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chapter 53
“Madam!”
Along with a knock came Hannah’s voice.
“Come in, Hannah.”
When Serret answered, Hannah opened the door and came in, waving a letter.
“A letter arrived. It’s from Lady Elliot. Ominous.”
Hannah handed the letter over to Serret with a troubled expression.
“Well then, let’s see just how ominous her words are.”
Serret chuckled at Hannah’s remark and opened the envelope. Inside was an invitation to a party.
Just as Hannah said, it really was ominous. As soon as Serret checked the invitation, her face stiffened. A hollow laugh escaped her lips.
“This really was a dreadful, ominous letter.”
Serret let out a deep sigh.
The invitation from Lydia made the back of Serret’s neck tense. Really, Lydia, you never cease to amaze.
“Why of all days must it be the 17th…”
Serret crumpled the invitation.
It stated that a party would be held at the imperial palace on the 17th, and her attendance was requested. Twice it was emphasized that His Majesty the Emperor himself would also be attending.
“Why? Why, my lady? Madam?”
Hannah stared wide-eyed at Serret.
“Lydia is holding a party at the palace. On the 17th. On the very day I said I would hold mine. Of all days.”
What were the odds? To choose exactly that day. Could it really be a coincidence? With irritation on her face, Serret rose from her seat.
She hurried down the stairs in search of the butler and encountered him in the first-floor corridor.
“Have the invitations been sent out yet?”
“They were dispatched an hour ago.”
The butler answered politely.
“Already?”
Serret sighed. This was bad. Since the invitations had already been sent, changing the date was no longer possible.
“What troubles you, madam?”
Seeing her reaction, the butler looked at her in confusion.
Serret wordlessly handed him Lydia’s crumpled invitation. The butler checked it and looked equally unsettled.
“Shall we try changing the date?” he asked gravely.
“No. The invitations have already gone out, and besides, I don’t intend to back down.”
Serret straightened her posture.
She didn’t know how Lydia had found out, but it was obvious Lydia had deliberately chosen the same date. Just to ruin the duchess of Prectuster’s first party.
She had even drawn in the Emperor himself, which made her intent clear. If Serret changed the date now, it would be admitting defeat to Lydia. And Serret had no intention of running away.
A challenge thrown must be met head-on.
“I’ll find a solution. Make sure preparations for the party continue flawlessly.”
“Yes, madam.”
The butler responded calmly.
Back in her room, Serret paced with a grim expression while Hannah trailed after her, whining in distress.
“Everyone will go where His Majesty is, won’t they? Even if it’s the Prectuster Duchy, how can we compete against the Emperor?”
“The authority of the Emperor is not something to dismiss lightly.”
Those who hadn’t been invited to Lydia’s party would of course come to the Prectuster household. But the ones invited to both would face a dilemma.
Most nobles, however, would likely choose Lydia’s event with the Emperor present. In such a conservative society, ignoring the Emperor was unthinkable.
“Why does that lady always torment you, madam? What good is a pretty face if the heart is so rotten? Actually—if I think about it, she’s not even that pretty.”
Hannah muttered, criticizing Lydia.
Serret let out a small laugh. Indeed, bringing Hannah along had been the right choice. Having even one person firmly on her side was immensely reassuring.
“Madam, should we invite Robin to the party?”
“Robin? Who is that?”
“A singer! They say he’s incredibly talented. Handsome too. If Robin comes, won’t everyone want to attend?”
Serret chuckled at Hannah’s earnest suggestion.
But as she laughed, the idea didn’t seem so absurd. If Lydia had pulled in the Emperor to make her party shine, then surely Serret could draw in a guest of equal weight.
“Hannah, call for Eve. I need to go to the palace.”
“The palace? All of a sudden?”
“There’s someone far better than Robin. I’ll have to go and ask a favor, if I must.”
Serret smiled faintly.
Serret sat across from Crown Princess Christine and carefully offered her the invitation. Christine took it with a puzzled expression and examined it.
“Please forgive me for the discourtesy of handing you an invitation like this.”
Serret spoke with a formal expression.
It wasn’t proper etiquette to casually present invitations to the Crown Princess. The Emperor and Crown Prince’s family weren’t people one could summon freely.
