“Hmm? You?”
Why go out of your way?
I raised an eyebrow.
The carriage was waiting less than five minutes away since we had been having tea in the garden of the Count’s estate.
“You two go ahead and catch up.”
I said, but Duke Roger shook his head.
“Since I’ve already taken up your and Countess Olsen’s time, I hope you’ll allow me at least this much. And besides…”
He gave me a gentle smile.
“Is it greedy of me to want the honor of escorting Your Grace once more?”
…He’s really going all out with the charm now.
Being the Emperor’s childhood friend sure gives him some finesse.
His seasoned manner made it impossible for me to refuse again this time.
“Very well, I’ll leave it to you, Duke Roger.”
As soon as I gave my permission, he eagerly offered his hand to me.
Though the walk to the carriage was short, Duke Roger escorted me just as politely and skillfully as he had back in the Imperial City.
When I was fully seated in the carriage, he released my hand with a somewhat regretful smile.
“It felt especially short this time.”
“We were just having tea in a nearby garden.”
“Still, to have the honor of escorting the Duchess of Cloud twice, I must be quite fortunate.”
“And yet you’re the one who asked. Are you perhaps skilled in flattery?”
“Of course not. Actually…”
He took a short breath before speaking.
“I’ve been looking forward to seeing you again, Your Grace.”
“…Me?”
“Yes, Your Grace mentioned that we should meet again if the opportunity arose.”
“I didn’t think you’d take such a polite greeting to heart.”
I smiled slightly, making a half-joking remark, to which he responded with a soft chuckle.
“Did I mention that I admire Your Grace’s straightforwardness?”
“You have a rather peculiar taste.”
“Perhaps it’s just that Your Grace has a certain charm that draws people in.”
“Hmm.”
“In fact, that’s why I’d like to get closer to you, Your Grace.”
There was a peculiar tone to his voice.
“Is that not allowed?”
Duke Roger lowered his eyes charmingly, whether out of courtesy or habit, I couldn’t tell.
I blinked rapidly.
He was making such potentially misleading remarks so casually—it was completely different from Ian.
‘He must have made a lot of women cry.’
Had I not been married to Ian Cloud, I might have developed a serious crush by this point.
Of course, Duke Roger had no idea what I was thinking, and he continued to look at me with an innocent expression.
“You haven’t forgotten that I’m already married, have you?”
“Haha, of course not.”
Duke Roger waved his hand dismissively, as if the idea was absurd, and then carefully released me.
“Please, take care on your way back.”
“You as well. Enjoy your time with the Countess.”
“Yes.”
Duke Hayden Roger bowed his head once more and added in a quiet voice,
“I hope we’ll have another opportunity soon.”
❖ ❖ ❖
When I returned home by carriage, the sun was slanting towards the evening horizon.
As I was crossing the hall to head upstairs, I encountered Ian once again on the staircase.
‘Aren’t we running into each other a bit too often lately…?’
How did we keep meeting in the lobby, on the stairs, or in the hallway on the second floor?
After all, Ian’s study was on the third floor, and his bedroom was at the far end of the eastern wing on the second floor, so there should be hardly any chance for us to cross paths.
‘…Could he have been waiting for me?’
The thought flashed through my mind, but I quickly dismissed it.
‘I must be developing some delusions.’
The idea of Ian, the cold, mechanical Ian, waiting for someone was simply laughable.
Even if he were, it should be Diana he’s waiting for, not me.
Unaware of my thoughts, Ian stared at me intently before greeting me.
“Did you have a good outing?”
“Yes, my business was finished quicker than I expected.”
“…Quicker, you say.”
Ian glanced briefly at the setting sun through the large window in the hall. It was only for a moment before his gaze returned to me.
“You seem to be busier on weekends these days.”
“Coincidentally, yes.”
In fact, I was supposed to spend time with Ian today as well.
‘How many weeks has it been already? Two?’
It’s been quite a while since our last lesson.
But in life, priorities must be set. It was far more important to wrap things up with Countess Olsen than to meet with Ian, whom I see every week.
For some reason, Ian’s expression seemed slightly more strained than usual, but that wasn’t my concern.
‘Maybe it wasn’t right to delay it for several weeks in a row?’
As I stared at the sun, now sinking to the west and casting long, red shadows, I spoke.
“If it’s alright with you, let’s plan something for next week. There’s nothing urgent, so we could…”
“That might be a bit difficult.”
Ian cut me off with his flat, even tone. I paused, slightly frowning.
‘Is he seriously doing this just because I canceled two weeks in a row?’
As I started to think he was being petty and mean-spirited, he handed me something.
It was an envelope sealed with a golden emblem.
“An invitation has arrived from the Imperial City. It’s addressed to both of us.”
…What?
❖ ❖ ❖
I was now sitting at my desk, glaring at the unfamiliar invitation.
I’d examined it under the chandelier’s light, under the lamp, and even held it up to the window, but nothing changed.
It was indeed from the Imperial family.
And not just a general letter sent to multiple nobles—this was a personal invitation sealed by the Emperor himself.
‘Why all of a sudden, out of the blue…?’
I leaned on my intertwined hands, deep in thought.
‘Let’s see, what kind of person was the Emperor again?’
Naturally, apart from Diana, I hadn’t paid much attention to the characters in this novel, so it took a while to recall completely.
In a word, the Emperor in this story was the perfect ruler.
He was a leader who always prioritized his people, and his charisma could sway his ministers with just a single word.
And that’s not all.
Despite Ian being his half-brother and potentially a threat to his succession, the Emperor cherished him like a true sibling. He also adored his youngest sister, who was over 20 years his junior, showering her with affection.
His relationship with the Empress was strong, and he didn’t keep any concubines either.
‘He was the ideal example of a leader.’
This was probably the author’s desire to place only perfect supporting characters around Ian, the male protagonist.
‘But I don’t remember Eloise having any particular connection with him…’
Unlike the Emperor, who was especially fond of Ian, Ian himself tried to keep a strict distance from the Emperor.
Except for the monthly meetings or when business brought him to the capital as a Grand Duke, Ian hardly ever arranged personal meetings.
‘It wouldn’t look good for a Grand Duke with a different mother to be lingering around the Emperor.’
Since Ian maintained this stance, it naturally followed that Eloise didn’t meet the Emperor much either, except for official events she had to attend as the Grand Duchess.
‘The Emperor occasionally summoned Ian, but he never officially invited Eloise before.’
Could this be an extension of the Brilluze Duke’s season party?
It wouldn’t be too surprising if it caught the Emperor’s attention, considering how much interest the capital’s nobility had shown in it.
“Hmm.”
I let out a small hum and opened the envelope to check the invitation.
As Ian had said, the invitation was a brief note asking the Grand Duke and Duchess to visit the Imperial City next weekend.
‘Well, at least it’s not a sudden summons like the Princess’s.’
If it had been, I might have feigned illness and refused to go this time.
Lost in pointless thoughts, I rang the bell cord to call for Vivi.
“Madam, did you call for me?”
“Yes, Vivi. Could you summon Madame Zed as soon as possible? I need to prepare an outfit for entering the Imperial City.”
“Of course, I’ll do that.”
I watched Vivi bow and leave, then placed the invitation back in the envelope and tucked it into the bottom drawer of my desk.
Well, I’ll find out when I get there.
♧♧♧
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