For him, Karl was like a thorn in his side. From their first meeting, Franz found himself constantly compared in every aspect, reaching a point where just seeing the ‘K’ in Karl’s name stirred up competition.
“Duke Albrecht truly embodies the epitome of nobility. Look at his dignified stature and graceful movements. Does noble blood really make one so refined?”
“I doubt it. Just look at the prince Lady Marina brought in, completely different from Duke Albrecht.”
“Perhaps he only has half of the noble blood, that’s why?”
Unforgettable childhood memories resurfaced. People at the palace constantly belittled and mocked him compared to Karl, even a mere maid stirred his blood with her jests.
Upon reaching adulthood, he learned to conceal negative emotions and keep them hidden, but when it came to stories about Karl, he couldn’t help but react.
“Who said that the Count is getting married? That can’t be true.”
“Yes. I don’t think all the rumors in this newspaper are entirely true either.”
“Who is his partner?”
‘Count Louisette, holding two dukes in his hands.’ Why did this headline catch his eye? Schultz calmly set the newspapers down on the bedside table.
“….It’s Count Louisette.”
When Marina encountered obstacles from Princess Pulcheria while trying to win over the nobles one by one, joining hands with Count Louisette was her breakthrough.
Realizing she couldn’t entirely win over people using the Emperor’s influence alone, Marina opted for a capitalist approach to control Count Louisette completely, a tactic that had worked for about ten years. Despite appearances, the Louisette family now seemed more aligned with Franz’s faction.
But now, the lone successor of Louisette is marrying Duke Albrecht? It was a ridiculous notion. Franz sneered.
“Why would he suddenly make such audacious claims? It seems he had his reasons for believing so.”
“Are you referring to Count Louisette?”
Phew, the hazy smoke dispersed.
“On a monthly basis, Celeste, who had made it a habit to step foot in this mansion at least once a month, left this country under the pretext of studying abroad. It must have been about… a year, or maybe closer to two. She promised to return as a loyal subject once she finished her studies, and I pretended to believe her.
The dresser was filled to the brim with various poems and sonnets that she had composed. Shultz, who had neatly organized the newspapers, took out a new drawer from the trolley.
“She sparkled into the capital six months ago, only to disappear again, citing the need for treatment.”
After organizing the drawer, he placed a teapot and cups on the table. It was a signal to replenish moisture as the smoke would soon dry their throats. Franz nonchalantly tossed the last sonnet from the drawer and took his seat in front of the teacup.
“But that was strange too. A person claiming to need treatment appeared so healthy, even donning disguises and buying magic stones at the night market in secret, it’s absurd, isn’t it?”
Phew, the tea was too hot. Franz lifted the cup and then set it back down.
“But how did the Count know that she was going to buy the magic stones at that time?”
“Have you ever seen Celeste leaving the capital?”
“No, I don’t think I have any recollection of that.”
The nobles living in the capital rarely left its confines. Those noble families who had come up from the provinces might leave the capital occasionally to check on their estates and properties, but the noble families deeply rooted in the capital had no reason or occasion to do so.
Celeste’s family was a prime example. Although they might occasionally move to a countryside estate for recuperation in their old age, Celeste, barely twenty-two, was far from needing such care.
Seeing a young and wealthy noble about to depart the capital under the pretext of treatment, Franz immediately sensed something fishy.”
“The aristocratic lady who has never left the capital since birth and has not been in her position for long, it doesn’t make sense for her to leave for nursing care, so I thought there must be another reason she needed to escape from something. And in times of crisis, people tend to make sure to have something to protect themselves. So you thought the count would come to buy magic stones.”
Franz nodded.
“The magic stones managed by the Lujette family must be abundant, but they are items that need to be strictly monitored from production to delivery to the imperial family. Since it wouldn’t be possible to take them while escaping, naturally they would have to look for a black market.”
“Indeed, Your Excellency is truly insightful.”
Schultz took out a sugar cube and dropped it into the hot tea. Not only intending to sweeten the drink but also to lower the temperature for Franz who didn’t drink hot things well.
“However, no matter how much I think about it, there is something strange.”
“What do you mean?”
He stirred the tea with a spoon to help the sugar dissolve.
“No matter even if she escaped outside the capital, I had made sure she couldn’t get out of my surveillance network, but this time, she couldn’t be found. Eventually, we received a message from Samuel in the south, and only then did we learn that she was hiding in a village called Southern Urentum. That part is too… strange. And on top of that, she brought a baby who looks just like me? When did she have the child and give birth? Moreover, the news of her marrying Karl? Does that mean the child is Karl, that gentleman’s child?”
Franz laughed mockingly as he spoke. It doesn’t make sense.
Who is Karl anyway? He is like a stone that would not even blink if a beautiful woman undressed and threw herself at him.
To him, if a healthy young man felt a physical and emotional attraction to a beautiful woman, it was the natural order of things.
Franz thought that rejecting nature to the point of stiffness was not due to his high self-restraint but because there was some issue with his body.
However, that guy supposedly married a woman and had a child that nobody had even heard rumors about? It was absolutely, absolutely unbelievable.
“Whether it’s true or not, it seems that Karl and Celeste have some kind of relationship. So she defiantly refused to respond to my summons.”
Suddenly blurting out nonsense, it seemed it was because of some sudden change involving this Karl fellow. The mocking laughter disappeared, and Franz’s expression quickly turned cold.
“It must not be a relationship that can be easily cut off. Isn’t that right, Schultz?”
“Yes. Moreover, in the master and servant relationship, the servant can never leave the master first.”
“But what if a foolish servant forgets that simple fact?”
“You have to teach them again. Who holds the power.”
As they spoke, the atmosphere cooled. Franz leaned back in his chair, holding his teacup.
“Yes, we must teach them.”
“Do you have any concerns?”
“I’m considering the most effective way to teach, so that I never forget that I am in the servant’s position again.”
“I will call Stilikov.”
It seems he has decided not to have breakfast again today. Schultz stepped back from his position.
***
On the morning after returning from the palace, waking up from sleep, I met sparkling eyes filled with hope and expectation.
“Congratulations, my lord!”
“Oh my, congratulations, master!”
“Oh, thank God!”
The four attendants each expressed their emotions in their own way, as if they had been waiting for me to wake up, eagerly offering words of congratulations.
“Isn’t this… a bit too much?”
“It’s not. You’re soon to become a grand duchess!”
With cheeks blushing, Leev approached to tidy up the bedding. Today, her touch felt particularly strong as she opened the curtains and pulled the covers. Beside her, Hannah was smiling strangely through her nose, and Cecilia was dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief, Margaret…
What to do with these attendants. It seemed that they stayed up all night in excitement over my marriage news.
“Did you sleep well? Was your bed uncomfortable?”
“I was fine… Why are you suddenly like this.”
“Since you’re to become a grand duchess, you should take special care!”
It seemed futile to try to reason with them. Since they cared for me more than I cared for myself, whatever I said, they would ultimately do as they pleased. At times like this, it was least tiring to just trust myself to their hands in silence.