They were the ones who hosted parties, not the ones who attended others’. For them to appear at a noble’s household gathering was rare and always sensational.
That the Crown Prince and Princess had attended Yuan and Serret’s wedding was itself an extraordinary exception—an anecdote that illustrated just how prestigious the Prectuster Duchy was.
“The 17th, is it?”
Christine forced a stiff smile. She too had heard that Lydia planned to host a palace party that very day.
“To be honest, I’ll speak plainly. Please help me, Your Highness. This is the first party I’m holding since marriage. I don’t want it ruined.”
Serret looked at Christine with desperate eyes. She felt uneasy even making such a request. Christine surely had her own circumstances to consider.
“It isn’t so simple, Serret.”
Christine’s tone was gentle as she spoke Serret’s name.
Since Serret had once saved her son Matthew, Christine treated her warmly. But her expression now showed this was no easy favor.
“I know. I know this isn’t a simple matter.”
It could even escalate into a political issue—almost certainly so.
If the Crown Princess ignored Lydia’s palace party and attended the Prectuster gathering, it could look as though the Crown Prince was opposing the Emperor.
Christine, understandably cautious, made perfect sense.
“It’s not as though I like Lydia either. So I would like to help you, but this isn’t a decision I can take lightly.”
“I knew it wouldn’t be easy when I came. I feel guilty for burdening you with this request, Your Highness.”
“Serret, this position leaves no room for casual choices. Not even when a friend invites us. Every action must be weighed, every step calculated.”
Christine looked at her with an apologetic but bitter expression.
“I’m sorry, Your Highness.”
“When you apologize, Serret, it only makes me feel worse. I’ll at least discuss it with His Highness.”
Thankfully, Christine left some hope.
Still, as Serret left the palace, she couldn’t help but wonder if she really should just invite Robin after all.
Yuan’s gaze lingered on the clear lake. The sun glinted across the ripples like silver scales—radiant, reminding him of Serret. A faint smile touched his lips.
“Did you rush to your wife again, losing control?”
At the voice beside him, Yuan turned from the water.
It was Dr. Coleman, seated next to him.
Dr. Coleman was a psychoanalyst recommended by Dr. Kane, with whom Yuan had had several sessions about his dreams.
Other than their first meeting in his office, they always met at the park. Yuan would walk while consulting Coleman, which to outsiders looked no different than a stroll with an acquaintance.
“Yes. Again. Perhaps even worse this time.”
Yuan crossed his legs slowly and clasped his hands over his knee.
Each time he dreamed of Serret dying, Yuan couldn’t breathe. The anxiety felt like someone pressing down on his throat.
He would thrash in bed, suffocating, until suddenly he could gasp for air again—only to rush to Serret’s side.
“Last night, watching her sleep, I had this thought… If she died, would this torment finally end?”
Even seeing her peaceful face didn’t calm him. Anxiety dragged him down, clawing at him into endless despair.
And so, for a fleeting moment, he wished the woman before him would simply die. That if she perished—like in the dreams—this madness might stop.
“And did you act on that thought?”
“No. I just… watched her. Watched her sleep. For a long time.”
Dr. Coleman scribbled notes with a serious face.
“Excessive anxiety can sometimes lead to violent impulses.”
He spoke after writing.
“Are you saying I might harm my wife?”
Yuan’s expression darkened. A tingling sensation prickled in his fingertips, and he clenched and unclenched his fists.
“Well… in your case, Your Grace, you haven’t caused her direct harm yet. It would be best to continue observing for now.”
At that, Yuan let out a long sigh.
“And if I do harm her? When will this horrific feeling end? Will it ever end?”
With no concrete solution offered, Yuan felt only more restless and frustrated.
“We must trace the root of this anxiety. Would you consider hypnosis therapy?”
“…I’ll think about it.”
Yuan hesitated before answering.
After parting with Dr. Coleman, Yuan returned to the mansion. As he entered the lobby, he saw Serret speaking with the butler, both looking grave.
“Your Grace, you’ve returned.”
The butler greeted him upon noticing.
“Your Grace.”
Serret looked at him with a troubled face.
Seeing her expression, Yuan strode quickly toward her.
“What has happened?”
“Oh, quite a disaster.”
Serret forced a weary smile.
And at that fragile smile, Yuan’s heart beat just a little faster.
