Chapter 3 – Exploration (Part 5)

Earl Kumaran and Marquis Orga walked down the corridor together after leaving the meeting room. Marquis Orga spoke first.

“I wondered what great family they were joining with. To dismiss a pureblood noble family like Earl Kumaran’s, I thought it might be a foreign princess or something, but it’s absurd.”

Marquis Orga, who was childless despite his age, hoped for Earl Kumaran, his political ally, to form an alliance with the Grendel family through marriage. However, he was displeased that the Duke’s unexpected engagement with a lesser-known family had thwarted their plans.

“Earl Kumaran, I don’t understand why our Sera should be overlooked for such a lower-ranking noble. The late Duke also rejected my daughter’s proposal, and now he chooses such a family? Do they not understand how important noble marriages are? Or is the Ducal family determined to weaken their influence and continue being the royal family’s loyal dog?”

“The current Duke seems even less ambitious than his predecessor. Or perhaps he lacks any thoughts. It’s been almost a year since he took the position of Minister of Administration after Duke Aisar’s passing, yet at every meeting, he merely echoes the King’s words without voicing his own opinions.”

“The late Duke often spoke for the nobility and had clear views, but I can’t fathom what the current Duke is thinking. His Majesty is lenient, so the Minister of Administration should at least be vigilant.”

They left the palace, persistently slandering Duke Grendel for his engagement to a lesser-known family, unrelated to them and unlikely to share their views.

***

King Clois entered his study, which also served as his private office, and spoke to the Duke.

“Only you come in.”

Leaving Aaron and even the King’s secretary outside, the door to the office closed.

“You’re really going through with this.”

Clois spoke with disbelief as he sank into the sofa in his office. Cassius sat quietly across from him, maintaining a composed posture.

“I was merely carrying out your instruction to propose as quickly as possible.”

“And yet you chose the daughter of a family that lacks power and offers no benefit, bringing her into your home? Even if it were the daughter of a more prominent family, there would be no threat to the royal family. How literally are you going to take your father’s words?”

“The Serenze family’s daughter is not particularly lacking compared to the daughters of great noble families. I simply…”

“Yes, I understand. You didn’t want to get involved with a family that might cause trouble. But at least, didn’t you consider meeting more candidates until you found someone you were drawn to?”

“I don’t see any practical benefit in that.”

The King knew that Cassius was speaking sincerely, so he couldn’t press further.

“…I see. Have you gotten closer to the fiancée you chose with such consideration? Does the young lady seem to be adapting well to the Ducal house without trying to escape?”

Clois spoke in jest, but for the first time, Cassius hesitated and couldn’t respond. Upon reflection, they hadn’t even shared a meal together since the evening of her arrival at the Ducal estate, let alone grown closer.

The day they went out to sign the marriage contract was the longest time he’d spent with the Serenze young lady since bringing her to the Ducal estate.

“I knew it. You thought everything would be fine just by getting engaged? No matter how much you’re considered the top groom in the kingdom, if you bring someone home and neglect them, there’s no woman who would willingly stay.”

King Clois displayed a rare stern expression in front of Cassius.

“Cassius de Grendel. You’ve gone through with the engagement, so there’s no turning back now. I hope you can live as normally as possible like a married couple. If you end up not becoming a formal couple and break off the engagement, causing a line of nobles to propose through me again, I will order you to marry Princess Karinsa, who nags me daily!”

“I intend to ensure that never happens.”

The King shouted in exasperation at the Duke’s unwavering response, unable to take a joke as a joke.

“No, no! I wouldn’t give my dear sister to someone like you! Even if Karinsa begged and pleaded, I wouldn’t send her to someone like you, who is all gloss and no fun!”

“I’m relieved to learn of Your Majesty’s strong resolve. It seems there will be no discussions of marriage between the Ducal family and the royal family, which all the nobles of this country would be wary of.”

“You never let a word slip. Get out!”

