In that moment, Knox felt the air around them sink.

Drawing in a shallow breath with a pale face, Knox suddenly recalled something.

“I heard that His Grace the Grand Duke of Chabette arrived in the capital at dawn today.”

He added cautiously.

“Perhaps… His Majesty arranged this so that the Duchess could meet her family a little earlier.”

The words were like cold water thrown onto a roaring fire.

Carlos, who had instantly grown calm, seemed to sink into thought for a brief moment before speaking.

“Keep watch on the imperial palace.”

Realizing that he had been asked to verify this, Knox quickly bowed and left the study. Only after closing the door behind him was he able to wipe the cold sweat from his brow.

He could only hope that his guess was correct.

***

“How did His Majesty end up exposed to cold winds?”

At her question, Ronan gave an awkward smile.

“It was my fault.”

Annely had sensed for some time that something was amiss, but she hadn’t dwelled on it. Tedor had never summoned her for anything trivial, and he was not the type to lie about his health.

Looking out of the window, Annely realized that they had entered the grounds of the Imperial Palace, and she straightened her clothes. Soon, the carriage came to a halt. Ronan stepped down first, followed by Annely, who bowed slightly as she descended the steps.

At that moment, a large hand was extended towards her.

Although she was accustomed to Carlos’s touch, she recognized this one at once: rough and calloused, it was unmistakably the hand of a knight.

Frowning faintly in confusion, she slowly traced the hand upward with her gaze.

She froze when she met a familiar pair of eyes that were eerily similar to her own.

“Father…”

She called the Grand Duke without thinking.

On the rugged, severe face, a faint softness had surfaced the moment he saw Annely.

“Take my hand.”

As if under a spell, Annely placed her hand on top of his. Steadying herself with his firm grip, she stepped down from the carriage.

The moment her feet touched the ground, she came to her senses — but before she could say anything, she was pulled into someone’s arms.

The hands that embraced her weren’t gentle, but they were careful.

“Annely!”

She knew who it was just from the lively voice alone.

Annely wrapped her arms lightly around Fedric’s back.

“Brother.”

When they finally let go of each other, Fedric’s face came into view.

He looked almost exactly like the Grand Duke — like a mirror image — but his demeanor was undoubtedly gentler. While Annely had inherited the Grand Duchess’s harsh northern traits, Fedric had not.

Nevertheless, both siblings had the same bright blonde hair and distinctive eye shape as the Grand Duke, clearly showing their shared bloodline.

It had been six long years since they had last seen each other.

With the memory of their faces dulled by time, Annely suppressed the emotions welling up inside her and shifted her gaze between Fedric and the Grand Duke.

“Have you been well?”

Despite his gentle words, his hand was rough as he ruffled her hair. Realizing that her brother still treated her like a child, even after all this time, Annely burst into laughter.

When her hair was completely disheveled, Frederic hastily withdrew his hand.

“If Amber sees this, she’ll scold me. You didn’t bring Amber with you?”

“Ah, Amber is—”

Annely turned her head mid-sentence and spotted Ronan bowing slightly some distance away, standing behind Tedor. She quickly looked away from him and turned her gaze back to Tedor.

“Were you surprised?”

As their eyes met, Tedor stepped closer.

“I wanted to make it more joyful for you, so I had no choice but to lie.”

As nothing like this had ever happened in her previous life, Annely had never doubted Ronan’s words. Looking back now, however, there were many moments when his tone and behavior seemed strange and out of place.

Although he said nothing outright and acted under Tedor’s orders, his attitude alone clearly hinted at a hidden truth.

Annely herself was the only one who had failed to notice. Because she was so happy to see her family again, even under such circumstances, she simply shook her head and let it pass.

“I was a little surprised, but I’m fine.”

Seeing that she truly meant it, Tedor swallowed his relief and turned to the Grand Duke.

“Uncle, I still have state affairs to attend to, so I’ll take my leave. It’s been a long time—please speak comfortably among yourselves.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

Unlike Tedor’s familiar tone, the Grand Duke’s response was rigid to an excessive degree. But accustomed to this, Tedor merely offered a faint smile and turned away.

