“The Count’s men are prideful. They wouldn’t make excuses if they hadn’t done anything.”
“Then why were you following the princess?”
Aachen roughly grabbed the assassin’s chin.
“Because she looked too much like Lady Rachel, we thought it best to report to the Count, just in case.”
The assassin hesitated but answered Aachen’s question.
“…Rachel? Did you say Lady Rachel?”
Repeating the name that came out of the assassin’s mouth, Aachen knew who Rachel was.
“Rachel Tiara. The foster daughter who was kicked out of the Tiara family a long time ago.”
When Aachen mentioned this, another assassin who had been silent until now snapped.
“Lady Rachel never stole the family heirloom! She was wrongfully expelled!”
“Hmm, whether your lady stole it or not… that’s not my concern.”
Aachen smirked lightly before suspending the assassins in the air, rendering them speechless.
“If you disclose any information about the princess, you’ll lose your tongue.”
“…!”
“Don’t take any more interest in Belzette. This is your last warning.”
As the train briefly stopped, Aachen flicked his finger, and the assassins were thrown into the cargo hold.
“…I guess it’s time to return to Lane now.”
Dusting off his hands, Aachen changed his expression to a gentle one and left the cargo area as if nothing had happened.
—
“His Grace seems very kind,” Elisha commented as she finished fixing Hilane’s hair after helping her change into a new dress.
“…Indeed,” Hilane agreed, while Chevelyn, with a wide smile, spread her arms wide.
[Cherry likes His Grace too!]
As Chevelyn made this gesture, the ribbon holding her cape came undone, and her rabbit doll fell to the floor.
“Do you like him too?” Hilane asked, gently stroking Chevelyn, unaware of the fallen doll.
‘I’ll have to tie the ribbon again later.’
A short while later, Aachen returned to the private compartment.
“Your Grace, you’re back.”
“You look good in darker colors as well.”
Aachen gazed intently at Hilane, who had changed into a dark green dress.
This time, he didn’t pretend not to notice.
Somehow, this felt more embarrassing. Noticing Hilane’s shyness, Aachen turned his attention to Chevelyn.
“Princess, your ribbon came loose.”
He knelt on one knee to fix Chevelyn’s disheveled cape and picked up the doll.
“Belzette is cold. You might catch a cold.”
[Yes… Thank you.]
Seeing Aachen’s actions made them feel like a real family.
‘Could we really become a family?’
This was the kind of bond she had longed for.
Aachen, who had been playing with Chevelyn, suddenly stood up and pointed out the window.
“This is the Belzette Grand Duchy, Princess.”
Hilane followed his hand and looked outside.
“Is this the Belzette Grand Duchy?”
“Yes, it is.”
Hilane began to realize she was in the north with Chevelyn.
“Be careful, My lady. And you too, Princess.”
With Aachen’s help, they disembarked from the stopped train.
‘So this is what Belzette looks like.’
Everyone passing by seemed relaxed. The landscape, covered in pristine white snow, was breathtakingly Princessutiful. After loading all their luggage into a rented carriage, they sent Elisha ahead. Chevelyn, in Aachen’s arms, curiously scanned the surroundings.
‘It’s been years since snow fell in Peztaine, so this must be Chevelyn’s first time seeing it.’
The world outside, from the distant clock tower to everything else, was blanketed in pure white snow.
[Cherry wants to walk alone!]
As Chevelyn spoke, Aachen immediately set her down. Chevelyn, now on the ground, crouched down and poked at the snow, visibly excited.
[Mom! Everything here is like ice cream!]
The snow’s texture must have reminded her of her favorite treat, ice cream.
“It does look like ice cream.”
Agreeing with Chevelyn’s description, Hilane watched as the child licked her lips, gazing at the snow.
[It looks delicious.]
“Lyn, you can’t eat that.”
Hilane quickly intervened, worried that Chevelyn might actually try to eat the snow.
[But it looks so tasty.]
Seeing this, Aachen chuckled and reassured the pouting Chevelyn.
“Princess, it’s cold, so let’s wait a bit and have some hot cocoa later, okay?”
[Yes!]
Chevelyn, who loved sweet things, stood up energetically.
“Princess, I asked them to come meet us, but it seems we arrived earlier than expected.”
With some free time on their hands, Hilane grew concerned for Chevelyn, who was shivering from the cold.
“Oh… What should we do? Lyn, are you very cold?”
[No! I’m not cold!]
“Not cold, huh.”
Hilane wiped Chevelyn’s nose with a handkerchief, seeing her breath mist in the air.
“It should be safe to use a magic scroll to travel from here.”
As he flicked his wrist, a magical scroll appeared from nowhere. Contrary to Hilane’s concerns, Aachen offered a simple solution.
[ Paper? ]
Chevelyn, intrigued by the magical scroll he saw for the first time, stared at the scroll in Aachen’s hand.
“If you tear this, you can go directly to the place you want to go, Princess,” Aachen explained plainly to the curious Chevelyn.
“Then let’s move.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
Aachen tore the magic scroll. A rather complex spell formula appeared.
[ Ch-Cherry, this is scary! ]
Before anyone could stop her, Chevelyn, with her right foot out of the spell formula, was suddenly surrounded by a whirling space.
Not seeing Chevelyn anywhere, they looked around, spotting her small hand in a snowdrift.
