The Monstrous Grand Duke’s Fake Lady

“Please don’t worry too much, Vivi,” Amanda said while grinning broadly, as opposed to the sullen Vivian, who was filled with anxiety.

“It’ll definitely be alright for a long time. You were the most curious one out of us. This is interesting, so I like it as well.”

“Amanda…”

“So, don’t you worry at all. Everything will work out well in the end, Vivian.”

Vivian let out a heartbreaking sigh.

The moment where they would cross the mountain at a certain distance, they would see the mansion where the monstrous Grand Duke resided.

He, who eats people. Recalling the many horrifying rumors revolving around the monstrous Grand Duke, Vivian headed to the mansion filled with unsettling emotions.

Just after they crossed the said mountain, she instinctively held back her breath as she was in sight of a huge mansion.

It was already expected for the mansion to be big, however Vivian was speechless as the scale could never be compared to the residence of the Young Countess where she had temporarily stayed before.

It was plausible to think that there would be more people working here than the people at the Young Countess’ residence. Nevertheless, no matter how many people were there, she could never be comfortable with them as she was never used to this, so it was quite hard for her to adapt quickly.

As more worries infiltrated her mind, Vivian waited in the carriage until she was received by the people of the mansion.

“Welcome, the Young Countess of Britton. We have been waiting for you.”

Vivian was greeted by the butler, who bowed deeply to her. If it were the usual Vivian, she would be returning the polite gesture however, it was different now.

She was the Young Countess, Alexia Britton.

Despite being no longer in the carriage, the trail between the entrance and the mansion was quite a long journey in itself. Nevertheless, the landscape was delightfully gorgeous that one could never feel its ridiculous distance.

Vivian’s gaze lingered from below her brim to the gorgeous landscape, which was not what she had expected it to be. It was completely different from her idea that it would be all bloody and eerie. Instead, the garden was full with beautiful flowers as could be seen to be maintained constantly by a skilled gardener.

At the moment she had just reached the entrance, the butler turned towards her.

“You might be uncomfortable once you enter the residence. Therefore, do allow me to take your outerwear.”

Vivian glanced at his naturally out-stretched hand as she observed his actions.

“I have brought my maid with me, so I’ll leave it to her.”

“I understand.”

It was a rather blunt gesture, but the butler didn’t even blink. He quickly pulled back his hand and stepped back, as if he had already known about it.

Vivian let out a sigh.

She could not remove her hat at any occasion as she could never reveal her face. By the Young Lady’s own words, if her face was to be unveiled, her identity would be disclosed as well. For that reason, those words had become shackles to Vivian which ultimately manifested into her large-brimmed hat.

“Where is the Grand Duke?”

“It is this way, My Lady.”

The butler skillfully guided the way.

The exterior garden was charmingly enchanting that one would find the interior to be somehow lacking as the mansion was only adorned by necessities.

Is this a reflection of the monstrous Grand Duke? Despite the bright sunshine glistening onto the window panes, the interior of the mansion seemed empty and gloomy.

After walking through a long corridor, the butler stopped at the sight of a particular door, which put a stop to Vivian and Amanda as well. He opened the door widely after knocking on it several times.

Vivian was led into the room smoothly by the butler. However, she suddenly stopped as she felt overwhelmed by the atmosphere of the room.

In contrast to the sunlit corridors, the interior of the room was dark and dreary. Despite the white curtains that were loosely hanging over the bed, all of the windows were draped with black curtains from top to bottom.

The butler was standing near the bed when he took note of Vivian’s startled impression. He then slowly parted his lips.

“The Grand Duke doesn’t like the sunlight as his temporary sightless is quite severe. It will be a little dark but I do hope you’d understand.”