Chapter 21

Freddy had to spend over a week at the royal palace. Previously, not returning to the Grand Duke’s residence hadn’t bothered him much, but now…  

“Sigh.”  

Letting out a short sigh, Freddy forced himself to sit up from the bed. As he raised his hand to brush his hair, he realized he was holding a letter.  

That letter.  

A letter that looked as if it had been written by a child.  

Yet, it kept lingering in his mind—a letter that resembled Olivia.  

The letter had followed him all the way to the royal palace. When he first received it, Freddy had absurdly worried about the sender being caught rather than the palace’s security.  

Even now, thinking about it, he chuckled at the ridiculous thought.  

Had he been at the Grand Duke’s residence, he wouldn’t have read the letter. However, at the palace, there was nowhere to store it. Moreover, it would have been problematic if someone else saw it.  

Above all, the letter had a peculiar charm that drew one’s attention. Even though he resolved not to read it, he found himself opening it again and again.  

Freddy told himself that he would only read it while he was here, and that once he returned to the Grand Duke’s residence, he wouldn’t let himself be swayed by such letters again. With that thought, he tore open the envelope.  

A faint floral scent tickled his nose.  

As always, the letter began with a soft greeting.  

「To the Unknown Gentleman,  

How are you starting your day today?  

Where I am, the flowers are in full bloom, blossoming beautifully.  

Their sweet fragrance is so delightful that it naturally lifts my spirits.  

Oh, by the way, I briefly fell asleep at dawn, but the arrival of this letter woke me up.  

Am I tired, you ask?  

Not at all. In fact, I feel quite good.  

As I always say, I’ve been waiting for your letter.  

Think of it as starting your day a little earlier than usual.  

Now then, let’s talk about your atonement today, shall we?  

You haven’t gone home for the past few days, have you?  

Did you give ‘Liv’ a proper explanation? Judging by the letter I saw earlier, it seems you didn’t.  

See? You didn’t, did you?  

From her perspective, she hasn’t even fully adjusted yet, and her husband is absent, leaving her alone. How lonely she must have felt.  

Even if she was at home, would that place have felt like her home?  

I don’t think so.  

Of course, you must have been busy, and I’m sure you had your reasons.  

But, Gentleman, people won’t know unless you tell them.  

Don’t be afraid to speak to someone. The first time is always the hardest, but once you start, it gets easier.  

And I don’t think what happened was entirely your fault. You must have had a busy schedule, and since it hasn’t been long since your marriage, you might not know each other well enough to explain everything in detail.  

What I want to say is, it’s okay to be clumsy.  

It’s not a mistake, so stop blaming yourself for this.  

P.S. Gentleman, your atonement always makes me sad.  

If you think about it, it’s not entirely your fault, is it? Liv didn’t communicate with you either.  

There’s no such thing as a one-sided fault.  

It’s unfair for you to be the only one atoning.  

If Liv had tried to understand you even a little, perhaps you wouldn’t have been so sad.  

For various reasons, I can’t say I have a good impression of her. It’s a bit funny for me to say this to her husband, so I’ll stop here.  

From a place where the spring of April 1818 is in full bloom.」  

The letter was always vague, but for some reason, today’s contents aligned with Freddy’s current situation.  

A faint smile escaped him. The person meant to receive this letter must be a fool. How could someone act without explaining themselves to their wife…?  

“Ah.”  

Freddy’s face hardened.  

Since coming here, he had never contacted Olivia directly too.  

The only news he had of her came through Simon, and even that was information relayed solely to him. It was clear that Olivia hadn’t received any news about him.  

It was only then that Freddy realized he was no different from the fool mentioned in the letter.  

Of course, after entering the royal palace, he had been too busy to contact her. He had thought it better to finish his work quickly and return home.  

But after reading this letter, it seemed his judgment had been wrong.  

When it came to work, the answers were always clear and precise. But ever since marrying Olivia, it felt like he was walking through a foggy path. Yet, in this situation, there was a clear answer.  

“I need to go back soon.”  

Freddy carefully folded the letter and placed it in his suitcase. The letters he had received over the past week had already begun to fill one side of his case with a pink hue.  

***

After a simple meal, Freddy was reviewing documents in the Crown Prince’s office.  

“To keep a newlywed couple apart like this… I’m sure I’ll be struck by divine punishment someday.”  

Andrew sighed, emerging from the pile of documents.  

“Your Highness, how about sitting properly?”  

“I’ve lost track of how many days I’ve been staring at these words.”  

Freddy had come to the palace to trace the origins of rumors related to Olivia. He wanted to find out where the rumors had started. In doing so, he discovered that the royal family was at the center of the spreading gossip.  

The number of nobles working for the royal family was significant, spanning the Noble Faction, the Royalist Faction, and the Neutral Faction. However, most of them held low ranks or relied on royal salaries, meaning they lacked the power to spread such rumors on a large scale.  

This led Freddy to suspect the Silvest Royal Family itself.  

Since he couldn’t directly question Andrew or Basili, the task of uncovering the truth fell to Freddy.  

He had agreed to stay at the palace under the condition that he would find a way to stop the rumors. Naturally, the royal family readily accepted his proposal, as the alliance with Frenchia was of great importance to them.  

Of course, the delay in resolving the matter was not part of Freddy’s calculations.  

He clicked his tongue inwardly.  

“Don’t look so grim. It’s not like I want to be doing this either.”  

Hearing Andrew’s words, Freddy tried not to scowl.  

Since realizing through the letter how foolish he had been, he wanted nothing more than to return home and explain the situation to Olivia as soon as possible.  

He pressed his fingers against his temples, pondering the source of the rumors and how to eliminate them. He resolved to find a solution today and return home.  

“I heard the Noble Faction is also working to suppress the rumors.”  

“They’re likely finding it difficult as well. With the Frenchian delegation set to visit soon, Olivia’s reputation will naturally become a topic of discussion. It would be impossible for them to create a major distraction to suppress the rumors before then.”  

Olivia’s reputation was a crucial matter for the Silvest Royal Family as well.  

If word got out that someone representing the alliance was being treated this way, it would undoubtedly lead to undesirable consequences.  

“It would be nice if the Frenchian delegation’s visit were delayed a little.”  

“You know that won’t happen. Unless a war breaks out somewhere, they’ll arrive as scheduled. Instead of hoping for delays, it would be more efficient to think about how to improve Olivia’s reputation.”  

Rumors naturally fade over time.  

In ordinary circumstances, they might have decided to wait it out. However, with the Frenchian delegation’s visit imminent, the rumors needed to be quelled as quickly as possible.  

As they refocused on their respective documents, Andrew cleared his throat and called out to Freddy.  

“By the way, I heard there’s a tea party at the Munk Ducal House today.”  

“Is that so?”  

“It’s the monthly tea party.”  

Andrew was referring to a gathering attended by members of the Noble Faction, Royalist Faction, and Neutral Faction alike.  

Freddy barely paid attention to his words, as the tea party was something he had no interest in.  

The gathering was traditionally attended only by noblewomen, and since the Hester Grand Duchy had no lady of the house, Princess Anthonia had always attended in their stead.  

Thus, Freddy had never given the event much thought.  

“Perhaps the Grand Duchess received an invitation as well.”  

Freddy’s eyes sharpened at those words.  

“What did you say?”  

“Now that the Grand Duchess is part of the Hester household, wouldn’t she have received an invitation? Anthonia told me she wasn’t asked to attend as a representative, so perhaps the Grand Duchess will attend herself.”  

Freddy’s expression hardened.