~Chapter 61~
Ivelina finally looked brighter and asked,
“Really?”
Her mother nodded.
“If you show the Grand Duke how lacking Delphina is, don’t you think he’ll lose interest in her?”
Ivelina didn’t answer right away. She remembered how much the Northerners cared about Delphina. But still, she trusted her mother’s words.
‘Mother has never been wrong before.’
The current Duchess of Rikeion, her mother, had always been wise. Ever since Ivelina was young, everything her mother said seemed to come true.
She remembered the first time she visited the Rikeion family home, when the Duke and Duchess were still alive. The big, beautiful mansion amazed her.
“Hello, you must be Ivelina?”
Delphina’s first impression was like a princess from a story. She looked so elegant and beautiful—someone Ivelina couldn’t compare to. All the other noble girls admired Delphina.
Ivelina remembered looking up to Delphina with envy. While she stared, her mother put a hand on her shoulder and said something Ivelina would never forget:
“Ivelina, do you like this place?”
“Yes, it’s wonderful! It’s like a castle where a princess lives. I wish I were like Delphina.”
Her mother smiled coldly.
“This castle will soon be ours. There’s no need to envy her.”
“Mother?”
“Soon, she’ll be below you.”
And not long after, the Rikeion family mansion really did become theirs. Delphina, who once seemed like a princess, fell to the bottom.
Ivelina never forgot how thrilling that moment felt.
‘Yes, she looked at me with those same eyes the first time we met.’
At the autumn banquet, when Delphina looked at her, it was the same as back then. Ivelina always thought Delphina’s confidence was actually her looking down on her.
‘How did she become so confident?’ Ivelina thought bitterly.
‘It must be because she got Elcayan.’
“Mother, I want the Grand Duke of the North.”
The Duchess was surprised.
“You want the Grand Duke?”
“That position should have been mine. I only let Delphina go because she said she wanted it. So I can take it back, right?”
Of course, none of that was true. Ivelina had refused the engagement with Elcayan, and Delphina was only sent North because of that. But Ivelina liked to see things her own way.
Her mother patted her on the shoulder.
“Okay, I’ll talk to the Grand Duke for you. But are you sure you want to go to that remote place? The people there are all barbarians.”
“I don’t care. I’m not planning to stay in the North much, even if we get engaged. I want to live with you, Mother.”
“Then it’s settled. When the Grand Duke and Delphina come to visit, I’ll handle things.”
They never thought about what Elcayan wanted. They just started making their own plans.
“Delphina, we’ve arrived.”
Delphina woke up at Elcayan’s voice.
‘Oh, we’re here already.’
She was surprised to see her head resting on Elcayan’s shoulder.
‘I fell asleep on his shoulder…’
She wondered if Elcayan minded.
“Delphina, if you’re tired, you can go back home.”
“No, I want to check if the evidence is really here myself.”
She hadn’t slept well the night before. She was nervous about returning to the Rikeion estate, a place full of bad memories. But she had a lot to do, so she had no choice but to stay alert.
‘I’ll have to see Ivelina’s face too.’
But she wasn’t afraid of Ivelina anymore. She wasn’t planning to let Ivelina walk all over her.
“Welcome, Your Grace the Grand Duke, Sir Calix, and… Lady Delphina.”
Delphina turned. The Rikeion Duke and his family were there, staring at Delphina, Elcayan, and Calix with unhappy faces.
The Duke, unlike Ivelina, was formal. He understood that Delphina was now the Grand Duke’s fiancée and deserved respect.
Seeing this, Ivelina felt even more upset. Elcayan’s rank was so high, even her father had to speak politely to him.
When the Duke finished talking, the Duchess pushed Ivelina forward.
“It’s an honor to meet you, Your Grace. This is Ivelina, our daughter.”
“…”
“She almost became connected to Your Grace. Maybe you remember her? Oh, you must have seen her at the banquet.”
Ivelina stared at Elcayan, almost in a daze. She’d never been this close to him before. Seeing Delphina on his arm made her even angrier.
Delphina’s face looked very tired.
‘She must have been scared to come back here.’
Elcayan gently supported Delphina, showing how much he cared for her. If Delphina hadn’t gone North, maybe he’d be supporting Ivelina now.
‘That should be me.’
But Elcayan shook his head at the Duchess’s words.
“I don’t remember her.”
“What?”
“There was a lot going on at the last event. It’s hard to remember everyone who came. Unless they stood out, I don’t recall.”
Ivelina clenched her fists. He was saying she was forgettable.
She had never been called unremarkable before. Everyone always liked her and said nice things, even the Empress and Prince Piaze. Even the royal family was kind to her.
Now, Elcayan looked at her with a blank face, as if she was just a rock. It was shocking.
‘He really doesn’t care about me at all? How is that possible?’
Elcayan didn’t care about her shock.
“My fiancée is tired. We’ll do introductions later.”
The Duke coughed. The Duchess sighed and looked at Delphina coldly.
Elcayan stepped between Delphina and the Duchess, as if to protect her, and gently put his arm around Delphina’s shoulder. It looked natural, and Delphina’s face turned red. Ivelina watched and ground her teeth.
The two looked just like a real couple.
‘This is nothing like what Sophia said…’
Sophia had said Delphina and Elcayan weren’t close and slept in separate rooms. But seeing them now, they seemed much closer than she’d heard.
The Duchess stared at Delphina, annoyed, and said,
“Ahem. Very well. I’ll show you to your rooms.”
Later, the Duke spoke quietly to the Duchess.
“The Grand Duke and Delphina seem very close, don’t they?”
The Duchess nodded, confused.
“They look even closer than Sophia reported. Like real lovers.”
