The household of the Ostain townhouse was in an uproar. The staff could hardly believe their eyes: the Grand Duchess-to-be had returned accompanied by the Grand Duke of Lyussenford, and both were in such a wretched state. When on earth had she managed to slip away?
Given the circumstances, it was clear she had fled to avoid the marriage. She had gone so far as to steal a maid’s uniform, smear her face with dirt and ash, and pack a significant stash of jewels and coin.
However, the Grand Duke of Lyussenford cut the butler off before he could utter a word.
“What happened today never happened.”
His tone was heavy, his gaze resolute. The staff, who held the young lady’s well-being above all else, understood that silence was their only priority. They held their tongues. Yet, this truth would eventually have to reach the master of the Ostain household.
After the Grand Duke of Lyussenford departed, Kaella—who had been bathed and returned to her bed without a sound—swallowed her bitter medicine. She offered no repentance, but she no longer resisted. She simply lay still, as if waiting for some inevitable, horrific end to arrive.
Or perhaps she was merely bracing herself for her father’s roar.
“Kaella.”
It was the dead of night, the hour when the sunrise felt closer than the sunset. Just before dawn, while pitch-black shadows swallowed the room, Adeo De Chasseur, the Duke of Ostain, appeared at his daughter’s bedside holding a single candle. His voice was devoid of anger, trembling only with affection.
“Did I wake you?”
The father sat by the bedside of his daughter, who shook her head. This was the girl who had attempted her first flight of rebellion, only to be dragged back by the very man she sought to escape.
Adeo gazed intently at his daughter, who had looked half-dead for days, and asked softly.
“What can I do for you?”
Having pushed her body beyond its limits during her three-day ordeal, Kaella lacked the strength to move even a finger. She shook her head. There was nothing she wanted from her father.
“Do you hate this marriage?”
Adeo asked with extreme caution.
“Do you dislike the Grand Duke of Lyussenford? Should I find you a new groom?”
At those words, Kaella let out a hollow laugh, as if hearing a cruel joke.
“I’m fine.”
Her voice was a hoarse whisper, rattled by the sound of her wheezing breath.
“I’m sorry for causing you worry. I won’t do it again.”
“Kaella.”
Adeo closed his eyes for a moment.
“You must have hated it enough to go to such lengths. You have never once rebelled or uttered a word of complaint until now.”
Kaella had a sudden, jarring thought: she was only able to run away because her father was still alive. That was true. She had done something she never dared to do before she died, and that alone made this new life feel meaningful. She didn’t want much.
“No parent would be otherwise, but I wanted to find you the best groom. I was too picky, and you seemed to have no thoughts on the matter, so it feels like we’ve drifted into this current.”
Kaella, who had never discussed marriage with her father, lifted her bleary eyes to meet his with great difficulty.
“Even if he isn’t the best groom, he is the best possible one. I’m sorry I have to say it like this.”
Kaella shook her head.
“But if you still don’t want to marry, I will use all my influence. I can make up any number of excuses.”
“No.”
Kaella shook her head again.
“I was wrong. I won’t do it again.”
Seeing his daughter, head bowed low, apologizing repeatedly, Adeo didn’t feel relief—he felt a long, jagged sigh escape him.
“I’m sorry, Kaella. I was too complacent.”
He had complacently trusted his brothers, and he had complacently respected his daughter’s silence, deciding nothing. How miserable must his daughter have been to collapse like that? A wave of regret surged through him; he should have prepared a contingency. No, he shouldn’t have expected the Emperor to possess even a shred of humanity or common sense.
It seemed the Emperor believed that by performing “good deeds” for the sake of the Empress, who lay in a prolonged coma, he could wake her. That was why he forced the Grand Duke of Lyussenford and Kaella together so incessantly.
“I married for love, and I believed you could do the same. I was truly naive. I’m sorry.”
Adeo blamed himself, over and over.
“I don’t want to say this, but as you said, the Grand Duke of Lyussenford is a decent man. In truth, I was relieved. The Grand Duke is a man of faith and honesty. And he is strong.”
There was no expression on his daughter’s face as she heard this. Adeo muttered bitterly.
“That much is enough to trust and lean on for the rest of your life. And you have me, don’t you, Kaella?”
She reached out and took her father’s hand. Adeo gripped it tightly, covering it with his other hand.
“I will be more alert. Don’t forget that you have a strong home to rely on. You always have a place to return to.”
“Father.”
Kaella, looking blankly downward, bowed her head even lower.
