Chapter 14
“Miss, Miss…! Please wake up, Miss!”
“Ugh… I don’t want breakfast…”
“What do you mean breakfast! We’ve arrived at the Grand Duchy! Miss, come on!”
Pushing aside heavy eyelids, Cecilia first saw Moa’s anxious face. Her blurred pupils were still submerged in drowsiness. As Cecilia slowly sat up, Moa hurriedly stomped her feet.
“Are you still sleepy, Miss? Oh dear, what’s wrong with your hair? We need to see the Grand Duke now, and this is what you look like!”
Moa hastily took out a comb from the bag she had prepared, brushing Cecilia’s hair and smoothing out her rumpled dress with her palm to tidy it up.
At that moment, someone knocked on the door from outside.
“When you’re ready, come out. The Grand Duke is waiting.”
The gruff voice belonged not to the uncles but to Sir Bjorn. Only then did Cecilia’s pupils focus, and she realized they had arrived at the Grand Duchy. She was startled.
“When did I fall asleep? How many hours did I sleep?”
“Hours? You’ve been asleep the whole time. We almost woke you up once, thinking you had fainted, but then we heard you snoring and didn’t want to disturb you. Ugh, drool stains.”
A rough hand wiped the corner of Cecilia’s mouth with a handkerchief.
Once she was finally ready, Cecilia cleared her throat. When Moa opened the door, the morning sunlight pierced her eyes.
She closed her eyes against the glare, gradually adjusting to the light, then opened them to see a mansion bathed in sunlight.
No, it was more like a castle.
Its overwhelming size rivaled even the imperial palace she had once seen in the capital, and Cecilia was so stunned that she forgot herself.
The white stone building, wrapped in bright light, looked like a piece of art, and the vast garden stretched so far she couldn’t see its end.
Garden trees and flowers arranged symmetrically along a well-maintained central path were aligned with absolute precision, without a single mistake.
Standing before the grand Duke’s enormous residence, Nibelius’s estate felt as humble as a hut on the edge of town.
“Let’s go. His Excellency is waiting in the third office.”
“Ah, yes.”
Unconsciously, she answered foolishly. Cecilia had no experience mingling with other nobles.
Since her fiasco at the debutante ball, it was natural she was never invited to noble tea parties or ballroom dances. For the same reasons, she did not attend any social clubs or gatherings, so she rarely saw other nobles’ mansions.
She was simply overwhelmed.
To be honest, she hadn’t expected such a huge difference.
“No, a house is just a house. Don’t chicken out.”
Steeling herself, Cecilia straightened her back. Her uncles had said it all came down to spirit. If she had spirit, nothing would be impossible.
Right now, she needed spirit.
The kind of spirit that would not shrink or be intimidated by anything.
After walking for quite some time, they entered the mansion. Walking even further, they finally reached the office, which was reminiscent of a banquet hall.
The lavish decorations and carvings, and the door handle bore a sculpture of the Cardinal family’s emblematic hawk.
A knight knocked on the door.
“Your Excellency, I have brought Miss Nibelius.”
“Come in.”
The deep, resonant voice from inside made Cecilia tense without realizing it.
She took a quiet deep breath and adjusted her posture.
Was this the first time since the debutante ball? Suddenly, she furrowed her brows.
An unpleasant memory resurfaced.
That event was the reason she hated the nobility and had Pierre, the Grand Duke, etched deeply in her mind. She could never forget it.
“What’s the point of thinking about that now? Stop it.”
Shaking her head lightly, Cecilia banished the thoughts.
Finally, the door opened. It was a high-quality, well-waxed door that opened silently, making it even more nerve-wracking.
The Grand Duke Pierre sat behind the desk at the center of the spacious office.
He lifted his head slowly from the documents he was reading.
His black, glossy hair shimmered like the night sky. His deep double eyelids and high nose bridge emphasized his noble bearing, yet he gave no delicate impression.
His thick jawline, broad shoulders, and chest emphasized his strength.
Everywhere you looked, his flawless appearance had no faults.
