WRG 31

chapter 31

Having checked the letter from the Imperial Palace, Duke Baraota burst out laughing in disbelief.

“Hah, this is nonsense.”

The Duke immediately crumpled the letter in his hand.

“Your Grace!”

Nathan, startled, quickly snatched the letter away.

“What if someone sees this?”
“There’s no one here but you.”
“Your Grace, can’t you please return to the capital? These days I feel like I’m aging by the day.”

Sighing, Nathan smoothed out the crumpled letter.

“So what exactly was written to make you react this way?”
“They say they’ve chosen Urielra to be the Crown Prince’s partner for the Empress’s birthday celebration.”
“Madam?”

Normally, being chosen as the Crown Prince’s partner was nothing more than a formality, so Nathan couldn’t understand the Duke’s anger. Of course, it was odd that they would choose her when Lady Medina was already there, but still…

“Wouldn’t that actually be a good thing? It could be a fine opportunity for Madam.”
“Wouldn’t that put her too close to the Imperial Family?”

Since Nathan had no idea the Duke suspected something between Urielra and the Crown Prince, he could only tilt his head in confusion.

“There’s a reason for my concern, so don’t ask further.”
“Understood.”

Knock, knock.

At the sudden sound on the door, both Duke Baraota and Nathan paused their conversation.

“Forgive me for interrupting, but you’ll want to come out right away.”

When the maid spoke, Nathan opened the door with a puzzled look.

“What is it?”
“Well… Madam has arrived.”

At her words, Duke Baraota shot to his feet.

“Who did you say?”
“Madam. I couldn’t believe it either, so I checked several times—it’s really her.”

Urielra had no reason to suddenly show up here. Glancing at the crumpled letter, the Duke said:

“Nathan, go confirm this yourself.”
“Me?”

Nathan looked uneasy; he had never actually seen Urielra’s face in person.

“Impersonating the Duchess deserves punishment, but… persuade her politely to leave.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”

With no choice but to obey, Nathan followed the maid.

At the entrance stood a carriage bearing the Duke’s crest, with a maid carrying a small bundle of luggage.

“Greetings. I am Nathan, the Duke’s steward.”
“Ah, Madam is waiting inside the carriage. This should be enough to prove her identity.”

Madel handed Nathan a letter.

To Nathan,
Since His Grace doesn’t seem to be returning anytime soon, I persuaded Madam to come. Do try to help the two of them get along better.

Reading it, Nathan clutched his head.

They could have at least given me some warning. Nothing’s prepared.

He wanted to believe the letter was forged, but the Duke’s carriage, Victor’s handwriting, and the family seal at the end—all proved it genuine.

Nathan hastily straightened his attire and carefully opened the carriage door.

“My apologies for the wait. I am Nathan, steward of the Duke’s household. It’s an honor to finally meet you.”
“No need to apologize. I came far too suddenly.”

Urielra smiled warmly as she spoke.

“Thank you for your kindness. Please, allow me to escort you inside. Prepare a room for Madam at once, and inform His Grace.”
“Yes, understood.”

Nathan directed the nearby maid, then turned back to Urielra.

“Would you care to look around the manor while the room is being prepared?”
“That would be lovely.”

Urielra took Nathan’s hand and stepped down from the carriage.

“I’ll guide you.”
“Thank you.”

Since he needed to buy time until the room was ready, Nathan devoted himself to giving a proper tour of the estate.

“This was the late Duke and Duchess’s favorite spot.”
“Really?”
“Yes, the former Duchess personally poured her heart into designing it.”

Urielra, imagining the touch of the Duke’s mother, felt a warm, homely atmosphere.

“Riel.”

At the sound of Duke Baraota’s voice, Urielra turned with a radiant smile.

“Ray!”

She hurried toward him.

“I didn’t expect you to come all this way without a word.”
“I thought it would be good to show my face to the people here. And since we’re newlyweds, if we live apart—even for work—wouldn’t that seem strange to others?”
“There’s no need to justify it like that. If you wanted to come, that’s reason enough.”

Urielra nodded at his words.

“From here on, I’ll take over the tour myself.”
“Of course.”

Nathan bowed politely and slipped away to check on the prepared room. The Duke then turned to Madel.

