When the carriage finally entered the Grand Duchy's garden after the welcoming procession, I sank into my seat as though all strength had drained from my body.
Then I raised a finger to rub my cheek. The muscles there were tingling—I had been smiling so much.
Though it ached a little, it was good.
The corners of my mouth kept rising of their own accord. I had never imagined that my first meeting with the Grand Duchy—an encounter I had anticipated with such nervous tension—would be this wonderful.
With flushed cheeks, I gazed out the window. A magnificent great siege unlike anything I had ever seen in the noble encyclopedia awaited me. Whatever lay ahead, one thing was already certain:
I was going to love this place very much.
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