“It's… too big.”
Hearing Annette's honest and simple answer, Theodore smiled slightly.
“I've been walking around the palace all day and I still haven't even seen half of it.
What's the point of having a big bedroom if I don't even have time to lie down?”
“Since it is a gift from the Emperor, it is natural for the house to be large.”
Although Theodore had the title of “Grand Duke,” he did not have a duchy or even property.
This meant that he should not covet anything more than the title of Grand Duke, and having that title was a good excuse to remove him as the Emperor's son from the struggle for the throne.
At first, they only gave him the land of Memmingen, which seemed useless, but it was good as it was.
Of course, Hugo had taken this land away as well, so Theodore didn't really have anything now.
Although he had abundant money and a palace to his name, he was in a lower position than a lower-class aristocrat who ruled like an emperor in his own lands.
“This is my life.
At first glance, it seems that I have everything in the world, but in reality, if I accept this life meekly, I must only eat and then die.
I was born as the son of the emperor, but I can never obtain my rights.”
“Since the Emperor had no intention of admitting you to the Imperial Palace, do you mean that he gave you a palace similar to his in order for you to be happy with a fake life like this?”
Annette explained the purpose of this palace very explicitly.
“Oh… but if I say this and that, won’t it hurt you?”
“Not anymore.”
The criticism that Theodore was merely an illegitimate son of the Emperor and not the Crown Prince had hurt him when he was young, but not now.
Besides, Annette's words superficially looked like a sharp dagger, but if you looked closely, you would find that it was just a knife without a blade.
Annette had no intention of pitying Theodore, and even though he knew that, he was not hurt by her words.
In fact, the eyes filled with pity were more annoying than the harsh words.
“It's a private living room.
I never thought I'd have a room like this.
It's completely different from the living rooms in my original life.”
The room they were sitting in now was Annette's living room, which she would use when receiving future guests.
Theodore's living room was on the other side of the hall.
The idea of the couple using separate rooms to receive guests was unfamiliar to Annette.
“You should get used to it.”
“I'll try it.”
“If you're tired, why are you sitting in the living room instead of your bedroom?”
“I only walked around half of the palace.
So I stopped here halfway to rest, and started thinking about different things.”
“What were you thinking?”
“Who will I meet here?
What will they think?
But no matter who comes to meet me, it will be for Your Highness, not for me.”
Annette said that and I actually laughed.
Theodore didn't understand what was so funny.
“Are you just complaining that it's difficult to receive guests?
What I want to do in the future is something that requires a lot of communication with people.”
“Don't worry.
There's nothing I can't do, and there's no person I can't meet.
As proof of that, I married you too.”
Theodore could hear her whispering voice saying, “There is nothing more terrible than you.”
“I think I was a little hurt this time.”
"liar."
“I heard what you said.”
By the end of the meaningless conversation, Annette's body had completely slid off the sofa and was sitting on the floor while she leaned her head on the end of the sofa.
“Why are you sitting like that?”
“Because it's convenient.”
“Is sitting on the floor comfortable?”
“I sit on the floor and lean on the sofa.”
“I still don't understand what makes you feel comfortable in this strange position?”
Theodore asked a series of persistent questions, but Annette didn't answer anything.
From his perspective, Annette's position as she sat on the cold floor, ignoring the purpose of the sofa, was extremely uncomfortable, not to mention lacking in dignity.
He also considered sitting next to the sofa rebellious, leaving behind a new, expensive sofa that he ordered especially to decorate her living room.
“I'm comfortable like this.
To be honest, I'm more comfortable doing this with Daddy's legs, but it's okay to lean on the couch too.”
“Your father’s legs?”
“When a person sits on his father’s legs and leans on his chest...
Ahh...
What am I talking about to a man whose father is an emperor?
Nothing, don’t pay attention to what I just said.”
Annette waved her hand and interrupted her words.
“I'll go rest.”
Annette went to her bedroom with a tired face.
She had no intention of answering Theodore's questions.
In order not to accidentally go into Theodore's bedroom, she had to think carefully about the path she was directed to by the butler, so she didn't have time to think about other things.
When she left, Theodore looked at the sofa where Annette was reclining for a moment.
***
Once Annette arrived in Lider City, she knew that war would break out, however, things turned out a little differently than expected.
The current situation in front of her now was also a fight so to speak, but it was a very honest fight, unlike deceiving people or secret fighting between them.
All kinds of dresses and accessories were scattered in front of Annette, these were combat uniforms for social activities.
Until recently, Annette lived alone in the villa and only thought about restoring her body's health, so she didn't care much about her clothes.
However, in order for Annette Scheringen to become serious, it was necessary for her to wear appropriate clothing.
