Thank You For The Confinement, Grand Duke! - Chapter 14
Translator and Editor: Effe and Nabi
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Chapter 14
“What?”
I couldn’t understand what was being said, so I tilted my head.
Had I ever thought highly of Enfrise? Even though I’ve told him I like him a lot, I’ve never really exaggerated it.
“I am ‘the blood of the imperial family…’ No, I see. You said you’ve even forgotten those memories now.”
Enfrise’s face looked somewhat lonely as he said that.
To be honest, it was heartbreaking to see a shadow cast over the handsome man’s face. As expected, as he was the main character of this story, his power to empathize was no joke.
Besides, I understand why it was like that.
There must have been something that only these two people knew that I didn’t know about. Perhaps it was nothing special to Chaperil, though something so important to Enfrise that it changed his life forever.
There was always a story between two people who became lovers.
Still, I didn’t know why such a perfect man had to kidnap and imprison Chaperil and why was he so unsure of himself? In book reviews, people who read the second half of the book criticized Enfrise and said that they understood why, but I didn’t read it for fear of spoilers.
Nonetheless…
The motive that drove this Enfreje to commit such acts. It was so lonely to realize that it no longer existed within me.
An event that only existed in the memories of those two…
“Hmm. Do you know what? Grand Duke, you are very handsome.”
“…Yes?”
Enfrise made a dumbfounded expression at the sudden remark.
The shadowy, handsome face has its own beauty. Maybe, in terms of prettiness, it might be better than this pathetic-looking face. Regardless, this look was much better in my eyes, rather than making a face that looked like he was about to cry.
“Your voice is also very good. I said that you have a voice that will melt the ears? It’s like chocolate. Your words may be a bit rough, but you take good care of me and try not to make me feel uncomfortable.”
“Suddenly, what…?”
“It’s in actions and demeanor that one’s true character is revealed.”
Raising my hand slightly caused the chains to make a clinking sound. Enfrise’s pupils narrowed.
“If it’s you, Duke, I believe there must be a reason for all of this.”
I intentionally shook the chains in front of him, hoping that a piece of my sincerity would reach him. At the same time, I felt guilty for my actions for the first time… for lying to him even though I thought of him as a good person.
“Someday, you will tell me, right? Why did you do all of this?”
After saying that, I smiled widely once more.
Enfrise silently looked at me, then nodded slightly.
“You… haven’t changed.”
…Huh?
What did he mean?
“Even now, you’re still the same…”
There seemed to be more to his sentence, but I couldn’t hear it. Before I could ask, he turned and left the room.
“What was that about? Maybe… it’s because of the mood?”
As he passed by, it seemed like the corner of his mouth curved as if he were smiling.
“How is Lady Rivette?”
As Enfrise, who had been silently glancing at the book he brought to her room, lifted his head, he saw the young man with vibrant green hair and emerald eyes waiting for his response.
“She seems to be doing fine. So far, there haven’t been any signs of her past symptoms.”
“I was worried since it had reached the point of memory loss. Her condition varies depending on her underlying emotional state. If she happens to show any signs of fever, please make sure to inform me.”
Despite the fact that the use of the medicine was important, the dosage was even more crucial. The medicinal ingredients used were originally classified as ‘poisonous herbs.’
Well, it became an exceptionally beneficial remedy for her unique condition. That was why the dosage was crucial. Overconsumption of anything can turn it into poison, but in the case of denui, a poisonous plant, even a single drop of its juice could be a matter of life and death.
“…If you don’t mind, could you visit the mansion once?”
“Me? Are you sure?
It had been discussed from the beginning.
The dangers of the medicine and the fact that closely monitoring the patient’s condition and adjusting the dosage was the best approach. However, Enfrise had always refused it… and the young man knew the reason well.
The Grand Duke didn’t trust people.
There were hardly three individuals he could trust—his youngest brother, the family doctor, and the nanny, who had been by his side in his childhood.
The reason why an outsider like the young man was entrusted with the task of making the medicine was because he came recommended by Elmare, the third prince and the current Emperor. For someone like Enfrise to invite him to the mansion was hard to believe.
“…I also don’t know her well now. It’s hard to believe that someone who has experienced memory loss to this extent can be so cheerful and innocent… but there are too many things that don’t add up if you consider it all an act. I thought that perhaps if you examined her, you might find something.”
