STLECM 04

CHAPTER 04

“No way. Y-You’re talking to me…?”

“Did you not hear me? I told you to get out of my sight.”

Duke Cayenne had issued an expulsion order. A daughter of a mere baron without even a title could not disobey a duke’s command.

“Until the end of this Founding Festival, you are to reflect quietly at your estate. And until I and my future wife, Miss Etisha, return to the North, do not show your face again.”

“Your Grace! This is unfair. Tisha is my sister—!”

“Yes, and it is precisely because she is your family that I’ve tolerated this much. I won’t stop you from sending her a farewell letter.”

“…”

“Though whether Miss Etisha chooses to read it is entirely up to her.”

The Duke’s sharp gaze pierced Larienne. Confronted by the pressure of the North’s Sword—who had led countless battlefields—Larienne could only stumble backward.

In her heart, she wanted to leap at the Duke and claw his face, but her body wouldn’t obey. Her instincts, reacting to Cayenne’s magical aura, dragged her away.

Retreating reluctantly, Larienne called out to Etisha.

“Tisha…”

Her final desperate plea.

“T-Tisha, come to me. Let’s go back to the estate, back to your room. This time, I’ll play dolls with you, okay?”

Etisha said nothing. But some things don’t need words to be understood. Her expression said it all.

Thud.

With the sound of the heavy party hall doors closing, Larienne exited.

Now that the whirlwind had passed, the ballroom fell eerily silent—so silent you could hear the nobles breathing. Everyone watched the Duke’s reaction.

“…Haha, Miss Larienne really… I wonder when she’ll finally grow up.”

“Always causing trouble, and now this. I hope this incident teaches her a lesson.”

Sensing the change, the nobles cautiously approached and offered their congratulations.

The sudden marriage announcement was surprising enough, but the fact that it involved Etisha Heinz? Even more shocking. Still, none dared show their feelings in front of Duke Cayenne.

“Anyway, congratulations on your engagement, Your Grace, Miss Etisha.”

“Yes, you two make quite the fine couple, don’t you think?”

“Miss Etisha, don’t forget the capital even after you move to the North. We hope you’ll remember us fondly.”

Surrounded by once-in-a-lifetime congratulations, Etisha truly began to feel like the future Duchess of the North.

‘I still can’t calm down…’

As the moon dipped low and the grand first night of the Founding Festival drew to a close, Etisha found herself tipsy.

Her head spun. There’d been too many celebratory drinks forced upon her, and even though she’d tried to pace herself, it hadn’t helped.

‘To think I’d get engaged and have it publicly announced in a single day. What am I supposed to do now?’

She leaned back against the balcony wall.

Her original plan had been to wait until the last day of the festival, make the marriage announcement, and then escape straight to the North. But things had gone public on the very first day, meaning she’d need to rethink her strategy.

‘Larienne probably ran home and told our parents everything by now. They’re not going to leave me alone.’

Etisha winced as she imagined her father’s cane. There were still two full days left until the end of the festival. How was she going to survive until then?

‘What do I do now…?’

Just then, with the moonlight behind him, Duke Cayenne appeared.

He had drunk far more than her, but showed no sign of being intoxicated.

“Miss Etisha, there you are.”

“Your Grace.”

“Your face is flushed. Are you drunk?”

Etisha shook her head. She was still okay—barely.

“I must apologize for earlier.”

He leaned against the opposite balcony wall. Despite the space between them, his voice carried clearly in the quiet, moonlit night.

“Apologize for what?”

“For rushing the marriage announcement.”

“That’s nothing to apologize for. You were helping me.”

“Helping, you say… Is that really what I did?”

Cayenne regarded her quietly from afar.

“I didn’t act out of a desire to help you. If you hadn’t been wearing the Wintel family ring, I may never have stepped in.”

“…”

“I wasn’t protecting you—I was defending the honor of the Wintel family. As its head, I couldn’t overlook someone bearing our crest being humiliated.”

Despite his cold tone, Etisha remained calm. She met his gaze and replied steadily.

“Whatever your reasons, the fact remains—you did help me. And I’m grateful for it.”

“Is that so.”

“It’s the first time Larienne has ever backed down so quietly. The feeling I have now… this sense of freedom—you could never understand, Your Grace.”

Duke Cayenne blinked slowly. A faint smile passed across his lips.

“Perhaps I could understand.”

“Pardon?”

“It’s nothing. More importantly, what are your plans now?”

He was asking about the days ahead. Etisha sighed softly, turning her eyes to the distant sky.

