CH 51

In the end, Elysia could not defeat Damon. Reluctantly, she had to put on his cloak and enter in a rather risible way. Even though she still wasn’t completely convinced, his possessiveness was the explanation.

Damon was very possessive of his own things. Of course, it was much to become his property.

“Congratulations on the Grand Duke and the Grand Duchess’ marriage.”

It was another boring congratulations. If it was the same congratulations anyway, it was a waste of time for her to keep listening. Of course, she knew that this short time was paramount in the noble society.

“Shall we return to the Grand Duchy soon?”

“I think there is still a line left.”

There was still a line of nobles who wanted to greet them.

She had to concentrate slowly to be greeted again, though Elysia was still figuring out what Damon meant to put his coat on her. He did not value his own. Nonetheless, Damon was relentless if he was betrayed.

‘…Is this too selfish possessiveness?’

Just because she signed the wedding vows, he already thought of her as his… Somehow, her body trembled with an ominous feeling.

“If it’s for the wife’s social activities in the future, you’ll have to accept all the greetings.”

It was surprising. It was because of her that the man, who spurred away from the place and ran away, was staying here.

“Thank you for your consideration.”

“But, I think it’s too hard to stand.”

‘Is it hard to stand the crowds…?’

“Why is the wife still pretty even when everything is covered?”

Elysia thought this man was crazy for a moment. If not, perhaps either her ears had already gone weird.

“Yes?”

“The wife… Every time I talk, you always open your eyes wide.”

“Well, Your Grace, this is the party hall now.”

Seeing Damon’s eyes becoming hazy as if he had taken medicine, she realized that he was out of his mind. It was the same as when he went on a kill—drunk with blood and unable to come to his senses. She didn’t know what made him excited now.

“It’s cute, though. It’s like a little rabbit struggling to survive.”

Elysia swallowed a gulp.

Despite being in a public place with a lot of people, she was now gripped with extreme fear. There was no relief with Damon Raphael… He was a madman who could change at any time.

“I want to go somewhere where there is no one with you. I’m so annoyed being here.”

“That… Your Grace…”

The words of wanting to go to a place where there was no one were really terrifying to her ears. In Elysia’s memory, Damon didn’t kill his bride on the wedding day. Still, nothing was certain.

“Hold my hand.”

At his request to hold his hand, she hesitated. If she gave her hand, what would he do with her hand…?

“Elysia.”

“Why the hand—”

“Please, Elysia.”

Although she tried to ask why he asked to hold hands, she gave up her hand at his desperate request. It was an instinctive action.

“Haa…”

As soon as he took her hand, Elysia was terrified by the dilated dark blue pupils. While she wanted to take her hand away, it was held so tightly that she couldn’t escape. Damon’s hard fingers, clasped between hers, wrapped around her like shackles.

“Your, Your Grace… please, hand…”

Elysia gave her hand unwittingly, but she felt that she had to get this hand out of him. It was dangerous. She didn’t know what it meant to give her hand.

“I think I can live now.”

As if it had always been like that, when she saw the eyes returning to Damon’s appearance, she stroked her chest. She knew what was going to happen. That was how dangerous his appearance was. The situation of having to live with a man like this in the future seemed to be complicated.

She probably had no other options, yet she couldn’t shake the feeling that she had made the wrong choice. Because he was a character in the book, she hadn’t actually experienced it.

Even though she knew it was scary, she got complacent.

However, now she realized that the choice she made was very wrong. Even if there were no other options, Damon Raphael it was an option she should never have taken.

Elysia was so flustered that she did not notice that the others were staring at them in amazement. She couldn’t afford to care about anything else because of the hand that was held by him. Damon was holding her hand, which she had not been able to pull out.

“It would be nice if the party ended sooner.”

Damon, who was now receiving the greetings and fixing his gaze only on her, was burdensome. Elysia didn’t know what to do with his behavior, turning his head and staring at her. He acted like a man in love.

“Your Grace?”

“Yes, what’s going on?”

“We’re still receiving greetings, so… please, let go of my hand.”

