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I stared at Archduke Richard blankly, my eyes falling on the crimson blood that stained his sleeves and chest.
‘This blood… is not the Archduke’s blood.’
Even though he looked in pretty bad shape, I didn't see any wounds that could have caused all this bleeding.
A shiver ran through my body.
“What is this...”
“It's getting late, so I'll go now.”
The Archduke turned his head sharply, looking away from me, as if he no longer wished to deal with me.
The air he passed through carried the smell of sweat and blood.
'Murderer.'
The word flashed in my mind.
That was the term used here to refer to it.
I swallowed hard at the ominous assumption that crossed my mind.
“No, that’s impossible.”
I muttered, staring at the tightly closed door of the Archduke's bedroom.
∗ ∗ ∗
I spent the night thinking about it.
At first, I wondered if he hadn't killed anyone.
What if he was the real culprit in Devon Hayden's murder? …Then I will not receive the reward for my success.
After a sleepless night, I headed to the Archduke's room as soon as the sun rose.
But, surprisingly, it was a futile effort.
Madame Perona, who received me on behalf of the Archduke, bowed deeply.
“He went out before sunrise, but he said he would be back soon.”
“Where is he headed?”
“He did not disclose it.”
“….”
I furrowed my eyebrows at this empty answer.
In fact, as darkness fell, I was no longer worried about the reward for my success, but about the Archduke.
He may have been in a dangerous, even bloody, situation.
'Could it be that the Crown Prince has tracked him down?
Or maybe he sent killers for him...'
Mrs.
Perona carefully changed the subject when she saw my frowning expression.
“Excuse me, ma'am.
You have to get ready for tomorrow's party.
What should I do?
You have nothing to wear...”
The lady seemed very concerned because the only dresses in my closet were simple going out clothes.
I tried to push out the negative thoughts that were creeping into my mind and smiled.
“Oh, a friend offered to help me with that.”
"girlfriend?"
The woman stopped talking, confused.
Her eyes looked in disbelief that Elena, a commoner, had a friend who could help her at the party.
At that moment, the sound of horses' hooves rang out from outside the garden.
“It seems like it's time for her to arrive now, doesn't it?”
“Oh my God… that carriage belongs to the Duchess of Bofari…”
Lady Perona gasped at the sight before her.
Three huge carriages, carved with rose motifs, the symbol of Duchess Bovary, appeared in front of the residence of the Grand Duke.
Mrs.
Perona whispered with deep emotion.
“I cannot describe how much I admired those elegant carriages when I was working in the palace.
To think that I would be able to serve a noble lady in the Archduke’s household while I was still alive…!”
Mrs.
Perona was beaming with happiness.
The joy of a maid's life lies in admiring the dazzling beauty of noble ladies and their service, but she did not see a single strand of hair from them in the Archduke's house.
So Duchess Bovary, the symbol of the imperial nobility, was the first person I met, and I was thrilled.
“You know she's no longer Duchess Bovary, right?”
I laughed, finding it cute, but whispered to Lady Perona as a reminder.
After all, she had recently separated from the Duke of Bovary.
The woman who finally got off the carriage burst into tears at the sight of me.
“Elena!”
“Hi, Claire.”
Claire Zacharias, finally freed from the Duke of Bovary after twenty years, was radiating life.
“Thanks to you, the estate was settled smoothly.
I cannot describe how relieved I am.”
“I asked you to trust me, didn't I?”
“And I heard that the journalists who covered the letter Elena read also published the names of the Duke’s former mistresses in the newspapers, which caused them great embarrassment.”
Claire seemed very satisfied.
She squeezed my hand tightly and thanked me.
“This is all thanks to Elena.
If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have dreamed of achieving this.”
“No need for thanks.”
“From now on, if Elena needs help, I will intervene.”
“So, that's why you brought all this?”
I looked behind Claire and my mouth went empty.
The servants I had brought were unloading all kinds of items from the three large carts they had brought with them.
Claire opened a lace fan and laughed.
“Sure.
If Elena is an expert in law, then I am an expert in partying.”
Claire brought dozens of dresses, jewelry, and accessories to the summer party.
