“Oh, you mean the rumors? That… her personality is quite something…”
“Pfft… Ouch!”
Derek was about to laugh loudly but bit down hard on his teeth because I had pressed down on his foot.
Though it was phrased as “quite something,” in the language of the nobility, it meant that her personality was very unpleasant.
“I’ve heard that the northern nobles can’t do anything against the young lady. Considering she can make experienced nobles flustered at her age, she must be extraordinary.”
“Anyway, she seems to have some skills. When the young lady was named the next grand duke, everyone was quite worried. After all, they suddenly made a girl the heir instead of a boy.”
“Right. I thought it was a hasty choice by the grand duke, but perhaps the grand duke saw some qualities in her early on.”
The corners of my mouth involuntarily turned up. After all, it felt good to be praised for my abilities. As for the insults about my personality… Let’s just pretend I didn’t hear them.
Having finished the cake, it was time to head to the duke’s residence…
“But even so, what good does it do? Men are ultimately drawn to beautiful flowers.”
But then, a sudden twist occurred.
“I hear that the young lady of Iskas usually wears pants and wields a sword.”
“Oh my, really? How unusual! That’s something you wouldn’t imagine here at all.”
A low laugh spread through the air.
I understood the meaning of that laughter well. They were mocking me for stepping outside traditional conventions.
“So she probably hasn’t had time to take care of her appearance. She certainly wouldn’t be very pleasing to look at. I wonder if people can even tell if she’s a man or a woman.”
“She may be a flower, but it’s an ice flower, so it probably has no fragrance. I was a bit worried that our Delphina might be at a disadvantage because of the young lady of Iskas, but it seems there’s no need for that at all.”
“Of course. The prince and the young lord of Acanthus will be rushing to the young ladies. It’ll be interesting to see the young lady of Iskas’ nose get flattened at this debutante ball.”
“You’re too much!”
As I listened to the conversation, Bell clenched her fists in anger. Derek also stood up with a very furious expression. I blocked his path to the two ladies with my fan.
“Sit down.”
“But how dare they speak about Lady Ar…”
“Derek, I said sit down.”
At the lowered tone of my voice, Derek had no choice but to sit back down. He nervously gulped down some water.
Not long after the two ladies left, Derek began to vent his frustrations.
“Why did you stop me? I wanted to go and give those two women a stern warning for their reckless words!”
“Why get upset over something like that? Nobles love gossiping behind each other’s backs. Didn’t you know?”
“But it makes me angry! Yes, I admit that Lady Ar has a terrible personality. That’s a fact!”
Derek, what you’re doing right now is speaking openly. That’s even worse.
“But to say that Lady Ar isn’t beautiful? That’s not true! She has a pretty face, and it’s her quirky personality that makes her even scarier!”
“Exactly!”
Bell chimed in angrily.
“Do you know how much effort and dedication I’ve put into making Lady Ar look good?”
Both of them were getting upset over the strangest things.
“And just by looking at the beauty of the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess, there’s no way Lady Ar isn’t beautiful! You don’t know anything!”
It’s not guaranteed that a child born to good-looking parents will be beautiful, but generally, they tend to inherit their parents’ looks. Fortunately, I had inherited only the good genes from both of them.
My sparkling silver hair and refined features were just like my mother’s. And my deep green eyes, long limbs, and balanced physique were all inherited from my father.
So every time I looked in the mirror, I expressed deep gratitude to my parents. Thank you so much for giving birth to me so beautifully. I will definitely repay you.
If they had ever seen my mom and dad’s faces properly, they wouldn’t have made such remarks so easily.
“Enough whining, get up.”
I stood up and smiled at the two of them.
“It’s late. Let’s head to the Duke’s residence now.”
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
The scale of the Acanthus Duke’s residence was far more magnificent than I had expected. If I had seen it without prior information, I might have mistaken it for a royal palace.
The duke’s residence stood tall on one of the flattest and most fertile lands within Rosen. In the capital, only a duke could possess a mansion and territory of this size.
Our carriage passed through the grand gates and traveled a considerable distance through the expansive gardens. Finally, we arrived at a building made of white marble.
As I disembarked from the carriage with Derek’s escort, I saw the duchess rushing out of the building.
