Chapter 1

The road leading to Woodville was well maintained. The gas lamps with antique ornamentation were arranged in orderly fashion, and the rows of trees were also kept very neat. Perhaps because they were properly pruned at the proper times, the branches did not droop or tangle. Also, the roadside was so clean that not a piece of trash could be found.

“Seina.”

She woke at the rough yet gentle voice.

“Sister Hilda.”

When she opened her eyes, she saw Hilda’s wrinkled face.

“Did you fall asleep?”

“Yes, I suppose I did.”

She was still inside the swaying carriage. Because her motion sickness had been bad, she had kept her eyes closed, and it seemed she had fallen asleep in the meantime. And on top of that, she had even had that strange dream. More precisely, it would be correct to say that she had that same dream again. Lately, the byproduct of her own longing had appeared in her dreams. Though she had prayed to endure everything and not to yearn, she felt guilty about savoring physical and emotional pleasure with an unfamiliar man.

“Have you been drinking?”

Seina questioned Hilda, the Mother Superior, in a low voice.

“My throat felt scratchy……. The Lord permitted wine as well. You know that too.”

“That’s the problem, because it isn’t wine.”

As Seina quickly lifted Hilda’s robe, trying to find the liquor bottle, deep lines formed between Hilda’s brows. But there was no bottle anywhere. It seemed she had already hidden it away in preparation for a situation like this.

“You drank infused liquor, didn’t you? Was it the one you made with bilberries? When did you make it?”

“I said it was wine!”

Clicking her tongue, Hilda shook her head back and forth. Even so, she was busy doing everything she could to avoid Seina’s glare.

“Your lips are bluish. And every time you breathe, a sour scent comes out thickly. You put bilberry leaves in it too, didn’t you? It hasn’t aged enough yet, so the green smell is strong.”

Liquor that had not aged enough could cause headaches or stomachaches as part of the hangover, so naturally it was worrying.

“Oh, dear! That dog nose.”

As if she hated hearing Seina’s nagging, Hilda shuddered dramatically.

“Do you know how good bilberries are for the human body? I’m telling you, it’s the Lord’s gift.”

“They are. But they aren’t unconditionally good when you drink them as alcohol. Especially for someone like you, Mother Superior, who has high blood pressure, you should refrain from drinking.”

That was why she was even more concerned. She would soon have to part with Hilda, and if she were not there, Hilda would surely drink like a horse with the reins cut loose, either every night at the convent or whenever she went out like this.

“In any case, you were born with that sense of smell and taste. It makes life terribly tiring. You should learn how to let things slide once in a while.”

“You must be relieved now, right? Since there won’t be anyone left to nag you.”

With her lips sticking out, Seina pushed up her glasses, which had slid down.

“No need to say it twice.”

Hilda answered bluntly. Soon, feeling the dull heaviness sinking into her chest, she turned her head toward the window. Since she had raised Seina, who entered the convent at five, like a daughter until now at twenty-two, the coming parting was not easy.

“Seina, you will do well. You are a child with stronger patience than anyone.”

“…….”

“A position as a governess, without patience…….”

Before Hilda could say more, Seina tightly held her hand. As if the impending farewell was too much for her, Seina’s violet eyes were moist with tears. Soon, Hilda patted the back of Seina’s hand with her other hand.

What need was there for more words. Even without much nagging, Seina had always taken care of herself capably since childhood. At that moment, the carriage came to a stop, and the coachman shouted loudly.

“Come on out, all of you! We’ve arrived at Woodville!”

Startled, Seina turned toward the window. It seemed they had finally arrived at Woodville, the Grand Duke’s residence. Without even having time to share more tender feelings with Hilda, she got out of the carriage as if being hurried along.

“Is this Woodville?”

Seina looked at the stone building made of marble. It was a place once called the Winter Palace of the old Kingdom of Bellus; smaller than the royal palace, but larger in scale than the estate of an ordinary noble. Around the residence, dense spruce trees formed a wall, and the broad lawn and fountain in place of a garden were impressive. The romance of the old Winter Palace had vanished, and the place remained under the plain name of Woodville.

