“…Greetings to His Grace, the Archduke.”
“I can’t say it’s a pleasure to see you.”
After a brief moment of silence, Duke Hayden Roger greeted Ian respectfully, but Ian’s gaze, looking down at him, was utterly devoid of warmth.
The arm around my waist tightened.
“You’re late, my wife.”
“It’s fine.”
Ian, speaking in a gentle tone as if he hadn’t been bristling a moment ago, felt commendable just this once.
Meanwhile, Roger, glancing between the two of us, let out a small laugh, furrowing his brows.
A sneer, a scoff, or perhaps a hollow chuckle—it wasn’t clear, but it was certainly not pleasant.
“So, this is your ‘real ally.’ I see.”
He muttered softly, lowering his gaze slightly, looking uncharacteristically dejected.
Ian, unbothered by Roger’s reaction, pulled me closer, holding me tightly against him as he scrutinized Roger with a wary expression. His gaze was sharp and cold, bordering on hostile.
“Does the duke have anything else left to say?”
“Well, I didn’t even get a proper chance to greet Your Grace.”
“It seems you’ve said enough. I don’t care to hear more.”
“My, how unfortunate…”
Duke Hayden Roger’s face, however, showed no signs of regret.
With reluctance—at least outwardly—he took a step back.
“But, as it seems the Archduchess has much to discuss with the Archduke, I shall take my leave for now. We can continue our conversation another time.”
His deep green eyes deliberately lingered on me.
Despite stepping back, his gaze was still blatant, as if his words to Ian were meant entirely for me.
In that moment, what had been lingering suspicion solidified into certainty.
‘It’s him. It’s definitely Roger.’
This man knew the contents of the letters.
The fact that he recognized me right away, his sudden desire to “become friends,” and how he always managed to encounter me when I was alone—all of it added up.
If Duke Hayden Roger was the one who had corresponded with Eloise anonymously for so long, then it made sense.
Naturally, the next question arose: why had he written to Eloise under anonymity, and why was he now trying to reveal it to me?
The overwhelming flood of information left me disoriented, my gaze locked on his deep green eyes.
It was at that moment, as I stared at him intently, that I heard the familiar sound of approaching footsteps.
“His Majesty the Emperor, Her Majesty the Empress, and the Princess have arrived.”
At the entrance to the garden, the voice of an attendant broke through, stiff with formality. Instantly, the gathered nobles parted like the tide, stepping aside in unison.
Beyond them, I could see the Emperor and Empress descending from the golden carriage adorned with the imperial crest.
Following them, the Princess hopped lightly down from the carriage.
Like the other nobles, I bowed in greeting. However, when I lifted my head slightly, what caught my eye wasn’t the Emperor and Empress walking along the well-kept garden path.
It was Roger, watching them silently from a distance.
His tidy profile framed by wavy brown hair betrayed no outward emotion, but it was clear where his gaze was fixed—squarely on the Emperor.
‘…Huh?’
A strange sense of unease settled over me.
Roger’s smile was nowhere to be seen.
The face that had always seemed relaxed and cheerful now appeared different, devoid of expression.
‘His expression…’
Unable to shake the disquiet, I found myself staring at him, when suddenly, I recalled the fact that Roger had almost been betrothed to the Emperor.
‘Looking at him like that, it’s as if—’
I gasped silently, shaking my head vigorously.
‘No, that can’t be. Surely not.’
I forcefully erased the irreverent thoughts creeping into my mind.
Just as I was wrestling with these unsettling ideas, the Emperor strode up to me and came to a stop.
Hurriedly, I removed Ian’s hand from my waist and offered a polite bow.
“Greetings to Your Majesty.”
“You’ve done well, Archduchess. The banquet is splendid.”
Though her words were directed at me, the Emperor’s gaze didn’t stray from mine.
“It was the Princess, not me, who worked hard to prepare this.”
She knows that already.
“Ha, yes, you’re right. The Princess deserves credit too. You’ve done well, Princess.”
She laughed heartily and patted her youngest sister on the back.