“I’m sorry for acting so stupidly. I… I’m so stupid, and I don’t know how to do anything properly.”
“No, why would you say such things?”
“Truly, I don’t know how to do anything. Being a Lyu… the Grand Duchess of Lyussenford, someone as stupid as me wouldn’t know how to handle it.”
“Kaella, Kaella. You are my daughter, and you are a very clever child. Why are you acting like this all of a sudden?”
Flustered, Adeo patted Kaella’s shoulder, but she believed she knew her place all too well.
“So, if you hear that I’m not doing a good job, just pretend you don’t know your foolish daughter.”
That way, even her father could survive.
“What kind of nonsense is that!”
But Father, I spent the last four years finding out exactly how stupid I am.
･ ｡ﾟ✧: *. ꕥ .* :✧ﾟ. ･
Was there no way to avoid this marriage? To be precise, was there a way to let the marriage proceed in name only, without sullying Kaella’s honor, and further, a way for both Ostain and Lyussenford to avoid disaster?
Peon had forgotten sleep, clinging to the possibility of such a method, but he only ever reached the conclusion that it was impossible. Kaella, who had slumped over after her failed runaway attempt—which was bound to be caught regardless—must have known this too. For the precious daughter of Ostain, there were no options left.
The Duke of Ostain also knew this.
“You’ve come.”
“Greetings, Your Grace.”
Even in the midst of this crisis, a summons from the Duke of Ostain was something Peon could never refuse. No matter how busy he was, if the Ostain family called, he would have made time.
“Thank you for handling things quietly. And at the same time, I apologize. You witnessed a poor display.”
Adeo hadn’t shown it to his daughter, but his head had spun upon hearing the news that Peon had brought Kaella back. That Peon, of all people, knew Kaella had run away was as good as having his weakness exposed before the marriage even began.
“That is not the case at all. I consider it an honor to have been there.”
Adeo looked at Peon, slightly surprised by the word ‘honor.’ This inflexible and stiff Grand Duke never spoke lightly.
“Are you sincere?”
“I am.”
Even though Adeo was soft and ordinary, he had a knack for reading people. Peon was genuinely saying that, as a knight, he was honored to serve a lady. A sound of disbelief, *huh*, escaped Adeo’s lips.
“It seems you are quite taken with my daughter?”
The man, who wouldn’t dare attach a phrase like ‘taken with’ to Kaella, hesitated for a moment.
“I am not qualified to say such things. The young lady is a lady so fine that I dare not even gaze upon her.”
“You dare not even gaze upon her? Oh my. You are far too modest.”
“It is the truth.”
Kaella was someone who carried light. Even if one looked away or tried to bury her in darkness, she shone so beautifully that one could not help but eventually turn their head and look at her.
“…Honestly, when His Majesty decided on this marriage, I worried about you as a father who has a daughter. But it seems my concern has become meaningless.”
Adeo, who had never in his wildest dreams imagined Kaella would attempt to run away, let out a deep sigh.
“There is sufficient reason for both Your Grace and the young lady to act that way. I apologize.”
“They say it’s natural for a woman to follow a capable man.”
Peon detected a subtly uncomfortable tone in Adeo’s words. It sounded as if Adeo did not believe what the rumors claimed.
True, Adeo was famous for having married his first love and not remarrying even after his wife passed away. How bitter must he feel to send his precious only daughter to a man who already had a long-standing scandal with another woman?
Peon thought Adeo was a remarkably polite and courteous man. If he had been Kaella’s father, he would have already drawn his sword.
“I am not that capable, Your Grace. And the things you worry about will not happen.”
“His Majesty said he would announce the marriage himself tomorrow.”
Peon wanted to shut his eyes tight, but he dared not do so in front of Adeo. A marriage announced by royal decree could never be overturned unless the Emperor’s head were cut off.
“Now, you and we are one body. We must cover each other’s pasts and move forward in harmony.”
It meant they should bury the memory of Kaella’s runaway attempt and the relationship between Peon and Beatrice Lavalle, looking only toward the future. With things as they were, that was the only way to speak.
“Your Grace.”
Peon tried to focus his vision. His sight was blurred. No, it was pitch black.
“I am not qualified to be your son-in-law.”
He had stood by and watched his father die while he was desperate to save his own life, and he had treated his wife coldly until she died a miserable death; he had no face to show this father and daughter. He wasn’t even qualified to discuss qualifications; he was a sinner, and he dared not sit face to face with them.
“I could not dare to go through with this undeserved marriage. It was not just the young lady who wanted to avoid it.”
