Chapter 17

The conference room located in the annex of the Rennes Grand Ducal residence was noisy again today.

For the past few days, the Grand Duke and his retainers had been in sharp conflict over the position of the new Grand Duchess of the Rennes Grand Ducal family.

Floyd, overwhelmed by the constant fatigue, sat in the seat reserved only for the head of the house in the conference room, resting his chin and briefly closing his eyes.

On the first day, it took a lot of time to dissuade some retainers who wanted to go directly to Elina to persuade her and to open the meeting.

Floyd had to threaten that he would kill all the retainers if they touched the prospective Grand Duchess or the child in her womb before he could get them into the meeting room.

Of course, that didn’t mean the meeting results were good.

“Are you really saying you’re going to make the Earl’s daughter, whom you spent just one night with, the Grand Duchess of Rennes, Your Grace?”

“I never permitted your insolence.”

“You know what efforts we have made for you and Rennes. We cannot agree.”

“What will you do if you don’t agree?”

For a moment, he tried to understand the retainers saying those words. It was a sudden event, and he thought they could feel sufficiently bewildered.

But shouldn’t he take responsibility for the child that was already conceived? Aside from wanting to marry someone he liked, this was something he had to take responsibility for, as common sense dictated.

“If you take that lady as your mistress, we will agree. But not as the Grand Duchess.”

“I will meet the lady! If I persuade her to leave—”

“Shut your mouth, Earl Cole, and Earl Gent.”

Thinking that the maids might have spoken such nonsense near Elina made him very upset.

It had been a long time since he had passed the point of being angry. If he felt this way, how much worse must it have been for Elina?

“Why do you show loyalty only at times like this? Damn it, why did I inherit this family?”

“Your Grace! What insolence is that towards the first head of the family!”

“Please retract your statement!”

The more he tried to have a proper conversation, the higher the voices rose. The retainers of Rennes all spoke the same words.

That Elina could not be accepted as the Grand Duchess. That was all they were saying.

To marry formally, he needed the retainers’ agreement. Not exactly agreement, but their support.

A marriage without the retainers’ support was literally a hollow marriage. Since the retainers were the ones who supported the family, it was natural, but the Rennes Grand Ducal family was even more so.

In the Koseli Empire, there had been no Grand Duke title for a long time, and the retainers currently working for Rennes were those who followed Floyd’s father, Prince Kahel, rather than Floyd, so their influence was even stronger.

The foremost among them was Duke Silvesta.

“Could you make the woman I love and who carries my child a mistress, Duke?”

“If she were truly someone you loved, you wouldn’t have touched her. Isn’t it right for the Imperial Family to continue their lineage through arranged marriages?”

“If I acted like you, Duke, I wouldn’t be in this situation!”

“Yes. It’s already irreversible. We know you wouldn’t abandon the woman and child, Your Grace. Just give up bringing her in as the main wife.”

“Don’t you know I’ve been desperately searching for her until now, Duke? And yet, you want me to marry your daughter….”

“Marrying my daughter would be a good choice for the Rennes Grand Ducal family, Your Grace.”

Floyd regretted meeting Elina that day. Not regretting meeting Elina, but regretting meeting her when he was out of his mind.

He was glad to have met Elina, loved her… though now he wasn’t sure if this feeling was genuine, he had desperately searched for her over the past few weeks.

Like the prince in the fairy tale who searched for Cinderella with the glass slipper she left behind. He had truly searched for her diligently.

But reality was not as easy as a fairy tale. The prince knew only Cinderella’s face and nickname, making it hard to find her, and ultimately Cinderella suffered under her stepmother’s abuse and ran away in hardship.

“Let’s leave it at this for today.”

“Your Grace, dragging out time won’t change anything. Please make a quick decision….”

“I said I’d take responsibility. Wait. I’ll take proper responsibility.”

He left the annex where the conference room was located. Floyd was feeling regret. He also thought he should take responsibility.

He didn’t want to be an irresponsible person like his father. Nor did he want to bring in a mistress like others….

He leaned against the pillar of the annex for a while, running his hand through his hair. 

What should I do now?

Others thought being a Grand Duke would mean something, but being a Grand Duke made it harder. He knew that the higher the status, the more restrictions there were on marriage.

Still, he didn’t want to make Elina suffer like this.

Even with numerous retainers and immense wealth, he couldn’t find Elina until she struggled and ran away.

