“I’m sorry to ask this right after meeting you, but may I hold your hand?”

‘There’s no reason to refuse, but do people normally want to hold an aide’s hand?’

She had never experienced such a thing before, so she was a bit taken aback. The lady’s benevolent smile was so appealing that Elena couldn’t refuse, and she hesitantly extended her hand.

The hand that had just been sharing warmth with her husband took Elena’s hand and stroked the back of it with her thumb.

“I couldn’t sleep knowing such a lovely young lady was coming. You don’t know how long each day felt while waiting.”

“Thank you.”

“Welcome.”

Lady Schmie wrapped Elena’s hand with her other hand that had been holding her shawl and smiled brightly. As the shawl draped over her arm slipped down, a maid standing nearby quickly picked it up and took it away.

“It might be a bit early, but may I call you by your name?”

“That’s fine.”

“Elena, Elena. My daughter-in-law.”

“……What?”

“Mother.”

Elena was so dumbfounded by Lady Schmie’s greeting that she questioned it, while Rudfelix tried to stop his mother.

“I was worried whether our child would ever marry, but he’s brought such a pretty young lady, so I have nothing to worry about in the world.”

“Lady Schmie, I am not His Highness’s lover.”

Elena denied it while standing awkwardly, unable to withdraw her hands.

“I was appointed as the Grand Duke’s aide, and I came here to work as his aide.”

“Yes, aide.”

Yes, daughter-in-law.

She accepted it so naturally, but Elena didn’t feel like they were understanding each other at all.

When Elena looked at Rudfelix as if asking him to do something, he sighed and pulled her hands away from his mother.

“She said she’s an aide.”

Lady Schmie rubbed her hands regretfully but showed Rudfelix that she understood.

“I heard that the Grand Duke is very fond of her.”

“Is that why you consider Elena as a daughter-in-law?”

“When I don’t know when he’ll ever bring a woman home, I should take this opportunity to make her my daughter-in-law.”

That’s why she treated Elena like a daughter-in-law even while acknowledging she was an aide.

“If you do that, Elena might feel burdened and run away.”

Lady Schmie glared at Rudfelix. She seemed annoyed that he had intervened and stopped her when she was just being welcoming. Then, as Elena quietly hid behind her son, she couldn’t hide her smile.

“She’s really lovely.”

The son between them was being treated like an invisible person.

It wasn’t just that her face was pretty. Her clear eyes suggested a kind nature, and the bold atmosphere emanating from her small body was appealing.

“The Grand Duke helping your in-law created such a wonderful connection.”

“Mother.”

Rudfelix became serious and pressured her to stop, concerned that Elena might feel uncomfortable.

“Being an aide means she already knows what the Grand Duke likes, so it’s perfect without having to figure it out separately.”

“If you keep this up, I’ll send Elena back to the capital.”

Lady Schmie let out a disappointed sigh at her son’s stern attitude, which seemed impenetrable.

“To bring such a desirable child, make my heart flutter, and then send her back?”

Being unable to call such a pretty child her daughter-in-law at first sight only made her want to call her that more.

Thanks to Rudfelix, Elena’s eyes moved busily as she observed the situation.

She understood that the former grand ducal couple liked her.

Simply put, they seemed like they would be good parents-in-law who would love her rather than be jealous that she had taken their son away.

‘Why do they like me so much?’

That made it even more puzzling. The atmosphere suggested they would give her everything just upon seeing her, making it difficult to accept this unexpected kindness at face value.

She slipped into the conversation during a pause.

“Your Highness, I have a question.”

“What is it?”

Rudfelix answered without turning around, as he was busy being wary of his parents.

“Have you perhaps adamantly declared that you will never marry?”

“……No.”

“Were you born earlier than your publicly known birthday? I mean, are you about ten years older than you appear?”

“Everyone in the Grand Duchy knows the day I was born.”

Rudfelix’s eyebrows twitched as he turned to look at Elena, puzzled by her strange questions.

“Have you been hurt by a woman and find it difficult to love someone again……”

“None of that.”

“You have nothing like that, yet they want to make me your daughter-in-law so badly?”

Having calmed down from the shock of being called a daughter-in-law, Elena quickly assessed the situation and asked.

