“Are you opposing Freya’s decision now?”
“Oppose, oppose Freya’s decision? How could that be?”
Marquis Leon, flustered, began to sweat profusely.
Hilane struck the table and warned Marquis Leon in a harsh voice.
“Also, the will of a minor’s parents is paramount.”
“……”
“How dare you discuss the princess’s whereabouts? How insolent!”
The smile vanished from her face.
‘He must have thought the fourth princess had a different personality since she rarely stepped forward, only supporting the crown princess from behind.’
Marquis Leon realized too late that he had fallen into Hilane’s trap after underestimating her when she arrived.
“I apologize, Your Highness. If it is Freya’s will… there is nothing we can do.”
Marquis Leon reluctantly conceded, clearly displeased.
* * *
The entire Senate couldn’t hide their dismay.
“Thank you all for your efforts. Let us adjourn the meeting.”
Even after the meeting ended, Glaze appeared busy, speaking with the scribe.
‘Chevelyn must be waiting. I should hurry.’
Thinking of her child, Hilane quickened her pace.
“Chevelyn.”
[ Mommy! ]
When she returned to the Largon Palace, Chevelyn, who had been lying on the carpet coloring, jumped up and ran to her.
“Sweetie, did you enjoy the canapé?”
Hilane patted Chevelyn’s cheek as she hugged her legs.
Chevelyn giggled and shook her head.
“Hmm? You didn’t eat?”
The maid who had been looking after Chevelyn spoke up instead.
“The princess said she would wait to eat with Your Highness.”
“Oh, I see. You didn’t have to wait, but that’s sweet of you.”
Chevelyn, staring intently at the maid, wiggled her fingers and wrote something in Hilane’s palm.
[ Mommy, that sister is nice. She drew a ruby picture for me. ]
Chevelyn smiled widely and hugged her rabbit doll tightly.
Seeing her daughter’s happiness, Hilane grew curious.
‘It’s rare for her to like someone this much…’
She couldn’t yet be certain about the maid’s true character.
It hadn’t been long since many servants were replaced.
Choosing trustworthy maids required careful consideration.
“What is your name?”
“El, Elisha Dion, Your Highness.”
Repeating the name to herself, Hilane remembered who she was.
“The third daughter of Baron Dion.”
Baron Dion’s family, although holding a low title, was an old and esteemed one.
Moreover, Baroness Dion had once been Hilane’s nurse.
Now that she looked closely, Elisha had the same reddish hair and hazel eyes as the Baroness, with a gentle appearance.
“I should reward you for taking good care of the princess.”
“It is an honor to serve, Your Highness. I was merely doing my duty.”
Despite Hilane’s praise, Elisha remained humble.
Suddenly, something came to Hilane’s mind.
“Isn’t Baroness Dion related to the Royal Family of Requier?”
“Yes, my mother is the second cousin of His Majesty Emperor Calliosa of the Requier Empire.”
Since Baroness Dion was born and raised in Requier, she would know their customs better than anyone.
‘I know so little about the Grand Duke. I’ve hardly spoken with him…’
Feeling the need for information about Aachen, Hilane spoke to Elisha.
“Is Baroness Dion still recuperating in the estate?”
“Yes, she has recently returned from the estate, Your Highness.”
“Good. I would like to meet with Baroness Dion.”
“I will convey your wish to my mother, Your Highness.”
Elisha, understanding quickly, left.
* * *
The next day.
“Your Highness, Baroness Dion is here to see you.”
“Show her in.”
Baroness Dion had been Hilane’s nurse until she was ten years old.
She had to quit due to health issues, so they hadn’t spent many days together.
However, Hilane still remembered her.
During the times when she received little attention from Empress Millete, who was focused on her younger brother.
‘Your Highness, Hilane. Are you upset? Come here. I will hold you.’
Only Baroness Dion had embraced Hilane with gentle hands.
‘Ah, Baroness Dion used to enjoy drinking this.’
“Elisha, please bring two cups of Earl Grey.”
“…Yes, Your Highness.”
Soon, there was a sound of footsteps.
The door opened, and Baroness Dion entered.
“I greet Her Highness, Princess Hilane, the shining fourth star of the Peztaine Empire.”
‘Nanny has aged a lot.’
Baroness Dion knelt with some difficulty on one knee.
“No need for formalities.”
