Sitting across from me were Anna and Susan, the victors of our rock-paper-scissors match. I had assumed all three of them would join me, but it turned out that one of my dedicated maids was strictly required to remain at the residence at all times.
“It is our duty to keep you informed of everything happening at the residence!”
That was the answer I received when I inquired. Seeing them puff out their chests and put on such stern, determined expressions reminded me of baby birds. I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing.
Susan, sitting opposite me, clutched a large basket in her lap. I glanced at it and asked, “Did you pack everything I mentioned?”
“Ah, yes! My Lady!” Susan nodded vigorously. “I didn’t forget a single thing.”
“Good.”
I looked at the pink-tinted basket with satisfaction before turning to gaze out the window. The carriage rolled down the familiar road. We were approaching the Remut Territory, which had begun to feel more like home than the Alzbeit Residence. It was strange; the moment we crossed into the territory, it felt as though people were flocking toward the carriage, though the rapid motion made it difficult to be certain.
“Hmm… There seem to be more people out today.”
“Susan, you noticed it too? I felt it as well. Is there some kind of event?”
How would I know? Judging by the confused way Anna and Susan were tilting their heads, it seemed I wasn’t the only one in the dark. The carriage continued past the village I had restored using laborers, finally pulling up in front of the castle gates.
I had visited so often that even the knight on guard duty felt familiar. As I stepped down from the carriage, I noticed his usual rigid, awkward expression.
“I’m here for a visit. Where is my fiancé?”
“Ah… Greetings, My Lady! The, the Duke is…”
“Never mind.”
It would be another rejection. Even without pressing him, I already knew the answer would be that entry was forbidden. I had fully expected it, yet a pang of disappointment still managed to settle in. I had dared to hope his heart might have thawed. Was I still truly banned? How much longer would I have to endure this “rejection at the door”?
I grumbled to myself, my brows furrowing. But then, the guard did something odd. He fidgeted restlessly, looking as though he had something to say. The knights here had always feared or disliked me, but their reactions were usually fueled by open hostility. This, however, was something different. Something ambiguous.
“I will convey the news to the Duke.”
“Hm?” I widened my eyes.
“…The Duke has forbidden entry to the castle, but he instructed us to inform him immediately whenever you arrive, My Lady.”
The knight bowed his head, hesitated, and then stepped forward to bow even lower. “Thank you.”
For what? I felt utterly bewildered.
“…Among the territory residents who received help when you called for the laborers, there is my younger brother. Thanks to that, our home was restored quickly, and the child, who is quite frail, was able to get through the season without catching a cold.”
The knight spoke in a rush, his words tumbling out before he nodded abruptly and turned away. I couldn’t see his expression, but I was stunned.
“Wow, it seems that man knows how to be grateful, My Lady.”
As I stood frozen, Susan broke the silence. “Well, it’s only natural for him to express his thanks. You helped them, My Lady!”
“That’s right. I only heard about it from Susan, but you really did a wonderful thing.”
Listening to the two maids—who no longer held any prejudice against Charlize—felt almost surreal. I had always assumed that changing one’s reputation was an impossible task.
*Can I really change things?*
I felt an unreasonable surge of happiness. I was enjoying the gentle breeze when I spotted a man approaching from the distance. He was so tall and broad-shouldered that it was impossible not to recognize him.
It was my fiancé.
He arrived in front of me.
I had hoped for a little warmth, but regrettably, his expression was no different than before: half-suspicion of my motives, half-annoyance. Seeing that look, so heavily stained with wariness, almost made me let out a dry laugh.
“You’ve come again today.”
“Yeah, I came again today.”
But perhaps because of the knight’s greeting or the subtle shift in his tone, I didn’t feel too bad.
“You were so polite in your letters. Can’t you show even half of that in your current demeanor?”
I lightly pressed the letter I was holding to my lips. Askin looked at the paper, stunned, then his brow furrowed. He seemed flustered.
“Why did you… bring that?”
“It’s a love letter you gave me, so I have to keep it in my hand.”
“A love letter? Wh-what on earth…! Throw it away. At once.”
“Don’t want to.”
