♡ TL: Khadija SK
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“It’s… very big.”
Upon hearing Anette’s honest and simple response, Theodore smiled slightly.
“I’ve been wandering around the palace all day and still haven’t seen half of it. What’s the point of having a big bedroom if I don’t even have time to lie on the bed?”
“Since it’s a gift from the emperor, it’s only natural for the house to be big.”
Although Theodore held the title of “Grand Duke,” he had no duchy or even any property.
This meant he should not aspire to anything more than the title of Grand Duke, and obtaining this title was a good excuse to exclude him, as the emperor’s son, from the throne conflict.
Initially, they only gave him the seemingly useless land of Memmingen, which was just as good as it was.
Of course, Hugo had taken that land away too, so Theodore really had nothing now.
Despite having ample money and a palace that carried a name, he was in a lower position than a lower-class aristocrat who ruled like an emperor over his own lands.
“This is my life. At first glance, it seems like I have everything in the world, but in reality, if I accept this life meekly, I should just eat and die. I was born as the emperor’s son, but I can never claim my rights.”
“Since the emperor had no intention of letting you into the imperial palace, do you mean he gave you a similar palace to make you happy with such a fake life?”
Anette pointed out the purpose of this palace very clearly.
“Oh… but if I say that, won’t it hurt you?”
“Not anymore.”
The criticism directed at Theodore for being just the emperor’s illegitimate son and not the crown prince used to hurt him when he was younger, but not now.
Besides, Anette’s words, although they seemed like a sharp dagger on the surface, were actually just a knife without a blade upon closer inspection.
Anette had no intention of showing pity for Theodore, and knowing this, he was not hurt by her words.
In fact, eyes filled with pity were more bothersome than harsh words.
“It’s a private living room. I never thought I’d get a room like this. It’s completely different from the living rooms in my original world.”
The room they were sitting in now was Anette’s private living room, which she would use for receiving guests in the future.
Theodore’s living room was on the opposite side of the hallway.
The idea of the couple using separate rooms to receive guests was unfamiliar to Anette.
“You’ll have to get used to it.”
“I’ll try.”
“If you’re tired, why are you sitting in the living room instead of your bedroom?”
“I’ve only wandered around half of the palace. So I stopped here midway to rest and started thinking about different things.”
“What were you thinking about?”
“Who will I meet here? What will they think? But regardless of who comes to see me, it will be for His Highness, not for me.”
Anette said this and truly laughed.
Theodore didn’t understand what was funny about it.
“Are you just complaining about the difficulty of receiving guests? What I want to do in the future is something that requires a lot of interaction with people.”
“Don’t worry. There’s nothing I can’t do, and no one I can’t meet. As proof of that, I also married you.”
Theodore could hear her whispering: “There’s nothing more terrible than you.”
“I think I got hurt a little this time.”
“Liar.”
“I heard what you said.”
By the end of their meaningless conversation, Anette had completely slipped off the sofa and was sitting on the floor, leaning her head against the edge of the sofa.
“Why are you sitting like that?”
“Because it’s comfortable.”
“Sitting on the floor is comfortable?”
“I’m sitting on the floor and leaning against the sofa.”
“I still don’t understand what makes you comfortable in this strange position.”
Theodore asked a series of continuous questions, but Anette didn’t answer any of them.
From his perspective, Anette’s position sitting on the cold floor, ignoring the purpose of the sofa, was extremely uncomfortable, let alone lacking in dignity.
He also considered sitting next to the sofa as rebellious, leaving the expensive new sofa he had brought specifically to decorate her private living room unused.
“I’m comfortable like this. To be honest, I’m even more comfortable when I lean on my father’s legs, but leaning on the sofa is fine too.”
“Your father’s legs?”
“When someone leans on their father’s legs and… ugh… what am I talking about to a man whose father is the emperor? Never mind, don’t pay attention to what I just said.”
Anette waved her hand, cutting off her words.
“I’m going to go rest.”
Anette went to her bedroom with a tired expression.
She had no intention of answering Theodore’s questions.
To avoid accidentally going to Theodore’s bedroom, Anette had to think carefully about the path directed by the head servant, leaving her no time to consider other things.
As she left the room, Theodore glanced at the sofa Anette had been leaning against for a moment.
***
Once Anette arrived in Laider, she learned that war was about to break out; however, things unfolded slightly differently than expected.
The current situation before her was also a form of war, so to speak, but it was a very honest kind of battle, unlike the deceitful intrigues or secret struggles among people.
All kinds of dresses and accessories were scattered before Anette; these were battle outfits for social activities.
Until recently, Anette had lived alone in a villa, focusing solely on restoring her health, so she hadn’t paid much attention to her clothing.
