It was my first outing in a long time.
As soon as I sent a letter to the Duke of Grey’s household, the Duchess immediately dispatched a carriage to our home.
No one in their right mind would dare tamper with a carriage sent by the Duchess.
Even the Empress would know well enough that angering her cousin would mean all-out war.
Seeing the Grey family’s carriage after so long stirred up an odd feeling of nostalgia.
Truly, it had been a while since I had left the house.
But the carriage wasn’t empty.
“Vivi!”
Through the window, someone cheerfully called out to me — it was the Duchess herself.
The butler, who had gone to check the carriage, was so startled he clutched his chest in shock.
“Y-Your Grace?”
“Your Grace? Come now, didn’t I tell you to call me Mom?”
“Ah… I’m sorry. It’s just been such a long time… Um, yes.”
I awkwardly shifted the conversation.
Before, I could brush off her request to call her “Mom” with a laugh, but after growing closer to Armin, it started to feel a bit more sensitive.
“But, what brings you here in person?”
Did she have somewhere else to be?
Worried that maybe I had mistakenly inconvenienced her, I asked carefully.
The Duchess smiled brightly.
“You silly girl.”
She spoke as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
“What if that girl tries to pull some foolish stunt?”
“‘That girl’?”
“The Empress, of course.”
She had come herself to make sure the Empress wouldn’t cause any trouble.
The sheer boldness of calling the Empress “that girl” left the butler looking so pale he seemed ready to faint.
Muttering that he hadn’t heard anything, he desperately tried to detach himself from the scene.
Before the poor man could collapse from shock, I quickly climbed into the carriage.
“Vivi! Do you know how lonely it’s been at the mansion without you? Ah, it’s heartbreaking, truly.”
The Duchess’s eyes shimmered as she gripped both of my hands.
When we arrived at the Grey estate and I explained everything, the Duchess became thoroughly incensed.
“She’s always been like that, even when we were young — her greed is just too much!”
At this point, even the slightest hint of deference toward the Empress had completely vanished.
The Duchess was fuming as if someone had just stolen something precious from her.
She even ordered the butler to bring iced water immediately upon arriving home.
“Truly, it’s absolutely outrageous.”
“Actually, there’s something I wanted to ask you, Duchess.”
I caught myself.
“I mean, Mom.”
Trying to cheer her up a bit, I deliberately used the title she preferred.
It seemed to be the right move; by the time the butler returned with the iced water, the Duchess had calmed down somewhat.
“Alright. What is it you want to ask?”
I handed her the invitation from Mikael Itaph.
The Duchess glanced over it briefly — she didn’t need any further explanation.
She immediately understood what I was asking.
“Very well.”
The Duchess, who had immediately accepted, clenched her fists and trembled as if her anger was rising again.
“Armin alone isn’t nearly enough to deal with her. Don’t you worry, Vivi. I’ll take care of everything.”
The Duchess, burning with even more fighting spirit than usual, was incredibly reassuring.
* * *
Mikael Itaph’s atelier was packed with people. In the crowd so dense there was hardly room to step, I was without a doubt the biggest topic of conversation.
Wherever I walked, people busied themselves whispering. It was partly because of the rumors about the sculpture, and partly because of the Duchess’s dazzling presence — she had arrived dressed as if attending an ex-boyfriend’s wedding, radiating a commanding aura.
“I didn’t even dress up this much when I was dating my husband before we got married,” the Duchess said with a bright smile. Despite her age, she was breathtakingly beautiful.
“Don’t worry, Vivi,” she said.
“Yes?”
“After today, you’ll be able to meet Armin comfortably again.”
The Duchess seemed quite on edge, constantly glancing around as if expecting the Empress to appear at any moment — no doubt still bothered by the Empress’s previous summons to the palace.
Just then, Mikael, the owner of the atelier, spotted us and hurried over.
“Lady Roha! And the Duchess of Grey!”
“Mikael Itaph, thank you for sending the invitation,” I said.
“Not at all. It’s me who should thank you for gracing my exhibition with your presence.”
The elderly man genuinely looked delighted to see me. I could faintly hear the murmurs around us.
“The Empress has already toured the exhibit and is seated,” someone whispered.
