What would happen if someone capable of achieving this much in just a few months was given more time? The mere thought sent chills down their spines. At this rate, the days of lax management were certainly over, and it seemed only a matter of time before control of the Halpenrit main castle would fall completely into the Grand Duchess’s hands.

A fierce sense of crisis began to surge through their chests.

⁕⁕⁕

As Esteller and Dante crossed the wide central hall to go upstairs, a middle-aged woman walked toward them from a distance, assisted by two maids.

Even at a glance, her yellowish complexion and lack of vitality revealed her poor health. Her gait was extremely slow and precarious, suggesting it would take quite some time for her to reach them.

“Don’t rush, please.”

The maid supporting her right arm whispered anxiously, and the woman nodded. She wore a dress designed to appear voluminous, trying to conceal her skeletal frame. However, the result made it look as if the clothes were wearing her, making her appear even more unsightly.

The next moment, Dante’s expression darkened heavily upon seeing the woman.

“Mother.”

As suspected, she was the former Grand Duchess, Cecilia.

When Cecilia stumbled badly, Dante rushed forward almost reflexively.

He supported his mother but felt tense. When her body, dried up like a winter branch, leaned against him, he could barely feel any weight.

‘Can a living person’s body be like this?’

Instinctive fear overwhelmed him. An unpleasant anxiety seemed to scrape against his nerves.

“Cough, cough.”

Cecilia covered her mouth and gave a dry cough. Dante flinched and loosened his tight grip.

His mother had become extremely frail. He was terribly afraid that applying too much force might break something. Dante asked with a clouded expression.

“Why are you… no, how did you come here?”

“It’s the first time we’re welcoming you as a couple. How could I not show my face?”

Cecilia smiled faintly.

“We were planning to visit you after settling in.”

“I can still walk this much. And my health… is slowly improving.”

Cecilia tried to sound cheerful. But her voice was so weak that it conveyed almost no vitality.

Esteller quietly waited to allow her and Dante to converse.

‘She’s so thin.’

Cecilia suffered not only physically but also from deep emotional wounds. The rumors that she fell severely ill every year when the anniversary of Kyler’s injury came around—to the point where it wouldn’t be surprising if she died—seemed far from exaggeration.

‘Sigh, Gheorghe deliberately set the wedding date knowing full well someone falls periodically ill. He was determined to cause a death indirectly. No wonder Dante was so outraged.’

Cecilia was as frail as a frost-withered leaf. If this was her condition after some recovery, she must have been completely unable to make the journey to Sleion at the time of the wedding.

After asking Dante a few simple, everyday questions that a mother might ask her son, Cecilia finally managed to straighten her posture and turned toward Esteller.

Since Cecilia had been hunching her upper body the entire time, only now could Esteller properly face her.

With her keen eye, Esteller quickly noticed that without the sickly appearance, Cecilia would bear quite a resemblance to Dante.

Cecilia’s eyebrows formed a beautiful arch, and her eyes gave a refreshing yet elegant impression. Her silver-white irises, reminiscent of eternal snow at a mountain peak, looked truly unique and graceful. Esteller could finally see from whom her husband had inherited his beautiful eyes.

“This is, yes…”

Upon seeing Esteller, Cecilia couldn’t continue. Her black pupils contracted sharply and trembled dangerously.

As Cecilia turned deathly pale and couldn’t proceed, Esteller sensed the crisis and naturally took the initiative to prevent the atmosphere from turning awkward.

“Former Grand Duchess, it’s my first time meeting you. I am Esteller Leodinas.”

Esteller Leodinas. A statement confirming she was indeed the rumored Grand Duchess. Esteller gave a slight bow.

She merely adopted a polite posture without approaching like an affectionate daughter-in-law. Not because such behavior would be difficult or awkward, but because she realized it wouldn’t be appropriate at present.

‘Lady Cecilia must be worried about Dante’s future.’

Cecilia tried not to reveal her inner thoughts. Despite her desperate efforts, however, her complexion grew increasingly dark, and her wavering eyes clearly revealed deep concern and fear.

Sometimes, body language spoke more accurately than words. Cecilia was rejecting Esteller with her entire being.

Though Cecilia had been nominally powerless for years, she was still the former Grand Duchess of Leodinas. She certainly knew Emperor Gheorghe’s temperament. Her husband and son had suffered under him for years, and Cecilia herself hadn’t been free from Gheorghe’s sticky advances in her youth. In fact, it might be more accurate to say she knew him quite well.

