Chapter translated by Gon.
“This is ridiculous, are you trying to get me to…….”
“Didn’t you hear? I told you to get out of my way.”
Kaiyen issued the order to the Duke. A lowly commoner couldn’t possibly defy the command of the Duke.
“You are to remain in the manor until all the parties of this Founding Festival are over. And do not make any appearance until I and Miss Etisha, who is to be my wife, have returned to the north.”
“Duke, this is unfair. Etisha is my sister and…….”
“Yes, she is, and that is why I am putting up with only this; otherwise it doesn’t stop me from sending you a farewell letter.”
“Though it will be up to Miss Etisha herself to decide whether or not should I send it or not.”
Kaiyen glared at Laurenne. so she had no choice but to step back.
She wanted to rush at Duke Kaiyen and scratch his face right then and there, but her body wouldn’t listen. It was forcibly dragging her away, responding to the Duke’s magic.
Larienne hesitantly stepped back and called out to Etisha.
“Tisha.”
It was a final struggle.
“Tisha, come to me. Let’s go back to the mansion, to your room. I’ll play dolls with you this time, okay?”
Etisha didn’t answer, but sometimes words don’t have to be spoken. The look on Etisha’s face said enough.
Thud.
The heavy doors of the party hall slammed shut, and Laurenne left.
Not a breath could be heard in the hall.
All eyes were on the Duke of kaiyen.
“……Haha, Miss Larienne, we really don’t know when she will grow up.”
“She’s been acting up every day, and now she’s doing it again today. This must have been a stinging lesson.”
Nosy nobles sneak up on the couple and offer their congratulations.
The suddenness of the announcement was surprising, and the fact that it was Etisha Heinz, but they couldn’t bring themselves to vote in front of the Duke of Kaiyen.
“By the way, congratulations on your engagment. Duke, Miss Etisha.”
“Yes. You two make quite the pair, don’t you think?”
“I hope you will not forget the capital when you go north, Miss Etisha.”
Etisha was congratulated like never before in her life, and felt herself to be the Duchess of the North.
* * *
She can’t calm her mind…….
As the moon was setting and the grand first day of the Founding Festival came to an end. She had been drinking in moderation.
“I can’t believe we’re getting married in one day, and it’s been announced. What do we do now?
Etisha leaned her back against the balcony wall.
She had originally planned to flee to the north immediately after the announcement on the last day of the National Day, but the announcement was made on the first day, so she had to rearrange her plans.
“My sister must have gone home and told my parents, and they won’t let me go.”
Etisha squeezed her eyes shut as she remembered her father’s anger. There were still two days to go until the Founding Festival was over, and she didn’t know how she was going to get through it.
“What am I going to do?
As Etisha pondered, Duke Kaiyan appeared in the moonlight.
He had drunk far more than she had, but he didn’t show any signs of drunkness .
“Miss Etisha, are you here?”
“The Duke.”
“Your face is red. Are you drunk?”
Etisha shook her head.
“I was very rude earlier.”
Kaiyan said, leaning against the opposite wall. The balcony was wide enough that she could hear him well, even though there was a good distance between them. It was very quiet under the moonlit night sky.
“Excuse me?”
“I’m sorry for rushing to announce our marriage.”
“That’s not rude, the Duke was helping me.”
“Helped you…… indeed.”
Kaiyan stared at her calmly from a distance.
“I did not do it out of a desire to help Miss Etisha. If you had not had the Ring of Windell on your hand, I might not have stepped forward.”
“…….”
“I wasn’t helping you, I was defending Wintell’s honour. As the head of the house, I cannot stand by and watch the humiliation of one who bears the house’s mark.”
Etisha was unfazed by his cold words, and she gazed at Kaiyen from afar before answering slowly.
“It’s the first time I’ve ever seen Larienne withdraw so quietly, and you’ll never know how…… I feel right now, Duke.”
Duke Kaiyen blinked his dark eyes. A faint smile formed on his lips, then faded.
“Perhaps you do know.”
“What?”
“Nothing. More than that, what do you plan to do now?”
Kaiyen asked. Etisha let out an invisible sigh and turned her head to the distant night sky.
“I don’t know, we’ll attend the Grand Party for two days, then head north, right?”
It was a vague answer.
As if reading Etisha’s mind, Kaiyen interrupted.
“No. My question was about your plans for tonight.”
“Tonight……?”
“Are you going to return to the Heinz mansion?.”
“…….”
“Or are you coming with me?”
Etisha was speechless.
