“I wondered if smoking tobacco would make me bold too. cough But the smoke is too spi—! gasp!”

He pulled her head back by the nape and pounced like a beast while she still held the tobacco.

However, even with Nigel’s passionate consolation, Marienne couldn’t shake off her anxiety.

Shortly after, Marienne stood dejectedly beside Nigel as servants helped him don his armor.

“Can’t I go with you?”

Over the servant fastening his breastplate, Nigel looked at the dejected Marienne. He wasn’t comfortable leaving her behind either.

If the monster appearing in the territory wasn’t a pendra, he would have entrusted the subjugation to his knights and stayed by Marienne’s side.

However, pendras were tricky monsters to deal with.

The ones that ate Nucria flowers were long and massive enough to cover watchtowers, with powerful jaws that could crush a human body.

He needed to lead the knights himself with his extensive experience in eliminating pendras.

Moreover, his mother’s banquet was approaching.

If anything unfortunate happened to the nobles visiting Rockshield, it would put his mother in a difficult position.

“You might urgently need my healing powers.”

Nigel dismissed the servant and turned to her sullen expression.

“I would like it if you came along.”

Nigel stroked her chin with his thumb.

“To eliminate a pendra, we must search every Nucria colony. Those creatures tried to take you from before my eyes just days ago.”

“Would that happen again? It might have been a coincidence. Such strange things keeps happening again to someone like me……”

Nigel gently stole her lips.

Her complaints that had started early in the morning helplessly faded away.

When their lips parted, Marienne hugged Nigel and burrowed into his embrace.

“It’s strange. I knew about the Duke’s circumstances needing to subjugate monsters, and waiting shouldn’t be difficult…… But I keep whining like a child.”

“I’ll return quickly.”

“I’m sorry for being petulant.”

His lips came down to erase her anxiety and didn’t leave Marienne for a while.

* * *

The armed Nigel and his knights lined up in front of the castle.

Marienne, the Duchess, and Veronica saw them off along with the servants.

The Imperial Princess, who loved sleeping in, couldn’t wake up despite asking her maid the night before to wake her.

Even while turning his horse’s head toward the castle gate, Nigel didn’t take his eyes off Marienne.

The horn sounded signaling departure.

Nigel sent a smile to the rigid Marienne before leading his group out for subjugation.

Ten days. That was the period he promised.

Listening to the fading hoofbeats, Marienne exhaled weakly.

As Veronica went to peek into the Imperial Princess’s room, the Duchess turned to Marienne.

“Miss Rose, would you like to share tea with me if you don’t mind?”

“Of course. Thank you for inviting me.”

Marienne followed the Duchess who instructed a maid to prepare tea.

The two entered an antique reception room.

An awkward silence flowed until fragrant tea was placed on the table.

Marienne kept her eyes down demurely, recalling the etiquette she learned in Louer.

They were the most powerful family after the imperial family.

She could tell just from the Duchess’s bearing that she belonged to a different world from herself.

Marienne took a sip of tea and swallowed carefully. Her throat tightened with fear of choking.

“Marienne Rose, was it?”

“Yes.”

“I wanted to meet you after hearing from the Baron.”

Marienne smiled faintly while trying to gauge the other’s intentions.

She was at a loss for how to respond if the Duchess spoke thorny words.

The Duchess, perhaps seeing through Marienne’s troubled thoughts, smiled warmly.

“I have no other intention. I only feel grateful to you, Miss Rose.”

Only then did Marienne relax and carefully look at the Duchess.

“Thank you, Miss Rose. For saving my son long ago and appearing again to stay by his side. I know you’re trying to deceive the Emperor. Without your kind heart and utmost sacrifice, I don’t know what would have happened to the Duke…… I want to help if you need anything.”

“I appreciate your words, but I’m already receiving sufficient compensation from the Duke.”

Kind heart and utmost sacrifice.

The Duchess doesn’t know it stemmed from an orphan’s one-sided love.

Nor that the moment she was happy to save him was the beginning of misfortune and hatred for her son.

“I’m not as remarkable as you say, Madam. Anyone with healing powers would have saved the Duke.”

“How modest. But I hear your relationship has since deepened.”

The Duchess elegantly set down her teacup.