Askin reached out instinctively, but I pulled my hand back. He glared at me, then retreated. His cool scent brushed past me before drifting away. I felt a pang of disappointment; it would have been nice if he had gotten a little more worked up.
“Why isn’t a letter exchanged between an engaged couple a love letter? That’s how I choose to see it.”
“…It is your business to think as you please. Do not drag me into your delusions.”
Hm? I hesitated. What did he just… call me?
*Wow, just one change in title and the feeling is completely different.*
It felt strange that his address had shifted from the familiar “you” to the more formal “thee.” I wondered if he was even aware of the shift, or if he simply didn’t care. If I kept trying to woo him like this, would I see even better results?
I pointed toward the castle. “Can I go in?”
“No.”
Ugh, short-lived. I scanned my fiancé with eyes that said I’d already given up.
*Geez, his beauty is sparkling today, too.*
And this was the man who would be attending the banquet wearing a matching outfit with me? A sense of duty—as if I absolutely had to defeat my tyrant brother’s pettiness—emerged. No, it grew stronger.
“Aria is not in good health. She is not receiving any outside visitors.”
For once, my fiancé offered an explanation. The reason was convincing enough. *So Aria’s health is still not good…*
“Is she very sick?”
“…It is not to the point of being life-threatening.” Askin stared at me, knitting his brows. “What on earth did you babble to my sister?”
“Hm?”
I asked back, confused, but Askin remained silent. Seeing his utterly firm expression, I decided to withdraw gracefully.
“Well, since this letter clearly wasn’t written by someone else, but was actually sent by you, I’ll take my leave.”
“…A rarely helpful remark. By the way, someone else? What is that supposed to mean?”
“Ah, I was just wondering. I was surprised to receive a letter like this; I thought maybe you had been kidnapped and forced to write it.” I waved the parchment back and forth, then curled my eyes playfully. “Next time you get kidnapped, shake a carrot.”
*If you draw a carrot on the letter, this noona will come running, okay?* I said it jokingly, but he didn’t even engage.
Good grief. I felt that 0.1 percent of internal intimacy I had built up through the letters evaporate instantly. I pouted, straightened my posture, and turned away. I signaled to Susan with a tilt of my chin.
“Forget it. I’m leaving now. Take this.”
“I don’t need it.”
“That ‘need’ isn’t for you, it’s for Aria. Go give it to her.”
At my gesture, Susan groaned as she held out the basket. Askin refused to take it, so I had her set it on the floor instead.
“It seemed like Aria likes sweet things, so I put in only the best of what I like. Throw it away or not—do as you please.”
With that, I walked away without looking back, my business finished.
Good. I had wondered if the letter might be a forgery, but that clearly wasn’t the case. The objective was achieved.
*It’s a shame I couldn’t see Aria, though.*
I turned around slightly, as if I had just remembered something.
“Ah, I don’t care if you throw it away or not, but I’ll make sure to ask Aria if she enjoyed it later, okay?”
I turned away sharply after meeting those handsome eyes, which had been regarding me with a strange expression.
‘Heh, this is the moment to walk away without lingering.’
That’s the only way he’ll be even a little curious about me.
* * *
Not long after I returned from Remut Residence to the Alzbeit Residence, the house erupted into chaos.
To be precise, a group of guests had arrived, looking for me.
“Who is here?”
“Well… Lady Cleria and the others…”
My mood soured the moment I heard their names.
‘The Brat Club, is it? The biggest brats in the capital.’
It meant that those nicknamed “The Brats” had come looking for me yet again.
When I last saw them, hadn’t I clearly driven them away by pouring alcohol over them?
Not that I was naive enough to think they wouldn’t come back.
‘Still, I expected it would take much longer for them to show their faces.’
Regardless, I had no intention of meeting with that Brat Club.
Obviously. I had made it crystal clear that the last gathering was both the first and the last.
They were people who offered no benefit, even if I deigned to meet them.
“Tell them I’m busy. Very busy.”
“Yes, Duchess-To-Be.”
Susan bowed politely and retreated.
But not long after, she returned, her face deathly pale.