“Arcadia!”
She embraced me tightly as if she had just found a long-lost daughter and began to rub my cheeks vigorously.
Oh dear, Duchess, a little gentler, please…
“My goodness, you’ve grown and become even more beautiful! You’ve turned into such a lovely young lady! How can you be so enchanting!”
She showered my cheeks with kisses, and I was completely overwhelmed by the loud welcome.
Finally freed from the duchess, I held the hem of my skirt and slightly bent my knees in a proper greeting.
“Thank you so much for inviting me, Duchess…”
However, I couldn’t finish my greeting. The duchess suddenly wrapped one of my arms tightly around hers.
“Greetings are unnecessary; you must be tired from your long journey. Let’s go inside quickly. Ah, are you all from the Grand Duke’s family?”
Derek, Bell, and my other attendants greeted her politely.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Duchess. I am Derek Rotrek, the second son of Baron Rotrek.”
“Nice to meet you, Lord Rotrek. Welcome. Please feel at home and make yourselves comfortable.”
With that, the duchess immediately pulled me inside the building. My body, usually unaffected by most attacks, swayed under the duchess’s vigorous energy.
Could it be that the duchess secretly trained in martial arts without the readers knowing? Is she, by any chance, an SSS-class sword master heroine?
“Gerard!”
Not long after we entered, a middle-aged man, around my father’s age, walked slowly toward us.
Gerard Acanthus.
It was immediately clear that this man was the protagonist of the original novel. His hair was a golden hue close to silver, and his bright blue eyes were identical to those of Hyperion, whom I had met in my childhood.
“Gerard, greet her. It’s your first time meeting Arcadia, isn’t it?”
At the duchess’s lively words, he offered me a slight smile. The moment I faced his exceedingly gentle expression, I was struck by a somewhat strange feeling.
What could I call this? Seeing his face, countless conflicting emotions surged through my heart intensely.
Why do I feel this way? Is it because he is the one responsible for my mother and father’s deaths? Is there still a trace of resentment lingering within me?
“Welcome, Arcadia. I’m glad you’ve come to our home.”
His warm voice snapped me back to reality. I quickly returned his greeting.
“Thank you, Duke Acanthus, for inviting me. I’m truly delighted to stay in such a wonderful place, thanks to the kindness of both you and the Duchess.”
“Are your parents in good health?”
I beamed brightly.
“Of course. My father asked me to send his regards to you. He also wanted to express his gratitude for welcoming me so warmly.”
The Duke’s laughter resonated deeply. His voice was rich and deep, like an endless cavern.
“I should be the one thanking you. I hope you understand that my wife will likely pester you a lot. She has a knack for stirring up trouble and is full of energy.”
“Gerard!”
The duchess shot him a disapproving glance.
“Why would you say something like that here? Arcadia, come along; I’ll show you to your room.”
I was once again led by the duchess. As we climbed the stairs to the second floor, she chattered away.
“Hyperion is currently in training with the Knights’ Order. We should be able to have dinner together later. I told him to come home early today.”
Hyperion, the only son of the Duke and Duchess, was the deputy commander of the kingdom’s First Knights’ Order.
In truth, it was quite rare for heirs of high nobility to join the knights. Nobles inheriting titles typically had no need to work; their existing wealth and income from their fiefs were usually sufficient for a comfortable life.
However, our family, ruling over a grand duchy, was an exception.
The grand duchy frequently faced invasions from monsters, and unlike places where plants thrived effortlessly, our land required diligent cultivation. Additionally, with the Ram Empire bordering us, we had to live in a constant state of alertness, which meant my father and I had no choice but to work hard despite being high nobility.
In contrast, Hyperion was the Duke’s sole heir. Considering the family’s influence, it was only natural for him to become a central figure among the nobles in the future.
This meant he could live comfortably and hold considerable power simply by being idle.
If I were Hyperion, I would certainly enjoy a life of leisure. Why would I choose to work hard when I could just relax?
Yet, despite this, Hyperion willingly took on difficult responsibilities. Rising to the position of deputy commander at such a young age proved his capability.
Thinking about it, Hyperion seemed like the type who was just a bit insufferable…
