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Chapter 19
The next day, Dayton came to pick me up so we wouldn’t be late for our appointment with the marquis’s family.
Inside the rushing carriage of House Colline.
“We’ll be arriving shortly.”
The coachman announced that we were approaching the estate.
Soon, the carriage slowed down and came to a stop.
When the curtains were drawn aside, a neatly painted white mansion came into view.
It was an elegant estate with a charmingly decorated garden that stood out.
A waiting servant opened the carriage door, and with Dayton’s escort, I stepped down, allowing the manor to come into clearer view.
“Grand Duke Colline! Haha, I’ve been waiting.”
Seeing that we had arrived, Marquis Miller hurried toward us.
“I’m truly grateful that you honored this old man’s request.”
Even though Marquis Miller looked to be well over sixty,
his back was straight, and though thin, his body still looked firm and vigorous.
“And… Princess?”
Soon, the marquis noticed me, his eyes widening in surprise before narrowing.
“I was only sent an invitation addressed to the Grand Duke Colline… or have I already gone senile?”
“I’ll take that as a warm welcome, Marquis.”
As expected, he wasn’t particularly pleased, but the choice of words was something else.
Still, I smiled brightly—an unusually innocent, full-toothed grin.
Seeing Dayton’s confusion, Dayton added an explanation.
“Princess Grenita is my fiancée.”
“I’ve heard of her as well, even someone like me stuck in a corner of the capital.”
Even when invited individually, it was common for guests to bring a partner.
So my presence shouldn’t have been strange, but his attitude toward me was worlds apart from how he treated Dayton.
“If I had arranged it, I would have introduced someone much better suited to the Grand Duke.”
With that, he lightly kicked Dayton’s leg under the table, prompting him to speak at last.
“…Who could possibly compare to Your Highness?”
His tone was slightly awkward, but acceptable—pass.
“Oh my, Grand Duke, I didn’t expect such humility.”
“Princess, your judgment must be truly lacking if you think I’m not worthy of you.”
At my playful remark, Marquis Miller laughed loudly, as if he had just heard something hilarious.
“The Princess has quite the sense of humor.”
“Haha—no, I was serious. Marquis, you’re quite good at taking jokes.”
“I must say, I’m surprised that someone like you—so eloquent—has such a reputation for foolishness. It must all be baseless rumors.”
“And those absurd statements too.”
The marquis added this with a faint tone of contempt.
Even if Melissa’s infamous remarks were well known, hearing them directly in front of me caused the maids serving the table to fall into a brief, tense silence.
They glanced nervously at us, but the marquis calmly continued eating his steak.
“When did you start disliking me so much, Marquis?”
“Heh heh… so it showed?”
“So you weren’t even trying to hide it. I’m a little touched.”
“It’s only because this old man feels sorry for the Grand Duke Colline. Please don’t take it to heart, Your Highness.”
“Of course. It’s not like you see me as lacking, right?”
With a light laugh, Dayton slowly lowered his fork.
He looked between me and the marquis as if watching insane people, clearly unsettled.
He covered his mouth and whispered quietly.
“Didn’t you say you needed him?”
“Yes. He’s someone I need to bring to my side.”
Smiling coldly at the marquis, I met his gaze.
The Second Prince likely didn’t truly need him—his political foundation was already solid.
But for Melissa, who had almost no standing, Marquis Miller was indispensable.
She had no reputation, no backing, and no influential relatives to support her against the emperor’s indifference.
In this situation, Miller was a valuable piece.
The Miller Marquis House itself wasn’t especially powerful, but Caleb Miller himself was different.
After the current emperor ascended the throne, people expected the Miller family’s future to be bright and stable.
He was known as a “kingmaker” whom everyone acknowledged.
He even had the emperor’s favor, being free to interact with others as he pleased, as long as it wasn’t against the emperor himself.
Some even tried to preemptively check his influence, believing he might become the most powerful noble in the empire.
But Caleb had immediately rejected the emperor’s offered position.
He said he was sick of politics.
With such a potential rival stepping away on his own, high-ranking nobles exaggeratedly praised him.
A true loyalist. A genius of the century. A natural strategist.
All kinds of flattering titles followed him.
And even without an official position, his connection with the emperor was like a sweet cake to others.
Many approached him to gain favor—but…
Well, with that personality, where could he possibly fit in?
After a few disastrous incidents at parties and conflicts, the nobles eventually stopped seeking him out.
Over time, only his reputation as an elder statesman of the empire remained.
But nobles were deeply serious about “reputation.”
Even now, he held considerable influence.
I lowered my voice further and told Dayton:
“With someone like Marquis Miller, flattery won’t work.”
These arrogant geniuses who refuse to associate with those they see as inferior were predictable.
They’d probably just find it pathetic.
I smiled sweetly, and Caleb raised an eyebrow in surprise despite his dissatisfaction.
Snorting, he turned away and suddenly smiled brightly at Dayton.
Even when smiling, the deep wrinkles between his brows revealed his rough personality.
“Grand Duke Colline, I prepared seafood dishes since I heard you like them. How is it?”
“Yes, thanks to you, I’m enjoying them.”
“Our chef is excellent with seafood! Eat up, don’t be shy.”
“Thank you for your consideration, Marquis.”
“Oh, don’t mention it. We’re practically family. Try this as well.”
As he said, the table was filled with various seafood dishes.
“I prefer meat over seafood.”
“Oh dear, I wasn’t expecting the Princess, so this can’t be helped.”
He dramatically shook his head and slid all the seafood plates toward Dayton instead.
He looked extremely pleased.
What a childish old man!
Did he really think I couldn’t eat it?
I casually speared a shrimp from the pasta and ate it.
“Oh my, Marquis, this seafood is quite delicious. I’ll enjoy it.”
Seeing me happily eating, the marquis muttered quietly.
“Please enjoy your meal, Your Highness.”
“You too, Marquis.”
With a cough, he awkwardly slid a piece of smoked chicken salad toward me, as if realizing how childish he had been.
Caleb continued his petty but obvious favoritism toward Dayton, but strangely, I didn’t feel particularly annoyed.
Even though he clearly disliked me.
Just as one wouldn’t be offended by a wild horse resisting being tamed.
I picked up a piece of smoked chicken from the salad he pushed toward me and ate it.
After the war-like meal ended
We moved to the garden tea table.
The small garden, clearly loved by its gardener, was filled with colorful flowers.
Fragrant floral scents mixed with greenery drifted through the air, and a pot of aromatic black tea sat on the table.
Dayton, sitting beside me, looked exhausted.
Caleb was turned entirely toward the Grand Duke, deep in conversation.
“Haha, my grandson Jamie greatly admires the Grand Duke. He wants to become someone like you.”
“I see.”
“He often says he wants to become someone who can be of help to you someday.”
“……”
“I’m truly grateful. I hope he can help you in the future…”
Every word from Caleb carried affection for his grandson.
Even a man famous for disliking people couldn’t do anything about family blood.
I studied him quietly.
How do you bring someone who dislikes you onto your side?
Pretending the rumors were misunderstandings wouldn’t help.
I looked toward the large window of the estate.
Servants were sparsely placed, and the mansion was quiet enough that no conversation could be heard.
Given that only Caleb and his grandson Jamie remained of the Miller bloodline, it made sense it was quiet…
But even the servants didn’t look particularly cheerful.
“The young master Miller isn’t here?”
At my words, Dayton—who had been relieved that Jamie wasn’t present—flinched slightly.
