During the uncomfortable meal, Kaella tried her best to do her part. Thanks to Peon, her mind was jolted awake, allowing her to focus on discussing the schedule for the Kerujan delegation’s visit instead of obsessing over her hunger.
However, after much discussion, a casual remark from Peon caught Kaella off guard once again.
“If the Duchess of Monde acts the same way again today, tell her that I sent my regards.”
Peon’s eyes were fixed on Kaella.
In Krain, the capital of Krania, Kaella used the distinctive rhetoric of the nobility—an elegant, roundabout way of speaking that Peon found incredibly irritating. He had always preferred straightforwardness. Kaella knew this well, yet this time, Peon was using the same cryptic aristocratic language as she did.
If she encountered the Duchess of Monde again, the reaction would surely not be pleasant. By telling her to pass on his regards, he meant that she shouldn’t bother arguing with the Duchess; she should come to him instead. Ultimately, it was his way of saying he would handle anything involving that family that troubled Kaella.
Adeo De Chasseur, the Duke of Ostain, also seemed quite intrigued.
“Why? What happened?”
Before Kaella could answer, Peon, who had told the Duke exactly what the Duchess of Monde had said, stated bluntly,
“It’s nothing for you to worry about.”
“Ah, I’m sorry.”
Peon regretted his words immediately upon seeing the apology and the way Adeo’s gaze quickly averted from him.
He knew that his tone and demeanor were very difficult for a sheltered noblewoman like Kaella to handle. Before the regression, his wife had always tried hard to strike up a conversation with him. Her efforts always ended with him giving one-word answers or dismissing her by saying, “That is not a matter for the Princess to be involved in,” leaving her humiliated. It had been like that her entire life since childhood.
Even now, Kaella must perceive him as an incredibly uncomfortable presence, having understood his dismissive tone. He used to think their relationship *had* to be that way, but no longer. Peon had no intention of being a fool again.
“What I mean is, it’s not a matter worth your concern.”
His cool, clear light blue eyes turned back to her. The mere fact that Kaella was looking at him again filled him with infinite satisfaction. He cared for her this much; how could a bad ending possibly be acceptable? At the very least, he wanted a good relationship.
“Honestly, you should have been angry, Kaella.”
Of course, Kaella was too kind to ever do that. She was the type of person who endured for a very long time, slowly changing the situation bit by bit.
If they had been given more time, or if Kaella had possessed infinite patience and the strength to endure, she would have eventually taken control of Lyussenford Castle as the Grand Duchess. But they didn’t have time. Four years was too short, and they had lost everything.
“If the Duchess of Monde said that, she crossed the line quite a bit.”
Adeo muttered with dignity.
“The Duchess and the Grand Duchess are different, after all.”
Kaella smiled slightly, repeating what Peon had said to the Duchess of Monde. It was barely more than a formal upturn of her lips, but Peon realized how long it had been since he had seen that smile. She was someone who knew how to smile. Even a slight smile cast a gentle glow, as if the sunlight were following only her.
“The Duchy of Ostain, recognized by the late Emperor, is different from an ordinary Dukedom like Monde under Imperial law. It’s an absurd claim.”
Peon said firmly. At the same time, the noble Princess of Ostain had no reason to be involved with the likes of an Empress’s illegitimate child.
“It shouldn’t happen again, but if something like that does occur, don’t let it slide—tell me, Kaella.”
“Thank you.”
Kaella, wearing that formal smile, was someone who was no longer connected to him. Peon knew that response was formal, too.
･ ｡ﾟ✧: *. ꕥ .* :✧ﾟ. ･
The three of them were extremely busy for several days. While Adeo and Peon consulted with the ministers of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding Kerujan, Kaella ran around the Imperial Palace, holding up the hem of her dress.
“If only the Grand Duchess of Lyussenford were here, she could have overseen this.”
The Duchess of Monde pouted, but with the Empress unable to move in the current situation, the Princess of Ostain was the lady of the highest rank, far above the Emperor’s unacknowledged illegitimate children.
The Duchess of Monde had no doubt that her daughter would become the Grand Duchess. That had been the prevailing opinion in high society until now.
“Oh, Mother, why are you saying such things? Peon isn’t married yet.”
Of course, Beatrice Lavalle, who was trying to restrain her mother, probably had other thoughts of her own.
Honestly, Kaella was a bit curious about when exactly Beatrice had reached a point where she could call the Emperor by his name so familiarly, but now was not the time to figure that out.
“There’s so much work!”
Even the high-ranking Princess was on the verge of screaming. The Great Empire of Krania could not afford to treat the Kerujan delegation poorly. A schedule showcasing Krania’s dazzling wealth, influence, diverse culinary culture, and elegant banquets was prepared through the efforts of the three.