Hilane seated Baroness Dion and scrutinized her. Despite the Dion Baron’s family not being financially strained, she was dressed very modestly.
“Please, sit down.”
Baroness Dion’s lips trembled as she couldn’t bring herself to look at Hilane.
“Baroness Dion.”
“May I… dare to ask how you have been?”
Baroness Dion’s face was full of guilt.
‘Is she still feeling guilty?’
Hilane knew the reason. Shortly after she left the palace, a fire broke out in the palace where she had been staying. Baroness Dion tried to return upon hearing the news, but Empress Isabella did not allow it.
Hilane had never intended to blame her, and she pretended to be indifferent.
“It’s alright. It’s all in the past now.”
Even if that day could never be forgotten.
“It must have been hard for you to come. Thank you for coming. Have some warm tea. It’s the Earl Grey you liked.”
“You remembered.”
Tears welled up in Baroness Dion’s eyes as she became more emotional.
Hilane waited until she took a sip of the Earl Grey before addressing the reason she had called her.
“Baroness, you must have heard about my recent divorce from Marquis Rata.”
“Yes. Are you alright?”
“A little.”
Hilane forced a smile as she spoke.
“I will soon be remarried to Grand Duke Belzette.”
Baroness Dion’s eyes widened in surprise at the sudden news of the remarriage.
“The Grand Duke of Belzette… do you mean the former crown prince of Requier?”
“Yes. I’m curious about what kind of person he is, his character and background, so I called you here.”
Baroness Dion carefully cradled the surface of her teacup as she pondered where to begin.
“Well… the Grand Duke is the eldest son of Emperor Calliosa of Requier…”
She seemed to be gauging where to start.
“The Grand Duke has an eight-year-old son.”
“An eight-year-old son?”
Hilane wasn’t particularly surprised. She herself had Chevelyn.
‘Maybe we can understand each other better because of it.’
She didn’t feel any negative emotions about the news of the son.
“There isn’t much known about the Grand Duke’s son because he was acknowledged not long ago…”
Baroness Dion seemed hesitant to say more.
“Acknowledged not long ago?”
“The former Grand Duchess, his biological mother, secretly raised him. The Grand Duke only found out about him recently…”
“So he found his son and then abdicated his position as crown prince to become a Grand Duke?”
“Yes. And the Grand Duke’s son is currently living in the academy dormitory, so there isn’t much information about him.”
Hilane shifted her questions to Achen’s sibling relationships.
“Do you know about the relationship between the Grand Duke and his half-sisters, Princesses Violet and Bianca?”
“The Grand Duke and the daughters of Empress Mikael are not close.”
Baroness Dion clearly stated that the Grand Duke was not close with the two princesses.
“Count Tiara, their uncle, has been antagonistic towards the Grand Duke…”
“I see.”
Hilane understood immediately what Baroness Dion was trying to convey.
“He was also separated from his twin sibling as a child.”
Baroness Dion was still cautious with her words.
‘So the Grand Duke has a twin sibling.’
Judging by Baroness Dion’s reluctance to speak, the relationship was likely complicated.
Hilane decided she needed to be especially careful regarding the Grand Duke’s family relationships.
“Instead, he has had significant interactions with his cousin, Prince Lorelei.”
“Lorelei, the princess of Bowentawin?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Princess Lorelei of the Principality of Bowentawin.
Hearing that name made Hilane blush.
She had visited the Principality of Bowentawin a few years ago.
‘…I spent a night with a man I met there.’
It had been a very impulsive act.
Hilane, accustomed to controlling her emotions, had never acted outside her bounds.
But there had been an exception.
A night where nothing was predictable.
Hilane remembered that man. It was a hot summer day.
‘I dropped a wine bottle, cutting my knee…’
Piecing together fragmented memories in order, she remembered meeting a very kind man on the terrace.
He made her feel comfortable, to the point it seemed odd.
He had taken off his jacket and wrapped it around her, even when lifting her onto the railing, he had asked if she was uncomfortable.
When she leaned into his tall frame, a sense of buoyancy enveloped her.
When she pretended to be upset about a remark on her height, he had been adorably flustered, immediately apologizing.
She had gone to his room to disinfect her wound.
Wrapped in his warm embrace, she felt her tension melt away.
So she remembered humming a lullaby her mother used to sing.
In response, his heartbeat had mingled with the melody, resonating in her ears.
♡♡♡
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