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chapter 23
The Perfect Opportunity
The rumor that the knight who had arrived in the Astel territory was actually the Crown Prince spread like wildfire. However, Serena couldn’t enjoy the situation—not because she had outwitted him, but because last night’s events were still too vivid in her mind.
“Milady, the crowds waiting to greet the Crown Prince are overwhelming. His Highness has personally led the Astel knights around the territory to hear the people’s cheers.”
In other words, thanks to Serena, Lucas was now working—not labor in the usual sense—but still doing chores. Normally, Serena would have giggled mischievously at the thought, but contrary to Peter and Anna’s expectations, her expression remained unusually indifferent.
“Hmm…”
Leaning her chin on her hand as she rested her elbow on the arm of the chair, Serena muttered absentmindedly. Perhaps because she had spent so much of the night kicking the blanket, she had only fallen asleep at dawn and seemed utterly drained.
“Milady, you look very tired. Perhaps you should take a nap.”
Normally, she would have refused, saying there was much to do. But Serena merely nodded obediently and slowly walked back toward her bed.
Her usually proud posture was now slightly slouched, her shoulders sagging—the contrast to her usual demeanor was striking.
While Serena trudged back to her bed, the Farrell Grand Duke’s mansion, right next to Astel, was thrown into chaos.
“What? The Crown Prince is coming now to uphold his vow?”
The Grand Duke of Farrell, Hyde, his eyes glinting with anger, was furious.
“The engagement ended four years ago—he has no right to brazenly come and claim his bride now!”
Although he had recently been banned from entering Astel by Serena herself, Hyde had always intended and resolved to marry her.
“How many times has the Crown Prince, as her fiancé, come to see her? And the letters? None of them even compare to me.”
If one counted all the times he had pursued her persistently, even being thrown out, he had arguably met Serena more often than Lucas had.
“Your Grace, the engagement is not officially broken… so it would be unwise for His Highness to intervene now.”
Chad, a longtime retainer of the Farrell family, spoke cautiously. While he hoped Serena might become the Grand Duchess, the Crown Prince’s appearance made Hyde’s passion potentially dangerous.
“Do I need to step in myself?”
Hyde forced calm over his irritation.
“Serena is no ordinary woman. She possesses the courage and strength befitting a family of warriors.”
Recalling her, Hyde’s reddish-brown eyes shone with admiration and delight.
“When she poured that barely-cooled tea on me, she did it with such confidence—I still remember it vividly.”
When Hyde first appeared before Serena, she had merely maintained formal politeness, unwilling to engage with him.
But through persistent effort, Hyde had left an unforgettable impression on her through repeated encounters.
“One time, wearing riding boots, she kicked me in the shin,” Hyde said, a smile spreading across his face as if recalling a fond memory.
“Your Highness, that’s violence…”
“Yes, a woman strong enough to be violent,” he said.
Chad attempted to reason, but Hyde was lost in his own recollection.
“And her skill with horses surpasses any knight. Unlike other ladies who merely sit obediently in the saddle, she grips the reins herself and spurs the horse forward!”
Hyde knew Serena’s strengths better than anyone.
“Your Highness, she almost kicked you with the horse’s front hooves. Most people would have died.”
“I am no ordinary person,” Hyde replied confidently, a smirk on his face.
“Serena tested my strength and reflexes because she recognized my exceptional abilities.”
“Yes… indeed, Your Grace, you are remarkable,” Chad replied, satisfied. Hyde swept his reddish-brown hair aside with a flick of his fingers.
“But now the Crown Prince appears, trying to take my bride? I cannot stand idly by.”
“But… she is betrothed to the Crown Prince,” Chad reminded him.
“That engagement is void!”
Hyde’s red eyes stared into empty space as if the Crown Prince were right there.
“By continental law, an engagement expires after four years. This one, between a royal and a ducal family, has lasted six years! It is no longer valid.”
By normal standards, he was right—and Serena agreed.
“Surely the young lady knows this as well. Moreover, to confine such a remarkable woman in the palace would be a tremendous waste for the entire continent.”
Hyde had been captivated by Serena ever since she arrived in Astel after the engagement.
At first, he scoffed at the idea of a neighboring duke sending his daughter, but within half a year, his attitude completely changed.
“Serena’s potential has no limits. Astel itself is proof.”