Ah, how long had it been since she’d worked like this? Kaella sat down, exhausted, and thought. Choosing the food and dance music for the banquet, selecting napkin colors, curtain fabrics, tablecloths, and flowers, reviewing the guest list countless times, and fully grasping the subtle political issues they would discuss—this was what Kaella did best. She had done it brilliantly as a Grand Duchess, but at Lyussenford, no one had recognized her efforts.
Actually, it was hard to accomplish anything decent because no one cooperated, and when the results were a mess due to a lack of proper support, she was often laughed at. Being a Grand Duchess without a backing was that difficult.
Kaella’s expression was bright, having finally worked on what she loved alongside experts so smoothly.
“Wow, that was fun…”
It brought her so much joy that there was a mountain of work to do tomorrow. Feeling like a useful being, Kaella sat on the sofa in the half-decorated conference hall and kicked off her shoes.
“Ouch…”
Everything was fine, but her feet hurt so much. One shoe was tossed aside. *Yes, just right next to it,* she thought, and flicked the other one. The shoe drew an arc in the air and flew further than she expected. It hit the leg of someone just entering and dropped with a thud. Kaella jumped up in surprise. As soon as those purple eyes turned toward her, an apology reflexively spilled out.
“Oh, I’m sorry!”
Stepping onto the polished, carpeted floor, she scrambled to pick up the nearest shoe.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t know anyone was coming in… I’m truly sorry.”
She had made a mistake. Her heart was pounding, and cold sweat broke out. *What do I do?* She expected the same gaze, colder than the chill of Lyussenford. A gaze filled with indifferent contempt that laid a person bare. Apologies spilled from her lips incessantly, and her small hands, frantically searching the carpet, trembled.
It was not befitting a “Grand Duchess.” It severely insulted the Grand Duke’s dignity, and he would surely think of her as pathetic. Shame washed over her. Before Kaella could retrieve the shoe that had struck the man’s ankle and tumbled away, the man picked it up first. Kaella, sitting on the floor, went deathly pale as she followed his hand upward.
“Kaella, it’s alright.”
Instead of looking down at her while standing, Peon crouched down with her and chuckled. Kaella looked at him like a squirrel or cat encountering a natural predator, her eyes wide, her shoulders hunched.
“I said it’s alright, so why are you so startled? Did I scare you?”
Only after seeing his handsome face, smiling calmly, did she snap back to reality. A breath escaped through her slightly parted pink lips.
“I’m sorry for startling you. Can you stand?”
Unlike the people of Lyussenford, whose voices were booming and loud, Peon asked in a very small, quiet voice. He had to lower his voice; otherwise, Kaella, whose small chest was heaving with surprise and whose eyes were wide, might just faint from fright.
Sitting on the floor of the massive conference hall that no one would use until the Kerujan delegation arrived, Kaella had light platinum hair that shimmered in the sunlight, flawless skin, and a very petite frame. It seemed as though, if touched carelessly, she would easily break or vanish into the light pouring through the windows that stretched from the floor to the ceiling.
Kaella had always been like that. Just looking at her made him anxious. He felt as if coming any closer would shatter something. Something about her, or perhaps something within him. So, the foolish Peon, who had chosen not to look at her at all thinking it was easier, reached out before she could even collect herself.
“I’ll help you.”
He lifted Kaella, who couldn’t even manage to say she was fine, and sat her on the large sofa where she had originally been sitting. The heavy weight of the dress meant nothing to him.
“……Thank you.”
Only after she barely managed the thank you did Kaella realize she had used honorifics again. Her language habits, drilled into her by Peon for four years, could not be changed so easily.
“You’re welcome.”
But Peon didn’t point it out. He gently took the shoe Kaella was clutching tightly and placed it neatly on the floor under the sofa, alongside the other one he had picked up. Then, instead of sitting with Kaella, he sat on the sofa behind her.
His body, devoid of any excess fat and filled with solid muscle, was immensely tall, and his presence carried as much weight as his stature. So, as he sat diagonally on the back sofa, Kaella felt her body naturally leaning in his direction.
“This is the only room empty right now.”
Perhaps reading her thought about whether there was anywhere to run, Peon said calmly. Tossing his head back, he was watching Kaella’s clean, refined profile.
“The grand banquet hall on the second floor and the first-floor hall are overflowing with people, not to mention every small room. Both you and I came here to avoid people.”
In other words, there was nowhere to run and rest alone. Kaella swallowed a groan and lowered her hips, which she had slightly lifted.
As the cold faded and spring began to signal its arrival, the slightly warmer sunlight reached across the curtains, carpets, and tablecloths—which were about to be replaced—all the way to Kaella’s dress.
