Chapter 1.6

“Welcome back, Miss…”

The butler, startled to see her alighting from an Imperial carriage, quickly bowed.

Behind him, the Duchess, Aisha, appeared belatedly.

“An Imperial carriage? What’s going on all of a sudden… Carnier?”

Aisha alternated her gaze between the departing carriage and the dazed Carnier standing there.

“Why are you just standing there? Did you arrive in that carriage?”

“…Ah, Aisha…”

Carnier, suddenly drained, threw herself into Aisha’s arms. Though surprised, Aisha embraced her in return.

“Carnier?”

“I think I’ve ruined everything. It’s all ruined…”

“What? Wait, Carnier. Calm down and take a deep breath…”

“He’s calm enough for both of us. I can’t stay calm right now…!”

“Oh, okay…”

“And why, after I’ve finally sorted out my feelings, does he have to make my heart flutter again? Can’t he just draw the line or come closer—just pick one!”

“I see… Pick one… Wait, what?”

The setting sun cast a red glow over the distant carriage. The face of the abandoned fiancée reflected the same hue.

* * *

As the carriage passed through the gates of the Duke’s residence, a low sigh escaped.

Servante, out of habit, pressed his fingers to his furrowed brow. He paused briefly, catching a faint scent on his fingertips.

• Ah, thank you…

He recalled the soft body that had fallen into his arms. And the shaken gaze that accompanied it.

“…”

Without a word, he opened the window. The cool breeze rushed in, filling the space she had vacated. For a moment, he wondered if the carriage had always felt this spacious.

‘What’s gotten into me…’

Swallowing another sigh, he tapped the small front window. Aleph, seated on the coachman’s bench, promptly opened it.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Prepare the itinerary for my upcoming tour as soon as we return. I’ll need to visit the Raymore Duchy.”

“Understood.”

“And…”

His gaze turned sharp.

“Don’t take liberties.”

“…Yes, my apologies.”

Though Servante hadn’t turned to look at him, Aleph seemed to feel the weight of his gaze. He bowed his head in a formal apology. When Servante said nothing further, Aleph cautiously closed the front window.

“Whew…”

He had secretly instructed the coachman to take a longer route, hoping the couple could spend a bit more time together. But it seemed he had been caught.

‘I didn’t think it was that long, and even if he noticed, I didn’t expect him to say anything…’

It had been a well-meaning gesture for the engaged couple, but it appeared to have backfired.

‘I just wanted them to grow a little closer before the wedding…’

Clearly, meddling in matters of the heart was a mistake. Aleph resolved never to interfere again.

Unaware, inside the carriage, the man stared silently at the now-empty seat.

* * *

What’s going on here?

The Duke blinked in confusion as he arrived home later than expected. Normally, he would greet his wife with a kiss, apologize for being late, and spend some affectionate time together.

But Aisha seemed entirely uninterested in her tardy husband. She barely acknowledged his greeting, instead focusing her concerned gaze on Carnier, who was still in her outdoor attire.

‘Darling, my dear wife? I’m home…’

Carnier, equally oblivious to her brother’s return, let out a deep sigh.

“…Alright. I can’t hide it anymore.”

“…?”

“I like… No, I love His Highness, the Crown Prince.”

“Cough, cough…!”

The Duke choked at the unexpected confession from his younger sister. Meanwhile, Aisha hesitated briefly.

‘Would it embarrass her if I said I already knew…?’

Whatever she thought, Carnier misinterpreted the brief pause and murmured in a subdued voice.

“I know how childish I must sound.”

“Oh, Carnier. That’s not true.”

Startled, Aisha quickly grasped her hands.

“Don’t think that way. In fact, I think it’s wonderful.”

“Wonderful…?”

“It’s been a long engagement. It could have been a burden since it wasn’t your choice but your parents’. But the fact that you have feelings for him is a blessing. And the two of you look so perfect together.”

Setting aside whether this was the best way to comfort her, Aisha tried to cheer Carnier up.

“If you’re happy, then I’m happy.”

“What if… I said I didn’t like him?”

“Then you don’t like him. I would’ve petitioned His Majesty to annul the engagement.”

Carnier stared blankly at Aisha, briefly forgetting her gloom. 

Breaking off an engagement with the Imperial Family?

“And if that made you fall out of favor with the Imperial Family…?”

“They’ve never favored me to begin with, calling me a useless female official and all. What’s the worst they could do—fire me?”

“Well, uh…”

“Let them fire me. I’ll just emigrate. Do you know how many job offers I’ve received from neighboring countries?”

“Ahem…”

Aisha declared confidently that she could easily support Carnier alone. Meanwhile, the Duke, Tristan, awkwardly cleared his throat.

