“Even so, I’m not the grand duchess yet, and using the grand ducal estate’s budget for a tea party already seems a little…”

She had not yet been formally married, so no budget had been allocated to her, but she had no desire to ask for one yet regardless. She did not want to burden him, and since she would be leaving eventually, she did not want to ask for anything at all.

She had no desire to place herself above the others just because she was the grand duchess for a brief time. Any dishonor left behind after she was gone would all fall on Henry’s shoulders. She did not want to leave behind even the smallest blemish.

“It will be fine. The tea party was Declen’s idea to begin with.”

Declen’s?

“He asked me to help you. You are already the grand duchess, and he wants to make sure no one dares look down on you.”

“……”

“I think it’s a good opportunity. There will still be many who haven’t accepted you as the grand duchess. For instance.”

“……”

“His Majesty the Emperor, for one.”

That was something Isabella knew all too well. In her past life, the emperor had refused to acknowledge her as the grand duchess to the very end. Because of that, before Aria came to stand as his true love, the Second Imperial Princess had frequented the grand ducal estate. She would look at Isabella’s face with undisguised revulsion, and yet every time she set foot in the estate, she would summon Isabella to the drawing room.

—…

—…

But she never said a word to her, and she never told her to sit. Before a member of the imperial family, the hollow title of grand duchess meant nothing, and so even when Isabella offered her greeting, the princess never told her to rise or to sit at ease. Through the cold sweat and the agony of her entire body going numb, Isabella had always been made to keep her head and waist and knees bowed before the princess.

No one had come to her rescue. The loyal retainers and household staff of the grand ducal estate had no love for a grand duchess who was beneath their station, and they had no authority to stop a princess besides. The princess always came on days when Declen was away, as though she knew, so there was no Declen to stop her either. There was no one who could stand in the Second Imperial Princess’s way.

Until Aria appeared and became known as his true love, the Second Imperial Princess had always taken out her frustrations on Isabella this way. Quietly. Gracefully.

“Isn’t it only natural that His Majesty cannot accept me?”

“Why would that be natural?”

“Because I come from a humble barony…”

“What does that matter? Even if Declen had said he wanted to marry a commoner, that would be Declen’s decision.”

“……”

“The emperor is being foolish. He ought to realize that this very behavior is a public declaration that Declen has no interest in imperial power.”

Selectra leaned in close to Isabella and whispered softly in her ear. Cursing the emperor was hardly suited to their surroundings. The imperial palace had ears everywhere. Invisible to her eyes, impossible to spot, but loyal rats of the emperor who could see and hear everything.

They would carry every conversation to the emperor. They would not let even common gossip slip past them, and they would surely pass along even this hushed exchange.

“Selectra.”

“I know. But let them hear.”

Isabella said her name as a warning to be careful, and Selectra closed her eyes and waved a hand. So she had said it deliberately for them to hear.

“Anyway, are you doing the tea party? I’ll help you. I’ll make sure it goes off beautifully.”

Selectra looked at her with both fists clenched, speaking with conviction. Isabella looked at her and, as though she had no other choice, gave a slow nod.

* * *

She finished what turned out to be a more enjoyable conversation with Selectra than she had expected, and stepped back out into the banquet hall. The moment she emerged, she had the sense that eyes were converging on her, which she found a little strange, but she pushed it aside and moved further in, and someone who had been waiting stepped briskly toward her.

“Isabella.”

“Father.”

You made it safely. Only then did she feel at ease. She trusted the ability of the men he had assigned to protect him, but seeing him arrive safely in person was a relief she could not help. She could truly set her mind at rest now. There was no way her father would die in this life. He would keep her father safe until everything was properly set right.

“I heard you’ve decided to stay at the grand ducal estate tonight. Is that right?”

“Yes. That’s right.”

Isabella nodded. The decision to go to the grand ducal estate with Declen tonight had been hers and hers alone.

“Shall I send a carriage tomorrow?”

“No. There’s no need to go that far. The grand ducal house will provide a carriage. And tomorrow I have an appointment, so I think I’ll be home late.”

“I see. All right.”

Watching his face, which looked somehow forlorn, Isabella swallowed the grief that welled up inside her. Henry needed time too. Even after she was gone from this world, he would have to carry on. For the sake of the family, he would have to endure. For that, she needed to create distance, little by little. She needed to give him enough time that whenever she disappeared, he would recover quickly.

“Yes. I will take full responsibility for seeing Lady Piper safely back to the Piper barony.”

“I trust only you, Your Grace.”

“Yes. Baron.”

“Thank you. Then I will take my leave. Isabella, I will see you tomorrow.”