He told Elina that everything would be okay and that there would be no more unhappiness, but he doubted whether he could keep that promise without it becoming a lie.

There was no way he wouldn’t be able to marry Elina formally because of the words of those without influence, but he was uneasy as he hadn’t been the head of the family for long and his father, the former Grand Duke, was still alive, making the retainers’ influence strong.

He wondered if Elina had noticed this anxiety, as she said seeing him made her feel nauseous, which added to his unease.

Standing in the open garden for a while, he felt somewhat calm.

He wanted to go see Elina but didn’t have the courage.

He didn’t want to bother her, knowing she found it hard to see him, and worried that he might show the emotions caused by the retainers to Elina.

If he went inside the annex, there would be the conference room where the retainers were holding a meeting without the head of the family, and if he crossed the garden he was standing in, there was the building where Elina was.

Even if he went to the office, he’d only hear the endless ‘Are you alright, Your Grace? But since you said you’d take responsibility….’ from his trusted adjutant and aide.

Hating all of that, Floyd was endlessly wandering the garden near the annex.

He really wanted to see her, and until he discovered a very familiar figure.

“Elina…?”

It was true he hadn’t been in his right mind for the past few days, but now he had a clearer mind than before. Elina was definitely hiding behind a large tree.

Floyd ran to her as soon as he saw her. He didn’t know how she got to the annex, but he felt something terrible would happen if he didn’t catch her now.

Had she heard all the sounds coming from the annex…? The voices were loud enough to be heard here too….

Even the outrageous remarks of the retainers, which wouldn’t be enough to boil them in a hot soup pot.

Seeing Elina’s pale face, he thought his guess might not be wrong. Really… he didn’t know what to say.

“Elina!”

Perhaps wanting to avoid him, Elina ran in the opposite direction. But she was easily caught shortly after.

For the first time, he called her name. Not the nickname she had told him that day, but her real name. Elina Valois.

He felt nothing but sorry for her. If he hadn’t embraced Elina like that that day, if he hadn’t spoken carelessly about his status, he wouldn’t be regretting now.

They thought they were comforting each other’s feelings and parted cleanly, but in reality, he had brought greater misfortune to her.

And as a result, they didn’t part cleanly.

Why had he thought it was just a one-night fling, a love that would burn and be forgotten? When had he ever been sure of himself?

“…Your Grace.”

“It’s cold outside… you should have called me.”

Floyd took off the outer garment he was wearing and wrapped it around Elina’s shoulders. It wasn’t the full autumn weather yet, but the annex area with many shades was quite chilly.

“…I wanted to see you, Your Grace. I wondered if you had forgotten me. And I was worried if you were upset because of what I said before.”

“That’s not it… I’m not upset. I just didn’t visit because I thought you found it hard to see me… Honestly, I missed you a lot too.”

“Even though you say that, why does your face look so….”

Elina seemed to want to say more but soon closed her mouth again.

Yes. Maybe he was upset as Elina said. Because every time Elina showed hesitant actions like this, it made him feel very distressed.

“You can touch me. Don’t hesitate.”

“But how could I to you, Your Grace….”

“Please, it’s okay. Elina.”

When Elina’s hand, which had been hovering in the air without touching Floyd’s cheek, finally touched his cheek, her expression hardened, and she turned to leave the garden.

Not knowing that Elina was afraid of everyone in Rennes, he turned his gaze in the opposite direction, holding onto her fleeing hand tightly.

“Your Grace, what are you doing here? If you’re going back to the office, then go back….”

Fortunately, it wasn’t a retainer who would pour negative emotions onto Elina. It was Ziegel, the adjutant of Rennes Grand Duke, who would have come down after observing the situation in the annex from the office located in another building.

Unlike the retainers in the annex, he was a retainer who was perfectly his person.

Not realizing Elina’s presence, he bowed deeply as soon as he discovered her. Elina blinked a bit in surprise and accepted his greeting.

Meanwhile, the voices of a big argument from the annex where the retainers were gathered could be heard here.

Voices saying things like ‘For whatever reason, that woman is not acceptable!’.

Floyd wanted to cover Elina’s ears like he did at their first meeting, but she had already heard those words.

“Just let me go… I think that would be good for both you and I, Your Grace.”

Elina left behind meaningful words and turned away. As if predicting what would happen next.