As soon as Ruth finished speaking, the flow of the air around me changed.
I instinctively knew through him that I had safely arrived in the bedroom.
“Phew.”
After taking a deep breath, I meticulously dusted off the hem of my dress, which had gotten slightly dirty. Thankfully, I hadn’t touched as much as before today, so I was able to erase all traces in a short time.
Glancing at the wall clock, it was almost time for my family to arrive.
Today, instead of waiting downstairs, I decided to go straight to the dining room and wait there.
I gathered my flowing hair with a jet-black hair tie from the nightstand and tied it up.
Usually, I went downstairs every day without fail to welcome my family who had been out working hard, but today my legs were sore, perhaps because I had moved around a lot with Ruth.
To think my legs are sore from just that much walking. It strikes me anew just how serious my physical condition is.
I sighed deeply while gently thumping my sore thighs with my fist as if they were being pressed down by something heavy.
Maybe this is the chance to ask Father to let me exercise, even if it’s just jogging. It’s almost certain he’ll say no, but it’s better than regretting not asking.
Just before leaving the bedroom, after tucking the last stray hair behind her ears, she glanced out the window to check if the family carriage was on its way.
However, contrary to her hopes, the familiar carriage was nowhere to be seen.
It seems they are running a bit late today.
She was about to dismiss the absence of the carriage as inconsequential and look away, when suddenly, a navy carriage emblazoned with a coat of arms she recognized from a book caught her eye.
“Huh?”
Why would that family be coming for my father…
A chill ran down her spine in an instant.
If the coat of arms on the carriage belonged to a family from the emperor’s faction or the neutral faction, it wouldn’t have been so puzzling.
However, the coat of arms featuring two eagles, painted in blue and yellow, back to back, forming a shield, belonged to the Duchy of Hazel, essentially the leader of the noble faction.
And since the noble faction and the emperor’s faction held very different beliefs, they naturally didn’t get along well. Hence, there was no way the Duchy of Hazel came with good intentions for her father.
Furthermore, the fact that they came when her father was away suggested it wasn’t a pre-arranged visit.
What could possibly bring the leader of the noble faction and the emperor’s faction together without a prior appointment?
She pondered for a moment.
“Sigh.”
Exhausted from trying to find an answer that wouldn’t come easily, a sigh naturally escaped me. Eventually, deciding to satisfy my curiosity by looking at history books related to the topic in the library, I took my eyes off the departing carriage. As I emerged from the bedroom, the maids waiting for me slightly bowed their heads.
“You’re up, young lady.”
Since I hadn’t pulled the bell rope to call them as soon as I woke up, they might have been quite surprised, but there was no hint of emotion on the maids’ faces. Seeing such impassive maids naturally reminded me of Jian, who was indifferent yet affable.
Maybe that’s why.
They look like dolls.
Unlike Ruth, the maids with their lifeless eyes looked like dolls.
As I stared intently at them, the maid at the front asked in a monotonous tone, “It’s almost seven o’clock. Are you going to go downstairs right away?”
Without any hesitation, I shook my head from side to side in response to the maid’s question.
“No, today, I plan to wait for my family in the dining room instead of the hallway.”
“Yes.”
It would be reasonable for the maid to find my behavior, suddenly different from usual, questionable, but she didn’t ask any further and stepped back, as if fulfilling her role was up to this point.
…Have my thoughts become strange after meeting that strange person?
Suppressing the lingering, somewhat sour feeling, I withdrew my gaze from the maid standing politely and moved my feet towards the dining room without hesitation.
***
After waiting for about 30 minutes in the dining room, my family, now changed into their indoor clothes, came down to the dining room.
“Oh, Seri. Have you been waiting long?”
My mother, spotting me sitting in front of the long dining table, widened her eyes in surprise.
“No, I didn’t wait long. I just came down too.”
In truth, I had waited for quite a while, but I deliberately answered otherwise.
Only then did my mother smile with relief, as if assured now.
“That’s good. I’m glad you didn’t have to wait too long.”
The moment my mother sat down opposite me, my father, who had also taken his seat, subtly broached the subject.
“What made you wait in the dining room instead of at the entrance?”
“…I was playing and then got hungry.”
I hurriedly concocted a plausible excuse, knowing full well that admitting my legs were hurting would lead to trouble.
Hearing my excuse, my sister spoke with a tone of concern.
“Seri. If you were hungry, you should have eaten something earlier.”
“Uh-huh, I’ll do that next time.”
With that, I nodded meekly to ensure my sister’s worry didn’t deepen, all the while pulling my lips into a broad smile with all my might.
As our conversation neared its end, a variety of foods began to appear one by one from the kitchen, starting with succulently roasted pork, fluffy potato salad, and fresh fish dishes, among many others.
Seeing the table filled with such appetizing foods suddenly reminded me of Ruth.
I wonder if Ruth is eating well? Considering that the only option for food in the forest would be fruits unless one hunts, it was clear that surviving on fruits alone wouldn’t be satisfying, let alone filling.
Maybe I should bring some food next time? While pondering what kind of food Ruth might like, I picked up my fork.
“Hmm…” As I continued to dine absorbed in thought, before I knew it, vanilla-flavored ice cream was being served for dessert.
In front of me was a cheesecake, chosen considering my lesser preference for sweet tastes. As everyone started eating their dessert, a slight silence fell over the dining room.
Just as I was about to question the surprisingly heavy atmosphere without any suspicion, my father suddenly broke the silence.