Enfrise closed his eyes in silence.
Enfrise, a man with a lot of skepticism who trusted no one, insisted that everything about her was false. She behaved and talked as if she had no common sense or knowledge, but sometimes something bothered him, like a splinter stuck under his fingernail.
He warned that Chaperil was planning to deceive him and run away, and he scoffed at the idea that she could genuinely mean such words.
However, Enfrise, who was in love with her, believed that she was not lying.
…No, he wanted to believe in her.
Even though she lost her memories, her essence remained the same. Nothing had changed from the day they first met.
Enfrise, from birth, looked markedly different from the previous Emperor. His hair color and eye color were both inherited from his mother, the previous Empress. Even his appearance was entirely inherited from his mother.
As he grew older, he drifted further away from the previous Emperor.
From a young age, there were whispers. Even before the Emperor forced her into marriage, the previous Empress had someone she loved. But less than a year after the marriage, she gave birth to her first child, who looked nothing like the Emperor.
His existence became a feast for the gossipy social circles.
Who started calling him that way? When did it begin to spread? Without the knowledge of the person involved, Enfrise, he was being referred to as the ‘dirty bastard who stole the imperial blood’ by everyone, including his father, the previous Emperor.
While he was undoubtedly the firstborn son of the Empress, no one recognized him as such. The murmurs around him grew louder when the Emperor’s second son, Barca, and his third son, Elmare, who resembled the Emperor, were born.
Why was it that only Enfrise did not resemble his father at all? The other two princes looked so much like the Emperor that there was no doubt they were his sons.
The Empress, seemingly aware of the murmurs around her, claimed that Enfrise was indeed the Emperor’s child. She insisted there had been no infidelity with her previous lover. The Emperor, too, stated that Enfrise was his son, even if he privately doubted the Empress’ denials.
Enfrise was born as the firstborn son, yet he became a prince with nothing.
— Step back on your own.
— Father…
— Don’t call me Father with a face that doesn’t resemble me at all. It makes me sick.
He acted as if he stepped down from his position as the Crown Prince.
The previous Emperor acted to respect Enfrise’s decision and gave the position of Grand Duke to him. He also handed over a luxurious mansion, numerous maids, and servants. He even granted him wealth and fertile land that he could never exhaust in his lifetime.
However, for some reason, it all felt like shackles to Enfrise.
Golden shackles meant to keep him within the confines of his estate, with a silent message to not think about anything else and live his life quietly within this estate.
The play between the Emperor and Enfrise was not hidden from the nobles. They whispered that he had been expelled because he was not the true heir… this murmuring followed him at every social event.
Enfrise, as a Grand Duke, couldn’t avoid attending social gatherings held by the imperial family. He often became the subject of gossip. People openly speculated about his parentage and ridiculed him without saying a word to his face.
He had given up entirely on forming a relationship with anyone.
It would go on like this. He would wither away, unable to form connections with anyone, and eventually die alone. No one would come near the dirty b*stard who stole the imperial blood.
But.
Chaperil was different. She was the first person to approach Enfrise without caring about his reputation or rumors. She was the first person to smile at him without prejudice or disgust, and she was the first person to reach out to him.
She was… the first person he thought of forming a connection with.
That was why…
— Don’t come any closer!
— Your, your parents…!
— Where are my parents? Why did you bring me here? Why?
Her accusing words hurt more than any blade. So, when Chaperil received the diagnosis of memory loss, he honestly wished that it were true… he wished she could start afresh without any prejudice and reach out to him once more.
And that wish came true.
Chaperil asked for a ‘favor’ from him, the empty shell of a man.
She asked for something no one else did. She praised him, complimented him for everything he had been pessimistic about, disliked, and belittled about himself. She said she liked everything, and even though she was aware that he was keeping her confined, she believed in him.
…If that was all a lie… then would all the emotions overflowing in his heart also turn into lies?
And if that were the case, he’d rather not know the truth at all… no, it would be much better to believe in the lie.
While he thought this, the deep-seated doubt that had consumed him wouldn’t disappear.
So, he wanted to make it certain.
“I want to find a definite answer to this unpleasant question.”
His golden eyes darkened.
—
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