Unlike the Grand Duchess’s bedroom before her death, which always had spots that were inadequately cleaned, this place was spotlessly clean in every corner, polished to a shine from so much scrubbing.
With the head maid gone, the maids were excessively attentive to the Grand Duchess’s mood.
“Of course, please take your time, as long as it doesn’t harm your health.”
He gestured behind him. Sir Wilberk, who had quietly approached at the flick of his finger, opened the box he had brought and respectfully presented it.
“Oh my!”
“Goodness!”
The maids from Ostein, who were used to saying that gold flowed in their homeland, couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration and surprise at how dazzlingly the contents of the box sparkled.
“I prepared this thinking it would match the ring. I’m glad it was crafted quickly.”
The necklace lifted by Peon’s gloved hand was incredibly heavy.
It nearly covered Kaela’s neck and collarbone, which had been bare before. It was so lavish that it reflected light brilliantly, almost blinding to look at.
Kaela’s lips quivered in surprise at the size of the diamond set in the center. Before she could speak, Peon put the necklace on her and said,
“I’ve heard that a husband upholds his wife’s dignity.”
Usually, it’s thought to be the other way around, but no one in the room dared to say the Grand Duke was mistaken.
“I’m worried I might embarrass you, as I’ve never done this before and am quite clumsy at it.”
It was an excessively humble statement. One might wonder if the Grand Duke of Lusenford should bow his head like this to his already married wife, but in fact, he did.
Peon knew best that he, a mere Grand Duke of Lusenford, the Empress’s illegitimate child, worse than a mongrel, could never have married Kaela, the Princess of Ostein.
If the Emperor, coveting the rich Ostein, hadn’t disguised the assassination of his brother as a gun accident, cleverly stripped away all the territory and titles, and then pushed Kaela to the north to keep Peon in check, she would have been a precious lady he couldn’t even dare to look at.
To him, who was struggling fiercely to survive every day, a puppet who had lost everything suddenly fell. The puppet was very unhappy.
Even after the regression, the fact that the two were married again was so humiliating for the Princess of Ostein that Peon was speechless with shock.
For the granddaughter of the former emperor, who could have married any foreign prince, to marry a mere illegitimate child – from Kaela’s perspective, she must want to die.
“Why is this…”
“It’s the raw gemstone I showed you before we married. Do you not like it?”
“But I just received a new one recently.”
As she spoke cautiously in a small voice, Peon bent down further. As the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess got closer, the knights and maids knowingly retreated far back.
“Didn’t I say that all twelve raw gemstones I showed you then were yours?”
The voice whispering quietly by her ear was so gentle it was hard to believe it was Peon’s. That’s why Kaela continued to be afraid.
Why does he keep treating her well? Surely he must hate her for not being able to marry Beatrice Ravalley. He should. That would be right.
“I suppose I’ll have to keep giving you gifts until you get used to it. If I give them until you’re tired of them, will you eventually accept them as a matter of course?”
Kaela stared with a frozen gaze at the mirror, at Peon smiling kindly.
Why is this person acting like this?
Everything was slightly off from what Kaela knew. No, it had been off for a while now.
Is this another trap?
Peon, who had long endured the Emperor’s oppression and insults that drained people’s blood, was no pushover.
His remarkable mental strength, bold decisiveness, and above all, his outstanding martial skills and leadership acquired from desperately struggling to survive in a harsh environment, made him the hegemon of the North.
If he had more time, he would have surely defeated the Emperor. The Emperor must have known this and hurried to deal with him.
In any case, why would such an impressive man act so gentle towards the shabby and inadequate Kaela?
He wouldn’t act like this without reason. There must be a purpose.
“We’re just starting, what if you keep refusing? We can’t undo the marriage either.”
Peon spoke calmly while personally finishing the preparations the maids couldn’t complete.
When he tried to put on her earrings himself, Kaela hurriedly picked them up to do it herself. Meanwhile, he tended to her as he used to look after Beatrice when she occasionally threw tantrums as a child.
“I can do it myself…”
“It’s all done.”
His tone wasn’t cutting her off, but rather like an older brother soothing a whining little sister, saying, “It’s done, just bear with it a little longer.”
It’s said that husbands who love their wives or men trying to please their mistresses know how to adjust a lady’s attire slightly, but Kaela didn’t know Peon could do this. More precisely, she didn’t know Peon would take care of her like this.
So she just stared, stiff and frozen, as he gently draped a white fur over her shoulders.
[Well, Your Highness wouldn’t know how well men can express love, would you?]
She still vividly remembered Beatrice Ravalley’s words that had stung her when she was still struggling to hold onto her position as the Grand Duchess of Lusenford. Beatrice had said this with a sweet smile, her eyes peeking out from behind a fluttering fan.
That’s right. Kaela really didn’t know anything about such things, she was always the one who devoted herself and did things for others.
So, she really didn’t understand why this man was acting like this. There must be a purpose, and she needed to figure it out…
‘No, I just need to die and be done with it. That’s all I know how to do anyway.’
Forcibly erasing unnecessary worries and fears, Kaela took Peon’s outstretched hand and stood up.
“I don’t know how to thank you…”
The necklace, feeling so heavy, must boast an enormous price. It could easily buy a castle. As she fiddled with the necklace, Kaela awkwardly began to express her gratitude.
“That’s enough.”
Peon, who was checking if the Grand Duchess was well wrapped in the warm new fur, cut off her thanks abruptly.
“Just that much is enough.”
“How to thank you?”
As Kaela repeated blankly, Peon smiled freshly.
“‘Thank you.'”
It was exactly like the boy’s excited smile before he was dragged to Lusenford. His purple eyes were full of life, his smile brimming with pure joy. It was impossible to read any deceit or ulterior motive in that face.
“Shall we go? I’ll escort you today.”
If a respectful husband appears at the ladies’ gathering to escort his wife, that wife’s status would soar to the heavens. What Kaela had desperately wished for before her death was now unfolding as reality.
She walks down the cold, chilly corridors of Lusenford Castle, which she used to traverse alone and trembling, now surrounded closely by maids and knights, with Peon by her side.
She didn’t cry or rejoice with emotion. Because she knew well that all of this was futile and empty.
As she walked, blankly staring at the stone ceiling, she failed to notice the occasional glances from beside her. Those glances wavered with great unease.
