Chapter 3 – Ladies Alighting from the Carriage (8)

The palace attendants of Shevik did not open their hearts to the noble consort from the Empire and her entourage, and Mirabelle, who was only twenty-three, chose to confront them without any tact and ended up in trouble. After that, she desperately learned court etiquette to avoid being caught by the Scandar locals.

‘Let’s be comfortable when it’s just us, Rabi.’

‘I can’t do that, Your Highness. There are too many eyes watching.’

How her calm gaze had pained her heart.

Knowing that there were a couple of maids around, they spoke informally and played together, but Mirabelle suffered from the maid’s relentless sarcasm for a while, so Chloe couldn’t just ask for things that only she would enjoy.

Mirabelle must have had some plan in mind, but Chloe returned to being twenty without ever knowing it.

That’s why Chloe secretly liked this strange experience now. She felt she could create more memories before causing Mirabelle to feel sorry.

And now, she could prevent any reason for feeling sorry.

After finishing a bottle of sweet wine and another bottle of moderately priced sparkling wine secretly brought from the kitchen, Chloe and Mirabelle chatted for a long time. The words, influenced by the alcohol, became increasingly bold and without end.

“So, Young Duke Demi didn’t end up getting engaged?”

“Well, won’t he do it later? There just hasn’t been any news.”

“Phew… that slick youngster.”

It was rare for Mirabelle to speak so openly about Demetrian. Rare, meaning it happened occasionally.

“Isn’t it because of Young Duke Demi that you haven’t thought about getting a fiancé all this time? He keeps hovering around, making it hard for you to break away.”

The Earl and Countess wouldn’t arrange a fiancé for you if you didn’t ask for it.

Mirabelle said firmly. In Arthuzen, daughters were usually seen as assets to the family through arranged marriages.

It was partly because she could have married a prince pushed out of the succession line, but that wasn’t the point now.

‘So Mirabelle had been thinking this way.’

Though she sometimes made Demetrian the butt of jokes, she always acted friendly, calling him ‘Young Duke Demi,’ so Chloe never realized.

“Still, I ended up as a consort.”

“What does that mean? It’s not even as the main consort. I was so disappointed when you missed out on becoming the top student at Ridote.”

“You’re the only one, really.”

Chloe stretched out her arms and hugged Mirabelle around the waist. It was an awkward position, leaning her waist against the seat while sitting, but it was comforting because it was Mirabelle.

“So, were you happy with the Prince?”

“Well… I think so.”

Chloe recalled the life at Shevik’s palace, which now felt like a dream. The dreams of those luxurious times she occasionally dreamt of and the fluttering heart she felt when she recently encountered Bjorn in the imperial courtyard.

Perhaps, she was happy.

Chloe and Mirabelle held hands tightly and lay together on Chloe’s bed. What used to be natural in childhood now required a big decision as they grew older.

Even in Scandar, Chloe often missed this hand. Each time, Mirabelle would refuse with an awkward smile.

“Rabi, so… even if I go to Scandar in two years, you don’t have to come with me. I’m telling you in advance.”

Even if I change my mind then, don’t go along with it.

At those words, Mirabelle, who had closed her eyes to sleep, lifted one corner of her mouth.

“You never know. Maybe someday, I’ll become a key player in the royal palace, meet a handsome man—maybe not a prince—but someone lovely, and fall in love. Who knows?”

Mirabelle spoke with a voice full of confidence. To her, what Chloe described as her future self seemed somewhat unfamiliar. It made her wonder if there was some reason behind it.

Feeling an inexplicable urge to cry, Chloe hugged Mirabelle’s arm.

* * *

‘I should apologize.’

For Chloe, it must have been like a bolt from the blue. Acting as if he suddenly became someone else.

He wanted to run to her right now and apologize, but it would only make things awkward for Chloe again.

‘If I send a gift… it would backfire. What should I do?’

He didn’t think it through. Since Chloe always asked him to be her ball partner and attend her first tea party, he thought he was the only one who considered others’ opinions and responsibilities. Not realizing it was all a kind of stubbornness.

Demetrian thought about being Chloe’s companion several times a day.

It was a wish he couldn’t openly express yet because he wanted to bring the situation under his control. But at the end of that imagination was… the Emperor’s disapproval.

To the Emperor, the young lady of Lacroix was a card with many possibilities. Even though she wasn’t his daughter. The Emperor made full use of his authority to approve high-ranking noble marriages. There hadn’t been a ruler like him in the nearly thousand-year history of the Empire.

And now, Demetrian was on his way to meet one of the potential suitors for the young lady of Lacroix. Someone who might have been engaged to Chloe if the imperial succession had been settled earlier.

