Fernan had not returned to the castle longer than usual.
To begin with, he was often absent from the castle, but the employees began to whisper, blaming Yulia as the reason why he did not return.
Amidst all the negative words surrounding her, Yulia’s heart continued to fall.
I felt like everything was going wrong because of me.
But she couldn’t figure out how to untie the complicated knot between her and Fernan.
“Your Highness , you said you were going out today, right?”
While Yulia was sighing helplessly, Melissa looked around at the clothes hanging in her dressing room and spoke to her.
“Yeah, I’d like to take a look around the garden in the backyard.”
As Yulia answered weakly, Melissa continued her words in a lively voice.
“Then I think it would be a good idea to wear a dress that is a little shorter. “You might get dirt on your dress!”
“huh. “I should do that.”
Yulia looked at Melissa and raised the corner of her mouth with difficulty. Melissa was now the only person in the castle who treated her kindly.
Whenever she seemed gloomy, Melissa would break her mood by acting cheerful.
If she hadn’t had Melissa, she wouldn’t have been able to force herself to smile or have anyone to talk to in this big castle.
“Then, come back!”
Yulia nodded her head and headed towards the backyard of her hometown. Recently, she was trying to have a busy daily life.
If she stayed still, she would fall into endless depression, so she was desperately looking for something to do.
Eventually, Yulia arrived at her garden and looked around her surroundings.
This garden, which did not have a designated manager, did not look good because the ground was barren and there were weeds here and there.
With winter approaching soon, it was difficult to plant new plants.
Yulia, lost in thought, returned to the castle and summoned her governess, Bennet.
“I wonder what it would be like to repair the land and build a greenhouse. What do you think?”
she asked as Julia turned to her bennet.
Meanwhile, Bennett was in charge of all management of the Grand Duchy’s internal and external affairs. This was because the position of hostess, the Grand Duchess, had been vacant for several years.
Since Fernan was not very interested in managing the castle, he delegated all authority to the butler.
But now that there was a hostess, the authority had to naturally return to Yulia.
For some reason, Bennett did not give her the authority to make her own internal affairs, citing various reasons.
But she still intended to fulfill her duties as a hostess. She wanted to do her part no matter what.
“well. “I think it will take a lot of money to pay for the immediate repair work and to hire people.”
However, a voice of disapproval came from Bennett.
He, who had been managing the castle according to his own iron rules, did not seem very pleased with Yulia’s words.
Yulia continued her words with an effort to keep her voice calm.
“I came here to check the ledger just in case. “The cost of maintaining the castle was increasing every year.”
“This garden is sometimes used as a training ground for knights. “It will be difficult if you blindly try to start with repairs, Your Highness.”
Yulia couldn’t hide her bewildered eyes at the sharp words.
But after quickly controlling her expression, she nodded her head obediently.
“I didn’t know that. Well, since the land is barren and doesn’t look good, it’s even a matter of leveling it to make it easier for training… .”
“ha… “Have you received permission from His Highness the Grand Duke?”
Bennett, who interrupted her, raised his monocle as if he was annoyed. It was a rather rude attitude towards his master.
In the end, Yulia was left speechless for a moment and had to blink her eyes.
Although she was merely a grand duchess, Yulia was also the owner of the castle.
Just because Fernan was cold to her didn’t mean her status was lost.
“I heard that you have been entirely in charge of managing the castle. “That’s why I wanted to discuss it with you, but do I need to speak to Your Majesty separately?”
If it had been any other noble lady, she would have slapped him right across the face, but Yulia tried to placate her Bennet in a calm tone.
He was the man who managed this castle for a long time. He was right to be respectful, anyway.
But her Bennet seemed to have no intention of respecting her.
“As you said, the management of the castle is my responsibility, but since His Majesty is being so reckless, I think I need his permission.”
In response to his stiff answer, Yulia muttered distantly, unable to even blink her wide eyes.
“What kind of recklessness is that… .”
“I’m sorry, Your Majesty. I think we will have to discuss this separately with Your Majesty at a later date. “Okay, since I have other work to do, I’ll leave first.”
After Bennett greeted her politely, he disappeared somewhere else. Yulia looked at her Bennet’s back with a bewildered expression.
She wasn’t offended by Bennett’s attitude, but she definitely knew he was rude.
