Episode 15
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Two weeks ago, Marquisate of Elinium.
It wasn’t exactly appropriate to take Princess Eos straight to a party the moment she arrived in the territory, but Lankea couldn’t refuse the invitation, given the influence the Marquisate of Elinium had over Iarid.
It was as if they knew exactly when he would arrive—they sent the invitation immediately, and though he wasn’t pleased, he accepted it as intended.
And sure enough…
The real focus of this party wasn’t the duke himself, but rather his newly wedded wife—Eos Baeterinum… no, now Eos Fidelanis.
“It’s the same for both of us. I will never love her, and she already has someone else she loves and a husband of her own.”
Love had no place in this performance.
And Princess Eos played her role exceedingly well.
That alone satisfied Lankea. On top of that, she possessed an unexpected boldness.
When he first saw her file, he thought she was just another spoiled noble lady, but meeting her in person proved otherwise.
Even when he politely suggested she leave, even when he offered to prepare her another residence, she stubbornly insisted on staying here.
A normal young lady would have wanted to flee this place immediately, yet she volunteered to stay.
Perhaps that was why, from then on, Lankea’s eyes began to linger on Eos.
“Greetings, Your Grace, Duchess!”
“You must be Princess Eos, newly become Duchess? It’s a pleasure to meet you. I look forward to getting along well!”
The moment they arrived at the Marquisate of Elinium, people gathered around them.
“Just as expected.”
But from here on, the spotlight belonged to the duchess, Eos.
Forging new connections.
Thus, Lankea remained at her side only briefly before stepping away toward the Marquis of Elinium.
“Your Grace, congratulations on your marriage!”
The marquis shook his brown hair in greeting.
“Ah, yes, Marquis. Thank you for holding this welcome banquet. She will enjoy it.”
“Not at all, Your Grace. I’m the one more grateful that you attended.”
Lankea nodded reflexively at the marquis’s honeyed words.
At the same time, despite himself, his gaze wandered around the room.
And then it stopped—on one person.
“Of all people…”
Eos.
She had, unfortunately, been caught by none other than the marquise—a woman whose personality was not exactly pleasant.
And since Lankea knew that the marquise had once liked him, it wasn’t hard to guess that she wouldn’t be fond of the new duchess.
“That expression again.”
Eos’s lips were curved in a smile, but her eyes were unmistakably pale with discomfort.
…Just like on their wedding night, when he had grabbed her wrist as she tried to pull the covers over him.
Back then too, she had forced her lips upward, but her brilliant amber eyes had been trembling.
“Your Grace?”
“…Ah, Marquis. My apologies. Excuse me for a moment.”
Even knowing he should leave her alone, the memory of that same expression made him move before he realized it.
He had a ready excuse to approach her—
Her dress was long enough to reach her ankles, and she kept shifting her feet in her shoes.
It was easy to notice.
Her heels were flushed red in stark contrast to her pale skin.
Even though he knew he shouldn’t, Lankea stepped forward.
“Your Grace, I’ll be in the lounge for a bit. You should stay here with the guests. I’ll rest a moment and return.”
At his words, Eos visibly relaxed and nodded vigorously, volunteering to head toward the lounge. Watching her walk away, Lankea’s lips parted slightly.
Did he want to talk to her?
Even he didn’t know why.
“It’s already almost time for the party to end…”
Midnight was approaching, and the party atmosphere was at its peak.
But Eos, who had said she would rest in the lounge and return, still hadn’t reappeared. Some tired nobles had already excused themselves and left.
“I should leave soon…”
Lankea scanned the room again just in case, but she was nowhere to be seen.
“Your Grace, it seems the duchess hasn’t come back yet.”
Miller, perhaps sensing his concern, also remarked on her absence.
“I know.”
“Shall I look for her?”
“I know where she is. Go prepare the carriage.”
“Yes, sir.”
With a nod, Miller left the hall, and Lankea followed soon after.
If she hadn’t come out of the lounge yet, she must still be there.
—Knock, knock, knock.
He knocked first, but there was no response.
“Hm…”
Where else could she have gone…?
Unless… someone had targeted the duchess?
The thought made him open the door quickly.
“Phew…”
Fortunately—or perhaps unfortunately—
Eos was there, alone in the lounge. And she was fast asleep, untouched by any danger.
“Ha…”
Seeing her there, he finally let out a small sigh of relief.
“…? Why am I…”
Even he didn’t know why he felt relieved.
He had thought he felt nothing for her.
Still, he stepped closer, careful not to wake her, and softly called her name.
But she remained exactly as she was, eyes closed, completely defenseless.
“Right… the reason I care this much is simply because she’s my wife now.”
Watching her quietly, Lankea reached his conclusion.
His reaction to her now wasn’t a matter of the heart—it was a sense of responsibility that had come the moment they married.
—
Iarid, inside Lankea’s ducal residence.
Since they couldn’t converse in the freezing air with the blizzard raging outside, they had come indoors.
“Damn northern duke setting. Always has to be freezing in the north.”
Of course, with Lankea’s “settings” being that he was the Duke of the North, it made sense that his lands were far colder than others…
But experiencing it firsthand was far different from just reading about it.
This endlessly foul weather only strengthened her resolve that next time, the male lead should be a duke of some warm southern territory instead.
“Your Grace?”
It was Madam Hayley who interrupted her thoughts.
“What were you thinking about so deeply?”
“Ah… no, um… nothing.”
Perhaps because she had let her guard down for a moment, her usual habit of speaking politely to Madam Hayley slipped out.
“What I meant to say is, that attendant named Hans isn’t the kind of person you think he is.”
“…Pardon?”
The bob-haired maid thanked Madam Hayley for the tea she had brought and looked puzzled.
“He said he ‘picked up’ the crepe on the way from town, right?”
“Yes.”
She nodded repeatedly.
The duchess took a sip of tea, recalling the etiquette lessons she’d received from Libed.
“Then he probably likes you.”
“…What? But that doesn’t make sense… Hans is always nice to everyone else, but he’s especially curt with me… And then in that situation, he gave me the crepe… What else was I supposed to think, Your Grace?”
The bob-haired maid was clearly getting worked up as she relived the situation.
But if things stopped here, nothing would progress.
“People tend to tense up around those they want to impress. If he’s only like that with you, it means you’re special to him—different from the others.”
“….”
Her expression still showed doubt, as if wanting more explanation.
“And really, do you think it was just some crepe he picked up off the street? There wasn’t anything wrong with it, was there? But maybe Hans was too embarrassed to give it to you outright, so he made up an excuse.”
“!”
The maid’s eyes widened in realization, and she drew in a sharp breath.
“So that’s what it meant…”
“Sometimes people are so shy about confessing their feelings that they hide instead—even though they shouldn’t. Of course, we can’t know someone else’s heart for sure.”
The duchess smiled faintly.
Maybe she understood because she herself was one of those people—someone who always hid away, awkward and clumsy at expressing real feelings.
“Then… if I confess to Hans, will he accept me?!”
The maid asked after a moment’s thought.
“Yes.”
For shy, avoidant types like that, the cure was always another person—a person completely opposite to them.
And in that sense, this bob-haired maid was probably perfect for Hans.
“Thank you so much, Your Grace! I can’t believe you’d even listen to worries like this…”
The two maids were deeply moved, thanking her over and over.
Then the ponytailed maid spoke up hesitantly.
“Would you… be willing to give advice like this to others too, if they needed it? We’re not exactly experts in romance…”
Their eyes sparkled brightly, and before she realized it, she nodded.
After all, it would probably only happen once a month or so.
But she didn’t know then—
That she shouldn’t have agreed to that request.
—Next—
