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Chapter: 11
Serena Knows Everything!
The servant at the back kept comforting the anxious maid.
“Calm down. The Milton estate isn’t that far from here, right? Let’s pick a few experienced soldiers and servants and go fetch Madam in a little while. That should be enough before the master returns.”
“In a little while?”
“Even if we rush ahead, she’s clearly upset for some reason. Do you think she’ll get off the carriage? Asking the coachman to change direction will only make things worse. If she locks herself up in a hotel in town, how are we supposed to explain it to the master?”
Unlike the maid, the servant didn’t think this was a big deal.
Because Madam’s luggage was ridiculously small.
No matter how much you crammed into that small suitcase, you couldn’t even fit one full dress.
And as she moved, there was no sound of jewels or coins jingling—so it was just a simple runaway that could be solved quickly. That was the thought.
No one dared to imagine that the Grand Duchess would go to the dock and take the crowded regular ship to the mainland.
It was simply impossible.
The maid thought that made sense.
“Hmm…”
Heh, fools. Stepmom will definitely take the regular ship to Salmon Province. Hehehe! I’m going too, so we’ll meet soon.
Amidst the commotion, there was only one person in a good mood: Serena, who believed everything was going according to her plan.
“Shall we go inside?”
Smiling brightly, Serena was guided by Sir Bay, her guardian knight. He was tasked solely with protecting Serena, following her like a shadow.
“Um…”
Ah, yes. There was still one knight left at the Grand Duke’s residence. The maid’s hope rested on him.
“No! Sir Bay is my knight. Don’t talk to him. Let’s go!”
Serena, noticing their intention, quickly intervened like a stubborn seven-year-old.
“Yes.”
“Ah…”
The maid felt regret but had no choice; she couldn’t command the little lady’s knight.
The discussion of who should go to calm the angry Madam caused time to slip away.
It would be problematic if Madam, having firmly decided to run away, ended up more upset after they intervened.
Ayle didn’t know when she left the house, but she was quite lucky.
Right before she announced her departure from the Grand Duke’s residence, the servant who had been entrusted with the documents had no idea about this commotion.
If the Grand Duke had checked the papers before returning and discovered the divorce documents, they wouldn’t have let time pass naturally.
The carriage jostled heavily as it climbed the slope.
Ayle sat quietly at first, but the suitcase at her feet kept bouncing, so she had to hug it tightly.
Closing her eyes, she whispered sadly:
“…In the end, even leaving was such a mess. What a ridiculous fuss, how embarrassing.”
She didn’t want to show her messy side, but perhaps it was fate. Noisy when she arrived, noisy when she left.
The carriage suddenly turned toward the dock.
If it kept going, it would lead to the Rubon House where her parents lived. But Ayle never even considered changing her destination. There was no place in this island where she could settle her heart.
Upon arrival, she got off and gave the coachman a tip.
“Thank you!”
“…Oh my, giving money again?”
She said to Rouplion what she wanted to say.
“Yes, take care!”
The dock was crowded with people boarding the regular ship and those seeing them off.
It seemed more crowded than when she first came to the island a few years ago. Even then, there were many people, but now it was incomparable.
Glasswork, metalwork, and canning businesses were said to be the best in the empire on Flana Island.
Her husband—now truly the Grand Duke—was so capable that the industry developed rapidly. Gerde often brought news, so she knew everything even while confined inside the Grand Duke’s residence…
‘It’ll all just become memories.’
She had changed into a coat in the cramped carriage. It looked scruffy but kept her warm, which was exactly what she needed.
No one recognized her as the Grand Duchess of the island.
Plain brown hair, sky-blue eyes lighter than her husband’s, and a scruffy coat that hid her charming figure.
She carried a shabby suitcase, and there was no maid or anyone by her side, which helped her disguise.
Even a simple disguise was fairly perfect. If she had worn a hat, someone might recognize her noble face, but no one paid her attention.
Ayle approached the ticket counter.
“Are there any tickets left?”
“Yes. All types are available. After stopping at Salmon Province, the final destination is the Art Harbor near the capital. The intermediate stop will arrive today, but Art Harbor takes three to four days. Where would you like to go?”