Marienne dropped her wavering gaze.

She couldn’t bring herself to say it was a contract involving money.

Her lips trembled but in the end all she could say was:

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t misunderstand. I didn’t call you to blame you. I was just curious about your true feelings.”

Marienne clutched her skirt with cold hands.

“I……”

Lifting her eyes that had been wandering at the edge of the table, Marienne painfully confessed.

The truth she hadn’t even shown in her own murmurs.

“I love the Duke. Everything about him. Of course, I know I’m not qualified. I’m truly sorry.”

Though quite surprised by the direct confession, the Duchess skillfully hid it with a smile.

“Does the Duke know?”

“He only knows that I liked him before. I haven’t told him recently.”

“I see. Before leaving for the subjugation, Nigel came to my room. It was quite rare between us.”

The Duchess continued while gazing steadily at Marienne.

“He made a request. To protect you.”

The Duchess raised the corner of her lips at Marienne’s surprised expression.

“I had that same expression then. And I realized. That Nigel held you in his heart.”

Marienne hunched her shoulders with guilt seeing the Duchess’s shadowed expression.

An orphan and commoner. A woman with nothing but an empty body and healing power.

She could understand being grateful to the healer who saved her son’s life.

But as a lover — she could more than imagine the Duchess’s bewildered feelings.

“Don’t worry. The Duke’s feelings are just a light impulse. And I plan to leave when his healing is complete. What you’re concerned about won’t happen. Though I’m foolish, I’m at least aware of that much.”

The Duchess’s brow furrowed deeply.

This selfless young lady doesn’t know the weight of the request her son came to make.

A light impulse……

Olivia Bernac lifted her teacup to wet her bitter lips.

She decided to hide the depth of gravity she felt from her son.

After all, their lives were set on different paths that could never meet.

Though ashamed of a worldly mother’s selfishness, Olivia silently accepted the pitiful woman’s sacrifice.

“Thank you. For saying that. As you may have felt, Her Highness has cherished Nigel for a long time. Rejecting those feelings now would be quite burdensome for our family. If Miss Rose maintains boundaries as you are now, even if not happiness, everyone can at least have peace.”

“I understand what you mean.”

Birds chirping through the open window disturbed the silence hanging in the reception room.

“The tea has gone cold. Shall we save our unfinished conversation for next time?”

“Thank you for inviting me. I’d like to stay and drink more tea, if that’s alright?”

“Do as you please.”

After the Duchess left, Marienne collapsed into the chair as her legs gave out.

The Duchess was kinder than she’d worried. Her words protecting the head of the family were entirely reasonable too.

But unlike her understanding mind, her heart felt cast aside and sorrowful.

The line where everyone is at peace… was she within it now? Then what about the Duke?

After endlessly fiddling with the teacup, she finally stood up, weary of unanswered worries.

But as Marienne tried to leave the reception room, Veronica Rampton appeared before her.

Veronica, a noble lady from a Marquis family, briefly introduced herself as the Duchess’s lady-in-waiting.

“I’d like to show you the gardens of Rockshield, Miss Rose. Would you come with me?”

Finding it difficult to refuse the brightly smiling invitation, Marienne followed Veronica.

On their way to the garden, Veronica explained various parts of the castle.

Marienne listened admiringly to her composed and thoughtful attitude that seemed unlike a young lady.

The two walking in the garden sat on a bench placed in the shade of a tree to avoid the heat.

While appreciating the scenery looking around, Marienne accidentally discovered Veronica’s bad habit.

She was picking and poking at the flesh beside her fingernails.

Her fingertips were red and raw with scratches.

“Are you alright?”

Following Marienne’s worried gaze, Veronica quickly curled her fingers.

Without thinking, Marienne reached out to her.

“It looks painful.”

“Don’t touch me!”

Veronica slapped Marienne’s hand away as if burned.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.”

Veronica straightened her shoulders as if having made up her mind and hardened her voice.

“Actually, I have something to say, Miss Rose.”

“Please speak.”

“Give up your first dance with the Duke to Her Highness at the Nucria banquet.”

Veronica stood up from the bench and turned to Marienne.

“She deserves that privilege. Unlike you who is vulgar.”