Chapter 62

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Translator: Harry Potta
Chapter: 62
Chapter Title: The Grand Duke’s Smile
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Count Domenico’s expression turned peculiar at Cesare’s words. He looked as if he were doubting his own ears, much like Aileen had when she’d heard the Count mention being a dog.

While Count Domenico stood frozen, Aileen blushed and looked up at Cesare. She had heard he was at the Imperial Palace, so she hadn't expected to see him again today.

The fact that she could see him yesterday and again today felt unreal. And Cesare had even come to see her.

*'I'm so glad I became the Grand Duchess.'*

To be in such a relationship with him felt like a dream. Aileen suppressed the urge to pinch her arm and opened her lips.

“I heard you were busy.”

“I am.”

He replied leisurely, brushing back a strand of Aileen’s hair that had been ruffled by the wind. Aileen held her breath for a moment at the sensation of his leather glove against her skin. Cesare tapped the tip of her nose with his finger and smiled.

“But I have time to come see my wife’s face. Do you mind?”

Of course she didn't mind. A fluttery feeling made her cheeks flush again and again. Aileen answered in a small voice.

“I’m glad you came…”

Having heard the answer he wanted, Cesare kissed Aileen’s flushed cheek. The light peck of his lips was pleasant yet embarrassing, and Aileen shrank her shoulders.

“Why are you standing in the street when you're not well?”

“Ah, well.”

Cesare's question brought Aileen, who had been dazed as if in a dream, back to her senses. Aileen glanced back at Count Domenico. He had been led some distance away by Michele.

They were far enough away that their voices wouldn't carry. After confirming the Count’s position, Aileen stood on her tiptoes and whispered quietly in Cesare’s ear.

“He says he wants to be a dog...!”

At that, Cesare laughed out loud. She was momentarily mesmerized by his smiling face, his eyes crinkling as he chuckled, before she belatedly realized her mistake.

Finally having someone to ask, she had been so eager that she’d blurted out the most curious part without any explanation. Aileen hastily added more details in a whisper.

“You see, I didn't know, but it turns out the Count was the customer who bought medicine from me. When I arrived at the inn, he was looking for me, and I was worried something terrible had happened, so I revealed that I was the pharmacist.”

At this point, she paused her explanation to apologize and ask Cesare’s forgiveness for revealing her identity without permission. Fortunately, Cesare generously told Aileen she could do as she pleased.

With a much lighter heart, Aileen continued her explanation.

“Thank you, Your Excellency. Anyway, after that, the Count suddenly said he must become the Grand Duchess’s dog. Of course, I never asked him to be my dog. Is it some kind of high society slang I don't know? Do you know what it means, Your Excellency?”

“We're married, and you still call me Your Excellency?”

Aileen glanced at Count Domenico again before replying.

“That's... because I didn't think I should use your name so casually in front of others. I’ll be sure to only call you by your name from now on, Cesare. Anyway, if you know what it means, please tell me. Sir Michele didn't seem to know either...”

But unlike the serious Aileen, Cesare just kept smiling. After laughing for a while, Cesare, still smiling, said to Aileen.

“It seems the Count is just trying to express his gratitude to you.”

Her curiosity wasn't completely satisfied, but his words seemed to be more or less correct, so she nodded.

“That would be a relief.”

“If you don't like old dogs, shall I find you a young puppy?”

“Pardon? Oh, I like all dogs. But if you're asking if I dislike Count Domenico, that's not it...”

Cesare laughed again at the sight of Aileen flustered, unable to tell how much he was joking.

While Aileen and Cesare were talking, Count Domenico, who had been watching them quietly, blinked his eyes.

As he watched the Grand Duke and Duchess, he slowly turned to Michele. His eyes seemed to ask what on earth was going on.

Michele, who was rustling a paper bag to check what kind of bread was inside, met the Count’s gaze with a look that said, 'What?' There was no surprise in Michele’s placid eyes, as if this were just an ordinary day.

“Heh...”

Count Domenico swallowed a dry laugh. He had thought Cesare cared deeply for his wife.

The kiss at the wedding was one thing, and then there was how he had intimidated him, the President of the Senate, into becoming the Grand Duchess’s dog. He had dismissed it, figuring Cesare cherished her for her great beauty.

But he never imagined a man who seemed forged from steel and gunpowder could have such a sweet gaze. It wasn't just him; any noble in the capital would be stunned to see this scene.

Cesare, smiling so pleasantly. It was truly a sight he never would have seen even in his dreams.

Public opinion on Grand Duke Erzet was polarized. He was a man often compared to a god of war, possessing not only outstanding looks but also incredible martial prowess.

Everyone admired Cesare. Even his fierce gaze was seen positively, considered the wild nature of a soldier.

However, those who had experienced even a sliver of Cesare’s true nature knew all too well not to be fooled by his beautiful exterior.

He was incapable of human emotion. He was a being who could not sympathize, love, grieve, or regret.

While Cesare’s cruelty might have been partly innate, the consensus among the nobility was that his upbringing was largely to blame.

The twin princes’ mother had particularly hated and tormented Cesare. She blamed him entirely for the loss of the Emperor’s favor. Deeply superstitious, she believed that cursing Cesare would win back the Emperor’s love.

His own mother performed all sorts of rituals on the young Cesare. Forcing him to be doused in the fresh blood of beasts atop a bizarre ritual circle was among the milder torments.

She would slit open a black goat’s belly while it was still alive and make him sleep inside its entrails for a night, or force-feed him hallucinogenic herbs like mandrake before locking him in a dark room for days without a single drop of water.

And yet, Cesare did not die; he survived. When he wouldn't perish despite all her curses, his mother banished the young prince to the battlefield.

Normally, boy soldiers of noble birth would gain experience safely in the rear. But Cesare was thrown to the front lines by his mother, where he wallowed in the filth and experienced the full horrors of war.

When he not only survived several campaigns but also distinguished himself, he finally caught the Emperor’s eye. But that was the beginning of another misfortune. The Emperor, delighted to have a useful prince, sent Cesare to even more dangerous battlefields.

His was a life arduously sustained by the blood and flesh of others. It was perhaps only natural that Cesare would grow up to have such a cruel disposition.

When the twin princes won the civil war and seized the throne, Count Domenico considered it a great fortune that Leone, not Cesare, had taken the title of Imperator.

He may be a god of war, but how could a man who knew no human emotion become an emperor who looked after his people? Fortunately, Cesare showed little interest in politics.

Then, recently, he had suddenly begun to show signs of actively intervening in politics.

After turning the council upside down with his demand to build a triumphal arch, Cesare used the Imperial Army, which was absolutely loyal to him, to rapidly expand his power. The nobility had thus become extremely wary of him...

But seeing the man's face as he smiled joyfully at his wife, Count Domenico felt he might understand the reason for Cesare's change.

It must be similar to his own heart, which had led him to become a spy for Kalpen for his wife’s sake. It was just that, because it was Cesare of all people, it was simply unbelievable.

Count Domenico watched Cesare and Aileen for a long moment before letting out a faint sigh. In any case, he was glad to have the chance to repay his benefactor. The fact that he had almost harmed her still sent a chill down his spine.

If he had followed the King of Kalpen’s orders, his own wife, unable to rise from her sickbed, would already be a cold corpse.

But the heavens had given him a golden opportunity. Count Domenico intended to repay her with all his might.

For Aileen, the Grand Duchess of Erzet.