Clunk.
The carriage suddenly came to a halt when it unexpectedly reached the edge of the hillside.
“Did something appear outside?”
Jack shouted towards the outside without opening the door.
He thought maybe he should have hired a coachman who could also act as a guard, even if it cost more.
Although Lord Elais had told Jack to leave alone, he had hired a coachman because he didn’t want to drive the carriage himself the entire way.
He didn’t have enough money to hire a coachman who could also act as a guard, but now he was starting to regret it a little.
“Hey!”
Despite Jack’s shout, the coachman didn’t say anything. A chilling feeling ran down his spine.
Knock knock.
“It’s me.”
But soon, the voice from outside the door made his fear turn to anger as quickly as it had come.
“What? You scared me.”
It was when Jack opened the door, sighing in relief.
The coachman, who had seemed like he’d never held a sword before, naturally placed a dagger near Jack’s neck as soon as the door opened.
“What are you doing? If this is a joke…”
“Does this look like a joke to you?”
The moment he said ‘joke’, the sharp blade lightly touched his neck, leaving a thin red line.
“What do you want?”
“…”
Jack asked in a terrified voice.
He thought it might be a thief. But the coachman didn’t answer Jack’s question.
“I’ll give you whatever you want, just tell me what it is.”
“Anything?”
“Yes!”
Just as a drop of blood fell, the coachman delivered his message in a calm voice.
“A message from His Grace the Duke.”
“…What?”
Jack’s face went blank at the sudden mention of the Duke. Before he could grasp the situation, the coachman continued.
“Don’t let me see you again.”
“W-wait…! That’s too much.”
Don’t let the Duke see him? In other words, it meant don’t go anywhere except places outside of Elais’s sphere of influence.
‘He’s telling me to stay buried in the countryside.’
Jack felt wronged.
“He said that if you disobey, this time you’ll truly face unpleasant consequences.”
“What…?”
“You said you’d do anything for your life, so keep your word.”
With those final words, the coachman jumped off.
Then, instead of returning to the driver’s seat, he started walking back the way they had come.
“Wait!”
Jack shouted at the coachman’s retreating figure, but the coachman never looked back, as if his business was finished.
“Hey!”
And so, only the carriage and one man were left alone on the hillside.
****
Today’s palace banquet was held more modestly than usual.
Since it was suddenly organized on the Crown Prince’s whim, not many people attended.
“I rushed to attend thinking something important might happen today.”
“Seeing His Highness’s bored expression, it seems he just held it on a whim.”
Some nobles who had put aside other matters to attend, wondering if there was some hidden meaning, whispered among themselves.
Just when everyone had relaxed, thinking nothing special would happen until the banquet was in full swing.
“Duke Winternox… and Miss Caroline Langer have arrived!”
The herald’s loud announcement echoed through the banquet hall.
All eyes in the hall turned towards the door at once.
The sun had completely set, and only the moon was gracefully illuminating the sky. A faint scent of autumn wafted through the late summer night.
The carriage stopped in front of the annex housing the Emerald Hall, one of the most splendid halls in the palace.
“Um…Duke.”
Carol asked in a cautious voice.
“Yes?”
“Is this the place?”
She thought she had prepared herself mentally, but she was already surprised before even entering.
“Yes, it is.”
“It’s different from where we came before.”
“That was the appointment ceremony, and since it was small-scale, it was held in a smaller venue.”
“…”
“Today’s is considered modest too.”
Carol’s mouth fell open at the Duke’s words, saying he had chosen this to help her not be too nervous.
She had thought the palace she visited for the appointment ceremony was splendid and beautiful.
But now she understood.
That place had been quite modest for the palace.
Carol, who had used the appointment ceremony as a reference, was amazed at the scale of the palace. She suddenly regretted not looking outside when riding in the carriage to the appointment ceremony, being too focused on Lord Elais.
Her jaw dropped seeing the luminous stones, said to be worth their weight in gold, embedded in the palace exterior. The palace exterior glowing even in darkness was truly a spectacular sight.
“So that time was a small-scale event.”
“Yes.”
Carol looked up at the building in front of her, then turned to the Duke standing beside her.