So the Empress was here, as expected. The Duchess asked Mikael, “Who escorted the Empress?”
“Her Majesty is accompanied today by Prince Zeta,”
Mikael replied, and then led us to the main exhibition hall.
In front of the hall, a sculpture covered with a cloth was displayed. True to his word, Mikael had prepared only the best seats for the Imperial Family and me — the very first row had only four chairs.
“Please have a seat here,”
Mikael said, personally guiding me to the front row.
“Lady Roha?”
The Empress and Prince Zeta were already seated. The Empress’s bright smile faltered slightly when she realized that my companion was none other than the Duchess of Grey.
“It’s been a while, Your Majesty,”
I greeted the Empress as our eyes met, but instead of acknowledging her, the Duchess first spoke warmly to Prince Zeta.
“Zeta! It’s been such a long time. I’ve missed having you visit the duchy lately.”
“Duchess,” he replied.
“I’m glad to see you looking well,” the Duchess said.
“It’s good to see you healthy too, Duchess,” Prince Zeta replied politely.
Their conversation was more familial than formal, given that they were distant relatives before being bound by court protocols.
Behind Prince Zeta, the Empress peeked out and glared at her cousin — childish perhaps, but she showed no signs of being the first to greet the Duchess.
Instead, she turned her attention back to me.
“Lady Roha, how is your health? I was very worried when I heard you were ill.”
The Empress, seated at the very end of the row, called out to me. But it wasn’t I who responded — it was the Duchess.
“Her Majesty was concerned, you say? From what Lady Roha told me, the illness stemmed from extreme stress,” the Duchess said loudly, lounging in her seat with a deliberately casual posture.
Who could have possibly given this young lady such stress? How outrageous!
The Empress’s face was full of displeasure as she looked at the Duchess.
“Is that so? That’s the first I’m hearing of it,” the Empress replied, forcing an awkward smile and gesturing for me to sit.
“You must be tired. Please, have a seat.”
The seat she offered was right next to Prince Zeta.
However, once again, the Duchess moved first, naturally taking the seat beside the prince herself.
Thus, the only seat left for me was next to the Duchess — the outermost seat.
Experience really couldn’t be faked; it was a perfect assist.
I quietly sat down next to the Duchess, pretending not to notice anything.
Soon after I was seated, the exhibition hall, like the outside, became packed with people.
There were even many left standing, unable to find seats.
Interest in Mikael Itaph’s new work — after his long slump — was overwhelming.
Mikael seemed to bask in the attention.
Standing next to the giant sculpture covered with a cloth, he spoke with a look of deep satisfaction.
“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you all for attending my exhibition today. I would like to introduce the distinguished guests who have honored this event with their presence.”
He introduced the Empress, Prince Zeta, the Duchess, and me.
When my name was announced, the murmur of excitement grew even louder.
“As many of you know, I have suffered from a severe creative slump these past few years. It was a painful time when I could not even pick up a brush, let alone paint.”
As Mikael’s dramatic story began, the murmuring gradually subsided.
Truly a genius not only in art but also in commanding the stage.
Even I, uncomfortable as I was, found myself drawn into his narrative.
“During that time, I attended the Imperial ball, hoping to encounter a muse who could inspire me. I’m sure many of you remember what happened that night.”
I could feel everyone’s gaze burning into the back of my head, even without needing to turn around.
Mikael, clearly enjoying the attention, paused dramatically for about three seconds before continuing in a solemn, almost reverent tone.
“Yes. On that day — a day that will forever be remembered in the empire’s history — while listening to Lady Roha’s story, I was struck by a sudden, miraculous inspiration. The face of an angel, one I had never even seen before, appeared so vividly before me!”
“Oh, dear heavens,” Mikael cried out theatrically, stomping one foot forward for emphasis.
“Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce it to you. I say this with complete confidence: this is the masterpiece of my life!”
With that, Mikael grabbed the cord attached to the cloth.
Swish— the cloth slid away, revealing the sculpture at last.
“Gasp!”
“This can’t be…”
“Oh, heavens!”
The crowd burst into commotion.
And I, too, found myself at a complete loss for words at the sight of the genius sculptor’s creation.
