Chapter translated by Gon.
“If you’re going to punish her, it’d better be somewhere other than my face. You don’t even have to use your hands; I’ll take her away and make sure she’s tied up.”
“…….”
“I’m afraid you might break your precious fan, Madame Montmartre.”
Marquis Hexion bent down and kissed the back of Lady Montmartre’s hand as she took the fan. As soon as his lips touched hers, she couldn’t help but let out a small gasp.
Withdrawing her hand, the Countess of Montmartre led the nobles away. In the meantime, Marquis Hexion gave Diethe a casual glance.
“Follow me.”
“……me?”
“Yes, you. You’ll only cause more trouble if you stay here. Follow me.”
Then, he grabbed Yudite by the wrist and led her across the banquet hall.
He took a few steps, twirled her around in a dance, took a few steps again, and kept going. Each move was slow and captivating.
Soon, they were out of the ballroom and facing the deserted hallways of Wintel Castle.
Yudite could now see the Marquis’ appearance in detail.
His silver hair sparkled with white, and his blood-red eyes…
He was a beautiful man. The mere touch of his lips to the back of her hand was enough to make Countess Montmartre step back.
If the Kaiyen was godlike in his perfection, Marquis Hexion was a devilishly seductive man.
“You, go back.”
Marquis Hexion released Yudite’s hand and said:
“What? What do you mean, go back?”
“Anywhere. There must be somewhere you can go, at least not that ballroom.”
Yudite’s lips trembled slightly. Tears formed in her large eyes, and eventually trickled down her cheeks.
“But I was invited by Madame Cyrille, and this is the first banquet I’ve ever attended, and I’ve never, ever, ever…….”
“Yes. So go back.”
“Why……!”
“Well, you don’t expect to be at a party celebrating the Duke’s wedding announcement, looking like you’re going to cry if you’re touched, and not being able to hear when someone calls you.”
Yudite clenched her jaw; she realized how pathetic she looked now.
“I don’t know what mercy Madame Cyrille had in inviting you to the banquet, but it’s not the place for the likes of you.”
Yudite chewed on her lips.
She knew that Marquis Hexion was right, but she didn’t want to admit it.
“Why, because I’m a commoner?”
The Marquis chuckled at that as if he found it amusing.
“No.”
“Then why……!”
The man wiped the smile off his face and said it sternly.
“You’re not ready for anything.”
“…….”
“You’re not ready to jump into the middle of a nobleman’s dogfight, and you want to be thrown into the middle of it, unprepared to win, even though you know you’re going to get chewed up for all you care?”
Yudite blinked her golden eyes, this time unable to comprehend what the Marquis of Hexion was trying to say.
“If you’re Lady Cyrille’s foster daughter, you’re supposed to act like a duchess. If you’re Lord Kaiyen’s mistress, you should act like a mistress. But you’re neither.”
“…….”
“So there’s no place for you here. Is that clear?”
The Marquis then turned toward the ballroom, leaving Yudite alone, as if he had nothing more to say.
He whistled leisurely as he walkedaway, and Yudite, standing behind him, called out urgently.
“……Wait!”
“?”
“Then, let me know. How to become a duchess, how to become Kaiyen’s mistress.”
Tears streamed down her face as she cried out pitifully.
* * *
The banquet was about to end. The important guests who had come to Wintel Castle were starting to leave until only the lord of the castle was left.
‘My face is hot. I’ve had too much wine again today.’
This was what happened when she drank all the celebratory wine they offered.
Etisha rubbed her reddened cheeks and waved goodbye to the departing guests. Kaiyen and Madame Cyrille were busy greeting their own guests.
‘It’s been a crazy…… day.’
She played with the ring on her left hand.
The Wintel’s eye eagle crest and a large white diamond sparkled as if it understood her.
‘I thought the Yudite was the Duke’s mistress.’
But she was actually the foster daughter of Lady Cyrille.
And Kaiyen’s sister……..
‘Ah, is that why the Duke said what he did in the warp tunnel?’
The famous secret that must be hidden.
In Laxen, Kaiyen tried to tell her Yudite’s story.
Though Etisha’s sudden onset of hyperemesis prevented her from getting the full story, it made sense after the banquet.
“I wonder how Madame Cyrille came to bring Yudite into her life. Is there some unknown story behind it……?’
Normally, nobles don’t associate with commoners. Especially not a great noble like the Grand Duke of Wintel.
A commoner who could wield magic was one thing, but for a commoner like Yudite to be raised in the Wintel household was highly unusual.
‘It’s hard to be a great noble.’
Etisha rubbed her cheeks gently with both hands and let out a light breath.
By then, all the guests had departed and Wintel Castle was empty.
Mrs. Cyrille spoke to them as they were about to left.
“Thank you for your kindness today, Baroness El.”