“Well… I’ll attend the rest of the festival for the next two days, and then head north, I suppose?”

It was a vague answer.

But as if reading her mind, Cayenne clarified.

“No, I meant—what are your plans tonight?”

“Tonight…?”

“Are you going back to the Heinz estate?”

“…”

“Or are you coming with me?”

Etisha was speechless.

It was as if Cayenne had read all her worries.

“You don’t want to face your family, do you?”

“…No, I don’t.”

“Then allow me to invite you to my villa in the capital. Why not stay there for the next two days? There are plenty of empty guest rooms. You’ll be comfortable.”

“…”

“Given the public announcement, no one will gossip just because we’re staying under the same roof.”

Etisha parted her lips, unsure of what to say, unsure how to thank him, unsure how she’d ever repay this kindness.

‘The only way I can repay him is by dying quickly.’

She bowed her head.

“Thank you for the offer… but I can’t impose on you like that.”

“No. This is not a favor—it’s a necessary precaution.”

“Sorry?”

“I’d rather not see my fiancée return from the Heinz estate with a bruised face because she was slapped.”

“Oh…”

“If you understand, then come to my villa, Miss Etisha.”

He had a point. If she went back now, who knew what would happen? At worst, her father—Baron Heinz—might beat her so badly she wouldn’t be able to leave the house.

‘Then I wouldn’t be able to attend the festival at all. I’d be a disgrace to the Duke, too.’

After a moment of thought, Etisha nodded.

“Then… I’ll accept your offer. Thank you.”

“No need to thank me. I didn’t help you out of kindness this time either.”

“You always say that. Even if you didn’t intend to help me, I was helped, and that’s reason enough to be grateful.”

Etisha smiled softly. The wine’s flush on her cheeks blended perfectly with her gentle smile.

Freed from the shadow of her household and her sister-in-law, Etisha looked like a new person.

Like a child smiling at their first snowfall, like a student thrilled for their first day at school—her expression and gaze carried something that moved the hearts of those who saw her.

It was unforgettable.

Cayenne stared at her smiling face and let his expression relax. It seemed even he wasn’t entirely immune to the wine.

“…”
His gaze lingered on her for a while before slowly drifting away.

The Heinz Estate

Having heard the news too late, the baron and his wife were frozen in disbelief. A cold breeze swept through the parlor.

“Marriage? Etisha… with Duke Cayenne Wintel?”

“Wintel… the Sword of the North? That Duke Wintel?”

It was too absurd to believe. If it hadn’t come from their daughter Larienne, they’d have dismissed it as nonsense.

“There’s no way… How would she end up as a duchess?”

“Exactly. And there are rumors that Duke Wintel already has a beloved mistress…”

Chaos reigned.

Baron Heinz slammed his fist onto the table, while Baroness Dorothea tore her handkerchief apart in frustration.

Their reaction was natural. For nobles, marriage wasn’t just between two people—it was between two families.

Just as engagements preceded marriages, there was a set process and protocols to follow for noble unions.

“How dare he marry my daughter without the family’s consent…”

The Baron swallowed his anger. Dorothea added her own thoughts.

“He’s right. A marriage without parental approval, without even a witness—it’s unheard of.”

At that, Larienne, who’d been fuming, perked up. Maybe she could bring Etisha back home after all.

“Right? Mom, Dad! Tisha can’t be married, right? She’ll come back home to us, won’t she? Please?”

The childish Larienne made a scene, demanding they go retrieve Etisha. Dorothea held her daughter in her arms and soothed her.

“Yes, yes. A girl like that shouldn’t be let out in public. She has no talents, no merits. She’ll only bring shame to the Heinz family.”

Dorothea had always favored Larienne.

And Baron Heinz usually did, too.

But not this time.

“Wait a moment.”

The Baron stroked his beard, murmuring.

“Come to think of it, maybe we don’t need to call the marriage off after all.”

Baron Heinz was a noble—and he understood better than anyone how a marriage could benefit a family.

“If Etisha marries Duke Wintel, our family becomes connected to his. We could expand trade to the North, maybe even lay new transport lines.”

“Father!”

“Be quiet, Larienne. This is a golden opportunity.”

“But, Father! Etisha’s going to die soon—she has the deathblight!”

Larienne shouted. Dorothea backed her up.

“That’s right. How can we send a child with the deathblight outside? What if she collapses at a party? How would we explain that?”

But the Baron waved it off like it was nothing. Not a shred of concern crossed his face.

“That’s exactly why we should marry her off quickly and send her to the North.”