Side Story, Episode 4
I barely managed to compose myself and forced a smile.
“My apologies, I must have upset you without meaning to.”
“Of course, I’m upset! Extremely, unbelievably upset!”
The Empress pouted, almost as if kicking at the air.
“Haha…”
Despite being the Empress, who had been acting rather dignified in public lately, in this moment, she was the same Princess I had always known.
Well, becoming the Empress doesn’t magically change someone overnight.
Honestly, it also showed that she felt comfortable enough around me to act this way.
“Still, don’t be too upset. I was just about to tell you. Would I ever hide something so important from you?”
“When? When exactly?! You came to the palace and told only my sister before sneaking away!”
“Well, that’s because she’s the Grand Duchess…”
Sorry, Ian.
As I metaphorically cut Ian off without hesitation, I sent him my silent apologies.
“But I was planning to send letters today to Lady Lawrence and Madame Zed too.”
At my calm response, the Empress’s air-kicking movements slowed down.
“…Really?”
“Of course. Have you ever known me to lie about something like this?”
“No…”
“You see?”
Of course, I was lying. I had no intention of telling them from the start.
I was going to announce it when sending out invitations anyway.
Obviously.
If the Empress found out about this beforehand, she would definitely not let me off easily.
‘But Ian and I trusted Elisia too much.’
I shouldn’t have trusted the in-laws so much.
Feeling a sudden sense of regret, I stopped myself from massaging my now-throbbing head, aware of the three pairs of eyes staring at me from across the table.
“So, when is it? The wedding!”
“Uh…”
Caught off guard by her nearly interrogative question, I hesitated and looked away.
“In a month.”
“What?”
“Next month.”
At my answer, the Empress’s jaw dropped in disbelief.
“…Next month?”
“Yes.”
Not only the Empress, but even Diana and Madame Zed were looking at me as if I had lost my mind.
Stop looking at me like that.
What’s the big deal?
Well, okay, maybe it is a big deal in this world.
Even though it’s my second wedding, it’s still a grand event involving a Duke and Duchess.
The nobility would undoubtedly pay close attention.
Understanding that, I coughed awkwardly.
The heavy silence lasted only briefly before the Empress turned to Diana and Madame Zed and asked,
“Lady Lawrence, Madame Zed. Can you do it?”
“Of course.”
“Leave it to me.”
Their responses were swift.
Sitting across from them, I felt utterly ignored as the three of them began plotting without me, leaving me feeling rather deflated.
I was the one who introduced these three, so why am I the one being excluded from their conversation?
“Um, I’ll just wear one of the dresses I already have—”
“Absolutely not! The Grand Duchess has no say in this matter!”
Before I could finish my sentence, the Empress cut me off.
If it had just been Diana and Madame Zed, I might have managed to push back somehow, but with the Empress joining forces, I had no way to resist.
This is exactly why I didn’t want to tell them beforehand.
If these three get involved, my vision of a simple wedding would become impossible.
What? A small gathering between the two of us would turn into a city-wide—or rather, an empire-wide—celebration.
But the three of them already seemed to be envisioning something entirely different, their eagle-like gazes scanning me from head to toe, as if calculating every detail.
Suppressing the tremor in my hand, I lifted my teacup to take a sip.
That’s when it happened.
“By the way, Grand Duchess.”
“Yes, Your Highness?”
“Did you plan the timing on purpose?”
“…Pardon?”
What’s she talking about now?
Caught off guard by the sudden question, I looked up at her. She tilted her head and explained,
“I mean, next month, the Duke is going on a long trip to Jeser. You’ll have to be apart for quite some time right after the wedding. Did you take that into account when you scheduled it? And I heard the Grand Duchess won’t be joining him, but going on vacation instead?”
“Cough!”
I immediately choked, spilling the tea I was about to swallow.
“Cough, cough.”
“…What?”
“Excuse me?”
The Empress froze, and I stared at her, flustered.
And in the next moment, the room plunged into an indescribably heavy silence.
Wait… what?
Jeser? What about Jeser?
My pupils wavered like never before.