“…Salmon Province. Second class, please.”
She hesitated briefly but decided to go to Salmon Province as planned. She wasn’t ready to face the port where the Milton family had been forcibly sent.
After buying her ticket and waiting, the ship finally departed with a low horn: Pwooo…
Though she was in second class, it was practically next to the overcrowded third class. First class was quiet and spacious, but she feared meeting someone she knew.
‘It’s the same anywhere. Even in Salmon Province… I know.’
Even if the Grand Duke wanted, finding her after she escaped to the end of the continent would be easy for him.
Even their deception about heading to Rubon House would likely be discovered by the servants. Perhaps by tonight, pigeons were sent to confirm it.
But he wouldn’t chase her. He might send a bill for all the expenses incurred, but they would never meet face to face.
I know his cruel temperament.
‘Goodbye, everyone.’
Hours later, the ship arrived at the port of Salmon Province.
She disembarked among the crowds, chose a cheap inn with her remaining money, drew the shabby curtains to block the view outside, and collapsed onto sheets worn thin from washing.
It was hard to believe all this happened in a single day.
Tears she thought had dried flowed again.
“Finally… I’m away from you. Finally…”
She didn’t want to think about anything and fell asleep in her traveling clothes.
In her fading consciousness, one certainty emerged: Gerde’s daily tea service was no longer needed. Even if her nose tingled, her heart no longer raced at the thought of her cold-hearted husband’s pale eyes.
That night.
Serena, who had declared she wouldn’t sleep if things didn’t go her way, opened her eyes wide.
“Hurry up!”
“…Little Lady. Must it be this way? Can’t we wait a bit longer?”
“Nooo!”
Sir Bay tried to calm the small mistress, looking troubled.
Previously, she had insisted on going to Salmon Province, even dragging the Grand Duchess along. Sir Bay had observed from a distance, ready as the carriage was prepared.
Serena had briskly brought along the much larger Grand Duchess.
What if things had gone according to Serena’s plan that day? He couldn’t say.
Serena and Sir Bay were treated quite specially at the Grand Duke’s residence. Almost everything was done according to her wishes, and reports could be submitted afterward.
It was a strange kind of care—not so much as being cherished but rather granting excessive freedom.
Traveling to Salmon Province required quick reporting to the Grand Duke, but he was currently inspecting the nearby waters, making it inconvenient according to the knight.
‘Perhaps…’
Sir Bay had a hunch.
He bent his knee and asked the determined little lady:
“Serena.”
“Aren’t we going?”
“If we go to Salmon Province, will we be able to see the Grand Duchess?”
He had seen the servants rushing to Rubon House and returning empty-handed that afternoon. Their pale faces were a pitiful sight.
Where had the Grand Duchess gone?
There were hotels on the island, but her location could not be openly investigated.
Why? Well, if the servants didn’t know about her disappearance, secrecy would be necessary.
‘Could she have taken the regular ship?’
Sir Bay knew well the Grand Duke and Duchess’s lifestyle. If the poor Grand Duchess had fled to Salmon Province to escape her husband’s coldness… he would feel pained.
Serena was surprised.
“How did you know?”
“…Why not tell me when the sun was out? People wasted a trip, you know?”
The immature Serena crossed her arms.
“Hmph. It’s all Dad’s fault. He doesn’t play with Stepmom and never responded when I asked to play just once!”
“He’s a busy man.”
“And Stepmom is always crying. Just without tears! Why no fights? It must be because Dad scares her!”
“…That’s…”
No, that’s a misunderstanding. Sir Bay felt guilty, but the little lady was just too perceptive.
He couldn’t deny the Grand Duke’s indifference toward his wife. The evidence he had seen and heard was overwhelming.
Moreover, the recent disappearance of the Grand Duchess’s maid was even more scandalous.
She had likely been hidden in a secret room in the Grand Duke’s office.
Or carried away by a carriage in the middle of the night, locked in a villa, and visited regularly. Even aboard a large ship patrolling the island, the affair continued endlessly.
At this rate, a child might soon be born… Would Madam be demoted to the second wife?
The servants’ whispered, baseless gossip was horrifying if it reached the Grand Duchess’s ears.
