Having lost his family early on, Declan would naturally be particularly sensitive. Even though he tried to brush things off, the Grand Duke’s actions were occasionally excessive.
The Count, feeling inwardly disgusted, subtly changed the topic.
“By the way, have you heard the news about Her Highness? The personal physician recently visited and said the child would likely be born before autumn arrives.”
Declan, staring blankly with an incomprehensible expression, muttered, “It has already come to that.”
The Count, as if he were hearing this for the first time, skillfully added, “You must have been busy preparing for your return recently. It seems Her Highness forgot to relay the message.”
Recently, the Grand Duchess had somehow been slightly off-kilter. While her personality was never ordinary, lately she seemed strange in a different way.
She was making more frequent minor mistakes in tasks she used to handle adeptly, her work pace had significantly slowed, and she had eventually delegated all her authority to Ruben. According to the head maid, her sleep time had increased and she was spending more time sitting blankly.
[Since pregnancy naturally causes emotional fluctuations, it’s probably nothing to be concerned about. Her Highness has always been sensitive by nature…]
Christine reacted casually, but the Count couldn’t shake an uneasy feeling. The Grand Duchess he saw recently looked like someone who had lost a screw.
“Have you decided on the baby’s name?”
“Well…”
Declan trailed off. He was indifferently adjusting his clothing, showing no particular emotion.
For a man about to become a father, he was excessively nonchalant. The Count narrowed his eyes and observed him.
‘Where is the man who was delighted when he learned his wife was pregnant?’
His questionable gaze momentarily shifted to the gift package Declan had brought from the capital, hidden away in a corner as if trying to conceal it. The Count’s gaze narrowed further.
Beige baby clothes embroidered with gold thread, a small wooden horse decorated with pearls, a doll’s house decorated in soft pink and light blue – who could be the recipient of these adorable, completely incongruous items?
The Count finally let out a soft laugh.
Right now, Declan was acting indifferent in front of him because he didn’t want to show excitement before someone who had recently lost a sibling. The Count understood his inner thoughts and felt a bitter taste in his mouth.
He knew the reason Declan went to a war he didn’t need to participate in was because of his own sibling.
After the previous Grand Duke died, Declan had lived with the sole purpose of reviving a family on the brink of extinction. As someone who had always prioritized his duties as Grand Duke, his only deviation from his sense of obligation was his marriage to the princess.
Not only did he forcibly push through a marriage opposed by all his vassals, but he also strictly maintained discipline to prevent his servants from speaking ill of his wife. Of course, even if he silenced their mouths, he couldn’t control the negative gazes and undercurrents.
“Since you’ve retired from the military, I hope you can now spend ordinary days with someone you love.”
Though he initially harbored some disrespectful feelings toward the Grand Duchess, that was no longer the case.
Sienna was far from a dignified noblewoman, but she was diligent. She never neglected her duties as mistress of the house and, while not frugal, she maintained a reasonable level of luxury within the allocated budget.
Though they were trivial things, they were sufficient for the Count to look at her again.
If asked whether this princess was suitable to be the Grand Duchess, the answer would still be negative.
However, she was the only one who could make the Grand Duke happy. The Count had tried to dissuade him, saying this marriage would bring no gains and only losses, but thinking about it, that very fact was reason enough not to oppose it.
“When the young master is born, you could take him on picnics by the lake and teach him horseback riding, just as the previous Grand Duke did for you.”
Declan simply gave a bland smile in response to the Count’s words.
At that moment, a servant urgently burst into the office.
“Your Grace, something terrible has happened!”
****
It was officially ruled as an accidental fall.
“Besides a fractured right arm and bruising, her injuries are not severe. Fortunately, the baby is also unharmed.”
The physician said to reassure him, but his words did not register with Declan.
Declan’s gaze, fixed on the face of the woman lying as if dead, moved to her severely bruised arm. It was so thin that he could easily encircle it with his hand.
Not just her arm, but her entire body was so emaciated that it was hard to believe she was pregnant.
His gaze darkened as he looked at her arm wrapped in white bandages.
Typically, if someone accidentally slipped, they would reflexively use their hands to break the fall. If their wrist were injured in the process, one might consider it fortunate that the injuries were limited to this extent, as the physician said.
But her injury was different. The physician had mentioned that her arm was twisted between her body and the stairs as she tumbled down.
He didn’t elaborate further, but Declan could sense that her injury looked as if she had deliberately thrown herself down the stairs.
But why. How could this be?
Confusion gradually spread across Declan’s face. The physician, who had been quietly observing him, let out a sigh and spoke.
“Your Grace. I have something to discuss with you privately.”
****
He wanted to give her anything she desired. Wealth, honor, everything her father could not provide.
What he had wished for was not so extraordinary.
[It seems she is showing symptoms of depression.]
Recalling the physician’s words, Declan let out a bitter laugh.
When he first heard it, he thought the old man had gone mad. Depression?
He thought it was nonsense. There were no half-brother or sister in the Grand Duke’s residence to persecute her, and Declan had certainly instructed his vassals before leaving to grant her every wish.
But was that really enough?
He recalled the day of his departure, which he had forgotten for a while.
The deployment was hastily decided, and in the process, he had already had a confrontation of sorts with his wife, who was already in shock from Theodore’s death.
Without properly reconciling, he immediately left for the battlefield and spent six months there.
The war was chaos itself, and the battles raged day and night, leaving no time to even hold a pen. Even during rare moments of march, he was preoccupied with assessing enemy positions and discussing tactics.
The days passed quickly due to the urgency, to the point where a momentary argument could be easily forgotten.
But she was different.
Sienna remained in this quiet land, waiting for him.
Before leaving, Declan had assured her he would definitely return, but he did not know the anxiety carried by those left behind.
[It seems the servants have been speaking inappropriately about Her Highness. It is my negligence for not properly controlling them, Your Grace.]
[Since the First Princess’s visit not long ago, she has noticeably reduced her speech. I cannot precisely say what conversations occurred, but… since meeting the First Princess, she has been spending more time sitting in a daze.]
As he ruminated on Ruben and Christine’s words, a blurry voice came alive in his mind.
[If I had known this situation would arise, I would not have followed you.]
Suddenly remembering those words, he clenched his jaw.
He had thought everything was proceeding smoothly. He believed he just needed to continue on this path.
But that wasn’t the case. The scenery of the Grand Duke’s residence, which seemed like a calm lake, was nothing more than a good-looking shell that had been eating away at Sienna. While everyone else was living their lives, Sienna’s insides were rotting and decaying alone.
He couldn’t even sense where to find the true culprit of this situation.
Should he hunt down and cut out the tongues of those who spoke carelessly about Sienna? It wouldn’t be bad to find a pretext to crush the First Princess so thoroughly that she could never show her face in social circles again.
The situation had been contained, but the atmosphere in the Grand Duke’s residence remained like thin ice. Due to this series of incidents, the people of the Grand Duke’s household could not escape responsibility.
“I clearly remember instructing this before leaving.”
His voice was calm and unwavering. There was no sign of anger, nor was his tone accusatory. It was just cold like frost, yet that alone created an overwhelming pressure.
“I asked you to properly attend to the mistress while I was gone. Was that too difficult to ask?”
None of the vassals gathered there dared to speak easily. In truth, there was not a single person in this room who could stand with a clear conscience.
Until just before today, they had clearly believed their attitude towards Sienna was justified.
It was outrageous to have the daughter of a disgraced traitor as the Grand Duchess, especially since her father was the mastermind who killed the previous masters. Moreover, the princess herself had a history of causing disruption in the empire, which made it even more intolerable.