The empire even had songs praising his beauty, so no one could deny his perfect looks.
Looking down, Cecilia noticed his arm resting on the desk. The sleeve was rolled up halfway, revealing a thick arm like an iron club. Remembering last night’s events, her eyes narrowed.
“So that’s the arm that struck my sword.”
As she studied him, she felt his gaze. Looking up slightly, their eyes met.
Those icy blue eyes, chilling like the night she had seen in the mansion, made Cecilia hold her breath.
Meanwhile, the knight bowed deeply to the Grand Duke, then wiped the door and left.
Once the door closed, the Grand Duke smiled and greeted her.
“I sincerely welcome you to the Grand Duchy, Miss Cecilia Nibelius.”
Startled at hearing her name from his mouth, she quickly composed herself.
Holding her dress lightly, she bent her knees. Nobles’ greetings were always awkward, but she had no choice.
“It is an honor to meet you, Your Excellency, the Grand Duke.”
“Indeed, it’s a pleasure. You must be tired from the long journey. Let’s talk over a cup of tea.”
“I appreciate your kindness.”
The Grand Duke stood and sat on the sofa beside the desk. Cecilia took a seat on the opposite sofa.
He personally poured black tea into a cup and asked politely.
“Do you like sweets? I considered serving a meal, but since you are a lady, I thought you’d prefer tea and snacks. I hope it suits your taste.”
“Thank you.”
A cup of red tea was placed before Cecilia. Its sweet, refined aroma wafted gently, tickling her nose.
She glanced at the tea in front of her, then stole a look at Pierre.
Coincidentally, he was drinking from the same teapot. Seeing him swallow perfectly made her feel relieved.
She had told her family not to worry, but it didn’t hurt to be cautious.
Before she could finish the thought, Pierre put down his cup and said calmly,
“Before we begin, I must apologize.”
“Pardon?”
“As I mentioned earlier, everything has its proper procedure. And I am the one who must uphold these procedures and customs most faithfully. This time, things happened too quickly, and I couldn’t maintain that. Still, I thank you all for willingly agreeing.”
“Ah…”
“I also want to apologize for my subordinate’s rudeness to Marquis Cargo.”
Cecilia recalled what had happened at her estate.
Though she hadn’t heard everything, even from afar, the atmosphere had seemed very tense.
It had been a long time since she saw her father look so serious.
But that wasn’t the important part here.
Wearing a modest mask, Cecilia made an apologetic expression.
“No, I would also like to apologize on my father’s behalf. He worries a lot, but I’m sure he had no ill intentions.”
“Sending a precious daughter alone to a foreign land would naturally cause concern. I will punish my subordinate accordingly.”
“Please don’t, Your Excellency. Sir Bjorn acted out of loyalty to you, so my father will surely understand.”
Pierre looked a bit surprised.
Cecilia lowered her brows and smiled as if to say it was alright, nodding slightly.
At the same time, inside, she was cheering.
Judging from the conversation, he didn’t seem to have called her because of that day’s incident.
As expected, he had probably called her to pry for information since she was the daughter of a prime suspect.
Pierre’s closed lips slowly parted.
“This is surprising. Miss Nibelius, I didn’t expect you to be so kind-hearted.”
Yeah, right. Surprising. This isn’t the Cecilia you saw at the debutante ball. And I’m not going to give you any information you want. Instead, I’m going to get some information from you.
Hiding her true intentions behind a gentle smile, Cecilia drank another sip of tea as she finally felt some of her anxiety ease.
“You stole my words, so I thought you’d be an arrogant person who didn’t understand conversation. But you’re really unexpected.”
At his next words, the tea in her mouth got caught in her throat.
“Pft!”
“Oh dear, was the tea too hot?”
“Cough, cough!”
The liquid burned her throat. Red-faced, clutching her neck, she coughed harshly. He casually pulled out a handkerchief and handed it to her.
Following his hand, she looked up to see his perfectly composed smile.
“So, how was the ride on my words?”
