The Monstrous Grand Duke's Fake Lady

“…did she really leave?”

As his raging voice subsided for the first time as it reached her, Alexia clicked her tongue. Tsk—a pathetic gaze fell upon Knox.

I just can’t believe that they call him a monster. Doesn’t he look like someone who’d be torn soon enough?

“Yes.”

With Alexia’s answer, his hesitant attitude turned much more polite than before.

“Then, can you tell me her true appearance or at least, her name?”

“Oh my, did you really not recognize her at all, sir? Seems like that kid had acted pretty well.”

Alexia stared at him with a slightly surprised gaze. She heard that his intuition was rather good, but in this respect, he appeared to be exceptionally dull.

She was smiling playfully as she fell into a deep thought for an instant. If she had just told him about it, she wouldn’t feel that happy with his behavior, which was blatantly looking for another woman who was other than his current fiancée. However, as she, herself, had hated the marriage arrangement even more than a fake husband for the sake of fulfilling her own vanity, she then spoke out without any hesitation at all.

“Do you remember the maid with black hair whom I brought during the hunting competition? That’s her.”

“Black hair?”

In retrospect, there had been a maid who was always following behind her back then. Only with the exception of the last day and the day which the hunt had begun.

However, his memory was too vague for that alone. He then continued to recollect more memories of that particular day. Black hair. Black hair.

‘I am not afraid of you, Grand Duke.’

Ah. That night when I just couldn’t fall asleep in such an unfamiliar place. He suddenly thought of that particular someone whom he had met at that place. The hair color and the voice were entirely different, but she asserted that she wasn’t afraid of him—just like Alexia.

At that time, I merely thought that it was only because she had been working along Alexia’s side. Finally, he started to understand the maid’s certain behavior.

He wondered why one of those who seemed really afraid to meet him—as they bowed in a haste before running away—didn’t even flee from his side. He began to realize why he suddenly felt familiar when he had talked to her as if he could finally put together all pieces of that puzzle.

He regretted the fact that he had been calling another woman’s name in front of the one whom he truly adored. He felt pathetic for being unable to recognize her at all. And at the same time, he also loathed her, who wouldn’t say anything to him.

Knox, who could stand it no longer, started storming out of that garden at that moment.

“Butler!”

Right after arriving at the mansion, Knox hurriedly called the butler. The butler was in a rush due to his sudden return, but Knox’s expression wasn’t relaxing that easily.

“Is there something wrong, Master?”

“I have to find a person. Get someone who’s competent in that area.”

“What kind of person are you looking for, sir?”

“I’m looking for the Young Lady.”

“If it’s the Young Lady, then she must be at the County where you had been just a…”

“No. She wasn’t there.”

“Pardon? Did she go somewhere far away?”

How good would it be if that was actually the case? If she was in a place where I can find easily, I wouldn’t be in such a hurry like this.

Knox sighed while shaking his head.

“No. That was another person.”

The butler’s eyes immediately widened at Knox’s response. However, he didn’t express his feelings just like he always did. Instead, he just bowed down with his lips clammed up.

“I understand. I will get someone right into it now. Do you happen to get their name?”

“Al… no, Vivian.”

He spoke out the name that he had heard back in the County. It wasn’t Alexia but Vivian. The fact that he had to call out that name from this moment onwards left quite a bitter sensation in his mouth.

“Straight black hair and she is around this height. She’s a little thin and her face…”

Knox’s lips, which were speaking out using the basis of Alexia whom he had been meeting all this time, ceased to move all of a sudden.

“Master?”

“Her face……”

He couldn’t say it anymore. Just like another lie, he just couldn’t remember her face at all. He thought that he would recall her complexion at least, but he suddenly felt like all of his memories were turning into such lies.

Knox, who kept repeating the same words, plopped down on the sofa. His lips kept on muttering, but no new words came out.

How come—? He could only think about the face that had been covered by the wide brimmed hat. The face which was always shielded with that wide brim had only left out the red lips, while hiding all of the rest altogether.