stopped in mid-air.

 

“The reason is.”

 

“I don’t know that either.”

 

Snow shook his head and held out the clothes again to the Grand Duke. The Grand Duke slowly lowered his sword, and a soldier ran towards him.

 

He was a soldier in charge of the sword. The Grand Duke threw his sword at him.

 

Ah, the arms of the soldier who received it drooped down.

 

A normal person would have slumped to the floor without being able to hold it with both hands.

 

“Shall we call the Princess to the ship?”

 

Snow smirked and his eyes lit up.

 

“Alright. I’m going to the mansion.”

 

The Grand Duke went straight into the commander’s room after Snow grabbed his robe. Snow shouted at his men to prepare a bath right away.

 

***

 

Isabelle’s recovery was quick.

 

The reason she lay ill in the first place wasn’t her shoulder injury, it was a psychological problem, so of course she was.

 

‘But I have to see the tower lord.’

 

Isabelle, who had a strangely bad feeling about him, asked the Grand Duke for help. The only person she could trust now was the Grand Duke.

 

It was a bit funny that she trusted him without even believing in Verdel, her closest confidant, but that was how she felt now.

 

‘Will he come?’

 

Isabelle, who was sitting on the sofa in her parlor, nervously bit her nails. Unlike her four long nails, her thumb nails were as short as if a mouse had gnawed at them.

 

Click.

 

Isabelle shuddered at the sound of her parlor door opening.

 

“Princess.”

 

The voice she had been waiting for. Fortunately, the person who came in now was the owner of this place, not the tower lord’s.

 

‘I thought he wouldn’t come, but he did.’

 

The Grand Duke came in neatly dressed in new clothes. He talked about breaking up the marriage yesterday and asked her to marry another man, so she didn’t expect much. Isabelle hid her biting fingers and stared at the Grand Duke.

 

‘Did he wash up?’

 

His slightly wet black hair shimmered in the light of the room.

 

‘He would always be busy with training at this time.’

 

Seeing that he’s dressed up in a neat new suit, not a navy uniform, it seemed like he had an appointment today.

 

The closer he was, the more she smelled of clean perfume instead of the smell of the sea.

 

“Thank you for coming, Grand Duke.”

 

Isabelle, who was sitting on the long sofa, awkwardly said thank you.

 

But the Grand Duke, whom she thought would be sitting on the sofa opposite her, walked up to her.

 

“Do you have anything to say?”

 

Isabelle opened her eyes and looked up at the Grand Duke.

 

The Grand Duke furrowed his eyebrows and licked his lips, contemplating something.

 

Then without a word he removed Isabelle’s big skirt aside, and sat down in the seat next to Isabelle. Maybe it’s because her body is big. Isabelle’s body, sitting in the middle of the sofa, and the Grand Duke’s body came close together.

 

His body temperature, which was higher than her own, was transmitted to her shoulder, the back of her arm, and the side of her leg as she faced him.

 

‘Why is this man like this? It’s not like there’s only one sofa.’

 

There were two more sofas around the table.

 

Could it be that this is his sofa?

 

“This seat was reserved for the Grand Duke. I didn’t know.”

 

Isabelle slowly got up and tried to move to the other sofa.

 

Clap.

 

The Grand Duke quickly grabbed Isabelle’s wrist.

 

“Sit down, please.”

 

A tone closer to a command rather than respect.

 

Isabelle unwittingly sat back down a little away from him.

 

‘It’s a little burdensome, though.’

 

But it was true that it was reassuring to be right next to him.

 

Soon after, the tower lord Chaiman entered the parlor with a weak gait.

 

“Oh, you came first.”

 

Thin bracelets rang as he moved his arm.

 

At that sound, Isabelle’s body stiffened again.

 

The Grand Duke’s eyes lingered on Isabelle’s clenched fist, then moved to Chaiman.

 

“Are you trying to check the Princess’s condition?”

 

“That’s right, Grand Duke. But why does the princess look like that?”

 

‘Did I steal your money?’

 

Chaiman tilted his head.

 

“I don’t know what you mean.”

 

Isabelle responded calmly, but it was difficult to hide her nervousness.

 

‘Why? What kind of relationship do I have with that man?’

 

“Oh, the way you talk to me has changed, Princess.”

 

Chaiman looked at Isabelle seriously.

 

“You don’t remember me, Princess?”

 

Chaiman opened his eyes wide.

 

“Is there something wrong with the Princess’s memory, Chaiman?”

 

The Grand Duke sat with his legs slightly apart.

 

When his leg touched Isabelle’s, the fear that came without a reason diminished a little.

 

‘I shouldn’t have sat far away from him. I should stick as close to him as possible.’

 

Isabelle wanted to hang on to the Grand Duke’s leg.

 

“It can’t be, Grand Duke. My treatment was perfect.”

 

“Perfect.”

 

The Grand Duke turned his head to check Isabelle’s expression.

 

Isabelle also nodded her head to admit the truth.

 

She didn’t have any aftereffects and her memory was good.

