The men had returned to the table, apparently finished with their brief discussions and reports.

The Grand Duke, still gripping my shoulder while gazing down at me elegantly, deliberately pulled up the corners of his mouth into a gentle smile.

“What conversation made your expression brighten so much? Hmm?”

His question was a kind of warning not to do anything rash without his knowledge.

However, his gesture of tucking my hair behind my ear while asking caused an enormous reaction among the noble ladies.

Their faces flushed as they looked back and forth between me and the Grand Duke, hiding their smiles behind teacups or fans while exchanging glances of relief several times.

“The grand duchess has promised to actively participate with us in the papal charity event.”

Mariette glanced briefly at her husband Randolph, who sat down beside her, before politely explaining the situation to the Grand Duke.

“Ah… a charity event…”

The Grand Duke mulled over Mariette’s words as he sat down in the chair pulled out by a servant.

While watching warm tea being poured into his cup, I suddenly felt a gentle touch caressing my cheek. Startled, I twisted my head toward the Grand Duke.

In the brief moment I froze in shock, his fingers quickly gripped my face, turning me to face him completely.

“Who gave you permission?”

He asked quietly, his face still wearing a smile.

To others, it would still appear to be an affectionate scene.

“You… told me to do my best, didn’t you?”

“Not with the intention of using this opportunity to go out.”

“Assign someone to accompany me if necessary. Even better if you come along!”

When I pretended to offer him a snack, conscious of others watching, the Grand Duke smoothed his furrowing brow and removed his hand.

With his blue eyes gazing at me penetratingly, he haughtily lowered his gaze and took a bite of the snack I offered.

“I hate sweet things.”

Serves him right.

After eating the macaron, his expression looked so terrible that it couldn’t have been worse if war had broken out.

“I’ll remember that in the future.”

After I smiled brightly and sipped my tea, the Grand Duke leaned back deeply in his chair and turned his head away, apparently exasperated.

“How wonderful that you two get along so well. Others would be pleased to see this.”

Randolph, sitting next to Mariette, casually remarked while drinking the champagne he had been holding since standing earlier.

At that moment, light began to flow from the paper with the printed menu next to my teacup. What’s this?

[An anonymous helper has sent you a message.]

[Would you like to read it?]

A helper suddenly sent me a message?

With a dumbfounded expression, I pressed ‘yes’ as if entranced, and the next message immediately arrived.

[If you want, I’ll meet you.]

What was I just doing?

What did I do to receive such a message?

Instinctively recalling what I had heard or said, I looked around.

If I want… they’ll meet me?

Doesn’t this mean I need to answer for them to meet me?

No window appeared where I could respond to the helper’s question.

Having no choice, I pretended to drink tea and spoke quietly with the cup at my lips.

“I want to.”

Did they not hear me? With no change, I kept the teacup at my lips and spoke once more.

“I want to meet you!”

“What are you doing?”

“What?!”

The Grand Duke was staring at me as if asking what I was saying.

Could he hear what I was saying?

At the Grand Duke’s question, all the branch managers and their wives were looking at me with puzzled expressions.

“Um… well…”

I gave a subtle smile toward the Grand Duke and the branch manager couples.

“I want… to show everyone that we get along well.”

“What?”

“The Grand Duke is much more… affectionate than everyone knows. So I want to show that off… and… his smile is so wonderful!”

After shouting to gloss over my awkward behavior, everyone stared at me blankly.

I could well imagine how displeased the Grand Duke would be, so I didn’t dare look in his direction.

“…That’s why I said ‘I want to.'”

Ugh, I wished there was a mouse hole to hide in.

A woman shouting that her husband’s smile is wonderful and she wants to show it to people!

Yes, if I buried my face in this plate, would I lose consciousness?

“Haha! I completely understand that feeling. He is indeed one of the Empire’s most distinguished figures.”

Just then, Randolph burst into hearty laughter and offered a completely supportive response.