As if he had been waiting for the moment, Fedric once again began vigorously ruffling Annely’s hair, speaking playfully.

“I’m going to make up for everything I missed.”

It was his way of showing affection—something he did every time they met.

Rough, but undeniably affectionate. Annely stood still and let him do as he pleased.

“That’s enough.”

At the Grand Duke’s voice, Fedric froze and looked at Annely. Her soft hair was now completely tangled, and Fedric panicked.

“Annely, are you all right?”

“I’m fine. I’ll fix it myself.”

Fedric glanced down at his large hands and nodded slightly. No matter how carefully he tried, he would probably only make things worse.

Fortunately, Amber regularly applied fragrant oil to Annely’s hair, which meant that it settled quickly after she smoothed it a few times.

Only then was she able to properly take in her family.

She didn’t know what to say first. There was so much she wanted to talk about, yet without a shared starting point, she could only watch her lips part and close again.

The same hesitation affected the Grand Duke and Fedric, too.

The difference was that Fedric was naturally sociable and usually spoke first, even when Annely was awkward and uncertain.

But sensing instinctively that Annely was no longer the same, he held back.

Looking at the Grand Duke and Fedric, who were waiting for her, Annely finally broke into a bright smile.

“I missed you.”

The words filled her mind, washing everything else away.

Stepping forward, she carefully wrapped her arms around the Grand Duke and Fedric. They were much larger than her, making the embrace awkward, but Fedric did not mind at all. He bent down and pulled her into his arms.

“I missed you too, Annely.”

It would be untrue to say that the Grand Duke felt no awkwardness at the embrace.

When Annely was young, she had been so small and fragile that he had never dared to get too close for fear of hurting her. After sending her to the imperial palace, their opportunities to meet became even rarer, and with each infrequent reunion, it became more difficult rather than easier to be intimate.

The Grand Duke knew that, although Annely called him ‘Father’, she did not truly think of him as such. They shared no memories or closeness, and that was only natural. This did not sadden him, but he had always wanted to bridge the distance between them.

This was why, when Annely fell in love with Carlos at first sight and asked to marry him, he agreed immediately.

After that, Annely had grown slightly closer to him, but only because she was grateful that he had allowed the marriage to go ahead.

For this reason, he had never imagined that, after four long years, Annely would be the one to step forward first when they saw each other again.

Feeling a light nudge, he lifted his head to find Fedric urgently signaling to him. The Grand Duke curved the corner of his mouth into a faint smile and gently placed his hand on Annely’s head as she leaned against him.

“I missed you. Have you been well?”

At the rough touch—closer to a pat than a caress—Annely’s smile deepened.

“I’ve been well.”

She blinked rapidly to dispel the moisture gathering in her eyes, then eased out of the embrace.

“Let’s go inside and talk.”

Ronan, who had been standing a short distance away, stepped forward at once to lead them. He guided them to a residence adjoining the imperial palace where Annely had lived as a child.

Situated near the Emperor’s quarters, it was the most magnificent residence of all and was traditionally reserved for the Emperor’s favorite children.

Upon entering the reception room, Ronan poured tea for each of them in turn, saying smoothly,

“His Grace the Grand Duke and Sir Fedric will be staying here. What would you like to do, Duchess? His Majesty has instructed us to prepare accommodation for you, should you wish to stay too. Shall I ask Amber to bring what you’ll need for tomorrow’s banquet?”

Ronan’s words flowed with practiced ease, as though nothing could be more natural.

At the suggestion of staying within the imperial palace, Annely was about to refuse at once. However, aware of the two figures before her, she found herself unable to do so.

“That won’t be necessary. Annely is the Duchess of Da Vinci. By protocol, she cannot remain in the imperial palace.”

The Grand Duke’s refusal was firm.

It showed no consideration for the other party’s dignity, yet Ronan’s smile did not falter.

“My apologies. I overlooked that. Then may I invite you to join us for lunch, Duchess?”

There was no reason to refuse a simple meal.

“All right.”

When Annely nodded, Ronan wasted no time in leaving the room.

Fedric, who had remained silent until then, broke into a broad grin.

Everyone understood Tedor’s intentions, but as if by unspoken agreement, nobody voiced them aloud.