He was holding her hand so tightly that she didn’t even dare to pull it out. Elysia couldn’t understand why Damon was behaving this way. No matter how much she tried to predict it, his actions now were utterly unexpected.

“We can receive greetings even if we hold hands.”

Hearing that, she went into doubt whether this really was Damon, who hated contact with others. As though everything she knew was a lie, he was different when in front of her eyes. There was no good reason for all of this to be acting.

“I’m embarrassed in front of people, so please let me go.”

“I think I like it more.”

Elysia actually knew that since she and Damon held hands, people’s eyes were shining brighter. But, apart from that, it felt like she was going to die from shame.

“…I’m embarrassed, so please stop.”

Both of her cheeks had been dyed red as if they were about to burst with blush. It was a success if he wanted to let people know that they were on good terms.

“If it’s the wife, there’s nothing I can do about it.”

“Haa…”

At the sound of his voice and eyes dripping with regret, Elysia tried to turn her head away from him.

…That crazy handsome look was the biggest problem. That face, even though she knew she should not, she would fall for it. She was already being swayed like this, and she was worried about how she would get out of it when it was just the two of them.

“I think I’m going to die.”

Because of her uncontrollable beating heart, Elysia didn’t know what to do. Not knowing the master’s feeling, the heart pounded at will. It was like before she was poisoned and died of heart failure.

Damon Raphael was truly an unhealthy man, in many ways.

“Elysia?”

“Yes, yes…?”

As she wiped her startled chest, she was startled by Damon’s voice. Perhaps, he heard her little voice? The party hall was very noisy. Even though he was very talented, he was also a human in the end.

“Are you sick? Shall we go back?”

No, she wondered what he left behind in the Grand Duchy, that he couldn’t wait to go there.

From Elysia’s point of view, she hoped that the party would never end. Even now, it was difficult to handle him in an open space with people, so she didn’t have the confidence to deal with Damon in a place with just the two of them.

“No, I’m all right.”

Her wish was that this party would never end. However, contrary to her wishes, the line gradually decreased, and it seemed to come to an end. Apparently, the long line just evaporated in an instant when she just checked.

“Did we originally have a small line to say the greetings?”

“There’s not much left.”

Weird… When she saw it earlier, there were still many lines left?

While Elysia tilted her head, Damon’s determined expression remained the same, and she opened her mouth.

“Shouldn’t we, the main characters of the party, stay here until the end…?”

She tried to talk to him just in case, but of course, her words didn’t work.

“They will be waiting for us to leave.”

There was nothing wrong with Damon’s words, and she could not refute them. The guests would be most welcome if they left. At this point, they were blinded by the fact that she and the Grand Duke must return.

Entering the Grand Duchy… She just wanted to postpone it as much as possible.

“Shall we go?”

As if telling her to run away secretly, Damon whispered quietly in her ear. She had to work hard not to stumble over in response to his actions. Even though she knew she had to go anyway, honestly, Elysia wanted to delay it even a little longer.

“…Yes.”

She wanted to avoid it, but there was no way to avoid it anymore. Elysia eventually let her mouth make its own choices.

She thought that Damon was smiling after hearing her answer.

* * *

“….”

Instead of riding in the black carriage she had ridden at dawn, she now rode on a massive blue carriage. Why Estelle didn’t call it the Grand Duchy’s official carriage, Elysia seemed to know why as soon as she saw the carriage.

The size of the carriage and the black dragon pattern were splendidly drawn. Of course, it was the same with the jewels on the eyes.

“You look stiff.”

“Ah… I’m a little tired…”

It wasn’t just that.

Even the carriage’s handles were all decorated with jewels, so it was splendid in itself. In addition, the interior was also so spacious that it seemed that it would be enough for ten people to ride. The chair in which she was now sitting was also very soft, and it didn’t feel uncomfortable at all.

It was a carriage full of money poured in…

This showed how wealthy Grand Duchy Raphael was that they could pour money like this on a carriage.

Elysia had no idea how splendid the Grand Duke’s castle would be.