Many whispered that she had fled to Astel because the engagement ceremony had been humiliating, making it impossible for her to appear in society.
But what Hyde saw was a woman confidently riding, leading the territory with energy and vigor.
“Neither the capital nor the palace can recognize her true value. And yet the Crown Prince remains… naïve.”
“The Crown Prince is now twenty years old,” Chad noted.
“Then he is still immature,” Hyde said.
At twenty-eight, Hyde was four years older than Serena. Naturally, his household worried that he had no Grand Duchess. But the moment he met Serena, his mind was made up.
“She’s far too young,” he murmured.
From Hyde’s perspective, the Crown Prince was just an eight-year-younger youth.
Moreover, the portrait commemorating that infamous engagement had circulated throughout the territories, making the Crown Prince seem dwarfed by his fiancée.
“Where… exactly…”
Hyde searched his drawer and triumphantly pulled out the six-year-old newspaper, placing it on the desk.
Even now, the image of the Crown Prince, far smaller than Serena in her white formal attire, was clear.
“See how laughable it is? No wonder Serena came to Astel—her fiancé is smaller and younger than she is. I would have done the same.”
“But as you know, Your Grace, the Crown Prince has grown remarkably strong,” Chad reminded him.
Indeed, Chad remained a loyal advisor, giving honest counsel even as Hyde’s red eyes burned with passion for Serena.
“Rumors always exaggerate things.”
“The Crown Prince has trained rigorously across countless battlefields, wandering the continent and becoming a formidable man.”
“Ridiculous. I’ve been strong since I was ten. I never lost, no matter the age or number of opponents.”
Ironically, a grand duke, noble and revered, was letting jealousy cloud his judgment. But Hyde’s expression and gaze were sincere enough that Chad said nothing.
“If it were the young lady I know, she would have already refused marriage firmly.”
Hyde’s assumption was largely correct. He had observed Serena in countless situations and knew her temperament well.
“A woman like her cannot live confined in the palace,” he declared.
“Now is the perfect opportunity.”
Chad, who had been nodding mildly, squinted at his master.
“…Excuse me? The perfect opportunity?”
“Yes, the perfect opportunity.”
For a moment, Chad’s mind went blank. His master’s persistent fiancée’s original betrothed appeared, asserting legitimacy—and Hyde called this a perfect opportunity?
“Your Grace, I don’t think this is an opportunity.”
“Indeed,” Hyde said arrogantly, lifting his chin. His sharp but handsome features radiated the Farrell Grand Duke’s dignity.
“The capital, especially the palace, is the strictest cage for a woman.”
Not entirely wrong. Even noble ladies in the capital were confined by the social cage. The Imperial Crown Princess would be no exception.
“I am going to save her.”
The determination in Hyde’s expression was genuine.
“I need Serena. No other lady can be so bold and strong. Moreover, I can ensure she lives a life where she shines.”
The Farrell Duchy and Astel Duchy were neighboring lands. If he married Serena, she could continue governing Astel as before—or even govern Farrell if she wished.
“Forgive me, but one question comes to mind.”
“What is it?”
“Why… have you not spoken to the young lady directly?”
The two men blinked at each other, stunned.
“You acknowledge her exceptional abilities, plan to rule Astel and the Farrell Duchy together, and intend to give her freedom…”
There was no better offer for a woman like Serena.
“Then why did you not speak to her yourself?”
“Ah…?”
Hyde slapped his knee. His mouth hung open in surprise.
“Do I really need to say it out loud? Strong people understand each other without words.”
“…Your Grace, it’s a proposal. I cannot emphasize this enough—proposals are not a way to test comrades.”
Humph, Hyde sighed discontentedly.
“Still, Serena cares for me, I’m certain. When we last met, she poured the tea on me—perhaps she worried I might get hurt?”
That last meeting had been in the height of summer, unbearably hot. She had only been drinking cold tea.
“Indeed, I must save her.”
Though a capable Grand Duke, Hyde knew nothing of a woman’s heart.
“I will go to Astel immediately.”
Chad knew there was no stopping his spirited master. And since Serena’s engagement was nearly void, it would be unwise to ignore the hope of having such a capable woman as Grand Duchess.
“Your Grace, I will obey your command.”
Thus, an unprecedented event occurred in Astel—one that would be sung of by bards for generations to come.
