Hermia woke up early in the morning to the sound of rain hitting the window and opened the curtains. Thick raindrops were falling on the terrace, carried by the wind, and were hitting the windowpanes hard.
“It’s pouring down so much… … .”
The rainy season that started a few days ago continued day and night without stopping, with only occasional increases and decreases in intensity. Thanks to this, the heat was relieved and it was cool, but it was a little disappointing that I couldn’t go for a walk.
To be exact, it was a shame that I couldn’t walk in the garden with the peacock.
Except for mealtimes, it was harder than I thought to see Walter’s face. He had been on vacation, but far from being idle, he was buried in letters and documents that had arrived from all over the place.
Whenever we sat across from each other at the dinner table and the question of what he did today came up, he would always talk about a different topic.
Troop reports from the border, motions in the House of Representatives, requests for approval from local estates, insurance documents from the central bank, transfer lists related to previous operations, etc…
Most of it was incomprehensible, but one thing was clear: it certainly wasn’t going to be easy for Walter to handle all that work alone.
‘My grandfather passed away suddenly, so all the things I should have inherited one by one have come at once.’
That’s what he said at dinner last night.
‘Still, it has decreased a lot after half a year.’
‘If you were a duke, wouldn’t a lawyer or someone else handle such matters for you?’
When Hermia asked in a puzzled manner, Walter answered with his usual calm expression.
‘There are easy ways, but I’m studying in advance because I’ll have to see these things in the end.’
Seeing that he even added that it was fun, Hermia felt a little distance between them, which had finally become close. She could never understand the idea of studying being fun.
What had he been doing the past few days while the Duke was amusing himself among the piles of papers?
“Umm… … .”
Hermia puffed out her cheeks and let out a pout.
I had my measurements taken from head to toe to make a proper custom suit, I took the nutritional supplements Emily had brought me regularly, and I even wrapped my head around the test papers Nora had brought me from somewhere.
On other days, I could say that I was quite busy, as I opened all the doors, including the huge study.
Among them, there was an indoor exercise facility, but Emily turned around after being told that she should exercise after she had gained more stamina.
There were a lot of fun-looking gadgets, so I definitely have to try them out later. Hermia suddenly made up her mind and hummed happily as she returned to bed.
Listening to the cool sound of pouring rain in a dark room, my body naturally becomes relaxed. What’s for breakfast this morning?
I never knew that lying down carelessly on a soft blanket and waiting for the coming meal time could be so exciting.
As I was laughing without realizing it, someone knocked on the door.
“hmm?”
Usually, the maid who serves breakfast would come in when the doorbell was pulled, so it was rare for her to come in first to wake her up, so she got up in surprise.
“yes.”
Emily came in with a slightly surprised expression on her face at the clear voice.
“Oh my. You’re awake.”
“It’s raining hard. What’s going on?”
Emily brightened the room by lighting the candles in the gold chandeliers she had brought, one by one, on the lamps hanging on the wall.
“We have someone who came by unannounced early in the morning. The master went out through the gate a little while ago.”
“Now? Who at this hour?”
“Well, I’m not sure since I was only told to wake the young lady up. I think you should at least get ready.”
Then, the maids who were supposed to be dressing came in one after another. Hermia was dumbfounded, and after a quick wash, she began to get ready.
As I was waiting, with my hair tied up in a single braid and wearing a neat navy blue dress, Emily, who had gone outside, came in with quick steps.
“Oh my goodness. Princess Elizabeth is looking for you.”
At those words, Hermia jumped up from her chair.
“The princess has come?”
The torrential rain and gusts of wind brought unwelcome guests to the duke’s castle.
Did that damn persistent woman come all the way here just to catch me and throw me in jail?
Emily frowned as she saw Hermia frozen as if she didn’t understand.
“He said he wanted to talk to me alone, but I don’t know what’s going on… … .”
Hermia, her heart pounding with anxiety, started walking down the hallway following Emily.
Was it really forced for the Duke to take you? What are you talking about with me? Do you want to get on your knees and beg for an apology?
It was okay to kneel, but there was no way I could say sorry. In reality, I wasn’t sorry at all.
In fact, I didn’t even want to kneel. I had just cooled down and faced reality, and I absolutely could not tolerate the insulting words the princess had said.
Then how should we gloss over it?
I arrived at my destination while feeling a throbbing sensation all over my body, whether it was from tension or anger.
Damn. What do I do?
dripping.
Hermia, who had expected the guards to grab her and trample her down as soon as the door opened, sighed in relief when she saw Walter sitting down.