 

‘If it’s a problem, it’s my possession.’

 

There was no memory of encountering the tower lord in her past life.

 

“Maybe you don’t remember me because of other factors.”

 

At that moment, Chaiman replied as if he had read Isabelle’s thoughts.

 

Isabelle, with her eyes wide open, stared at Chaiman, who raised the corners of his lips playfully.

 

“We will find out about that later. Let’s start with the treatment first.”

 

Chaiman took out his magic stone, leaving a meaningful word.

 

As he cast the spell, a blue light rose like a haze from the manastone resembling sapphire. It flew like a firefly and hovered around Isabelle.

 

Isabelle stared curiously at the radiant dance.

 

The light that was playing like a dancing fairy was scattered in the air.

 

“Fortunately, there are no curses left. You are clean.”

 

Chaiman roughly threw the manastone, which had lost its light and turned into an ordinary stone, on the table.

 

It crumbled and soiled the table.

 

“But I can definitely feel two powers from the Princess.”

 

Chaiman raised up his two fingers.

 

‘What do you mean power?’

 

Isabelle unknowingly grabbed her skirt.

 

‘Is it so easy to find out?’

 

What if her ability is discovered and it becomes a test material for a slightly flavored tower lord?

 

Fortunately, the names were not Hansel or Gretel.

 

Avoid dead flags that will be eaten by that witch-like b*stard.

 

“Well, from here on out, I want the Grand Duke to step aside. It’s a secret between me and the Princess.”

 

Chaiman looked at the Grand Duke with a grin.

 

The Grand Duke looked at Isabelle silently.

 

Sitting with her chin down, she was different from usual.

 

What makes a woman who brazenly fought against the feisty women in the shop so nervous in front of the tower lord?

 

“Princess.”

 

The Grand Duke called her softly.

 

It meant he would be next to her if she asked.

 

But her answer was unexpected.

 

“For a little while… I’ll be with the tower lord, Grand Duke.”

 

Contrary to her sharp voice, Isabelle’s eyes fluttered nervously.

 

‘If you’re so anxious, ask for help.’

 

The Grand Duke, who wrinkled his brow, did not rise from his seat.

 

“Please leave your seat.”

 

Isabelle, who gazed at the tower lord, asked one more time.

 

‘What is it about him that makes you so afraid and yet wants to be alone?’

 

The Grand Duke had no intention of getting up.

 

But his body strangely woke up according to the Princess’s command.

 

The Grand Duke stared fiercely at Chaiman, who rubbed his forehead with a tired look.

 

“Unless my beauty has captured the Grand Duke’s heart, stop looking at me.”

 

“Keep it short.”

 

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

 

The Grand Duke strode out of the drawing room.

 

The entrance door slammed shut with a loud noise.

 

***

 

The time alone with the tower lord was hard work.

 

‘Did I get hit by this guy before I possessed Isabelle?’

 

It was not easy to hold onto the trembling body and give it strength.

 

“Seeing that you are uncomfortable with me, it seems like you don’t have any memories at all.”

 

The gentle tone of speaking returned awkwardly.

 

“Please keep your manners, Tower Lord.”

 

Judging from his appearance, he looked similar to her in age, but he was as arrogant as her grandfather, who was hundreds of years old.

 

“I’m sorry, but even if the emperor of the empire comes, my tone will not change, so don’t complain.”

 

This was the best, Chaiman said, half lying on the sofa.

 

He patted his back with his dry arm.

 

“I don’t usually move my body, so you’re really lucky, the youngest Princess of Desar.”

 

“I am not that lucky.”

 

“Then you must have been lucky all your life. Without me, the curse would have eaten you and you would have died already.”

 

‘Even if you went to the pseudo-priest, he died.’

 

Chaiman giggled as he scratched his chin.

 

“Tell me the main point, tower lord.”

 

“It looks like you didn’t tell the Grand Duke, but I already know, Princess.”

 

“……Know what?”

 

“The Princess’ ability to recover.”

 

Chaiman took out the dried date that Snow had given him and bit it slowly.

 

“How do you… … !”

 

“Believe it or not, the Princess and I had a kind of partnership.”

 

“No way. Really?”

 

“It’s true. The Princess gave me your blood, and I killed anyone who knew the Princess’s secret.”

 

“!”

 

‘Did he use my blood for his experiments? Is that why my body is scared?’

 

Isabelle looked down at her wet palms in a cold sweat and traced her memories, but she couldn’t remember anything.

 

Meanwhile, Chaiman threw a date palm into the air and tried to catch it with his mouth open. However, because of the half-beat slow motor nerves, he did not succeed and the dates fell down the floor.

 

“I came here to catch a thief, and this doesn’t work either.”

 

After failing three or four times, he was annoyed and sat up straight on the sofa. The date palms he dropped on the floor with the loud sound of his bracelets.

 

“Thief…?”

 

“The Princess stole it. Hook’s watch.”

 

Chaiman erased his playful expression and stared at Isabelle seriously.