Suddenly, the Archduchess's reception hall was filled with bright and beautiful things.
“This is the pleasure of serving a noble lady.”
“After all the armor and swords I've seen, this is eye candy.”
The Archduke's household servants were more enthusiastic than usual.
Their eyes, previously occupied only by the gloomy eyes of soldiers, were filled with longing.
I looked at the hanging dresses of different colors, extended my hand to my chin, and then said to Claire.
“Choosing just one dress out of these won't be easy.”
“Picking a dress?”
“Huh?”
I blinked at Claire, who had a serious expression on her face.
“You don't have to choose.
These are all for Elena.
I brought them all to you as gifts.”
“All this?”
My eyes widened.
Even a quick look at the things she brought revealed that they were very expensive.
“Thanks to Elena, I have become very rich.
Can’t I give you that much?”
Claire rolled up her sleeves.
Then she nodded to the servants she had brought, and they suddenly surrounded me.
“From now on, you can completely trust me with everything related to the party.”
After a few hours, I was completely exhausted.
I put on and take off dozens of outfits, accessorizing with matching accessories.
I was completely amazed by my life experience.
“Your skin is so beautiful, anything will suit you, but I'm sure Archduke Richard will like it.”
Claire smiled happily at me as I put on my pale pink silk dress.
"Show."
To live up to her expectations, I feigned embarrassment.
Of course, I won't like that robot.
“Oh, you said this was your first prom, Elena, right?”
“Yes, that's right.”
“Then Archduke Richard will be your first dance partner!”
The excited sound made my hands, which were adjusting my clothes, stop in the air.
The details of a policeman with the young Marquis Spencer came to mind.
I answered with a slightly embarrassed expression.
“Um… this, should I do this?”
"Oh, of course.
The first dance partner is very important."
“Ahem…?
What would happen if I didn’t dance with the Archduke first?
Wouldn’t that be against etiquette?”
My heart sank.
I wondered if my dancing with the young Marquis would be so strange that it would expose our fake marriage to the world.
Fortunately, Claire shook her head.
"Well...there's no etiquette that says your first dance has to be with your husband.
I haven't done many first dances with my ex-husband at proms myself."
I nodded.
If it were against etiquette, Marquis Spencer would not have made such a suggestion to me.
A sudden question came to my mind, and I tilted my head.
“But why do you say it matters?”
“There is an old popular proverb that says that whoever you dance your first dance with is either your first or last love...”
“Ah...”
The tension in my chest eased, and I breathed a sigh of relief for this trivial reason.
Honestly, I didn't think the Archduke knew such a proverb.
Even if he knew, he probably wouldn't care at all.
“So, first-time girls tend to be somewhat attached to their first partner.”
Claire closed her eyes, as if reminiscing about something, and cupped her palms.
“It reminds me of my first partner who I danced with in my debut 25 years ago.
My then partner was my first love...”
“Oh, that's what happened.”
The conversation took a strange turn, and I looked away.
But Claire held my hand tightly again, her eyes shining.
“Archduke Richard and his wife are currently the most famous couple in the empire, and as the hostess of the party, I have high expectations.”
“Haha… I didn’t realize that.”
A cold sweat broke out on my head.
My sole purpose in attending the ceremony was to approach Crown Prince Lawrence and investigate him.
Suddenly, I was dizzy at the thought of being the center of attention, coupled with the expectations of the hostess Claire, and the attention of the nobles.
After a moment, Claire left the reception room and I was left alone.
I sat on the couch thinking about Claire's words.
“The first dance partner is very important.”
At the time, I simply assumed that offering to invest a large sum of money for a single dance would be a huge gain.
That's why I took Spencer's offer lightly.
“Even if it's not immoral, it's still a bit strange...”
Even if my relationship with the Archduke was contractual, having Spencer as my first dance partner seemed a little strange.
'People will definitely find it strange.'
I even made up a plausible excuse.
‘So, if I ask young Marquis Spencer to be understanding and explain to him…’
While I was thinking about that, I heard a voice behind me.
I turned and looked at the man who had entered the reception room.