“Hey there, Young Duke.”

Today, the Empire’s 2nd Prince, Daniel, was genuinely off-duty, so they had decided to have lunch together.

Daniel, wanting to escape the succession race, had joined the Third Imperial Knights, the lowest among the imperial knight orders, and even then, he took on the role of vice-captain, not captain. However, being close in age to the 1st Prince and having demonstrated superior skills in both literature and martial arts from a young age, along with his good character, many followed him, making his efforts futile.

“Did something happen? Why the long face?”

Upon seeing Demetrian, Daniel immediately expressed concern with a kind demeanor.

Despite his well-trained body and thick hands, he always took care of his friends with such delicate attention. Yes, it was precisely this character that kept him from distancing himself from the succession competition.

Why the long face? Because I did something rash yesterday.

Unable to voice this, Demetrian simply made an excuse and took his handshake.

“I didn’t get much sleep last night.”

Daniel squinted his eyes at those words, which weren’t entirely false.

If Frederick was like a greatsword, Daniel was like a well-honed rapier. Though the weapon he wielded was indeed a greatsword. With his fair, sleek face and dark brown hair always neatly brushed back, he wore impeccably pressed uniforms on his days off. Being a natural warrior with strong blood from his maternal family, Kendalwood, he also had a sensitive and perfectionist personality, along with such meticulousness.

“You’re becoming more popular, aren’t you?”

Trying to change the subject, Demetrian spoke in a playful tone while wiping his hands with the warm towel brought by the servant as soon as they sat down. The two men, two years apart, had known each other since childhood and even attended the Imperial Academy together, so they were quite close.

“Our elders always nag me about why I don’t attend court meetings.”

“Really, I’m barely managing the duties of a Prince, and it’s driving me crazy. Tell your future father-in-law to consider retiring.”

The expectations of the old noblemen in the Senate for the 2nd Prince were sky-high because his ‘barely’ was set at a higher standard than others. Feeling burdened by it, Daniel would complain to his uncle, Grand Duke Campo, whenever they met, asking him to pass on the title soon.

“If the Grand Dukedom of Campo passes to you, will my engagement be broken?”

“I like you, but don’t use me even in your imagination. Your love life is your business to sort out.”

Daniel said firmly, with a hint of mockery. To him, Grand Duke Campo’s daughter, Lucien, was a pretty cousin, and Chloe was a young lady he had known well since childhood.

Come to think of it, it was only Daniel. Even when Demetrian didn’t know his own feelings, he was the one who firmly told him to act properly.

‘You think you’re hiding everything, but it’s all visible. If you watch with love and care.’

The problem was he would add such cheesy remarks.

Thanks to his keen observation, the 3rd Knights had shown the best performance and cohesion since its founding after he took over.

‘That aspect must be what the elders in the Senate find appealing.’

Demetrian chuckled as he absentmindedly poked at the salad brought as an appetizer by the servants.

Daniel was the one who had criticized his cowardice to the very end.

‘How can someone who doesn’t even have the courage to understand his own feelings be responsible for the Ducal family? I feel sorry for the Crevelle estate people, who will have their livelihoods swayed by someone like you, who doesn’t even understand emotions.’

‘Hold on when you want to. Hold on when you can. Don’t regret it later.’

Those words felt like a curse to Demetrian. And then, whenever he faced his hollow expression, Daniel would smirk as if to say, “See, I told you so.”

Back then, it felt insulting, as if he were mocking his priority of responsibility to his family, but now he only felt admiration. Because Demetrian had only just begun to try caring for people’s emotions, regardless of gains and losses.

Even for Demetrian, who excelled at everything, that was truly difficult. He could manage to acknowledge his mother’s hobbies or ease the 1st Prince’s sulky moods, but in relationships where mutual feelings were more important, it seemed he only continued to misstep.

‘In the end, I made Chloe angry…’

His fork moved slowly, mirroring his gloomy mood. Again, thoughts of Chloe. Demetrian mocked himself and feigned indifference as he asked,

“But if the 1st Prince is crowned… what will happen to you?”

It was a roundabout question, but Daniel immediately understood what Demetrian was implying.

“Hmm, well.”

After deliberately dragging it out as if pondering, a sly smile appeared on his face.

“Don’t worry, I won’t be marrying the Count Palatine’s young lady.”

“…Why do you say that?”

After staring at Demetrian’s somewhat dissatisfied face for a while, Daniel asked in passing.

“What’s the problem?”

“What problem?”

“It’s written all over your face that you want someone to listen.”