She calmed her racing heart and greeted him calmly.
“Meet the princess.”
Elizabeth was dressed very neatly for someone who had braved the wind and rain. It was obvious how much care had been taken to ensure that she arrived without a single hair out of place.
Elizabeth looked Hermia up and down without showing off, then opened her mouth softly.
“Welcome.”
The princess did not look at all welcoming, but she did offer a formal greeting. Unfortunately, Hermia was unable to do even that, so she did her best to respond.
“…yes.”
“The greeting is still short.”
Elizabeth, who had a short laugh, gestured toward the sofa opposite her. Hermia bit her lip and slowly walked over to him, motioning for him to sit down.
Elizabeth spoke nobly to Walter this time.
“As I said before, I came today to see Miss Hermia. I would appreciate it if you would step aside so that we can talk among ourselves.”
“… … .”
Walter glanced at Elizabeth, frowning slightly.
It was a look of murderous question. What business does the princess have with her fiancée?
The commotion at the tea party was also a silent warning to not make any more trouble since it had already been resolved on my behalf.
Even though she didn’t say anything, the pressure from those dark green eyes weighed heavily on her.
Although she was officially a princess, in terms of social influence, the Rockfords were a powerful family that could not be manipulated carelessly.
Elizabeth unconsciously tried to gauge how much of an overbearing attitude she could take in front of Walter.
In the past, a reckless king tried to frame the Rockfords for treason in order to keep them in check, but ended up wiping out the royal family.
The rebellion against the family that had long protected the kingdom against two great empires was so outrageous that some forces, seeking an opportunity, tried to overthrow the king.
Walter’s ancestors remained loyal to the Mullers as vassals even during the turbulent times when they could have easily become kings.
Whether intentional or not, the number of people praising the Rockfords increased, and this had the effect of giving them enormous power in later generations.
After the Muller Kingdom almost became the ‘Duchy of Rockford’, the royal family desperately tried to maintain friendly relations with the dukedom.
Elizabeth was not unaware of the facts recorded in detail in the history books, so she forced the corners of her trembling lips to rise. It was a very different caution from when she had tried to change several maids without permission.
“I came here to clear up a misunderstanding between you and Miss Hermia. Of course, there’s nothing for you to worry about.”
This was enough for even the princess to bend down as much as possible. Hermia noticed this and tapped Walter’s shin under the table.
“Ahem, hmm.”
“…All right.”
Then Walter, who had been sitting like a stone statue, stood up without a word.
“… … ?”
Elizabeth swallowed her bewilderment as she noticed the awkward cough and the busy signals going back and forth underwater.
‘This isn’t some kind of controlled wooden doll.’
Elizabeth spoke only after the servants and Walter had all left and the door to the drawing room was closed.
“I never thought you would be detained from the beginning.”
“… … .”
“That man is the one who can take away criminals without any particular reason without any repercussions.”
She let out a hollow laugh at the sight of Hermia, who looked much better than when she first saw her.
“For someone who was captured, it seems like he lived quite peacefully.”
“criminal…….”
“I heard from Gerard. He said you were cursed?”
“… … !”
Hermia, whose blood pressure had been rising again at the mention of the word criminal, froze with her chest puffed out.
Do you really believe that? A ridiculous curse that you yourself are still not sure about?
“Do you really believe that?”
“Isn’t it?”
“Of course! Otherwise, I would swear at the princess and say I’m crazy, just like I did just now.”
Hermia screamed and tried to cover her mouth, but stopped herself.
I don’t know. I thought it would be okay for now. Maybe it would be better to let Elizabeth think that way.
“her.”
Elizabeth looked at him with a face like, “What the heck?” and then calmly cleared her throat.
“Of course I didn’t believe it at first. Until Gerard showed me… his curse… himself.”
“Prince, what on earth is the curse? This is driving me crazy.”
“They say that words and actions come out of nowhere. I guess that’s true.”
She made a displeased face as she looked at Hermia, who was confidently crossing her arms.
Her actions weren’t a curse, but Hermia decided that she had to make an excuse now and sat down with her legs crossed. She couldn’t be more comfortable.
“I’m saying this because the princess believes in it, but I’m also in a lot of trouble because of the curse. Please be careful because I might suddenly start swearing.”
“…I’ll try.”
Elizabeth tried to appear calm, but her hands were shaking as she held the teacup.
“The reason I came here early in the morning despite being rude is… … .”
“Oh, it’s a macaron.”