Chapter 71

‘You’ve lived as a noble all your life, and romance is different from marriage. From the smallest things, you’ll force that young lady to change her entire life to fit yours. Are you prepared to put twenty times the effort into this marriage as you would into a normal arranged one? Not just for a year or two, but for a lifetime?’

Grace gave her son serious advice when he came to seek her approval for marriage.

She, too, was born a noble and had seen many sides of society. Stories of illegitimate children were common, as were tales of women seduced and abandoned by nobles.

It might have started as love, but as circumstances changed and time passed, feelings wore thin and women were hurt.

Grace hoped Theodore wouldn’t make such an irresponsible marriage.

And Theodore took her concerns seriously.

‘Even after marriage, I’ll entrust Lumiere with the signet ring.’

Theodore smiled as he spoke the name of the woman he hadn’t formally introduced yet.

It was the first time she’d seen him smile since he was hurt.

Entrusting the signet ring meant his future wife could use the Giselleberg family seal without consulting him.

Grace recognized her son’s sincerity.

And she truly blessed him.

Once, she asked Theodore directly if he was really recovering, because it seemed he could see again. He replied that he was getting better.

Now that she thought about it, his injured leg seemed fine, too.

He said it was all a miracle brought by the woman.

Grace had never seen the girl, but from that moment she already loved her. If she could, she wanted to run to her and kiss her on the knees.

“Losing that child was a great disaster…”

Grace sighed as she watched the scenery fly by outside the carriage.

She had heard the whole story from Frederic. It was incredible, but there was nothing she could do.

After that, Theodore entered a second dark period.

She tried scolding, persuading, reporting, and all sorts of methods, but nothing worked.

Then, suddenly, he went off to war, worrying her again, and when he returned, he ousted her from the academy director’s seat.

“He’s my child, but I don’t know what he’s thinking. Oh dear…”

Grace let out a deep sigh and looked out at the autumn sunlight on the streets.

She really should think about the next heir soon.

Today, the Empress had summoned her and bragged about her grandchildren. Then she asked when Duke Giselleberg would marry, openly criticizing her for being too lax about succession plans.

What made it worse was that the Empress wasn’t really wrong.

For a noble, he was at the age where he ought to have a couple of children.

“Tch, over my dead body will the youngest princess become my daughter-in-law!”

Her heart, which had calmed, flared up again.

“Frederic, stop the carriage.”

“Pardon? Madam, we’re still far from the ducal residence.”

“Stop!”

She pounded on the door as if urging a horse onward.

“I can’t stand it. I need a cold sherbet or something.”

“I’ll ask the chef at the mansion.”

“How long will that take? I want it now.”

Grace straightened her neck.

In the city center full of luxury restaurants, there was a shop with a long tradition, specializing in sherbet and ice cream.

It was a place Grace had frequented since childhood. Whenever she was stressed, she came here to indulge.

Just thinking about the sweet, cold dessert made her mouth water.

When she was young, her parents worried about her tastes, sighing that she’d change when she grew up, but she never did.

She had no idea Frederic secretly thought the Duke’s stubbornness came from his mother.

“I’ll go buy it, so please wait here.”

Frederic pointed out Grace’s fancy outfit.

“It would be uncomfortable to walk the street in that dress.”

“Thank you, Frederic.”

Once Frederic left, Grace opened the carriage window a little. The cool breeze made her feel better.

Her body was stiff from sitting all day. Grace got out to stretch for a moment.

But her wide-brimmed hat blocked her view, and she didn’t see what was coming from the side. A carriage was racing toward her from the right.

“Move! There! Please, move! Quickly!”

With the sound of thundering hooves, a huge shadow charged at her. Grace turned and froze at the size barreling toward her.

“…!”

She rolled to the side and tumbled once.

Someone had pushed her out of the way.

“Are you alright? Madam, are you conscious?”

Someone’s arm supported her head, so she wasn’t hurt. Grace turned her head to look up.

“Madam, are you injured?”

The arm she was lying on belonged to a young lady. Grace got up with help and gazed at her rescuer.

Grace especially loved sculpture among artworks, thinking it was the most lifelike form.

This young lady was more beautiful than a sculpture. Grace stared, almost entranced.

Holding her broken glasses with regret, the young woman’s worried profile was beautiful in every way.

‘Oh my…’

She was so angelic, people might believe she was a statue if entered in a competition. Grace had never felt so moved by a work of art before.

But now, here, seeing this young woman, she felt it.

“Thank you for helping me, Miss.”

Grace held the young woman’s hand and stared at her face. Up close, she was even more beautiful.

“I want to express my gratitude… may I speak with you?”

“It’s alright, Madam. I didn’t do anything.”

“What do you mean? If not for you, I might have been killed.”

The young woman smiled and declined, but Grace wanted to talk more.

If God the artist made a human, it would be this young lady.

“Then at least let me pay for your broken glasses…”

The young lady hesitated but accepted the money. Grace liked her even more for that.

“Thank you, Madam.”

“You’re welcome. But this hardly seems enough. I can reward you properly…”

Ding—

Ding—

The plaza bell rang. It was five o’clock.

“Sorry, Madam, I have somewhere urgent to be. Please excuse me.”

“What? Miss, wait…!”

The young lady vanished as quickly as she’d appeared. Grace reached out in vain.

“Madam, what are you doing here?”

Frederic handed her the sherbet as she gazed wistfully into the distance.

“Ah, Frederic. If only you’d come a little sooner. I just met an amazing young lady…”

Grace took a spoonful of lemon sherbet and her eyes drooped. Then she noticed something on her hand.

‘What’s this?’

She saw the same thing on her shoulder. Grace narrowed her eyes and wiped her arm, smudging it.

‘…Paint?’

Did she get it from that young lady? Was she an artist?

Grace blinked with curiosity.

* * *

The next morning, Estelle went to the academy without her still-broken glasses.

In the Woodhouse, where the director’s office was, only the sound of pencils scratching could be heard.

She had taken more of the medicine than last time. The optician said repairs would take a while, so she’d just brought them along. She thought maybe she should just buy a new pair.

Estelle sensed Theodore’s gaze on her. Maybe it was her imagination, but it felt sharper than before.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t just her imagination. It was all true.

Theodore watched her intently through the window, his gaze so direct she could feel it. Her face looked different from before, perhaps because she wasn’t wearing glasses. But it still didn’t look like Estelle. Still different.

Theodore deliberately passed by the secretary’s office before entering his own. His aide began reciting the day’s schedule.

“Your Grace, you have lunch today with Lady Hyiola, daughter of Earl Hyiola.”

Theodore raised his dark brows in displeasure.

“The Grand Madame arranged the meal.”

“There are things scheduled for me that I don’t even know about.”

“Your Grace.”

“Go. You can eat in my place.”

He rejected it outright.

The aide rubbed his nose in frustration.

“The Grand Madame said if you refuse again, she’ll risk her life to take back the director’s seat.”

He let out a short laugh.

“She has plenty of life to risk.”

Since the engagement was broken, no one had mentioned marriage, but now it was coming up again.

After her visit to the palace, Grace had become even more insistent, probably after hearing some stinging words.