In any case, knowing Gheorghe’s nature, Cecilia couldn’t possibly welcome Esteller’s beauty. At worst, she might have seen it as a source of potential misfortune that could bring another calamity upon the grand ducal household.

If so, it wasn’t strange at all for her to fear that ‘Dante might put himself in danger trying to protect his wife’ or wonder ‘can the grand ducal household handle this person.’

“Nice to meet you, Esteller… I heard you arrived at the castle earlier than planned… Ah, and I’m truly sorry for not attending the wedding. I heard there was a difficult situation, but I couldn’t help… I, I’ve been in poor health for several years, and although that’s no excuse for missing such an important occasion…”

Cecilia stammered with an unnatural smile.

Esteller had no intention of approaching Cecilia hastily and provoking her. Cecilia was Dante’s family and a person weakened by illness. She didn’t want to treat her harshly or quarrel with her.

“It’s fine with me, Lady Cecilia.”

Esteller responded with consistent gentleness even as Cecilia became agitated and rambled.

They exchanged a few more pleasantries that were neither particularly friendly nor impolite. Nevertheless, Cecilia’s anxiety and wariness remained undiminished. She was pushing Esteller away to protect her son.

‘Nothing can be done about this for now.’

While it would be a lie to say the rejection didn’t hurt at all, Esteller wasn’t deeply disheartened either.

Favoritism wasn’t unusual. Everyone naturally has people they love and cherish more than others. Even Esteller’s own parents would have been extremely wary of Dante if he had endangered their daughter’s safety.

There was plenty of time, so she could approach slowly. No need to be impatient or rush…

“Ugh…”

However, almost simultaneously with Esteller’s resolution, Cecilia let out a painful groan. With a face as white as paper, she clutched her chest, gasped, and then collapsed on the spot, unable to endure any longer. Her limbs went limp, and cold sweat soaked her pale forehead.

“Lady Cecilia!”

Diana rushed over with a sharp scream and hurriedly massaged Cecilia’s nape and solar plexus, trying to revive her.

“What are you all doing?! Take Lady Cecilia to her room immediately!”

Diana unhesitatingly pointed at the servants and commanded them.

Initially, she had entered Halpenrit Castle as Cecilia’s companion, but to solidify her position and prove herself indispensable, she frequently took on nursing duties as well.

Diana had spent many years this way. And when a person does one thing for a long time, they naturally accumulate experience and knowledge, becoming half an expert.

Now Diana could respond more quickly than anyone to emergency situations and knew how to organize the surroundings while stabilizing Cecilia.

“You there, call the physician. And you beside him, bring hot wet towels and medicine. Don’t make me tell you each step—move quickly!”

Her sharp voice echoed through the high-ceilinged hall. Since Cecilia’s fainting spells occurred periodically, the servants regained their senses as soon as Diana’s orders fell and promptly left their positions.

Some went to call the physician, others supported Cecilia’s limp body, and still others rushed to prepare medicine and washbasins… As the servants bustled about, the hall quickly became chaotic.

Diana roughly gathered up the voluminous and uncomfortable folds of her dress. She appeared to be heading toward the room where Cecilia’s sickbed was located.

However, when Esteller and Dante tried to follow, Diana flatly refused. She glared at Esteller with fierce eyes.

“Your Highness the Grand Duchess. I can take care of Lady Cecilia by myself, so you need not come.”

“But still…”

It was a harsh rejection, sharp as thorns. Just as Esteller was about to respond that at least Dante should accompany them, the other cut her off.

“I’m sorry to say this, but Lady Cecilia fainted after seeing Your Highness the Grand Duchess. Why would you insist on following?”

Diana shot back in a sneering tone.

“Lady Cecilia’s body and mind are already weakened to the extreme! Have you considered what might happen if she sees Your Highness the Grand Duchess again when she regains consciousness? Or are you acting this way despite knowing? If Your Highness causes Lady Cecilia another shock, her condition will worsen, and then…”

The implication between the lines was cruel. It suggested that Esteller harbored malicious intentions and sinister desires, deliberately pursuing Cecilia to harm her.

“What nonsense is this?”

Unable to tolerate Diana’s excessive remarks any longer, Dante coldly rebuked her.

“Your Highness the Grand Duke, you saw it yourself just now.”

“Mother always falls ill around this time of year. You’ve been caring for her for years, so you must know that.”