Episode 26
I pretended not to hear the Duke’s muttering and took a small sip from my glass.
Then, as if to fill the silence left by the Duke’s sullen demeanor, Sionel made a suggestion to Euclid.
“Even if you’re not in a hurry, wouldn’t it be nice to stay for a few more days?”
“Indeed. Since you’re already in the capital, why not visit the imperial palace? You’ll need to submit the marriage registration to the imperial family anyway, so meeting His Majesty in person might not be a bad idea.”
These people, really?
It seemed they’d given up on persuading me and had instead decided to target Euclid, whom they deemed easier to convince.
Indeed, I could sense Euclid growing flustered under their persuasion, not knowing how to respond.
“Is it really necessary to meet His Majesty personally? He’s not exactly a family elder,” I interjected, watching the scene unfold.
Of course, given that this was a marriage between the empire’s only two ducal houses, paying respects to the Emperor wouldn’t be inappropriate.
Particularly since the Rudion Duchy rarely involved itself in central politics or even visited the capital, Basilian’s suggestion could have been intended to strengthen their ties with the imperial family.
But for some reason, the idea of entering the imperial palace irked me, and I impulsively interrupted.
At my sharp response, the Duke let out a sigh.
“Evgenia, do you remember how fond His Majesty has been of you since you were a child… Ah.”
He abruptly fell silent, seemingly realizing too late that he’d nearly revealed how the imperial family had long considered me a potential crown princess and fostered a relationship between me and the crown prince.
The Duke’s discomfort was evident—his slip of the tongue before his future son-in-law was mortifying, even for him.
However, Euclid, who appeared entirely unbothered or oblivious, simply smiled faintly, as if the conversation didn’t concern him at all.
Instead, Euclid apologized to the Duke.
“My apologies. As I mentioned before, my nephews are still very young, so staying longer in the capital will be difficult.”
With even Euclid speaking so firmly, no one in the Basilian household could insist further.
Especially the Duke, who seemed too embarrassed by his earlier blunder to continue. All he could do was nod awkwardly while Sionel quickly shifted the topic.
“By the way, I heard from the servants that you haven’t fully unpacked your belongings yet. Is there anything that feels inconvenient?”
“No, not at all. While I appreciate the preparation of the room, I plan to stay at the Rudion Ducal estate in the capital tonight.”
At Euclid’s calm response, both the Duke and Sionel froze momentarily before exclaiming in unison.
“Oh, right! There is a Rudion estate in the capital!”
Watching the Duke nod as if he’d only just remembered, I pursed my lips slightly.
‘Is he looking down on him because he’s poor or something?’
Despite being one of the only two ducal houses in the empire, he seemed to have forgotten that he would naturally own a residence in the capital.
Euclid, however, remained unbothered by the slight. He simply smiled gently, as always.
The Duke continued the conversation.
“It must have been a long time since you visited. Won’t it be uncomfortable? When a master is away for too long, the staff tends to grow lax.”
“It should be fine. Most of the staff are affiliated with the imperial family.”
Wait, what?
We were definitely talking about the Rudion estate, so why was the imperial family suddenly mentioned?
Tilting my head in confusion, I realized the Duke and Euclid had already moved on from the topic.
The Duke then offered Euclid wine, proudly noting that it was made from the first harvest of grapes in his domain that year.
Euclid drank elegantly, without making a single sound, embodying the dignity of a noble.
Mesmerized by the sight, I overheard Melissa murmuring softly.
“I thought you’d naturally stay here if you came to the capital, sister…”
At her words, Sionel flinched.
“Melissa. Are you implying that it’s not natural?”
“Well, I mean…”
I frowned slightly as Sionel and Melissa delved into a serious discussion about where I would live after marriage, as if I’d already decided to return to the capital.
“Who said I’m coming back to the capital in the first place?”
They were debating something I had no intention of doing, which left me dumbfounded.
Of course, I couldn’t avoid coming to the capital forever…
But I had no plans to leave the northern Rudion territory anytime soon.
I didn’t want to run into the crown prince again, and my intention to gradually distance myself from the Basilian household remained unchanged.
Yet, seeing Melissa and Sionel casually assume I’d make frequent visits to the capital left me at a loss for words.
Sensing something ominous in my silence, the Duke cautiously asked,
“Evgenia, my dear, you’re not planning to cut ties with the capital entirely, are you? After all, His Highness spends most of the year on military campaigns.”
For someone who flinched earlier at the mention of the Emperor, the Duke seemed oddly insistent on bringing up the crown prince.
It wasn’t hard to guess his intention. I’d already told him I wanted to leave the capital and marry quickly to forget about the crown prince.
Sionel, recalling this, spoke with a hint of nervousness.
“Evgenia has lived in the capital her whole life. How could she adjust to a distant, unfamiliar place? Isn’t that right?”
“It’s my home now. I’ll adapt.”
The moment I casually replied, I froze under the weight of the scorching gazes directed at me.
The Duke, Sionel, and even Melissa looked at me with expressions of utter betrayal, as if the sky had fallen.
But why did even Euclid look surprised?
Was he shocked because I’d referred to the Rudion territory as my home?
For some reason, I felt a little sad and slightly bitter, but I couldn’t blame my favorite character.
Euclid wasn’t a fool, so there was no way he didn’t know about my past reputation.
‘He probably thinks I’m just a wicked woman obsessed with the crown prince.’
He must also think this marriage was forced.
It’s fine. I just have to show him slowly that I’ve changed.
Perhaps because I eased my mind, the sadness subsided.
Instead, as I looked at Euclid, his wide eyes caught my attention. He, who had always seemed so composed, could make such an expression. For some reason, it made me smile.
‘You! Are! So! Adorable!’
While fangirling and clutching my heart internally, Euclid flinched and turned his head away.
Tsk. Clicking my tongue in disappointment, I felt the burning gazes of my family on me.
Letting out a soft sigh, I looked around at my family and said, “I suppose there will be times when I’ll stay in the capital.”
Though honestly, unless it’s a very special occasion, I don’t really plan on it.
“In that case, will you stay at the Basilian duchy…”
“Even though I have the Rudion duchy, staying here, even at my family’s home, feels a bit inappropriate.”
Though I left a small window open, I firmly stated what wasn’t going to happen. The Basilian family’s faces looked as though they had briefly experienced heaven and hell in succession.
Euclid sent me another curious glance, but…
I found his gaze on me pleasant.
Knowing that acknowledging it would make him look away, I pretended not to notice and began eating.
***
“Well then, I’ll be going now.”
“Yes, yes. Take care on your way back. See you tomorrow at the temple, son-in-law!”
“…Yes.”
Euclid nodded awkwardly as the Basilian duke, slightly tipsy from a single glass of wine during dinner, patted him on the shoulder with camaraderie.
I had always found it strange that the owner of the empire’s most famous wine-producing region didn’t enjoy alcohol himself…
It turns out he abstained because his tolerance was this low.
“Our son-in-law is quite a handsome one! Isn’t he, Evgenia?”
Naturally, the looks from the duke’s children, watching their father’s loosened demeanor, weren’t very kind.
“Hah… Yes.”
With a suppressed sigh, she forced herself to respond, her lips twisting slightly in displeasure. Seeing this, Euclid’s face grew warm.
• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •By Esraa• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •
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