Saying this so he wouldn’t feel he was being held to ransom, Peon moved his dry, stiff lips with difficulty.
“But if it is a marriage that must happen, I will do my best to protect Ostain, and as a husband to the young lady…”
The words wouldn’t come out. It felt as though they were stuck in his throat. The word ‘husband’ was excruciatingly painful. How could he, a husband who had killed his wife, say such things again? But he had to. He had to say it in front of the father of an anxious daughter.
“I will do my best. The daughter of Ostain shall be treated as she deserves.”
Whoever Kaella married, that should have been the case anyway. If Kaella were unhappy married to someone else, Peon was more than willing to draw his sword as a knight serving a lady. Thus, he willingly laid down his hand.
“If the young lady wishes, I can even grant a divorce.”
Adeo, who until now had been listening without much hope, assuming these were just formal platitudes, opened his eyes wide.
Divorce? In Krania, divorce meant a devastating loss of honor. One would rather have an affair; divorce was out of the question. The Emperor, who tenaciously clung to the Empress, had his own reasons for that. But for the word ‘divorce’ to come out of the Grand Duke of Lyussenford’s mouth was shocking.
“After some time has passed and His Majesty has lost interest.”
Or when he had gained enough power to sever the Emperor’s head.
“If the young lady desires a divorce, I will see to it. The conditions will also be as the young lady desires. I will include this promise in the prenuptial agreement.”
If that leaked, it was certain that Peon would be ridiculed as a man who lived under a woman’s thumb—an Ostain son-in-law—yet he said it regardless.
“That is quite unexpected, but a proposal I cannot refuse.”
Adeo, as the lord of Ostain where commerce thrived, knew how beneficial this was. Even if his daughter underwent a divorce that the world would point fingers at, he would welcome her back warmly and install her as the next Duchess of Ostain. If she were lacking, it was enough for her father to fill the gaps.
“Thank you. I have great worries as I only have one daughter, and I am truly grateful that you would go that far.”
So, he did not refuse and eagerly accepted the promise that he would divorce her if his daughter wished.
“I apologize that Lyussenford is cold and harsh, and that is all I can offer.”
“No, you have offered something truly great. Don’t worry about the wedding preparations. I will handle it all.”
“Lyussenford will also do its best.”
Peon shook his head, thinking that couldn’t be. He didn’t even want to think about what would happen if this marriage, which the Emperor was forcing, were to fall apart. He knew all too well how Adeo, Kaella, and he himself had ended up, so why think about it further?
But it would not be long before Peon witnessed once more exactly how the Emperor dealt with anyone who appeared as an obstacle to this marriage.
･ ｡ﾟ✧: *. ꕥ .* :✧ﾟ. ･
A marriage announcement, stamped with the Emperor’s seal, was posted on the main gate of the Krain Imperial Palace. Everyone was greatly shocked by the sudden news at a time when the Empress remained in a coma.
But the surprise was brief, and a variety of reactions poured out. Some were startled, some intrigued, and others furious.
“The Grand Duke of Lyussenford before the Crown Prince?”
“Isn’t this a good marriage only for Lyussenford? My heavens, it seems all the gold of Ostain is headed to the North.”
“No. Ostain will also have its military strength reinforced. Regardless of what anyone says, isn’t Lyussenford home to the elite soldiers who fight on the front lines?”
“The Duchess of Monde will be disappointed. I thought the Grand Duke of Lyussenford would marry Lady Lavalle.”
“Ha, one must speak correctly. Isn’t the daughter of Ostain of higher status and a much better match than Lady Lavalle? Besides, the Grand Duke of Lyussenford is a Grand Duke, after all. He can’t marry just anyone. Indeed, indeed.”
High society, which had been quiet due to the Empress’s health, reacted enthusiastically to the rare, scandalous news. And the Duchess of Monde’s reaction was not enthusiastic—it was at a level where the heat had gathered and exploded.
“How could he do that after laying his hands on my daughter!”
The Grand Duke of Lyussenford had a perfectionist streak regarding his integrity, so he had ‘never laid a hand’ on Beatrice, but to the Duchess of Monde, it was all the same. The title of Grand Duchess of Lyussenford belonged to Beatrice! It was the highest position after the Empress and the Crown Princess, and he was giving it to the daughter of Ostain, who had it all? This was an unforgivable act.
So, the Duchess of Monde ran with the same speed she used when avoiding creditors, arriving at the townhouse where the Grand Duke of Lyussenford was staying. She was a mother who would do anything for her child.