The lady was still too shy to look at Etisha’s face, and she looked away.
The way she spoke to the empty hallway rather than to a person could have been misinterpreted by anyone else as if she were ignoring Etisha.
“Thank you, Madame Cyrille.”
But Etisha no longer misunderstood her.
“Well, the title… … .”
“Yes?”
“No, no. Pretend you didn’t hear it. I was too hasty.
On the contrary, Etisha thought Madame Cyrille was a very cute person.
The charismatic and fierce Duchess, showing such a blunt side only to Etisha…….
She couldn’t help but think it was cute.
Etisha replied cautiously with a smile.
“I’m sorry, I’m still a bit new to this…… mother.”
“…….”
“Thank you, mother.”
Lady Cyrille bit her lip and rolled her eyes.
To the untrained eye, this could have been mistaken for a sign of great anger at Etisha, but to Etisha’s eyes, it didn’t look that way at all.
“You’re so cute.”
Etisha approached Lady Cyrille cautiously and gently grabbed her black-gloved hand.
“I am delighted that you have welcomed me with such a grand banquet, my dear mother, and I mean it.”
“I’ll do my best to be a good daughter-in-law to repay you.”
“No, I’m…….”
“Mother.”
Etisha smiled, looking softly at Lady Cyrille, who was at a loss for words.
She remembered her birth mother, who had died long ago after giving birth to her, and her stepmother, Mrs. Dorothea, who had mistreated her for so many years.
Today was the day Etisha was given a third mother.
“So please, mother, call me something else. Not Baroness, because that title still feels so awkward.”
Etisha looked up at Lady Cyrille with shining blue eyes.
Madame Cyrille, a tall, stern-looking woman who stood a good foot taller than Etisha, froze at the sight of the tiny girl.
“……What else can I call you?”
“Sweetheart.”
“?!”
“Baby…….”
Surprised, Madame Cyrille slapped Etisha’s hand away, and then, even more surprised, she snatched it back.
“…!”
This time, she thought she had grabbed it too hard and pulled it away.
“Seriously, why are you so cute?” Etisha couldn’t help but let out a small laugh.
Duke Kaiyen, who was watching the two of them, also had a quiet smile on his lips.
“Uh, no. Mee, I’m sorry. I must be excused.”
Madame Cyrille let go of Etisha’s hand in embarrassment. This time, she let go very gently.
“I have a lot on my plate,” she said, “the wedding preparations, the bride’s wedding dress and jewelry, all of it, something that has been in the Wintel family for generations, and I need to take care of it.”
“…….”
“Let’s throw a perfect wedding that will go down in history, this time. Grandly.”
“Yes, mother.”
“……It’s late tonight, Baroness El, so we’ll talk over tea tomorrow. No…….”
Lady Cyrille’s cold lips twitched slightly. They twitched slightly as if she were about to say something more.
Then, with difficulty, she added the name.
“My dear.”
Before she stormed away, leaving no time for anyone to catch her.
Etisha and Kaiyen were the only ones in the hallway now.
Kaiyen wiped the smile off his face and spoke in a low voice.
“She has a daughter-in-law, so now she doesn’t even see her own son.”
“That can’t be right, I’m sure she think of her son the most.”
“…….”
Kaiyen gave me a nonchalant look. He didn’t even seem to chastise her mother for leaving without saying goodbye.
Instead, he was looking down at Etisha’s flushed cheeks. The flush from the wine blended with Etisha’s pink hair.
“I had originally planned to give you a brief tour of Wintel Castle after the banquet, Lady Etisha, but it seems you’ve had quite a bit of wine.”
“Ah……, yes, a little.”
“In that case, I’d better show you to your bedroom right away. Come.”
Kaiyen held out one hand to Etisha for an escort. Etisha stood still, resting her hand on his arm as they walked.
She had clearly had too much wine, and her steps were a little shaky.
“The castle is large, and it’s easy to get lost, so take a maid with you whenever possible.”
“I will, I still have much to learn.”
“Where you are now is the main castle, the backbone of Wintel Castle. There are smaller castles to the east and west, and they are called the Castle of Snow and the Castle of Swords, respectively.”
“Castle of Snow and Castle of Sword…….”
“The Castle of Snow is where my parents live.”
“And the Castle of Swords? Does Yudite live there?” Etisha asked, and Kaiyen shook his head.
“The Castle of Swords is currently empty. Perhaps one day, if Wintel has an heir, he will stay there.”
“Ah…….”
“Yudite lives in a tower that rises on the outskirts of the fortress. It’s called the Tower of the Stars.”
The more she listened, the more she was amazed at the size of the castle.
“Miss Etisha’s bedroom is on the third floor of the main castle. You have the entire floor to yourself.”
“The entire floor?”
“The married couple’s common areas, to be exact.”
“Pardon?”