In fact, it wasn’t just Bennett.
The attitudes of other users also began to change noticeably at some point.
To be precise, it was when Fernan began to blatantly ignore her.
Yulia came out of her garden and entered the main hall. Her maids, who were looking down at her from the railing of her second floor, began to whisper quietly.
“You’re pretty busy these days. “I wonder if Your Majesty would know that I am like that.”
“You’re trying to do anything, right?”
“Then what do you do? It’s already been fifteen days since Your Majesty hasn’t returned. You walk around so shamelessly without knowing it’s because of you… .”
As if she didn’t think Yulia could hear her, the sounds she made continued endlessly.
“But why do you hate Your Majesty so much?”
“Well, don’t you think you have a secret government?”
The word ‘government’ pierced my ears clearly.
The sound of laughing and the words uttered with malice continued to pierce her heart.
A chaotic atmosphere surrounding oneself. At this moment, I remembered the time I spent at the Marquis’ residence.
A lonely place with no one on my side. A place full of people who criticize no matter what you do.
Yulia kept her mouth shut and continued her steps in silence. She was used to being treated like this.
Even so, she couldn’t help but feel suffocated.
* * *
“Your Highness, it is quite late. “Why don’t you just go back to the castle?”
Lloyd carefully opened his mouth, observing Fernan’s notice.
Because of Fernan’s recent excessive workload, the eyes of his overworked lieutenants were dark.
“Do not talk to me. “I have a lot of work to do.”
Fernan frowned as if he was annoyed, his eyes focused on the documents.
In addition to preparations for the founding festival, Hansi was busy due to the monster invasion that broke out on the border.
Recently, even the security within the territory has become worse, so there are many things to worry about.
Lloyd turned around with a puzzled look on his face and returned to his original position. As expected, it seemed like I would have to stay up all night again.
“What happened to the bootlegging case I mentioned last time?”
Fernan suddenly raised his head and asked Lloyd.
“Oh, yes. We are continuing to investigate. “It may take some time, but I think we will soon be able to compile the transaction list and details.”
“Find all traces and traces of those involved, including Marquis Elodie.”
“yes.”
Last time, the drugs found in Yulia’s room were distributed through illegal trade.
An organization that traffics in narcotics such as hallucinogens, as well as strong aphrodisiacs distributed in red light districts.
Many nobles secretly used the organization, and of course the Marquis Elodie was among them.
Fernan was planning to root out the trafficker. So that the Marquis would not have an excuse to escape.
“It seems the Marquis was quite anxious. What kind of confidence do you have to do something that can be caught so easily? .”
“He knows very well that he is a loser who can be discarded at any time.”
Fernan answered indifferently. Literally, the Marquis was just one of the many cards the emperor had.
A plaque placed by the emperor to put pressure on Fernan. However, if you make a mistake, the Emperor will always discard the Marquis and add another hand.
So the Marquis would have no choice but to do such crazy things without hesitation.
If this marriage goes wrong, it will be a great disaster for his family.
“It seems that His Majesty is cooperating with the Marquis, so I think it would be a good idea to attach someone to watch over him.”
When Lloyd mentioned Yulia, Fernan’s indifferent face instantly turned cold.
In the meantime, she has been desperately trying to talk to Fernan to defuse the situation.
Every time he saw her wandering around in ways that seemed to bother him, as if he wasn’t there, his nerves only got worse.
After erasing his thoughts, Fernan lowered his gaze to the documents again. However, the woman’s face that was once in his mind did not disappear as easily as he wanted.
As watery blue eyes appeared, Fernan finally put down the document loudly.
He didn’t deny that he had been swayed by that woman for a moment. He was clearly swept away by her pity, her pity, or perhaps even more insignificant emotions that he felt while looking at her.
That made him even more angry. He felt such absurd feelings for a woman who had nothing to fear, having the Marquis and the Emperor on her back.
Moreover, strangely enough, those subtle emotions were still filling every corner of his nerves.
The delicate hand that desperately held him as he left the castle someday. Those silent eyes that looked up as if asking you to understand the truth.
Because whenever he thought of those images, he always felt something difficult to accept.
Fernan ran his hand through his neatly brushed hair. And his expression became colder, as if he was forcibly blocking all his thoughts.
