This soon? It had only been a few weeks since Isabella had gone to find Declen and laid out her conditions. And it was that very same day that he had accepted them and nodded his agreement. She had expected the marriage approval request to the emperor to take a long time even if he submitted it that very day, and yet it was coming through already?

The marriage laws of Tenat were not complicated. But they took time. For a commoner man and commoner woman to marry, commoners needed the approval of their lord, while nobles needed the approval of the emperor. A lord’s approval alone took over a month, and the emperor’s took considerably longer.

Given that Declen was a grand duke and had frequent audiences with the emperor, Isabella had estimated two to three months at the fastest, and yet the approval was coming through in under a month. She had heard that other nobles often waited over a year. Isabella looked at him with an expression that said she did not understand, and Declen smiled faintly.

“I pressed His Majesty the Emperor every single day.”

“…….”

“I told him I wanted to welcome Lady Piper as grand duchess as soon as possible and asked him to approve it every single day, and in the end he gave in.”

“…….”

“In truth, the approval has already been granted. The internal procedures that still need to be processed are being handled now.”

Even though this was a marriage entered into on conditions, Isabella had harbored a thought like this. The emperor was known for scrutinizing noble marriages in painstaking detail before issuing his approval, and she had assumed he would do the same here. If so, the one-year marriage could have been cut even shorter, and if things went well, the approval might have stretched past a year and she might not have had to marry at all. She had briefly entertained that possibility. But under a month?

“I’ll be sending a wedding dress designer and merchants to the barony shortly. Please choose whatever you like.”

“Should you not be choosing as well, Your Highness?”

“I’ll have mine made based on what you select.”

“The way you dressed today, Your Highness?”

Isabella’s voice came out sharp enough to cut, and it rang quietly through the carriage. Declen fell silent. He glanced down at his own attire, then looked back up and asked her quietly.

“Does it displease you?”

Does it displease me? It was not a matter of whether it pleased her or not. This was too……

“Setting aside whether it pleases me or not, this…….”

Was too much like a matched pair.

Isabella squeezed her eyes shut. The dresses he had sent were more than enough to fill her narrow little dressing room to bursting. How exhausting it had been to try them on one by one, unable to resist the maids’ relentless insistence. After two full days of putting dresses on and taking them off again, the one Isabella and her maids had settled on was a deep violet gown.

Her maids said it suited her glittering amethyst eyes and her silver hair with its air of mystery, and Isabella had chosen the violet dress without a second word. Naturally, the accessories and shoes followed to match. A necklace, bracelet, and hair ornaments all made from diamonds that shimmered with an otherworldly light, selected as a complete set, and her maids had used every last bit of their effort to dress Isabella with care.

But Declen had done the same.

Against a jet-black uniform, decorative cords in the exact same shade of violet as the dress Isabella had chosen wrapped across his chest. And on his hand, in the same position as hers, sat a ring similar to the one Isabella wore. It was an appearance that left no room for doubt that they were a matched pair.

“You have already become their grand duchess in all but name. They know it too, but they need a clear moment to make it real.”

“…….”

“Tonight’s ball will give you a firm foundation to stand on.”

Everything he said was right, and Isabella had no answer for it, so she closed her mouth. Even a grand duchess for only a year was still a grand duchess. A grand duchess who had to stand above them all.

“You’ll do well.”

“Thank you.”

She gave him nothing but thanks in return. You think I’ll do well as grand duchess? A scoff nearly escaped her. Thinking back on whether she had done well in the role in the past, the answer was no. She had never been openly mocked or ridiculed to her face, but it had been a life of nothing but endless dismissal and pitying glances.

Unless it was a banquet she absolutely had to attend, she never stepped out in her capacity as grand duchess, but on the rare occasions when she had to, Isabella attended alongside Declen. That was all it ever was. The moment they entered the hall, as though his duty was done, he would turn and spend the evening with Aria, who always arrived late. Left entirely alone, Isabella could not dance, could not enjoy the refreshments, and not a single person came to speak to her.

The noblewomen clustered together among themselves, hiding their faces behind elaborate fans and whispering to one another, shutting Isabella out completely, and the male nobles were no different. Whether out of deference to Declen or because they thought she had no right to be among them, they kept their circle firmly closed to her.