“Yes, it is now the Grand Duke’s residence, but in the past, it was where our King used to spend the bitter winters every year. There used to be a truly beautiful garden, but it seems those Lebia bastards cleared it all away.”

Hilda kept clicking her tongue, apparently displeased with the barren lawn. Just then, an elderly gentleman came out from the residence to greet the two of them.

“Welcome, Mother Superior.”

“It has been a long time, Henry.”

An awkward smile rose to Hilda’s face, the same face that had just moments ago been cursing “those Lebia bastards.”

“His Highness the Grand Duke is waiting. And of course, so is Lady Julia.”

Even while speaking to Hilda, the butler Henry quickly looked Seina over. But Seina’s gaze remained fixed on the magnificent residence the entire time. A marble building reminiscent of a temple. On every pillar, figures from mythology were carved, and expensive velvet curtains hung at every window. Most likely, white lace had been added behind them as inner curtains. It was certainly different from the convent, which had only rough wooden outer shutters and no curtains at all.

“Let us go in, Seina.”

At Hilda’s voice, Seina’s gaze returned.

“Seina, it is a place as safe as God’s fence, so do not earn anyone’s dislike and work hard.”

“God’s fence” was what they called Montes Convent. At Hilda’s habitual phrase, Seina nodded reflexively. In Bellus, a vassal state of Great Lebia, there could be no safer place than the Grand Duke’s residence. Even so, comparing it to God’s fence somehow felt like an exaggeration.

“Do not be nervous. There is no need to tremble.”

“You are the one trembling, Sister Hilda.”

Seina said this as she looked at Hilda, whose hand was trembling while holding hers. Unlike herself, Hilda, who was usually always calm, was the more nervous one. But that nervousness soon gave way to admiration. As soon as they stepped inside, the old glory of Bellus could be felt intact. Famous paintings covered the high ceiling, and the lobby was adorned with expensive sculptures and carefully tended plants.

Butler Henry guided the two to the drawing room. Since guests had arrived, a maid naturally came in with refreshments.

“Sister Hilda, weren’t you here to meet the Minister? I thought I heard earlier that he was called His Highness the Grand Duke…….”

“It seems the Grand Duke has not yet accepted the position of Bellus’s Minister. The seat is vacant right now, so it looks like he is here only temporarily.”

Well, it could not have been easy to readily accept the position of Minister of Bellus. This was already the third person to be assassinated. Rumors were widespread that not only the Imperial Family of Great Lebia but even the nobles avoided the position of Bellus’s Minister. Even so, the fact that a Grand Duke of Great Lebia had come to Bellus seemed admirable in its courage.

“With no one willing to come to Bellus, the Queen must have grown impatient and pushed her own nephew into it. Otherwise, the Grand Duke is not someone who would come here of his own accord.”

‘So it wasn’t courage, but being forced into it with no choice.’

She had just been about to drink her tea with a bitter smile when the drawing room door opened and the butler’s voice was heard.

“His Highness the Grand Duke.”

The two of them set down the teacups they had been holding and rose from their seats. Only then did tension settle in Seina’s chest. In truth, meeting a man, not even a woman, somewhere other than the convent was fairly nerve-racking. And moreover, was he not the Grand Duke of Great Lebia? Even so, Seina tried her best to act composed. But the moment she saw the man who soon appeared before her, she realized it had been a futile effort.

“I am Michael Impea.”

It was a young voice, yet not a light one. He showed full courtesy to Hilda. In truth, Hilda was one of the religious figures respected in Bellus as well as in several other countries.

‘The angel’s name, Michael……. It doesn’t suit him.’

Seina repeated the Grand Duke’s name to herself. She could think of nothing else, so completely did the Grand Duke dominate the space and all eyes within it. The man in the black frock coat surveyed the surroundings sharply, like a fierce black panther. Though “handsome” was too weak a word for someone so beautiful, he gave off such a powerful presence that one scarcely dared approach him.

“…….!”

The Grand Duke’s gaze, which had taken in both women, finally fixed on Seina.