However, to seriously become Anette Scheringan, it was essential for her to wear the right clothes.
The world of nobility was one where a person’s value increased based on their beauty and charm.
The wicked Anette had always received the highest ratings in this regard; on the other hand, the current Anette had nothing.
Not to mention ordinary clothes and undergarments, she had nothing properly fitted.
Absolutely nothing.
This meant they needed to sew dozens of new dresses for every season and occasion, along with countless outfits and accessories for every purpose.
Anette wanted to calm herself by pretending to be blind to the sparkling jewelry, but at that moment, the dresses were more terrifying than any enemy.
When Anette tried on one or two outfits, the idea of wearing clothes she had only seen in movies felt strange and amusing.
But this fascination didn’t last long.
It was more frustrating than she thought to wear clothes she didn’t even know how to put on correctly.
The process of putting on a dress, looking in the mirror, then taking it off to look at it again made her lose the will to fight against an uncommunicative foe.
As Anette slumped on the sofa from exhaustion, the maids serving her noticed.
Anette was not known in the Floris palace, and Theodore’s servants were curious about her.
The Grand Duchess, who had suddenly appeared one day, was a subject of great interest for those who would live under the same roof with her.
Theodore said nothing to the people serving him, so the maids swallowed their curiosity and knew nothing about their new mistress.
The only rumors they had heard were that she was beautiful and had a fiery personality.
They confirmed her beauty by looking at her, but they hadn’t yet discovered her personality, so they had to show their curiosity carefully.
Despite all the facts, it was astonishing to see the Grand Duchess, who had made the Laider newspapers buzz enthusiastically with uniform words about her.
What kind of lady is she?
How could she marry the cold-hearted Grand Duke?
Are they really in love?
The maid who was wiping sweat from Anette’s forehead swallowed countless questions and gazed at her.
“Stop!”
In the end, Anette couldn’t bear it any longer and became angry.
“I can’t do this today anymore. I’m done with the clothes I need for now, so I’ll try the rest when the time comes.”
Rumors spread that she was a lady with a bad temper, so the maid couldn’t help but feel tense.
After coming to the Floris palace, Anette felt like she had entered the midst of a dazzling Victorian play.
It was hard for her to tell whether the maids were searching for jewelry or for her.
“Why do I have to wear and take off clothes so many times?”
“Given your status, Your Grace the Grand Duchess, it’s not much at all. Since mid-autumn has already passed, we’ve prepared the minimum number of dresses you will need.”
“That’s fine. But I think choosing the clothes I like and trying them all on to see if they suit me is utterly irresponsible behavior.”
Anette knew she was talking nonsense.
Nevertheless, she was tired of the designers insisting that the same banquet dresses, daily wear, and outing outfits looked different when worn by Anette.
Anette hadn’t particularly enjoyed playing dress-up as a child, especially if she was the doll.
Instead, if they had brought her a single dress and a pair of earrings, she would have tried them on with a smile.
“Well .. t- then …”
“That’s fine, you can go.”
The maid brought her daily clothes and tried to dress her, but Anette lay back on the sofa and waved her hand.
The maid felt embarrassed to see Anette wearing only a delicate dress, but it was impossible to force her mistress to wear her clothes.
The maid feared being reprimanded for leaving the lady in just her underwear, but she didn’t want to disobey her orders either, so she left first.
According to rumors, Annette was a noblewoman who looked down on maids and would strike them painfully, so it was natural for the maid to be afraid of her.
However, the current Annette was not even aware that hitting maids in this era was not a crime.
The maid sighed in relief as she left the room, thinking that she had finally gained her freedom.
“Finally, it’s all over.”
Annette looked at her reflection in the window glass.
She felt helpless, like the curtain fluttering above the window, wearing a light shirt that swayed in the air.
No, she looked worse than that.
Annette thought the curtain could withstand the fierce winds, but didn’t her frail body tire simply from changing clothes?
As she considered the situation where she had to take care of her health and life, she suddenly felt a heat erupting inside her like a volcano.
Annette hurriedly pulled the curtains and stepped onto the balcony while battling nausea.
She saw the scene of the palace garden at sunset, and the cool autumn air soothed her burning body.
As she suppressed the emotions in her troubled heart and looked at the bare tree branches, her heart seemed to calm down a little.
She closed her eyes for a moment to cool down.
But when she opened her eyes after a while…
Unexpectedly, her gaze met Theodore’s.
He was looking at Annette from the garden.
He had a stern expression on his face, as if something bad had happened.
When their eyes met, he frowned for a moment, then disappeared.
As Annette was confused for a moment about what had happened, Theodore entered the room at some point.
“Why are you walking around naked like this?”
“Am I naked?”
“You’re standing on the balcony in your underwear right now.”
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