Kaella looked at the conference hall, where the ceilings were high and the antique authority of the Emperor was clearly reflected in every detail of the finish and decor. Her mind was complicated, yet she didn’t want to think about anything at all. Only, every nerve in her body was drawn toward Peon.
Kaella bowed her head and clenched her fists on her knees. Her left cheek felt stinging as if he were staring at it, but even if she turned her head, Peon wouldn’t be looking at her. So, this was just a strange habit born from a foolish, terrible, one-sided love that had started in childhood.
‘How could I keep this habit even while being treated that way for four years?’
The feeling that he was watching her, that he was listening to her words with interest, that he had ended up doing what she asked—that was why Kaella kept holding onto hope. Even though she had completely forgotten that hope by her third year as Grand Duchess.
‘It’s because I’m a fool.’
Kaella stopped thinking. A fool should not think at all.
･ ｡ﾟ✧: *. ꕥ .* :✧ﾟ. ･
The light was still there. Or perhaps the sun had shifted a little to the west. The blue eyes, open beneath thick lashes, gauged the direction in which the shadows stretched. Inside the tower where she had been confined, nothing changed except for the shadows, so she had become more sensitive to their movement.
Had she fallen asleep? Kaella, moving while feeling relieved that no one had discovered her yet, realized she had been lying on the sofa. Moreover, she was covered with the same heavy, jet-black cloak as before.
Reflexively, she looked at the sofa behind her, back-to-back with the one she had been lying on. Peon, who had been sitting there, was gone. Instead, she saw his long legs stretched out over the armrest. Peon was also lying down, eyes closed. Kaella gripped the cloak tightly, a surge of irritation rising in her. This man was always like this.
‘Even if he died and came back to life, this man wouldn’t change.’
Kaella hadn’t been able to let him go because of this kind of trivial kindness and consideration that a sullen man occasionally showed. It was like that once. Because she had loved him so much, the fact that she was now just annoyed by this consideration was a huge improvement.
In the past, she had been so heart-fluttered and happy she hadn’t known what to do. Even when she was treated like a non-existent person in Lyussenford, as if no past memories existed, she had still felt that way.
Kaella glared at Peon’s handsome face, which possessed delicate eyes and long lashes like the Empress’s.
“……You should do this for Beatrice.”
Now that she had given up everything, such words spilled out without hesitation.
If Peon treated everyone like this, perhaps that was why Beatrice had ended up in that kind of relationship with the Emperor instead of Peon. The thought of Beatrice calling the Emperor “our Vincent” made her feel sick.
Still, the biggest fool among them was Kaella herself. She tossed the cloak onto Peon as if flinging it. His face was covered, hidden from view. Kaella felt a small sense of triumph, then quickly put her shoes back on, expressionless. She had to leave before Peon woke up.
Her footsteps on the soft carpet were very light. She stumbled slightly because she was in such a hurry, but eventually exited the room and closed the heavy door. Then, she walked down the hallway with her original, graceful gait.
Once she had moved far enough away that her presence vanished around the corner, Peon chuckled while still covered by the cloak.
“That’s true.”
The cloak Kaella had flung aside carried a soft, sweet scent. Orange, or perhaps lemon. A fragrance of juicy, sweet, fragrant fruit added to bright summer flowers.
That faint scent, which he wished would last forever but was ultimately nothing more than a lingering trace that would soon vanish, resembled its owner. Though buried and hidden by the flowers of the flashy high society, she was a presence that would be thought of again and again, remaining in his heart for a long time whenever he turned back.
Because she was so wealthy and of a lineage recognized by the late Emperor, all the gentlemen of high society merely watched Kaella from afar. Kaella herself had followed only Peon around since she was very young and had no interest in other men, but Peon knew the gazes of his fellow males.
The gentlemen who admired Kaella were, to some extent, worthy of the word “gentleman.” They were different from Peon, who was filthy from birth. The men who liked her—the one who brought instruments to cold, dim, and quiet places and smiled brightly when music played—all possessed a certain degree of insight and cultivation. They had the leisure to enjoy music with her. People like Prince Elkanan, who was coming from Kerujan now.
“Ah, Grand Duke. Were you here? The Duke of Ostain has arrived from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He says there are newly changed details.”
Peon draped the cloak over his shoulders and went to where the Duke of Ostain and Kaella were sitting. Kaella, who was sitting demurely, glanced at him with blue eyes and then very naturally averted her gaze. Since she had thrown the cloak at him, she was being cautious. He chuckled and sat in the chair directly across from Kaella on purpose.
It was a figure he would have to look at for the rest of his life, so he had to see as much of her as he could.