Clois rubbed his forehead and dismissed him. However, Cassius left the office with a bow, showing no change in expression.

King Clois had a point in his concern. If he were to be asked to break off the engagement, it would become troublesome. As Cassius left the main palace and headed to his office at the Administrative Palace, he recalled the additional conditions Tobias had set. He hadn’t shared a single meal with Elysia this week. Though it was a bothersome task, he thought he should allocate some time for it.

***

Elysia’s life had changed in many ways. It wasn’t just her waking hours that had shifted. As if unable to tolerate the future Duchess doing nothing all day, Butler Pedro personally guided her around the Ducal estate, offering explanations akin to academy lectures.

As she walked through the mansion with the butler’s guidance, Elysia was surprised by the more severe state of the Ducal estate’s interior than she had imagined, though she tried not to show it.

‘Black, gray, black, gray. It feels like I’m in a monochrome prison. There’s no bright spot anywhere, and all the decorations are geometric patterns. Even the garden has only trees, not a single flower. Is there a reason the garden trees have to be trimmed in such a frighteningly orderly manner?’

The interior decorations of the Ducal estate, described positively as antique and traditional, favored by nobles, could also be described negatively as stodgy and authoritarian. Lower-ranking nobles like the Serenze family preferred bright and fresh styles following the latest trends, so to Elysia, the interior of the Ducal estate looked like a historical museum.

‘They keep saying everything has been like this since the time of the ancestors’ ancestors’ ancestors, but is this a house where people live or a tomb for the ancestors?’

The main building alone was likely larger than most wealthy houses in the capital, and the scale of the east and west wings was comparable to the main building. Because of its size, it felt more like a repository of history than a comfortable home.

The butler began to guide her through several dining rooms in the main building.

“This dining room is used for official banquets or meetings. It has rarely been used since the time of the previous Duke, but it has a history of hosting royalty up until the time of the Duke before last. Those who attended the last royal invitation banquet were…”

The butler recited the history of the Ducal estate like a walking encyclopedia, recalling who attended which banquet in which year. It was as if he were an automated guide machine from a museum in a past life. Perhaps memorizing such history was a prerequisite for a butler.

The dining room he was explaining, which had also hosted royalty, was where Elysia had dined with Cassius on her first day at the Ducal estate. Since she hadn’t shared a meal with the Duke since then, she hadn’t had a reason to use it, and Elysia couldn’t hold back her curiosity, asking Pedro.

“Does the Duke usually dine in this banquet dining room?”

At her question, the butler straightened his already upright posture even more, responding with a somewhat triumphant expression.

“No, he often has simple meals in his study or office, and when he dines properly, he uses a small dining room. However, on the day you arrived, Madam, the Duke ordered us to prepare with the utmost courtesy. So we chose the best dining room and prepared a meal suitable for a formal dinner.”

Elysia swallowed the words that such consideration was unnecessary and expressed her gratitude.

“Thank you for being so attentive. I should thank the Duke as well.”

Grace, the head maid, who had come to check the cleanliness of the dining room and overheard the butler’s words, added.

“This place is impeccable for hosting important guests, but the atmosphere seemed too solemn for the newly engaged couple. So we lit many candles to create as romantic an atmosphere as possible.”

Butler Pedro cleared his throat as if to dismiss the unnecessary comment, but his face seemed somehow satisfied.

Elysia recalled the flickering candles casting shadows over the Duke’s face and the distance that had felt so far between them. She now realized that it wasn’t the staff’s territorial behavior but rather excessive consideration.

The butler and head maid’s expressions were too satisfied for her to tell them that their efforts, contrary to their intentions, had not been romantic at all.

‘…This house is hopeless. The staff have been in such a mansion for so long that they have no idea how to create an atmosphere.’

Unable to correct their misunderstanding, Elysia followed them to another dining room to listen to the yet unfinished explanations. As the butler continued to recount the deep-rooted stories associated with each location, Elysia’s mind began to wander.