“We’d like some time alone. Could you give us some privacy?”
“Certainly, I’ll go unpack the luggage.”

Madel smiled brightly and disappeared quickly.

Taking Urielra’s hand, the Duke continued showing her around. The warmth of his hand made her feel a little hot, but she didn’t want to let go.

“Did something happen in the capital?”

Urielra shook her head faintly.

“A letter arrived from the Imperial Palace.”
“From the Palace?”

Urielra’s eyes wavered uneasily at once.

“Until now, Erica Medina has always entered as the Crown Prince’s partner, but traditionally it should be a young lady from a noble house close to the Imperial Family. For some reason, they now want you to be the Crown Prince’s partner at the Empress’s birthday celebration.”

The Duke watched her closely.

Not the face of someone happy to see a beloved, that’s for sure.

There was no trace of excitement or joy on Urielra’s face. Rather, she looked uncomfortable, even uneasy.

“The etiquette of the Imperial Court is different from what you’ve learned so far. You’ll need to go there in advance to be trained.”
“To the Palace?”
“Yes. Otherwise, your only option would be learning etiquette from Erica Medina herself.”

It was a choice between the worst and the lesser evil.

“I understand.”

Still, Urielra felt a pang of sadness that the first thing they discussed in private was once again the Imperial Family.

“By the way, this is a space the late Duchess decorated, isn’t it? She must have had a fine eye.”

She quickly changed the subject.

“Yes, she had a deep appreciation for the arts.”
“She painted, didn’t she?”

At her question, the Duke nodded.

“When I was young, I wanted to paint too. Artists always seemed so admirable.”
“Then why not try now?”
“Now? Isn’t it too late? And I doubt I have any talent.”
“You’ve never tried, so how could you know? And talent isn’t needed for a hobby. My mother only painted as a pastime.”

Urielra adored this way of thinking of his. The Duke always encouraged her when she lacked confidence, always giving her courage. Thanks to him, she had been able to experience a new world. Without him, she would have remained imprisoned.

“If you want to, then do it.”
“I’ll seriously think about it.”

As they talked, a knock came at the door.

“This is Nathan. May I come in?”
“Enter.”

Nathan stepped inside cautiously.

“My apologies, but preparing a room on such short notice proved difficult. If it’s not too much trouble, Madam will need to share a bedroom with His Grace for a few days.”

Urielra had shared a bed with the Duke before her regression, so it wasn’t particularly troubling.

“That will do. Prepare dinner in the greenhouse tonight.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”

Seeing how the Duke—who had managed everything from the drawing room since coming to the duchy—now wanted to dine in the greenhouse the moment Madam arrived, Nathan thought: So even quarrels between a husband and wife begin with something trivial and end with something just as trivial.

“Master, it’s been a long time.”

In a deserted alley, Conrad entered a shabby, hut-like house and greeted the man inside.

“This place hasn’t changed a bit.”

Looking at the old desk buried under piles of documents, Conrad commented.

“Conrad… how did you come here in that form?”

Seeing him in his original body rather than disguised as a woman, Lionel, his master, hurriedly pulled the curtains closed around his study.

“Did the Empress perhaps discover your true identity?”

He examined Conrad’s condition closely.

“No, nothing like that. I came because I have something to ask.”
“In that case, a letter would have sufficed, wouldn’t it?”

Normally, they communicated by letter, so Lionel was shocked by his sudden visit.

“The matter was urgent.”
“Very well, sit.”
“Yes.”

Conrad sat opposite Lionel.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen your real face.”
“Indeed. Even when I first met you, I wasn’t in this form.”

At Conrad’s words, Lionel nodded, recalling their first meeting.

“Do you remember when I once told you about magic that could turn back time?”
“How could I forget?”
“I think… I may have used it without even realizing.”

Lionel tilted his head and chuckled softly, thinking it must be a joke.

“After all this time, you come back making jokes. You never used to joke—nearly fooled me into believing it.”
“It’s no joke.”

Conrad held out his pendant, its gemstone now hollow and empty.

“I can hardly believe it myself. But surely this couldn’t have happened without cause.”

Only then did Lionel grasp the gravity of the situation.

“Tell me everything, in detail.”