It was amazing how Kaiyen knew what was troubling her.
“You don’t want to face your family, do you?”
“……Yes, that’s right.”
“Then let me invite you to my villa in the capital. Why don’t you stay there for the two days of the National Day celebrations? I have many unoccupied guest rooms, so you should be comfortable.”
“…….”
“We’ve already made an official announcement of our marriage, so staying with you for a few days won’t cause a scandal.”
Etisha pursed her lips. She didn’t know whether to thank him, or how to repay this favour.
“The least I can do is die a quick death.”
Etisha bowed her head.
“I appreciate the offer, but no, thank you, I cannot be so indebted to the Duke.”
“No, it’s not indebtedness, it’s just a matter of course.”
“What?”
“It’s a precautionary measure to ensure that my marriage partner doesn’t turn up at Heinz Manor with a slapped, bruised face.”
“Oh…….”
“If you understand, come to my cottage, Miss Etisha.”
Well, She doesn’t know what would happen if she went to the Heinz mansion. At worst, she could be whipped by her father, Viscount Heinz, and never walk out of the mansion.
‘Then I won’t even be able to attend the grand party’s convention, and I’ll be a nobody to the Duke.
Etisha nodded thoughtfully.
“Then……I will be indebted to the Duke, thank you.”
“No, you don’t need to thank me, I wasn’t exactly looking to help you this time.”
“There you go again. Even if you didn’t mean to help me, you did, and that’s something to be grateful for.”
Etisha smiled softly.
Out of the shadow of her family and her stepmother, Etisha looked different, like a newborn child.
Like a child who sees her first snow and beams with delight, or a child who goes to school for the first time and was thrilled with anticipation. There was something about Etisha’s expression, her eyes, everything about her that stirred the heart.
It was an impressive sight.
The corners of Kaiyen’s mouth twitched as he studied Etisha’s smiling face. Judging by the way he was even more relaxed than usual, the wine must have rubbed off on him.
“…….”
Kaiyen’s gaze lingered on Etisha for a moment before slowly dropping.
* * *
Viscount Heinz Manor.
The viscount and viscountess, who had received the news late, wore only stunned expressions. A gust of wind blew through the living room.
“Etisha is marrying…… Duke Kaiyen Wintell?”
“Wintell, the Sword of the North. The Grand Duke of Windell?”
It was unbelievable, to say the least. If it hadn’t come from their daughter, Larienne, they would have dismissed it as a lie without a second thought.
“How could she possibly be a duchess?”
“Yes, and what’s more, the Duke of Windell is rumored to have a favourite mistress…….”
Confusion reigned.
Viscount Heinz slammed his fist down on the drawing room table, and Lady Dorothea clutched at her handkerchief.
In truth, they were right to be alarmed. An aristocratic marriage was essentially a union of households and families, rather than individuals.
Just as there was a process for announcing an engagement first, and then a wedding, there was also a process for two families to enter into a marriage contract.
“How can he take my daughter away without the family’s permission…….”
Viscount Heinz swallowed hard, and beside him, Lady Dorothea interrupted.
“That’s right, He can’t just go ahead and marry our daughter without her parent’s permission”
At that, Larienne, whose expression had been pensive, looked up. If she did this right, she might be able to bring Etisha back home.
“Right, Mom and Dad! She can’t get married, can she? She’s coming back to me, back to our house, right?”
Immature Larienne fussed, demanding that Etisha be brought home immediately. lady Dorothea froze, holding Larienne in her arms.
“Yes, yes,” she said,”what would become of her if we let her out of the house? She’s not good enough, and she’ll bring disgrace on the Heinz family.”
Madam Dorothea had always stood by Larienne.
And Viscount Heinz, too, was ‘mostly’ on her side.
There were occasional exceptions, and this was one of them.
“No, wait.”
Viscount Heinz muttered, stroking his beard.
“On second thought, I don’t think it’s necessary to annul this marriage.”
Viscount Heinz was a nobleman, and he knew better than anyone how a nobleman’s marriage could benefit the family.
“If we marry Etisha to the Duke of Windell, our house will be linked to him. We could expand our trade to the north, and perhaps lay new tracks there.”
“Papa!”
“Be still, Larienne. This is a golden opportunity.”
“But, Dad! Etisha’s going to die!”
Larienne cried out, and Madame Dorothea interrupted.
“Yeah, honey. How can we send our sick child out there?”
Viscount Heinz waved his hand in the air as if it were nothing. It was too much for him to deny.
“So marry her off as soon as possible and send her north.
Thanks