Claisey smiled awkwardly and nodded.
“Yes.”
Angered, Merran stomped her feet and stormed out. Claisey finished changing her clothes, feeling a little guilty, but also somewhat refreshed.
‘Even if you don’t want to hear it, my advice is realistic.’
* * *
Back in her room, Merran told Karen everything Claisey had said.
Once she was in comfortable attire, Merran felt much relieved and asked while lying facedown on the sofa.
“What do you think, Nanny? Was my aunt right?”
“Hmm. Well. It is certain that Lady Claisey has been using her head quite a bit.”
“Aunt must really be crazy about men. She’s only smart at times like this. Is a man more precious to her than her own niece?”
Karen smoothed out Merran’s messy, tangled hair and reluctantly conceded.
“Whatever her intentions, Lady Claisey’s advice does sound correct this time.”
Karen brought a comb and brushed through Merran’s hair. Merran relaxed, closed her eyes, and muttered.
“I don’t know if I should keep getting in the way of my aunt’s romance, or if I should follow her advice and leave her alone to focus on my own. It’s not like I liked Lord Dernic just because he’s the Grand Duke’s only son. It’s just that his qualifications happen to be too high.”
“My lady, your standards are high. You are different from the other women eyeing the position of the Grand Duchess. You liked Lord Dernic without even knowing his background. Lord Dernic, the Grand Duke, and his wife really ought to know this.”
Karen looked down with satisfaction at Merran’s lush, softened curls. Even though she was sprawled out with her hair spread in every direction, Merran looked like a cute doll.
“It makes me proud to think that you will become a Marchioness and the Grand Duchess in the future. If the Madam were still alive, she would have been proud of you.”
“She would have liked it purely. Or perhaps she might have worried. She wouldn’t have used my feelings to her advantage like Aunt does.”
“Even if you treat her like a daughter, Lady Claisey will never be the Madam. Forget it. Let’s stop talking about unpleasant things. Anyway, you will become the most lovable Grand Duchess in the world.”
Merran burst into laughter and gave Karen a light push.
“Don’t get ahead of yourself.”
Karen sighed and picked up the hairs Merran had dropped on the carpet with her hand.
“If you become the Grand Duchess, what does it matter who Lady Claisey marries? The wealth you would receive in her stead if she fails to marry is significant, but would it even compare to the wealth of the Siwil Grand Duchy?”
Merran bristled, her forehead furrowing.
“I’m not doing this because of the wealth, Karen. Don’t talk like that. If others heard, they’d think I’m aiming for Aunt’s and Lord Dernic’s fortune.”
“I apologize. Of course, our pure young lady would never do that. But I keep calculating things this way because I want you to live well. I only say these things because I cherish you, so please don’t be angry. Naturally, I only say such things in front of you.”
As soon as Karen apologized, Merran calmed down immediately. However, the wrinkles on Merran’s forehead did not disappear easily.
Watching Merran’s reaction, Karen spoke up, intentionally sounding very bright.
“Anyway, a strategy is needed to become the Grand Duchess. I’ll go dig up some rumors about Lord Dernic and the Siwil Grand Duchy.”
“Find out about Lord Kishin, too. Just in case.”
“Of course. You should.”
Karen watched her, feeling proud of Merran’s sensible response, before offering advice with a sudden thought.
“In any case, my lady. For a while, don’t lose your temper too much in front of Lady Claisey. And don’t get angry just because Lady Claisey seems to be doing well with Lord Kishin.”
“You tell me not to get in her way, and now not to lose my temper either!”
“Even so. You shouldn’t ruin a good future because of a moment of anger. If things are going well with Lord Dernic, just turn a blind eye to Lady Claisey from now on.”
* * *
Merran decided to take Karen’s advice.
For Merran, who had always made monitoring her aunt her top priority in life, this was a surprising resolution.
That was how deep her interest in Dernic was. If she could make him her own, she could let her aunt go, even if it made her angry.
But how could a person’s heart cut ties the moment a decision was made? That night, Merran couldn’t easily fall asleep, tossing and turning under her blankets all night long.
Still, she couldn’t fall asleep.
Eventually, at 3:00 AM, Merran got out of bed and unclasped the necklace she always wore.
Merran’s necklace was unique. Unlike those of other nobles, it had no expensive jewels or precious metals.
Instead of a pendant, there was only a tiny glass bottle hanging in the center.
Inside the glass bottle was a liquid that shimmered as if a drop of moonlight had fallen into it.
Merran recalled the day she received the necklace.