“By the way, the Archduke and Archduchess look like they’re about to have another wedding in those outfits. They suit you well.”
The Emperor spoke while gesturing with her chin, pointing at Ian and me in turn.
“Ah…”
It was too obvious that we matched.
Suddenly, a wave of embarrassment washed over me, and I turned my head away, but unlike me, Ian remained composed.
He responded calmly, “It’s not entirely out of the question.”
…What did he just say?
“…Archduke?”
“Oh?”
My flustered voice and the Emperor’s intrigued exclamation overlapped at the same time.
She laughed again shortly after.
“Well, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to look forward to it.”
What about my opinion in all this?
“It seems you’ve received plenty of congratulations from others. By the way, did the Archduke prepare a gift for you?”
The Emperor’s gaze shifted to Ian. Her narrowed eyes seemed to say, You didn’t forget, did you?
‘Oh, that’s right. A gift.’
I had been so busy that I had completely forgotten.
I instinctively looked at Ian.
‘Come to think of it, I don’t think we talked about birthday gifts.’
Considering Ian’s personality, it wouldn’t be too surprising if he hadn’t prepared anything.
‘But… I feel like I’d be a little disappointed if there wasn’t one.’
As the thought crossed my mind, I clamped my mouth shut in silence.
Why do I feel disappointed?
Am I dating him? Playing house, perhaps?
While I was lost in my spiraling thoughts, Ian, quietly enduring the gazes focused on him from both sides, finally answered in a calm voice.
“It’s not a gift to be presented in front of Your Majesty.”
His answer made my eyes widen.
“…You prepared something?”
Ian turned to look at me.
Unlike the response he’d just given the Emperor, his tone now carried a hint of exasperation.
“…Surely, you didn’t think the same as Her Majesty, did you?”
“No, it’s not that, but…”
I was just caught off guard by the fact that you did.
Meanwhile, the Emperor, watching the two of us, smirked and grabbed the hand of the Empress standing next to her.
“So, what you’re saying is, I’m the one in the way?”
“…….”
“Since that seems to be the case, let’s take our leave, my Empress.”
With that, she kissed the back of the Empress’s hand affectionately and left after offering a brief congratulatory remark.
“Well then, see you again.”
As I watched their figures disappear, I suddenly turned my head to where Duke Roger had been standing earlier.
He was already gone, as if he had never been there to begin with.
❖ ❖ ❖
Before I could resolve my lingering questions about Hayden Roger, the birthday banquet had already passed in a blur.
The Princess had packed the schedule so tightly that just following it left me half-exhausted by sunset.
Throughout it all, Ian hadn’t left my side for a moment since his encounter with Roger, escorting me as if he were intent on overprotecting me.
It seemed he, too, had been deeply rattled.
Led by Ian’s hand, I moved back and forth between the indoor and outdoor venues a couple of times until the sun had fully set.
Only the final event of the Princess’s meticulously planned banquet remained.
It was a part of the program I hadn’t been able to check because it had been deliberately blacked out on the schedule.
Surrounded by the sparkling lights of the outdoor banquet venue, which shone like stars descending low in the sky, I lowered my voice to ask, “Ian, do you know what the Princess has prepared? I wasn’t told anything about it.”
“…I’m not sure.”
His tone lacked confidence.
It seemed that even Ian hadn’t been informed.
As we stood there in uncertainty, the Princess appeared in the distance, skipping toward us with a radiant smile.
“There you are!”
“Your Highness?”
“It’s the last event, so hurry and follow me, both of you.”
Before I could even process her sudden appearance, she grabbed my hand and started pulling me with surprising force.
“Come on, quickly.”
Completely caught off guard, I followed her out of the banquet hall, Ian trailing behind.
How far had we gone?
As we entered the rear garden of the main building, the Princess suddenly shoved us into a secluded spot and said with a grin, “Enjoy yourselves!” before disappearing.
Stumbling slightly from her unexpected push, I stared dumbfounded in the direction she’d gone before finally taking a look at where we were.
And then my jaw dropped.
“…What is this?”
• • •
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