Chapter 3.
Lena sat at the tea table.
She looked completely calm as if nothing had happened.
Flos, who had been watching Lena nervously, cautiously approached her.
“Um, Lady Trie. I heard gunshots near the forest earlier….”
Flos’ blue eyes were filled with worry.
Lena quietly observed those clear eyes.
Objectively speaking, Flos was far from beautiful.
Her appearance was often the subject of gossip among nobles.
“Why would the Crown Prince fall for a woman like her when he could have the most beautiful lady in Adelen?”
“Look at that hooked nose. She looks like an old witch!”
“She’s from the countryside. She’s probably just trying to get into the palace by any means necessary.”
Flos was not a beauty.
But Lena didn’t find Flos’ round eyes and innocent expression unpleasant.
“One shot was accidental, and the other was fired at a bird.”
“Oh… Then, the Crown Prince wasn’t hurt, right?”
It was an inappropriate question.
The young noblewomen nearby glared at Flo’s as if they would tear her apart.
“Who do you think you are to worry about the Crown Prince? And in front of his future wife, no less?”
“Just because the Crown Prince shows you a little attention, do you think you’re someone important? Apologize to Lady Trie right now!”
Flos turned pale and bowed deeply to Lena.
“I’m sorry. I spoke out of turn because I was worried….”
Lena sighed deeply. Then, she smiled at Flo’s.
“Shall we take a walk together?”
Ignoring the stunned stares of the other ladies, Lena stood up.
She could hear Flos’ hesitant footsteps following behind her.
Lena was practically an encyclopedia when it came to mistresses in romance novels.
A mistress was supposed to be breathtakingly beautiful and skilled at manipulative schemes, designed to drive a wedge between the male and female leads.
“But… what should I do with a mistress like you?”
Once they reached a secluded garden path, Lena turned to Flos.
Flos avoided her gaze and hung her head low.
“I sincerely apologize again, Lady. I wasn’t thinking.”
Her worn-out dress and submissive posture made her look more like a maid than a noblewoman.
If she had been a cunning beauty, Lena would have been ready for a fight.
But she had no desire to battle an innocent countryside girl who had fallen in love.
“It’s fine. Lift your head, Flos. I’m not your master.”
“N-No, please don’t speak so casually with me. You will be the future Empress,
and I am merely…”
Flos trailed off.
Lena completed her sentence for her.
“A mere mistress?”
Flos lowered her head even further.
She was unfamiliar with insults but willing to endure them.
That silent determination oddly tugged at Lena’s heart.
“Are you really okay with this? Living in the shadows for the rest of your life? Just for one man?”
“He may be just a man to you, but to me… he is everything.”
Lena rubbed her temples in frustration.
Another love story.
“The moment I first saw His Highness, I thought a prince on a white horse had appeared before me.
And when he showed interest in me, I thanked the heavens. So no matter what people call me, I don’t care, as long as I can love him.”
Such pure and devoted love.
Lena found it absurd that someone like Iluan would be the one to receive it.
“There’s no way you’ll be his last mistress. But I won’t tell you that.”
She held her tongue.
Did Iluan truly love Flos the same way?
Even if he did now, would he always?
Would he take another mistress and leave this innocent girl heartbroken?
There was no guarantee.
“You believe in love, Flos. I would have made a different choice. I wouldn’t throw away my whole life for love.”
“You’ve never been in love, have you, Lady?”
“What?”
It was a bold remark.
But Flos wasn’t being arrogant or smug.
“When you’re in love, you don’t hear what others say. Even if they warn you, even if they say he’s not the right one… nothing matters. As long as he’s with me, everything feels okay.”
She looked as if she were lost in a dream.
Lena suddenly understood why Iluan had fallen for her.
With Flos, Iluan could fill his fragile ego as much as he wanted.
Realizing that Lena was watching, Flos quickly adjusted her expression.
“I’m sorry. I must sound so foolish.”
Lena shook her head.
“I should be the one apologizing. If I kill Iluan, I’ll be taking your great love away from you.”
She swallowed her words.
It was time to return to the tea table.
If they were gone too long, the nobles would become too curious.
Just as Lena turned to leave—
“Lady Trie! Lady Trie!”
A servant came running toward her.
He was usually composed, so his frantic behavior was odd.
Lena’s confusion vanished when she saw the man behind him.
The servant had brought none other than Duke Callahan, covered in bird’s blood.
The servant looked as if he wanted to disappear.
“Lady, huff… I apologize, but could you help with translation?”
“What is it?”
“The Duke has been saying something, but none of us can understand him….”
Lena glanced up at the Duke.
“You spoke Adelenian fluently before. Why are you pretending now?”
“If I pretended not to understand, they would come find you, wouldn’t they?”
The Duke smirked playfully.
“It’s disappointing that the royal palace’s chief servant doesn’t even know basic foreign languages. Or maybe it’s a relief?”
“What is he saying, Lady Trie?”
The servant looked at her desperately.
Lena glanced at the Duke’s bloody shirt and translated.
“He’s asking for a guest room to change his clothes.”
“Ah, I see. Then, Duke, please follow me.”
Relieved to have something useful to do, the servant led the way.
But the Duke didn’t seem ready to part from Lena.
“You should come along, Lady. I think we need to talk.”
“About what? I don’t think we have anything to discuss.”
“Oh, I think we do. Maybe about a prince who hits women? Or why a lady insists on marrying him?”
Lena glared at him.
Hearing the foreign language, the servant nervously turned to Lena.
“Lady Trie, if I may….”
“Fine. I’ll come with you.”
—
They arrived at the guest room.
The servant looked relieved to have safely escorted the foreign Duke.
“Please rest comfortably.”
“Wait.”
Gerard stopped him.
The servant looked anxious.
“Take this maid and get her treated.”
Gerard gestured toward Marie.
Lena immediately understood his intention.
“He just wants to talk to me alone.”
But she couldn’t ignore Marie, whose eye was swollen and her face red.
Lena translated his request.
The grateful Marie left with the servant.
“Shall we step inside?”
The Duke opened the door.
Lena hesitated.
Being alone in a room with a man was improper.
Even more so in the royal palace.
After a moment of thought, she spoke firmly.
“Only for ten minutes. Until Marie returns.”
The Duke nodded and stepped inside.
Lena sat near the door.
Instead of sitting, the Duke walked straight to the basin and began scrubbing the dried blood off his hands.
Now that she looked closely, his hands and shirt were covered in it.
Feeling slightly guilty, Lena spoke.
“Thank you for earlier. I didn’t know you were so quick-witted—oh!”
She turned away in shock.
The Duke had casually taken off his shirt.
“What are you doing?!”
“Changing. I can’t stand wearing something dirty.”
Lena’s heart pounded.
Her eyes kept drifting toward him despite her efforts.
His toned back, broad shoulders, and strong muscles caught her gaze.
“Well? Are you disappointed?”
Their eyes met in the mirror.
Lena quickly looked away, her face burning.
When he sat across from her, he smirked.
“Why are you marrying him?”
“That’s a rude question.”
“You owe me a favor. I think I deserve to ask.”
Lena remained silent, watching him warily.
Gerard leaned forward.
“Then ask me first. I’ll answer, and then it’ll be my turn again.”
“I have nothing to ask you.”
“Lie. You want to know if I’m a weapons dealer, don’t you?”
Lena gasped.
“Are you? Or are you a spy from Zaet?”
Gerard chuckled.
“Neither.”
“Really? If you’re lying, I won’t answer either.”
He simply smiled.
“Now, my turn. Why on earth are you marrying him?”