“Chevelyn!”
Hilane shouted with a pale face.
Aachen, also quickly striding over, pulled Chevelyn out of the snow.
“Princess, are you alright?”
[ Cherry is fine! It’s soft here! Cherry wants to play more! ]
“I’m glad you don’t seem to be hurt.”
He brushed off the snow piled on Chevelyn’s head. Relieved that Chevelyn was unharmed, Hilane relaxed inwardly.
“Princess. This is Hestur Castle, the main estate of the Belzette Duchy. It seems the princess’s maid hasn’t arrived yet.”
Looking in the direction Aachen pointed, Hilane saw a massive castle wall. A flag with the emblem of the Belzette Duchy, a blue rose and a beluga, was displayed.
‘A blue rose and… a beluga. What does it mean?’
“His Grace the Duke has arrived! Open the gates!”
At the gates of Hestur Castle, the guards quickly opened the gate, and Gaeren hurried out with a surprised expression.
“Your Grace! We were going to send a carriage…”
“We arrived earlier than expected.”
“I see…”
“Gaeren. Make sure the fireplaces on each floor are stocked with wood, so the Princess and Duchess can warm up.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
Gaeren responded to Aachen and then greeted Hilane with a bow.
“This is the first time I greet the Duchess and the Princess. I am Gaeren, the steward managing Hestur Castle.”
Gaeren, still flustered from the earlier situation, wiped sweat from his brow.
“I apologize for not being able to welcome you sooner.”
“How could you have anticipated we’d arrive early? It’s fine.”
Hilane answered with a warm smile.
“I’m honored, Your Grace. Please, come inside.”
As they entered, servants dressed in dark blue uniforms lined up on both sides.
“We extend Freya’s blessings to the Duchess and the Princess.”
The servants bowed their heads in unison to Hilane.
“!”
Startled by the sudden sound of many voices, Chevelyn hid behind Hilane.
“Thank you for the warm welcome. May Freya’s protection be with you all.”
Hilane greeted the servants while gently shielding Chevelyn.
“Your Grace, you must be tired from your journey. How about resting a bit?”
Aachen suggested warmly, looking at Hilane.
“That sounds good.”
“Gaeren, show the Duchess to her room.”
With a nod from Hilane, Aachen instructed Gaeren.
As Chevelyn shyly waved her hand, Aachen blinked in response.
“This way, please, Your Grace.”
“Alright. Let’s go, Rin.”
Holding Chevelyn’s hand, Hilane followed Gaeren quietly along the corridor to the third floor.
In the silence, the only sound was the soft patter of Chevelyn’s footsteps.
“Ahem, only members of the Belzette family reside on the third floor, so only a few select servants are allowed access.”
Gaeren, stifling a smile at the sound of Chevelyn’s footsteps, explained about the third floor.
Gaeren opened a black door with a large blue rose emblem.
“This is the room traditionally used by the Duchesses of the Belzette family. The Princess’s room is prepared across the hall.”
“Is it connected to my room?”
“Yes, there’s a connecting door in the middle.”
Gaeren explained with a friendly smile.
“The cold here in Belzette can be quite harsh, so we were concerned about any shortcomings.”
The fireplace was burning warmly, making the room cozy.
‘It’s warm.’
Gaeren, seeing Hilane’s satisfaction, introduced the space next to the living room with a gentle expression.
“This is the master bedroom, Your Grace.”
As Hilane glanced at the master bedroom, Gaeren choked up, his eyes filling with tears.
“This master bedroom has never been used since the previous generation…”
“Excuse me?”
“We are delighted to have had the opportunity to prepare this place for you, Your Grace.”
Listening to Gaeren, Hilane was puzzled.
‘Since the previous generation… Does that mean the former Duchess never used the master bedroom either?’
Even though the marriage period was short, it was odd that Aachen didn’t use the master bedroom with the former Duchess.
‘Why? Didn’t he marry the former Duchess, a commoner, against the opposition of Emperor Caliosa?’
Seeing Hilane raise her eyebrows slightly, Gaeren wiped his teary eyes.
“Why has this room been left empty?”
Gaeren hesitated at Hilane’s sharp question before answering.
“The former Duchess was unwell… so the Duke personally took care of her in his room.”
“So, the former Duchess never used this room?”
“…Yes. The master’s room has been vacant since the previous generation.”
It was even more puzzling that the former Duchess stayed only in the Duke’s room. Even as a commoner, she would have had a proper wedding. And as the mother of the only heir of the Belzette Duchy, no one could have prevented her from using the master’s room.
‘Why didn’t she use the master’s room?’
More questions arose.
“Forgive my rambling, Your Grace. Please excuse my rudeness.”
Gaeren bowed deeply.
“It’s alright.”
Sensing that Gaeren was avoiding something, Hilane did not press further.
“By the way, there’s a tradition in Belzette to hold a banquet for the vassals on the day the new mistress arrives.”
“Does that mean there’s a banquet tonight?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“I’ll keep that in mind. Thank you for your kind guidance.”
“If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to ask.”
Gaeren bowed and stepped back.
“…Mom, it’s really warm here. Cherry’s heart feels sweet like candy, and my hands are as soft as pudding.”
As the door closed, Chevelyn began to explore the room energetically.
“It’s so spacious! Mom, even Ruby likes it here.”
♡♡♡
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