The Duke of Levord visited Randall’s private room in the castle, just as Randall was about to finish work and put away his quill.
Duke Levord was a tall, slender old gentleman in his late sixties. He arrived with his dark gray hair neatly combed and a stylish cane in hand, causing Randall to raise an eyebrow.
The Duke, who had been suffering from back problems for the past two years, was supposed to be living a quiet life recovering in his state. Randall wondered when he’d come back. He had been unable to have children for many years, but now had one son, the same age as Randall, who was managing the ducal state in the capital. Randall had thought he would simply pass on his title to his son and live a retired life at his estate.
“Congratulations on your marriage, though a little late.”
“Thank you. Is your back better now, your Grace?”
“Yes. It’s gotten a lot better already. Although it still hurts. My wife said she wanted to go to the royal capital this year, so I decided to push myself a little.”
The gentle-smiling Duke Levord was known for being a loving husband. He had a soft spot for Madame Rose, who was four years younger than him, and although he seemed to be often at the mercy of her whims, he was always smiling.
(Well, if the Duke couldn’t move, Madame wouldn’t ask him to push himself too hard, so he must have recovered enough to be able to do so.)
There were hot springs in Duke Levord’s territory, and the recovery of his back may have been due to the effect of these springs.
Randall offered the Duke Levord a seat on the sofa and asked the castle maid to make him some tea.
The Duke dropped a sugar into the tea and stirred it with his hand, asking Randall a question that was difficult to answer.
“How is your married life going?”
Duke Levord had been in his territory until recently, so he didn’t seem to know that Randall had been spending all his time in the castle and hadn’t returned to the duke’s house. Randall was at a loss for words and replied vaguely, “Yeah, well.”
Having not properly returned to the ducal residence since getting married, Randall had no sense of honeymoon. In fact, he didn’t even feel like he’s married.
Randall still thought of Sophia as a fake princess, and he only married her to keep an eye on her.
“I hear Princess Sophia lived in the commoner district until she was 14. I’m sure she’s had a lot of hardships. I know it’s none of my business, but please treat her well.”
Duke Levord had come all the way here just to say that. Could it be that he knows that Randall hasn’t returned to the Duke of Voltio’s house? Duke Levord and the King get along well. It’s possible that he’d come to give Randall a piece of advice on the King’s orders.
Randall couldn’t read what Duke Levord was thinking as he smiled gently, and just as he began to feel uneasy, the Duke handed him a letter.
“My wife sent this to Princess Sophia. She said that since she had returned to the capital she wanted to hold a tea party. She would love to invite her. Of course you are also invited, Duke Voltio.”
“… Me too?”
It was common for ladies to host tea parties, but it was rare for their husbands to participate. Randall wondered why he had been invited, and the Duke chuckled softly.
“You have a strange look on your face. Although it’s called a tea party, only you and Princess Sophia are being invited this time. My wife simply wants to meet princess Sophia. She might feel lonely if she was the only one invited, so we would like for you to come along. Besides, women’s stories can be long and boring at times. While my wife and Princess Sophia talk, why don’t you play chess with me and my son?”
So that was the reason. Randall didn’t know why the Lady Levord was interested in Sophia, but if that’s the case, it would be rude to refuse.
Randall thought of Sophia’s face, whom he hadn’t seen in a long time, and nodded, knowing there was nothing he could do.
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Translator Note:
I won’t be able to release any new chapter of this novel next week, but I will be back the week after that!!
Hello there! This is RJR. I hope you liked it <3
If you like my work please support me with Ko-fi or Patreon. Next post will be released on June, 24.
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