The world of nobility was a world where a person was evaluated according to their degree of beauty and attractiveness.
The evil Annette always had the highest rating in this regard, current Annette, on the other hand, had none of it.
Not to mention normal clothes and underwear, she didn't have anything properly equipped.
Nothing at all.
This meant they needed to sew dozens of new dresses for every season and every occasion, as well as dozens of new clothes and accessories for every purpose.
Annette wanted to calm herself down by pretending to be blind in front of the sparkling jewels, but at this moment, the dresses were more terrifying than the enemies.
When Annette tried on one or two sets, the idea of wearing clothes she had only seen in movies was strange and fun.
But this interest did not last long.
It was more annoying than she thought to be wearing clothes that she didn't even know how to wear properly.
The process of putting on the dress, then looking in the mirror, then taking it off and looking at it again did not work, so Annette lost her will to fight in the face of an enemy she could not communicate with.
As Annette slumped on the sofa in exhaustion, the maids serving her noticed this.
Annette was not known in the Floris Palace, and Theodore's servants were curious about her.
The Grand Duchess, who suddenly appeared one day, was of great interest to those who would live under the same roof with her.
Theodore said nothing to the people serving him, so the maids swallowed their curiosity, knowing nothing about their new mistress.
The only rumors they heard were that she had a pretty face and a nervous personality.
They confirmed her beauty by looking at her, but they had not discovered her personality yet, so they had to show their curiosity carefully.
Regardless of all the facts, it was astonishing to see the Grand Duchess, who made Lieder newspapers of all kinds speak enthusiastically and in uniform words about her.
What kind of lady is she?
How could she marry the icy Grand Duke?
Are they really in love?
The maid who was wiping the sweat from Annette's forehead swallowed the countless questions and looked at her.
“Stop!”
In the end, Annette couldn't take it anymore and became angry.
“I can't do it anymore today.
I've finished wearing the clothes I need now, so I'll try on the rest when the time comes.”
Rumors spread that she was a lady with a dirty temper, so at the moment the maid couldn't stop her nervousness.
After coming to the Flores mansion, Annette felt as if she had stepped into the middle of a garish Victorian play.
It was difficult for her to know whether the maids were looking for the jewelry or for her.
“Why do I have to dress and undress so much?”
“Considering your status, Her Highness the Grand Duchess, this is not much at all.
Since it has already been mid-autumn, we have prepared the minimum number of dresses you will need.”
“That's okay.
But I think that choosing clothes that I like and trying on all of them to see if they suit me or not is completely irresponsible.”
Annette knew she was talking nonsense.
However, she was tired of designers who insisted that the same dresses for banquets, everyday wear, and outings looked different when worn by Annette.
As a child, Annette did not like playing dress-up with dolls very much, especially if she was the doll.
Instead, if they had brought her just one dress and a pair of earrings, she would have tried them on with a smile.
“Okay.
So in the end...”
“It's okay, you can go.”
The maid brought her daily clothes and tried to dress her in them, but Annette lay down on the sofa and waved her hand.
The maid was embarrassed to see Annette wearing only a thin shirt, but there was no way she could force her mistress to dress.
The maid was afraid that she would be scolded for leaving the lady in only her underwear, but she didn't want to disobey her orders either, so she left first.
According to rumours, Annette was a noble woman who looked down on maids and beat them painfully, so it was natural for the maid to be afraid of her.
While the current Annette did not even know that hitting maids in this era is not a crime.
The maid sighed in relief as she left the room while thinking that she had finally gained her freedom.
“Finally it's all over.”
Annette looked at her reflection in the windowpane.
She felt helpless, like the fluttering curtain hanging over the window, wearing a light shirt swaying in the wind.
No, she looked worse than that.
Annette thought the curtain could withstand the strong winds, but wouldn't her frail body get tired just by changing clothes?
When she thought of the situation where she had to take care of her health and life, she suddenly felt heat explode inside her like a volcano.
Annette hurriedly pulled the curtains and went out onto the balcony while feeling nauseous.
She saw the scene of the palace garden as the sun set, and the cold autumn air cooled her burning body.
As she suppressed the emotions in her blocked heart and looked at the empty tree branches, her heart seemed to calm down a little.
Annette closed her eyes for a while to cool down.
But when she opened her eyes after a while...
Unexpectedly, her eyes met with Theodore's.
He was looking at Annette from the garden.
He had a stern expression on his face, as if something bad had happened.
When their eyes met, he frowned for a moment, then disappeared.
While Annette was confused for a moment about what had happened, Theodore entered the room at some point.
“Why are you walking around naked like that?”
“Am I naked?”
“You're standing on the balcony in your underwear right now.”