As the Empire’s famed “Sword,” he found it rather unsettling to hear his beloved wife and cherished sister casually discuss defection.

‘Ahem. Half of this is a joke. I’ll just pretend I didn’t hear…’

“…Maybe I should’ve been born a man. I feel like dating Aisha would’ve been delightful.”

“What…!

But that remark couldn’t be ignored. The noble Sword of the Empire instinctively pulled his wife into his arms and cast a stern look at his sister.

“Carnier. Even as a joke, don’t say such things.”

“I wasn’t joking.”

“…!”

“Erm, ahem.”

Tristan stammered while Aisha coughed awkwardly. Carnier shrugged.

“Sorry. Someone got so serious over a joke, I couldn’t help myself.”

“Ahem! You… You’ve been crossing the line…”

“Tristan, could you leave us for a moment? I’d like to speak with her alone.”

“…”

The Empire’s most devoted husband looked at his wife with the expression of a man who’d lost everything.

Aisha, who had been distracted by Carnier’s expression, suddenly realized her mistake. Her words had inadvertently aligned with Carnier’s playful remarks.

Aisha tugged at Tristan’s collar and whispered, 

“There’s something I need to discuss with her privately. Could you wait in the bedroom? Please?”

“…I suppose I have no choice.”

Tristan exhaled slowly. This time, it seemed he would have to yield to his wife.

“Don’t take too long. I’ll be waiting.”

Tristan pressed his lips firmly against her eyelid. Then, he glanced at Carnier.

Ordinarily, she would have openly expressed her irritation, but this time, she turned her head abruptly without saying a word. She was clearly not herself.

Tristan silently left the drawing room. Aisha gestured lightly, dismissing the servants. Carnier remained silent even as the room emptied.

Aisha moved from her seat opposite Carnier to sit beside her. Quietly, she prepared tea, opting for rosemary tea instead of black tea, as it was gentler for the late evening.

“…I’ve been a bit off today. I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

The fragrant scent of rosemary filled the air. After a brief pause, Carnier murmured her apology. Aisha placed a teacup in front of her and smiled warmly.

“I know you enjoy teasing me.”

Carnier let out a weak laugh. Like the soothing aroma of the tea, Aisha’s voice had a calming effect.

“I’ll apologize to my brother separately.”

Aisha responded with a serene smile, as if she had already anticipated this outcome and wasn’t concerned about it.

Though Carnier usually saw her sister-in-law as adorable, in moments like these, she realized Aisha was undeniably the elder of the two. Carnier lifted her teacup to hide her embarrassed expression.

“So, to summarize, you love His Highness, the Crown Prince, but you’re unsure about this marriage?”

“Pfft.”

Aisha’s specialty was cutting straight to the point.

Unlike Carnier’s sharp remarks, Aisha’s approach was more subtle but equally piercing.

“Was His Highness in the carriage earlier?”

“…Yes.”

“If he went through the trouble of visiting, why didn’t he come inside? Oh, you invited him, but he declined.”

With just a few questions, Aisha accurately pieced together the situation and nodded.

“His Highness was wrong.”

“…It’s just me being upset over nothing.”

“Do you really think someone as perceptive as him wouldn’t notice your feelings? I’d wager he knew but pretended not to.”

“Or perhaps he was being considerate, trying not to embarrass me…”

“Carnier.”

After taking a sip of tea, Aisha spoke firmly.

“Did that consideration make you happy?”

“…”

“As I said earlier, your happiness matters more to me.”

It was a sentiment only Aisha could express.

‘If someone were to name the happiest person in this country right now, they’d all point to me.’

The bride-to-be of the most magnificent wedding in the Empire. The fiancée of the Crown Prince. A young lady destined to wear the Empress’s crown.

These were the reasons everyone envied Carnier. They were also why she had no place to voice her frustrations.

“…I had planned to let go of my feelings.”

Only before someone who genuinely wished for her happiness could Carnier finally be honest.

“When the marriage kept being postponed even after I came of age… it was clear he didn’t want me.”

“…”

“But this engagement and my feelings are unrelated, aren’t they? It’s a solemn promise between our late parents. I’ve worked hard to ensure I wouldn’t be deemed unworthy as his fiancée. Yet…”

Carnier bit her lip.

“…That’s not true. Even if I let go of my feelings, I didn’t want to give up my position as his ‘fiancée.’ At the very least, I didn’t want to lose it because of my inadequacies… That’s why I tried so hard.”

“…”

“I’m so selfish…”

The engagement arranged at birth had nothing to do with her feelings.

Yet, from her earliest memories, his face had been etched into her mind like the sun.