“…I’m nervous.”
“About what?”
The Duke seemed unfazed even in front of the imposing building. Carol spoke, newly realizing how different their lives had been.
“Because you look so much more impressive than I expected.”
The Duke looked markedly different from how she had seen him until now.
She had thought he looked handsome when he visited her before, but today he was so impressive that she thought he was radiant. His splendid navy uniform with intricate silver embroidery could have looked too flashy, but it couldn’t outshine the Duke’s appearance.
Seeing his flawless, perfect appearance, Carol suddenly examined her own state.
‘Something seems off.’
The dress was beautiful, but it felt awkward as it was the kind of clothing she had never worn in her life. It didn’t seem to suit her.
The teal dress, matching her eye color, exposed her shoulders unlike usual, and the lower part was twice as voluminous as normal.
Even though she wore the most modest dress among those the Duke had prepared, it still felt excessively luxurious and awkward to Carol.
She had agreed to appear in noble society as the Duke’s partner, but now that she was here, she felt terribly afraid.
“…We’ve come this far, so I shouldn’t back out now, right?”
Carol said with an awkward laugh. The Duke responded as if it was obvious.
“No, you can back out. Your wishes always come first.”
Carol flinched. He seemed truly sincere, ready to turn back at any moment. Carol let out a hollow laugh.
“…When you say that, it makes it even harder for me to back out.”
“I’m being serious though.”
“…It’s okay. I need to make an effort too.”
Carol said bravely. She felt that if she ran away now, she’d run away next time too. The fastest way to overcome a difficult task was to face it head-on.
The herald glanced at the Duke, seeking approval.
“Are you really alright?”
“Yes.”
At Carol’s answer, the Duke finally gave a slight nod to the herald, as if granting permission.
The herald, as if he had been waiting for this, announced loudly.
“Duke Winternox… and Miss Caroline Langer have arrived!”
Soon the doors opened, and light so bright it could be mistaken for daylight poured through the gap.
****
As the doors opened, the Duke and the woman beside him stepped into the banquet hall.
Amidst the sudden silence that fell, only the soft melody of music flowed.
Carol, entering the hall, hesitated upon feeling the unnatural silence and the scrutinizing gazes of the attendees.
But the Duke leaned in gently to whisper, holding her waist.
The nobles surely thought they were exchanging romantic, sweet words.
“If you’re nervous, we can turn back now.”
“Don’t joke around.”
“Or should I tell everyone to close their eyes?”
“That would make me grit my teeth.”
“Oh my, that would be troublesome.”
The actual conversation was rather mundane, but no one could hear it.
The seemingly plain woman, in contrast to the splendid Duke, stood naturally by his side as if it had always been her place.
If asked whether they matched, it would be hard to say they did.
The man was excessively splendid, while the woman was comparatively plain.
Not only that, there was also a significant height difference between them.
However, the Duke’s gaze towards the woman dripped with honey, and the woman accepted it as if it were the most natural thing.
It became clearly evident that only third parties cared about their outward mismatch.
It wasn’t the first time the Duke had brought a partner to an event.
However, all his previous partners had clear reasons for accompanying him.
Relationships entangled with official matters.
That was all.
But no one in the banquet hall recognized the woman by the Duke’s side.
Therefore, it meant she wasn’t brought for political or business reasons.
If that were the case, the people present would surely have recognized her.
‘The main character wasn’t the Crown Prince after all.’
Some astutely realized that the reason for this banquet wasn’t just the Crown Prince’s whim to alleviate boredom.
The older attendees naturally gathered, and conversation quickly flowed.
“Have you ever heard of the Langer family?”
“It’s the first time I’ve heard of it.”
“I’ve heard the name Langer before.”
“Really? Where did you hear it?”
“Do you remember the recent knighting ceremony?”
“Ah, yes. I think I heard something. Why bring that up suddenly…?”
“I think I heard it there.”
“What?”
A few nobles with connections to the knightly orders remembered that the knight directly appointed by the Crown Prince at the recent ceremony was named Langshire.
The conversation reignited.
“When they said the Crown Prince rarely performs knightings, it seems there was a purpose behind it all.”