The thought of having to face those people she had come to despise so deeply made her fingertips tremble.

“Are you anxious?”

A large hand settled over her small, faintly trembling one.

“…….”

“Isabella?”

The warmth of him, something she was feeling for the first time, made Isabella sad. To think she could only feel his warmth now, in this situation where she had to leave him. If you had been like this in the past, would things between us have been a little different? Why are you different from before? You. Why? She wanted to ask, but she did not. She knew all too well that no one, including him, could give her an answer.

“Please don’t worry too much.”

She looked up at him murmuring those words in a gentle voice, and Declen was smiling as though he truly meant to put her at ease, patting the back of her hand softly.

“Whatever anyone says, I’ll be by your side.”

“I’m fine. I’m used to banquets. I can manage on my own.”

“…….”

Isabella had expected Declen to ask whether she had attended many banquets, but he said nothing of the sort. She watched him for a moment, then lowered her head and fell silent. She needed to settle her nerves at least a little before facing the things that would make her feel sick to her stomach.

* * *

“Grand Duke Declen Clerc and Lady Isabella Piper of the Piper barony, entering!”

The great voice rang out through the imperial palace, and the enormous doors slid open without a sound.

“There is no need to feel small. No one here outranks you, save the members of the imperial family.”

Declen’s voice came low and quick at her ear, and Isabella gave a small nod. Absurdly, the warmth of Declen’s large hand wrapped around hers was giving her a small measure of comfort. I know this. It’s no different. It’s the same as before. I did it even without Declen back then, so I can do it now.

Feeling her heart flutter with anxiety, Isabella took Declen’s hand and stepped forward.

“…….”

One step, then another. With every step she took, all manner of gazes latched onto her. Isabella knew better than anyone that those gazes would not be kind. She would have preferred to be ignored completely, the way she had been before, with not a word or a glance spared for her.

“Good evening, Your Highness. Lady Piper.”

“It’s been a while since we’ve seen you at a banquet, Your Highness. Lady Piper, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“You’ve arrived! Many people have been wondering when Your Highness would come. My lady, a pleasure. I am Count Becton.”

But perhaps that was only her wishful thinking. As their steps slowed after entering the hall, people swarmed toward them like a gathering cloud and formed a ring around Declen and Isabella. They were all men, and Isabella, still holding Declen’s hand, flinched and went rigid. He caught it immediately and drew her hand along, guiding her to stand behind him.

“Lady Piper is not yet accustomed to settings like this, so introductions will have to wait for another time.”

“Oh? Already looking after the young lady like this. That’s the grand duke for you!”

“I’d heard you were completely taken with Lady Piper, but I never dreamed you’d be this attentive!”

Rather than drawing any reproach, the gesture earned him nothing but understanding. Was that fortunate? Isabella let out a small breath and released his hand. Declen turned and looked back at her.

“Isabella?”

“It seems the others have things they’d like to discuss with you, Your Highness. I’ll step away to freshen up and be back shortly, so please go ahead.”

She spoke firmly, if not quickly, then turned and made her way toward the ladies’ lounge. No one needed to point her in the right direction. She knew exactly where it was. She had used it many times before.

She had sat alone in that empty lounge and cried so many times.

“Oh……!”

“Oh, I’m so sorry!”

Lost in the memories surfacing one by one, she had not seen the person coming toward her. The collision sent the liquid in the cup they were carrying splashing over her hand.

“No, it was my fault for not holding it carefully. Are you hurt at all?”

“No, I’m fine. If your dress got wet, I have a spare with me…….”

“It didn’t get wet. I’m all right. But you’ll need to wash your hand.”

The woman looked at Isabella’s hand, flagged down a passing attendant to take the empty cup, then took Isabella by the arm and pulled her along with gentle but steady pressure. Isabella let herself be led, and they arrived at a place where she could wash her hands. She turned on the water and rinsed her hand, and the woman turned on the tap beside her as well, apparently to wash off whatever had splashed on her own hand.

The sound of rushing water filled the silence, and as Isabella stood there quietly washing her hands, something awkward lingered in the air. The woman must have felt it too, because before Isabella could say anything, she spoke first.

“Are you Lady Isabella Piper of the Piper barony, by any chance?”

“Yes, that’s me. How do you know who I am?”