Chapter 87
The coachman began cracking his whip again to increase speed.
I staggered as I sat on the seat. The carriage began to rumble along the outer dirt roads at a fast pace.
Beyond the carriage window, the view of a magnificent mansion began to appear in the distance.
My heart was racing with tension and anxiety, and sweat was forming on my hands.
Would I be able to meet the Countess well without Grand Duke Karden and Yudis?
After waiting in tension and anxiety for some time, the carriage finally stopped in front of Countess Grace’s mansion.
An elderly butler and servants were waiting in front of the mansion.
“You must be tired from your journey, Lady Shuvelia. The madam is waiting for you. Please follow me.”
Following the elderly butler into the mansion, a beautifully maintained garden welcomed me.
Colorful, beautiful flowers were in full bloom, and their pleasant fragrance gave peace to my mind.
The place the butler guided me to was a cozy drawing room.
It was impressive to see portraits of House Helleide members decorating the walls and console tables.
I could feel the elderly lady’s longing for her family members even in the capital, far from the northern castle.
As I entered deep into the drawing room, an elderly lady was sitting upright in an armchair under warm sunlight.
She was an elderly lady with a stern impression.
Neatly arranged white hair, a plain black dress wrapped around her neck, and a coldly gleaming silver-rimmed monocle.
I felt dignity and nobility that no one could approach carelessly.
This was the Countess who had ruled over knights and territory residents as the great elder of the northern castle until coming to the capital, and who had been a strong support for Karden, who lost his parents at a young age.
“At last we meet, Miss Shuvelia.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Shuvelia.”
I awkwardly stepped forward and carefully greeted her.
While at the villa, I had hurriedly learned court etiquette from Yudis, but I couldn’t even judge if I had done it properly.
The Countess was looking down at me with a cold expression.
“You’ve gone through trouble coming here. Come, sit comfortably.”
“Thank you.”
I sat quietly in the chair opposite her. I could feel her gaze observing my every action and expression.
After a while, a maid brought tea, and I drank the rose-scented tea to maintain etiquette. I was so nervous that I could barely taste the tea.
After a brief silence, the Countess put down her teacup.
“Do you know why I called Miss Shuvelia?”
Was she trying to gauge my thoughts? I carefully opened my mouth.
“Do you have something you wish to tell me privately?”
“Yes. I heard that Miss Shuvelia is the shapeshifter healer of Grand Duke Helleide.”
The Countess placed particular emphasis on the word ‘shapeshifter.’ Her gaze lingered on my face for a long time.
“I’m curious about how you healed the Grand Duke.”
After organizing my thoughts for a moment, I calmly answered the Countess’s question.
“I can use healing powers when I’m in fox form. I’m treating Grand Duke Karden by consuming his magic.”
“Can you use healing powers when you’re human?”
“No. I cannot use my power in human form.”
“I see.”
The Countess’s brow furrowed slightly. She lowered her eyes and continued speaking calmly.
“I heard that you calmed the magic outburst that no excellent healer could manage. You are no different from a benefactor to our family.”
“Ah… Thank you.”
The Countess opened an ornate jewelry box placed on the table. The box contained rare jewels and several parchment documents.
“House Helleide treats benefactors with utmost care. My grandson has not yet given you appropriate rewards. I called you directly to commend you, Miss Shuvelia. Tell me what you want. Whether jewels or land deeds, I will give you anything.”
Surprised by the unexpected offer, I hurriedly shook my head.
“What? No. That’s not what I wanted. I was just doing what I had to do.”
“Miss Shuvelia.”
The Countess’s expression, cutting off my words at once, was extremely cold and chilly.
“You must accept this reward unconditionally. Take jewels or house deeds, and leave Grand Duke Helleide’s side immediately.”
“What do you mean by that…?”
“It’s no problem if the healer who protects my grandson, the guardian of the northern castle, Grand Duke Helleide, is a fox shapeshifter, as long as her skills are excellent. But-.”
The Countess’s eyes gleamed sharply as she emphasized.
