Chapter 80. Isn’t Something Strange?

Ulysse desperately wanted to go to his room and bury his face in his pillow.

An important guest!

Yuelina’s shoulders tensed at Ulysse’s words about someone Theo cared about.

If it was Theo’s guest, they would likely be a noble, and probably someone important for business.

She had heard about this from her Tea-Pie friends too.

Their husbands often brought business partners to their mansions, and they said there was always so much to prepare.

Yuelina was even more nervous because she generally didn’t know much about the principality’s affairs.

“Is there anything I should prepare? For the guest, I mean?”

Ulysse forced his heavy eyelids open again at Yuelina’s anxious voice.

He might have dozed off while standing.

“No. There’s nothing in particular you need to worry about. His Highness the Grand Duke has prepared most everything.”

“Prepared?”

“Yes. There was quite a lot to prepare. Ah, His Highness did it all himself, walking on such thin ice…”

Ulysse clutched his hair. He kept saying nonsense.

“I apologize. Please pretend you didn’t hear that. I’m not in my right mind right now.”

“Is this guest someone close to His Highness the Grand Duke?”

“I’m not sure about close, but they have a connection. She’s a princess from the Kingdom of Esolin.”

“The Kingdom of Esolin…?”

“It’s a small kingdom on the frontier, but they’re quite close to His Highness the Grand Duke, in many ways.”

Yuelina’s expression immediately hardened at Ulysse’s explanation.

It wasn’t because he said a small frontier kingdom.

The Princess of Esolin…

The princess for whom Theo had protested to the king because he wanted to marry her.

The princess Giselle had called Theo’s first love.

The princess who had attended the southern region festival that Theo attended was coming as a guest to the mansion?

Yuelina felt a bit confused.

“Then, Your Highness the Grand Duchess. I should take my leave now.”

“Ah, yes…”

Ulysse didn’t even realize he had called Yuelina ‘Your Highness the Grand Duchess’ as he quickly turned and crossed the bridge.

Yuelina was no different from Ulysse.

She was dumbfounded by the news that the Princess of Esolin was coming.

No matter how she thought about it, it was too sudden and unexpected.

That Theo’s first guest would be the Princess of Esolin.

As various thoughts crossed her mind, Yuelina shook her head vigorously.

There was no need to think strange thoughts in advance since she could get a proper explanation when she met Theo tomorrow.

Moreover, if she was a kingdom’s princess, wouldn’t she be in a similar position to Theo?

As the ruler of a principality and a kingdom’s princess, they might have important business matters to discuss.

Surely Theo would tell her it was nothing, with his usual indifferent expression.

Though Yuelina was already deep in various imaginings, she wasn’t aware of it.

And the next morning when she went down to the study, she couldn’t meet Theo.

He had left the mansion early with Ulysse, saying he needed to find something for the evening’s guest.

The butler of the mansion informed her of this news.

Yuelina sat on the study’s sofa where Theo wasn’t and looked around blankly.

Theo had been here last night.

Yet the study was neat and tidy without any sign of disturbance.

There was no trace anywhere that Theo had been there.

Yuelina recalled the sharp voice she had laughed off lightly.

Giselle’s pointed words about the princess being Theo’s first love.

That voice was now slowly starting to dig into Yuelina’s heart.

* * *

Theo headed to the dock with Ulysse.

The morning Phaenyx dock was full of ships loading and unloading cargo.

Theo stood before a massive cargo ship.

Just then, a strong cold wind heavy with salt blew.

Theo sighed while running his hand through his hair. Ulysse beside him did the same.

Ulysse, who had been in deep sleep, had woken up early at Theo’s call.

It was just enough sleep to barely regain his senses. His body still ached in every joint from unrelieved fatigue.

“Your Highness, isn’t this making our early arrival and lack of sleep meaningless? Didn’t you come early for Her Highness the Grand Duchess?!”

Ulysse pouted as he looked at Theo.

Theo’s face was beyond pale and seemed somewhat anxious.

“You saw it too, the mansion.”

“Ah. That’s true, but…”

“It was even more noticeable in the morning.”

“……”

“I thought I was hallucinating.”

Theo had ordered his party to reduce sleep and rode day and night like mad to reach the mansion, solely to see Yuelina.

With that single thought, Theo had ridden without rest.

And after handling all the annoying matters that arose in the middle of the late night, he arrived at the mansion.

He crossed the garden quickly to enter the mansion.

But strangely, it was hot.

What is this?

Theo surveyed his surroundings.

Several unfamiliar stoves were placed throughout the garden.

Moreover, tables and large chairs also caught his eye.

Come to think of it, the thick bushes that should have brushed against his shins were also gone. It was truly strange.

Theo passed through the somehow changed garden and entered the Black Mansion.

This time, he could definitely feel how different it was from before.

The gloomy black curtains had been replaced with embroidered curtains in pastel colors.

And the floor…

The stairs that should have creaked with each step were silent.

“Ulysse. Isn’t something strange?”

“What is? Can’t I just go in and sleep?”

“It’s strange.”

“I’m sleepy. I’m dying of sleepiness!”

It was easy to tell who had changed the garden and mansion.

Because Khan, whom Theo had assigned to stay by Yuelina’s side, appeared to report to him.

Khan knelt on one knee before Theo, who was sitting on the study’s sofa, and gave his greeting.

He was wearing inconspicuous black clothes.

Khan was someone who had deliberately not built up his physique to work as a Shadow and specialized in deceiving others with his inscrutable expression.

He was one of the few people Theo trusted.

“The Grand Duchess.”

At Theo’s words, Khan began his report.

When he spoke about Yuelina cleaning the garden and having the servants taste-test the night pie, the corners of Khan’s mouth turned up slightly.

Ulysse, listening from the side, slapped his own cheek while looking at Khan’s face.

He wondered how sleepy he must be to imagine Khan smiling.

Khan continued speaking.

He reported about what happened at Emily’s gathering, and about how a baroness named Giselle had come and harassed Yuelina.

Theo, who had been quietly listening to Khan’s story, frowned severely when Giselle was mentioned.

“Khan.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Make sure there’s nothing more to report about that woman.”

Khan nodded and went outside. Ulysse, who had momentarily regained his senses, approached Theo with a worried face.

“Your Highness, wouldn’t it be better to handle this at my level?”

“Khan will take care of it.”

“But if Khan gets involved, won’t it cause a commotion…?”

“A commotion? They’ll just disappear.”

Ulysse closed his eyes tightly.

Khan, having received Theo’s order, would be away from the mansion for about a week.

When he returns, Baroness Giselle and her family would have vanished without a trace.

Knowing this, Ulysse offered a brief condolence to the Giselle family.

“Then, Your Highness. I shall take my leave.”

“Go tell the Grand Duchess I’ve arrived and that I’m going to bed early because I’m tired.”

“……?”

“And tell her that thing about the Kingdom of Esolin is just a rumor.”

Ulysse tilted his head.

Theo’s demeanor had suddenly changed from someone who seemed ready to rush to Yuelina’s room immediately.

“Pardon? She probably hasn’t gone to sleep yet? You could go up, I think it would be good to see her and tell her yourself, don’t you think?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“There are no flowers.”

“??”

Ulysse rubbed his eyes vigorously and dug in his ears.

Theo was still sitting on the sofa, jiggling one leg slightly.

Khan’s report had moved Theo as well.

That Yuelina had tended the garden and cleaned the Black Mansion for Theo.

All the changes he had wondered about while coming — why everything looked so different — were all preparations Yuelina had made for Theo.

Theo clenched his fist as he thought of his small and delicate crow-tit wife.