Chapter 27
The silk shirt draped loosely over the Grand Duke’s upper body was hanging wide open at the front.
I tried my best to turn my gaze elsewhere and instead looked into his eyes.
“Huh?”
But then…
Those hydrangea-colored eyes of his—usually so sharp and clear—
were strangely clouded today.
His eyes were open, but…
it was as if his mind was somewhere else.
‘Still… I’m relieved the Grand Duke showed up.’
It wasn’t that I trusted him completely, but if it had been some stranger, that would’ve been far worse…
Just then, the Grand Duke suddenly began striding toward me.
Startled, I stepped back.
Perhaps realizing I was frightened, he hesitated, then lifted both hands slightly, as if to prove his innocence.
“I didn’t mean… to scare you. Don’t be startled.”
“…”
…Why are you talking like that?
If I’d been even a little closer to him, I might’ve blurted it out without thinking.
His usual cold, emotionless tone was nowhere to be found—he sounded almost gentle.
Where did this sudden sweetness come from?
Something was definitely suspicious about him tonight.
As my wariness deepened, the Grand Duke let out a quiet chuckle.
“Renée.”
“Uh… me?”
“Yes. You.”
I narrowed my eyes at him, cautious of how oddly different he felt.
‘Up until now, he always called me by my full name with my surname. What kind of trick is this?’
He’d always addressed me as “Renée Blanche,” every single time.
It was probably his way of reminding me how meaningless this marriage was—
a clear rejection.
After all, I still wasn’t acknowledged as “Renée Celeste.”
Honestly, I didn’t care what he called me.
Not once had I been bothered or hurt by it.
Why should I care about his approval?
And yet…
“I’ve always thought your name was beautiful. The way it sounds is soft.”
“…Why are you suddenly acting like this?”
I forced down my pounding heart and replied coldly on purpose.
The Grand Duke right now was far too unfamiliar.
Had he been completely enchanted by some kind of mental beast?
Otherwise, how could he act like a different person?
Maybe he wasn’t even the real Grand Duke—just someone with the same face.
His relaxed smile, matching his unusually casual attire, felt completely out of place.
‘Normally he looks sharper, harder to approach… but right now, he’s like some kind of Casanova.’
If he tried, he could probably charm anyone in the world.
The problem was…
it might work on me too!
‘No! Get a grip—remember what that bastard has done!’
Ugh… why am I so weak when it comes to a handsome face?
“Why are you out here?”
The Grand Duke asked, unaware of my irreverent thoughts.
I shrugged as if it was nothing.
“That’s what I want to ask… What are you doing out at this hour?”
“I couldn’t sleep.”
“Same here… But aren’t you cold?”
I nodded toward his chest.
‘Close your shirt.’
Stop trying to curse me with indecent thoughts!
It was my own silent reprimand.
“Hm?”
He glanced down at his clothes, looking oddly unconcerned.
“Oh.”
But what he did next was completely unexpected.
“I’m cold.”
“Then you should hurry back to the main house and sle—”
Before I could even finish—
the Grand Duke walked right up and pulled me straight into his arms.
“!!!”
So… between him and me…
an embrace had occurred.
A very unfortunate incident.
I froze like a statue.
“W-Why… why are you doing this?!”
“I’m cold…”
He lowered his head and rubbed his cheek against the top of my head like he was pouting.
It didn’t seem like he was lying—his entire body was icy cold.
A sudden chill seeped into my skin, sending goosebumps from my toes to my scalp.
And at the same time…
a strange feeling bloomed somewhere in my chest.
Maybe that was why my heart had been racing nonstop.
So fast I worried it might burst.
But my biggest concern was something else.
‘Earlier, I definitely saw…’
More than the hug, I clearly saw his bare feet in the moonlight.
This was proof that something wasn’t normal about him.
‘But why… am I not scared?’
If anything…
he almost seemed pitiful.
No—no! Pitiful?!
I shook my head quickly and forced myself out of his arms, acting harsh.
I didn’t want to show him how flustered I was.
Surprisingly, he let me go without resistance.
Maybe he truly didn’t mean to frighten me.
“L-Let’s go inside first.”
With no choice, I guided him into the cabin.
Despite his large frame, he followed closely behind like a puppy sticking to its owner.
“Even though I’ve lived in the ducal castle my whole life… this is my first time inside here.”
He looked around the cabin with interest.
Every corner of this little hut had my touch.
‘Look at this place. Pretty great, right?’
Heh. I felt oddly proud.
But then his short review was:
“It’s like a storage shed.”
…His social skills really were completely broken.
“That’s not something you say in front of the person living here.”
I snapped back sharply.
Now this felt like the Grand Duke I knew.
I wondered why he’d been acting so docile today.
So he wasn’t a different person after all.
“Hmph.”
Deciding not to argue further, I turned away and led him to the bed, sitting him down.
If he was cold, I planned to cover him with blankets, then go to the main house to call someone.
“Just lie down for a moment and cover yourself. I’ll add more firewood—”
Before I could finish—
“Don’t go.”
“Ah!”
The Grand Duke, half-sitting on the bed, suddenly grabbed my hand and yanked me toward him.
Naturally, my face collided with his broad chest again.
He must’ve controlled his strength, because it didn’t hurt at all, but…
‘Isn’t my face way too close to your chest?!’
Ever since earlier, he’d been trying to turn this all-ages romance novel into something R-rated!
This is not okay!
I screamed silently inside, pouring all my resentment into thoughts no one could hear.
Meanwhile—
the Grand Duke simply lay back fully, settling in as if he were about to sleep for real.
With me completely on top of him.
“Um… excuse me…”
When I looked, his eyes were already closed.
‘So hard…’
I tried pushing him away in protest, but he didn’t budge.
Eventually, I gave up and shifted into a more comfortable position.
If I thought of him as a stone bed, it was easier to relax.
“….”
Unlike before, warmth was slowly returning to his embrace.
I always thought the whole “sharing body heat in a blizzard” thing was just a romance cliché…
but it was real.
Well, penguins do it too.
They huddle together to survive the Antarctic cold, don’t they?
‘Right! So this is just like penguins—survival in the cold!’
It couldn’t be helped.
It really couldn’t…
“…Haah.”
Okay. Even I knew it was nonsense.
But if I didn’t rationalize it somehow, my head felt like it would overload and explode.
‘What is this situation…’
As I laughed internally at my own excuses—
“You keep distracting me…”
The Grand Duke’s low voice, which I thought was asleep, slipped into my ear.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Through our bodies pressed together, I could feel his heartbeat.
Strangely…
it felt peaceful.
Just like this quiet dawn.
Under the still moonlight—
with the faint sound of insects,
and only the soft pounding of a heart filling the silence.
I couldn’t even tell whether the heartbeat was his…
or mine.
I squeezed my eyes shut tightly.
Because I knew strange thoughts would start again.
Just then, the Grand Duke continued speaking.