“I have to visit Jeser this spring. His Majesty ordered me to oversee a shipbuilding project with Duke Seraph, which has made significant progress.”
Ian had mentioned the trip to Jeser late last autumn, suggesting I come along.
But back then, I was still grappling with the uncertainty of this world, so I declined.
Originally, the Jeser trip was supposed to last about five days. However, with the punishment of Hayden Roger and the collapse of his supporting faction, control of Jeser’s diplomatic powers had shifted to the aristocratic faction.
‘It was the Emperor’s decision to placate the aristocrats.’
As a result, Ian’s trip to Jeser had extended from five days to about two months.
Of course, I had no plans to tag along, as there was nothing for me to do there, and I didn’t want to disrupt Ian’s schedule. I had intended to take the opportunity for a vacation instead.
But…
‘This is going to look strange, isn’t it?’
A wedding followed immediately by his business trip and my holiday?
‘It’ll look like we’re separating!’
And it would even seem like I’m the one rejecting Ian.
The Empress’s mouth slowly fell open, Diana quietly set her biscuit down, and Madame Zed, sensing that something was amiss, closed her mouth tightly.
“…You didn’t forget about this, did you?”
“….”
“Really?”
“….”
Her face turned into a quiet expression of disbelief.
Watching her go pale was a spectacle in itself, but I didn’t have the mental capacity to fully appreciate it.
‘No wonder Vivi was acting strangely this morning!’
Looking back, Vivi had tried to ask me something earlier but gave up midway.
Was it because of this?
Meanwhile, the Empress stared at me, torn between deciding whether to shield me or scold me.
But that didn’t last long. Her trembling fist clenched.
“…I have a lot to say, but I won’t.”
“…Please do.”
She must have decided that criticizing me now wouldn’t achieve anything.
Which was fortunate for me.
‘But seriously, how did I forget about this?’
And Ian… he just went along with it?
‘Since when did this man become such a yes-man who agrees with everything I say?!’
As I scolded both myself and Ian, the Empress suddenly slammed her hand on the table.
“In that case, there’s only one thing to do.”
“Pardon?”
“I’ve got a great idea.”
Her face lit up with determination.
The Empress always came up with the most absurd ideas in moments like this.
“…What is this great idea?”
“Grand Duchess, you’re used to being in the spotlight, right?”
“…What does that have to do with anything?”
“Oh, come on. You handled it just fine during the season’s parties. Don’t think I didn’t notice.”
Well, I had my reasons back then.
“Anyway, forget that.”
She clenched her small fist tightly.
“Sure, my brother would be over the moon just having the wedding with you, no matter what anyone says.”
That much was true—he’d been grinning like a fool all morning.
“But people who love to gossip won’t leave it alone.”
“Oh…”
Her entirely reasonable deduction left me momentarily dazed.
“So, we’re going to go with a natural plan.”
“…A natural plan?”
What does that even mean?
How do we do that?
“From the start, we’ll act like it was all part of the plan. Smooth, natural, like flowing water.”
“Natural…?”
“A public confession.”
“…What?”
I stared at her in disbelief.
But her face was dead serious.
“A public confession.”
“…Excuse me?”
“A grand, romantic one.”
“…….”
“Like a proposal.”
She grinned confidently.
“…We’re already married, though.”
“I know that!”
“Then why…”
“Why? It’s to show everyone! Like, we’re so in love right now!”
“…Don’t people already know that?”
I asked, still not understanding.
I mean, sure, two months apart might look a little odd… but once Ian returns and we’re back to normal, the rumors will die down quickly.
Besides, I have Aria’s newsletter on my side. What’s there to worry about?
This all seems like an overreaction.
As I tilted my head in confusion, the Empress looked at me with exasperation.
“Ugh, seriously! Grand Duchess, are you an idiot? Reputation matters! You’re supposed to be smart!”
“Reputation…”
Pondering her words, I looked at her quietly and asked,
“Your Highness.”
“What?!”
“You just want to see me propose to him, don’t you?”
Suspicion filled my voice as I asked.
The Empress furrowed her brow and sighed.
“Ha… Grand Duchess.”
“…….”
“Is it that obvious?”
This is ridiculous.
• • •
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