This prompted everyone to laugh cheerfully and begin expressing their agreement one by one.

Comments flowed from all around—that this was natural for newlyweds, or that they should have been informed earlier if they had known how close the two of us were.

“Phew.”

Breathing a sigh of relief, I finally looked at the Grand Duke, who was watching me with eyes filled with a mocking laugh, seemingly dumbfounded.

“…So that’s what you want.”

“Yes, truly…”

After pretending to nod forcefully, I quickly drank water to cool my burning cheeks.

“The grand duchess really intends to help us. I’m looking forward to the upcoming event.”

At Mariette’s words, everyone showed satisfied expressions, thinking I was showing great enthusiasm for the charity event.

Since everyone had heard my words clearly enough, the helper must have understood my intention as well.

Which one of these people could be the anonymous helper offering to assist me?

‘Don’t fall asleep tonight.’

‘If you want, I’ll meet you.’

Considering the informal speech and commanding tone, this person was definitely not the friendly type.

They also seemed older than me…

“Hmm…”

Pretending to drink tea, I looked at the people over my teacup.

It could be one of the branch manager couples, or perhaps Norbert or Medlin…? Or maybe…

“No way…”

“What are you looking at?”

The Grand Duke, immediately sensing my gaze, frowned and stared at me.

Yes, it might even be the Grand Duke.

The helper’s tone was commanding and somewhat prickly, wasn’t it?

But telling me not to fall asleep to show self-inflicted injuries… if it were him, he would be quite the sly fox.

“…It’s not you, is it?”

“What isn’t?”

“Nothing. I was just looking. No other meaning.”

“Your intentions seem suspicious.”

As if he’d view anything I did as disrespectful.

“They’re not!”

“Don’t try anything.”

He admonished coldly while smiling faintly and picking up his teacup.

“You won’t be able to take a single step outside this castle.”

He casually uttered these chilling words and leisurely drank his tea, disregarding my momentarily frozen reaction.

Don’t they say fear disappears when it grows too large? Now his attitude even seemed annoying.

Right, this man couldn’t possibly be my helper.

The helper couldn’t be someone like him. Absolutely not!

“The weather is lovely. I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s hunt.”

Randolph said, turning his gaze toward the massive forest connected to the garden.

Norbert, who had been watching us, gestured to the servants as if giving instructions before walking over steadily.

“Please rest for a while, and we’ll see you again in the banquet hall.”

This meant everyone could take a break until dinner.

The branch manager couples could only tour permitted areas of the castle as previously announced, but the place was so vast that even the restricted areas would take more than a day to explore.

“Then we’ll see you shortly.”

Everyone rose from their seats and greeted the Grand Duke and me.

“You must be tired from the long carriage journey. I hope you have a pleasant time.”

When I answered with a bright smile, I felt the Grand Duke’s gaze looking down at me quietly, as if my response was unexpected.

“Haha. Thank you for your kind words, Your Highness.”

After this exchange, I had the leisure to carefully observe everyone standing up.

The branch managers wore white dress shirts with black suits and smooth shoes—some wore glasses, others had neatly combed gray hair. They looked exactly as I had vaguely imagined branch managers would.

“We’ll see you at dinner.”

The noble ladies all wore beautiful dresses, with large hats decorated with soft ostrich feathers, pearls, or expensive lace, making them look much more splendid than I had imagined.

Under the beautiful wisteria, with people bowing respectfully and the canopy above our heads fluttering in the wind, the scene felt just like something from a movie.

“Yes, see you later.”

While appreciating the scenery and wondering which of these people might be my helper, I linked arms with the Grand Duke.

Warm sunlight penetrated through the dense leaves, and the Grand Duke’s pleasant distinctive scent brushed my nose.

Had my tension eased?

“Ah…”

A gentle breeze disturbed my hair, tickling my vision.

Crash!

It wasn’t the wind but my vision that had distorted.

I felt my surroundings spinning, and then I collapsed.