He was leaving already? He had only just arrived, it seemed. Before she could say a word to stop him, Henry turned away from her with a smile and made his way out of the banquet hall. Isabella clenched her hand tight watching his retreating figure. She wanted to reach out.

“Do not worry.”

“……”

“I told them to guard him more dearly than my own life. Whatever happens, they will protect your father.”

Isabella squeezed her eyes shut at the low voice murmured close to her ear. Right. She had to trust him now. She knew better than anyone that he was capable of it, so she had to trust him.

Isabella trusted him. And she trusted herself for choosing him again.

* * *

“I have confirmed that Baron Piper entered his residence safely.”

“Good.”

“Your Grace.”

The hand pulling at the cravat tight around his throat went still for a moment.

“Has your order to protect Baron Piper not changed?”

“It has not.”

“May I ask the reason?”

Declen was quiet for a moment at Ronan’s question. But soon enough, as though it were nothing, he pulled the half-loosened cravat the rest of the way off and removed the various cumbersome medals and ornaments. It was familiar by now, him doing himself what servants and maids ought to have done.

“Does there need to be a reason?”

“……”

“Guard him. More dearly than my own life.”

Ronan received the cold command and the chill of those eyes, and for a moment his expression showed that he did not understand. But he quickly composed himself, bowed deeply at the waist to show he would follow the order, and left the study.

“Your Grace.”

“Isabella.”

The moment Ronan left, Fabian entered behind him and bowed. Declen’s gaze swept over the ornaments scattered across the large mahogany desk where he worked, then lifted away from them as he gave a faithful answer to what was being asked.

“She is in the bath. I have assigned two maids experienced in attendance.”

“The bedchamber.”

“As you commanded, the grand duchess’s bedchamber has been opened.”

“Have light, easily digestible food sent up. She ate almost nothing at the banquet.”

“Yes. I will have it sent up as soon as Her Grace the Grand Duchess has finished her evening preparations.”

Declen gave a small nod at Fabian’s words. Fabian then reached out with practiced hands and began carefully placing the ornaments scattered across the desk back into the decorative box they had come from. His master had a deep aversion to being touched by others. He would never accept the attendance of maids, and even when he did allow it, it was servants rather than maids. Even so, he had not always disliked it quite this much. But what could be done. Fabian let out a quiet sigh, checked the ornaments he had gathered, bowed, and turned to leave.

“Prepare mine as well.”

“Pardon?”

“Have my meal sent up with the grand duchess’s.”

Clatter.

* * *

“All done. Rest well, Your Grace.”

“Thank you.”

“Sweet dreams.”

They were not yet married to Declen, and yet the maids addressed her as Your Grace without fail. Isabella had told them not to, but they had called her Your Grace to the end, relaying that His Grace the Grand Duke had specifically instructed them to attend to her as the Grand Duchess and show her every courtesy.

She had taken off the cumbersome ornaments, changed out of the dress, and sunk into a hot bath, and throughout it all the maids had never stopped asking whether she was comfortable. 

Was the water temperature right? Was there anything else she needed? Did she dislike the scent of the bath oil? Things like that. This had never happened before. Even when she had been the grand duchess in the past, she had never been properly attended to.

She had never carried out the duties of a grand duchess, and from the start, the grand duke’s favor had not been hers. That was the natural result. All of the household staff had treated Isabella as though she were invisible. It was only Fabian, Ronan, and Gunner who had shown her proper courtesy.

“Haah…”

Isabella let out a sigh, gazing at the sky beyond the large window where the moon had risen and hung suspended. The banquet hall full of open mockery and contempt had been difficult enough, but the banquet hall full of goodwill with its motives laid bare had been even harder. If they had looked down on her, she could have stood in a corner of the hall with no expression on her face, but this time she had been forced to keep smiling endlessly, pretending to listen attentively to their words and responding to each one.

She had barely managed to get through the banquet, full of forced smiles, and returned to the grand ducal estate with Declen. Not a word had passed between them in the carriage, but she was simply glad to be able to rest even a little sooner.

She had assumed they would head to the annex, which was full of guest rooms, but that assumption shattered the moment they passed through the entrance of the grand ducal estate. From the entrance, the paths to the main building and the annex diverged, and the carriage headed straight for the main building without hesitation. When the carriage finally stopped at the main building rather than the annex, Declen stepped out and extended a hand toward Isabella, and she had no choice but to step down from the carriage without asking a single question.

Right. There were guest rooms in the main building too. It might invite gossip to put someone who was to become the grand duchess in the annex. That was what she thought, but they led Isabella to the grand duchess’s bedchamber without a moment’s hesitation. It was a room she had used before. The grand duchess’s bedchamber, where she had once curled up alone in that large room and waited and waited for Declen, who never came. Shown to that very room, Isabella hesitated for a moment before stepping inside.