Nine years ago, even after her mother’s funeral had ended, young Merran could not leave the grave, sobbing. She no longer had the heart to live.
Her mother was gone, and her father had brought some strange woman into her mother’s place.
That woman smiled at Merran, but her eyes were full of the look of someone viewing a nuisance.
Merran didn’t want to go back to the house where her father and that woman were, so she stayed at the grave even in the middle of the night.
That was when the boy appeared. He took this necklace off his own neck and placed it directly onto Merran’s.
-I’ll give you this. Use it if you want to turn back time.
As she recalled the past, her eyelids quickly grew heavy.
Merran put the necklace back on and crawled under her blankets.
* * *
The next day.
The atmosphere in the dining room was quieter than usual.
Merran, who usually chattered away, only ate in silence, and Claisey did not bother to talk to her.
Anna, feeling flustered between Merran and Claisey, sighed and grew quiet as well.
In this awkward atmosphere, the butler appeared.
“Lady Claisey. Lord Kishin has sent flowers.”
The butler held a lush bouquet in his arms, with a large envelope tucked in between.
“Lord Kishin!”
Claisey rushed over, took the bouquet, inhaled the scent, and asked.
“Did a guard come by?”
Merran bit her lip and gripped her fork.
Anna’s throat felt itchy, so she poured herself some water.
On the other hand, the butler, unaware of the tension in the dining room, spoke in a voice as joyful as Claisey’s.
“Yes. A guard came, delivered this, and said it was from Lord Kishin for Lady Claisey.”
“What was his expression like?”
“The guards always have the same expression, don’t they? But he seemed curious. His eyes were darting back and forth over my shoulder.”
Claisey almost showered the bouquet with kisses.
She surely would have, had it not been for the sound of forks and plates scraping behind her.
Afterward, Claisey barely touched her dinner, then took the bouquet and the letter and left the dining room.
Perhaps because of the advice Claisey had given her, Merran did not follow her today.
Back in her room, Claisey sat on her bed, placed the bouquet carefully on her lap, and unfolded the letter Kishin had sent.
‘Why did he suddenly send a letter?’
The letter described how Kishin’s day had been.
-The busiest times of the day are the morning and the afternoon. In the morning, I am busy receiving reports on things that happened while I was away, and in the afternoon, I am busy with the day’s work.
-But it is better to be busy with trivial tasks. If nothing happens, I become tense, as if it were the harbinger of a typhoon. My subordinates are the same. If I am tense, training becomes tougher, so everyone prefers to be busy.
-I entered the office this morning, and the sofa where Lady Claisey sat and waited for me caught my eye. If there is a pattern you like, please let me know. I will bring a cushion exclusively for Lady Claisey.
-I think of Lady Claisey once a day. Do you, too?
Kishin’s letter was dry throughout, and most of it was about work, but Claisey kept smiling to herself while reading the plain sentences.
“Oh my, Milady. You look like a fool. Please don’t do that outside.”
Anna was pouring warm coffee… She had come to deliver it, but was so startled that she ended up shouting.
Claisey clutched the letter and held up the bouquet to Anna, as if showing it off.
“Look at this. Lord Kishin gave this to me, Anna.”
“I know. I saw it in the dining room.”
“Anna, Lord Kishin said he thought of me at least once today!”
“Isn’t that thinking of you too little?”
As Claisey hugged the bouquet and took a deep breath as if to inhale all its scent, Anna shook her head.
“Miss, because you’re so happy, Miss Merran is huffing in disappointment.”
“Merran is huffing?”
“She’s still in the dining room, even after you went upstairs to your room. She was crying while eating ice cream.”
“…….”
“Miss Merran considers you like a mother, you know. She must be worried that if you date and marry another man, she’ll be pushed aside.”
Anna’s tone was filled with pity for Merran.
Claisey pouted her lips and stroked the flower petals.
“I know how that feels, too. When my eldest sister got married, and when Merran was born, I felt sad because I felt like I was losing my sister.”
“Then please treat Miss Merran a little better. She is an adult now, too. How much longer will you two live together?”
“I treat her well as long as she doesn’t do anything mean. And when my eldest sister got married, I felt sad, but I didn’t show it. Even though I was just a little girl, I didn’t act like Merran does now. You know that, Anna.”
“That’s true, too.”
Anna nodded and left, but Claisey felt complicated and set aside the bouquet she had been holding.
A sigh escaped her.
Anna might not know, but the relationship between Claisey and Merran was not as simple as the relationship between herself and her eldest sister.
Claisey took only the letter Kishin had given her into the secret room and placed it next to the bundle of letters she had exchanged with her first love.