From what she knew, the villainous Grand Duke had no painful experiences with women or any unusual childhood incidents.

She had tried to understand on her own, but with no basis for understanding, she simply asked honestly.

While Rudfelix turned to look at her with bewildered eyes, Lady Schmie exchanged glances with Kraicher.

She conversed with their son without any hesitation and clearly conveyed her opinions.

‘She’s perfect as a daughter-in-law.’

The former grand ducal couple exchanged looks, expressing how much they adored Elena.

* * *

Lady Schmie had viewed Elena differently from an ordinary aide ever since she received the message to prepare for a debutante ball.

Rudfelix, who had been extraordinary from birth, was a son with innate dignity and grace that made him difficult to approach.

Having harbored doubts throughout receiving communications that her son would never make, she realized as soon as she saw Elena that she was no ordinary person.

Lady Schmie smiled as she took the arm of her approaching husband, Kraicher.

“I really like her.”

Though they had just met today, she kept feeling drawn to her.

“If you like her, then I like her too.”

“What if I had said I didn’t like her?”

Kraicher had agreed with Lady Schmie’s words because he also liked Elena, but now he was presented with the opposite scenario.

“Then I wouldn’t be out here.”

He would simply hide his approval and watch how things developed with Rudfelix.

“Look at those two. They’re smiling.”

They were focused solely on their conversation, even though everyone was watching them.

“The Grand Duke’s household will become lively again after a long time.”

The Grand Duke’s residence, with only the former grand ducal couple remaining, wasn’t bustling despite having many employees, as if the owner’s quiet personality enveloped the mansion.

Now that Rudfelix and the lovely child had arrived, who knew how noisy it would become.

“Why am I so happy?”

Lady Schmie couldn’t control her rising smile.

“Tomorrow will be busy with preparations for the banquet.”

How long had it been since they were this busy?

At the debutante ball held every year, the Grand Duke’s household only hosted but couldn’t present a protagonist.

At the debutante ball held a few years ago, there wasn’t a single child sponsored by Rudfelix, leaving only a desolate feeling.

She had envied the ladies who pretended to be suffering while preparing for their daughters’ debutante balls, but now she would finally get to fulfill that desire.

“Are we going to keep standing here?”

Elena, who belatedly realized they hadn’t been paying attention to others, looked surprised, which only made her more adorable.

“Let’s go in. The Grand Duke will go straight to the study with my husband, so Elena should come with me.”

“But I have a duty to assist Your Highness.”

“The aide’s duties are important, but don’t you want to get rid of the dust covering you from your journey?”

Elena closed her mouth and swallowed hard, seemingly tempted.

“Take the day off.”

Rudfelix gently pushed Elena’s back. Indicating that she didn’t need to stay by his side to assist him, Elena smiled broadly and looked at Lady Schmie.

“That’s what I sincerely wanted. I want to wash up.”

“Follow me.”

Lady Schmie naturally took Elena’s hand and led her to her side.

Her taciturn son. Spring had come to the heart of her son, who had been weighed down by the heavy burden placed on him.

“May I call you Lady Schmie?”

After looking around, once they got onto the open-top carriage, Elena kept getting distracted by her hand that Lady Schmie continued to hold.

The lady’s touch as she stroked the back of Elena’s hand was gentle and motherly.

“Lady Schmie, I was too surprised to say it at first, but thank you for liking me.”

She had come without expecting such a welcome, which made the surprise even greater. Due to her position as an aide, she hadn’t even thought she would exchange greetings so closely with the former Grand Duke.

So she had only found it strange and now realized she hadn’t properly thanked Lady Schmie for her affection.

“How can she speak so prettily too.”

There’s nothing about her that isn’t lovely.

“Stay with us for a very long time. Just sitting side by side like this makes me so happy that I keep sighing with contentment.”

“May I ask how you know about me?”

With all the compliments about how nice and pretty she was, Elena shifted the focus from Rudfelix to herself. She wondered, ‘Have I done anything to appear so pretty?’

“I heard you’re a very capable aide.”

She explained that the frequency of regular communications had become abnormally frequent, with information about the newly appointed aide being transmitted.