“I have something to say to Ser and Seri.”
(TL/N: For those who still doesn’t understand. Ser = Serbia & Seri = Selena. It’s their nicknames their parents call them)
“What would you like to say?”
As if she had been waiting, my sister put down her spoon and looked at father.
I, too, followed my sister in silently waiting for father’s next words.
Could it possibly be about the visit from the Duke Hazel’s house that we saw earlier?
I speculated vaguely when father continued speaking.
“After a long consultation with Via, we have decided to adopt an heir.”
Via was our mother’s pet name.
“What did you just say?”
My sister’s complexion turned significantly paler, as if she was greatly startled by father’s statement.
I, too, couldn’t prevent my face from stiffening.
Though we had anticipated father adopting an heir, I never dreamed it would happen so soon, thus it was quite shocking.
“We have decided to bring in an adopted child. Understand that we intend to raise this child as the successor.”
Regardless of my sister’s distressed look, father indifferently repeated his announcement and then promptly got up from his seat and left the dining room.
“……”
I quietly closed my mouth and watched father’s departing figure for a moment before silently putting down my fork.
The delicious cake turned into a stone, blocking my throat.
“Ah.”
A sigh escaped me as I blankly stared at the fork smeared with spots of white cheese.
…Come to think of it, I forgot to ask for permission to exercise.
I wonder why realizing this fact belatedly doesn’t seem all that regrettable.
***
Several days have passed since that day.
During these days, the number of visitors to the mansion has notably increased, mostly from the neutral and emperor’s factions, though occasionally mixed with nobles.
But aside from that, it was an ordinary day like any other.
Maybe I should go look for the book I promised Ruth.
Lying in bed and staring at the ceiling, I slowly got up.
I had stayed in my room for a while because my mother had said it would be better not to come out when we had visitors, and I felt a bit cramped.
Since there were no visitors in the mansion right now, it seemed okay to briefly go to the study.
Today, after verifying the silence outside my bedroom, I felt at ease to leave.
Then, a maid standing in the hallway noticed me and approached.
“Where are you planning to go, young lady?”
“I’m going to the study. I’ll be right back, so wait here for me.”
I didn’t want to spend my personal time with the maids. So, after I firmly instructed them, the maid nodded and went back to her place.
After watching the maid leave, I headed to the study.
The hallway was unusually quiet today, but since it was never noisy, I didn’t think much of it.
As I stepped into the library with brisk steps, the smell of old books and the unique scent of wooden bookshelves tickled my nose. It might have been because it was early afternoon, but the library, bathed in drowsy sunlight, presented a cozy atmosphere.
“Was it William Hessen? No, not Hessen… Was it Hessenton?”
I walked past the librarian, who was thoroughly napping, to the vast bookshelves, trying to recall.
By the way, how am I supposed to find a book written by William Hesent among all these books?
There were nearly five hundred books in one bookshelf alone, and there were a total of fifteen bookshelves in the library. In short, starting without any information meant I had to go through all the troubles imaginable.
Should I wake the librarian and ask?
I glanced at the nodding librarian and sighed deeply.
If I ask where the book by William Hesent is, the curious librarian will surely ask for reasons. And if that happens, things would get complicated.
After much deliberation, I decided to search for the book on my own, no matter how hard it would be. After all, I had time to spare.
“Let’s start with this one.”
I decided to examine the nearest bookshelf, slowly browsing through each book.
There were times when it was hard to reach the top shelf, but the work progressed smoothly.
In the midst of searching, I came across the name William Hesent at the end of the eighth bookshelf. I found it! Delighted internally, I hurriedly fetched a ladder and took down several books written by William Hesent.
“The Study of Sovereignty,”
“Who is the Monarch?”
“On Governance…?”
As I sat on the ladder reading the titles aloud, something felt off. I remembered the nanny saying that the study of sovereignty is known among people as a subject studied by eccentrics.
Hence, everyone tends to avoid the study that arrogantly discusses the role of the emperor.
There’s even a rumor that if the emperor finds out you’ve studied sovereignty, half of your wealth will be confiscated.
I was puzzled as to why Ruth was interested in such studies and why these books were in the mansion’s library.
“I’ll bring it since you asked, but…” I couldn’t shake off the uneasy feeling and trailed off.
I was engulfed in an ominous feeling for a long time before finally snapping out of it and climbing down from the ladder.
After all, I just needed to be careful myself.
“Speaking of which, were the historical records over here?”
After seeing the visit from the Duke of Hazel, I became curious if such events had happened before. Therefore, I wanted to look at the historical records, which I hadn’t dared to pick up since I finished reading them two years ago.
I pondered among the various historical books which one to take and ended up choosing the thickest one, thinking there would be more to read because of its thickness.
“Ugh.”
When I tried to pick up all the books I had taken out at once, the tremendous weight made it feel like my arms were going to fall off.
However, I couldn’t ask for help, especially if it was to hide books related to imperial studies.
“Phew, ah.”
Struggling, I adjusted the books in my arms and took a deep breath as I stepped forward.
It was while I was making my slow return to the bedroom.
“What are your plans now, Your Excellency?”
A faint voice could be heard from somewhere.
Following the sound, I saw my father’s office, a thin stream of light leaking through the crack of the door that was not properly closed.
Was he very busy?
I found it odd that my meticulous father did not fully close the door and moved on.
However, my smoothly walking feet abruptly stopped upon hearing the following words.
“It’s treason, of all things. It’s about time you decided which side you’re on.”