“You are not qualified to be the mistress of House Helleide.”
My mind went blank, feeling like I had been hit on the back of my head by such a resolute declaration.
Why is the topic of the Grand Duke’s mistress coming up here?
I began to understand the Countess’s intentions belatedly. Could she be misunderstanding that I want to marry Karden?
My mouth went dry with embarrassment. I hurriedly shook my head.
“I think there’s a misunderstanding. I have no intention of becoming the mistress of the Grand Duke’s house.”
“Is that so? My grandson’s intentions seem different.”
The Countess raised her monocle with a suspicious look.
What on earth did the Grand Duke tell his grandmother?
I heard he sent a letter to his grandmother before coming to the northern castle, but did he really write that he would take me as his true companion?
I was so nervous that cold sweat ran down my back, but I had no choice but to explain my position again.
“I’m just the Grand Duke’s temporary healer. It’s not the kind of relationship you’re thinking of. It can’t… be like that.”
As I uttered the last words, tears welled up in my eyes.
Before I could properly see what my feelings for him were, I had to hurriedly close them off and hide them deep inside.
I’m just a being who craves his magic, and even if I pretend to be human, I’m still just a fox shapeshifter.
In this world, shapeshifters surely cannot share love with humans.
Even the grandmother whom Karden respects doesn’t acknowledge me.
If Yudis were here, she would call me a coward.
But I can’t help it.
Even if I become a coward, this is the only way to care for him.
I couldn’t commit the discourtesy of shedding tears in front of the Countess.
I had to use all my strength to swallow the rising tears while keeping my head down.
“Don’t cry, Shuvelia.”
A low voice reached my ears. And a large, warm hand cradling my cheek.
Surprised, I raised my gaze to see Karden kneeling in front of me, breathing heavily.
“Grand Duke? W-why are you here?”
I didn’t even sense his presence. How did he know I was here?
In this dreamlike situation, I looked up at Karden with round eyes.
In his splendid pure white uniform, with all his black hair swept back, his sculptured appearance looked even more radiant.
“I attached a location tracking artifact to you just in case. It was a secret.”
“Location tracking?”
Karden tapped the red ruby earring attached to my ear.
“I’m glad it worked properly. I was worried you might have been kidnapped, but to think it was grandmother’s house.”
Karden wiped away the tears in my eyes with his hand, letting out a sigh of relief.
“Grand Duke, you see your grandmother after a long time and don’t even greet her?”
The Countess spoke coldly with a very angry face. Only then did Karden rise from his seat and bow respectfully to the lady.
“I greet you, Grandmother. Have you been well?”
The Countess clicked her tongue and turned her head.
“How quickly you greet me. When you come to the capital, shouldn’t you visit your grandmother first? Were you planning to come when your old grandmother was about to breathe her last?”
“How could that be when you’re in good health, Grandmother? I’m sorry for visiting you late.”
Karden maintained a respectful attitude toward his grandmother while still holding my hand firmly.
I tried to pull my hand away, embarrassed by the situation of holding hands in front of an elder, but Karden gripped my hand even more firmly.
“Tsk, tsk, how could I tell the busy Grand Duke to come and go? To think I can finally see my grandson only because I brought that healer, tsk, tsk.”
The Countess still looked me up and down with a displeased gaze. Only then did I realize the seriousness of the current situation.
I had just said I had no relationship with Grand Duke Karden, but I ended up showing an intimate appearance with the Grand Duke right in front of the Countess.
What if the Countess trusts me even less?
As I was about to protest that it wasn’t like that, Karden blocked my way.
“I heard what you said to Shuvelia, Grandmother. You said that Shushu is not suitable as the Grand Duchess of Helleide.”
I could only see Karden’s large back, so I couldn’t tell what expression he had. But his tone was calm and peaceful.
I was worried he might behave rudely to his grandmother under the pretext of protecting me, but fortunately, he didn’t.
The Countess stared at Karden while maintaining a stern expression without any disturbance.
“As the great elder of House Helleide, I will tell you. Stay away from that shapeshifter.”
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