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chapter 53
It was almost like a miracle worthy of a saint.
“Good heavens, look at how everyone’s staring.”
Sherylotte, momentarily at a loss for words, raised her hand slightly to greet those around her. In response, starting with Alise, who maintained the discipline of the Northern vassals, several others gave her a polite nod. Not that any lingering harsh stares vanished entirely.
Straightening her hand again, Sherylotte whispered quietly, so it wasn’t obvious:
“It feels like everyone’s just looking at you. Don’t you think?”
“…No, I don’t think so.”
Eonian realized that not only the local dignitaries and higher officials who were seeing Sherylotte for the first time, but also nobles he was familiar with, were staring intently at her.
Though it was too early for a wedding and she wore her uniform, meeting so many people made her appearance stand out more than usual.
‘Cecil really did something unnecessary. She didn’t even need to put on makeup.’
As Eonian’s expression stiffened slightly, Sherylotte poked the back of his head with her index finger.
“What are you talking about? Wouldn’t everyone be curious about who the ‘person you love’ is, the one you mentioned when you tried to ruin the wedding? I was curious too.”
“……”
“And that person turns out to be Chartreuse. Everyone who got the invitation must have fallen backward and broken their noses.”
“Sounds like you’re hoping for that?”
At that moment, as they exchanged what could hardly be called a coherent conversation, Clément approached them.
“Your Highness, another guest has arrived.”
“Who this time?”
As the mistress of the castle, Sherylotte felt it was her duty to at least glance at any guest once.
When she stepped outside the dining hall with Eonian, a smile bloomed on her face.
A full, radiant smile. Eonian, unaccustomed to seeing her laugh so openly—especially at him—was flustered and reached for her, but she had already started running toward the distant guest, somehow recognizing them.
“Sherylotte! Who—”
“Guys!”
Eonian’s mouth fell shut.
Stopping mid-run, he stood at a distance, observing the newly arrived guest.
Wearing the robes mages used for formal occasions, with a staff, wand, even a quill-like rod, Eonian could tell that these people were in the same department as Sherylotte, though he couldn’t join in.
As Eonian stepped back, Sherylotte opened her arms toward the classmate at the front.
“Koberik!”
“Hey, Your Highness. Long time no see?”
Koberik, her fox-kin friend with short crimson hair, bowed playfully in greeting. Sherylotte checked that no outsiders were nearby before raising her fist toward him.
“Hi!”
“Wow, dressed so nicely?”
“Hello…!”
“Long time no see, Sherylotte.”
One by one, more than five people greeted her with fist bumps.
‘Not just classmates, but seniors, juniors, and even professors…!’
Sherylotte’s eyes glistened slightly.
Although she had sent invitations, she hadn’t expected so many to come.
These were the ones who had not only studied magical engineering together at the Academy, but had also filled the gap whenever Eonian had treated her coldly.
Moreover, magical engineering was one of the more despised fields, since combat mages received far better treatment than assistants due to the rifts.
In that context, relying on the Academy had been possible thanks to fellow students and professors. How could she not be glad to see them?
“Everyone… thank you. I wasn’t sure so many would actually make it.”
“Ha! What are you saying? You’re getting married; of course, we had to come.”
Koberik shrugged and whispered to her.
“And the rumored Vascalia too.”
“……”
Eonian, meeting their eyes, blinked softly and waved his hand gently, like a foxtail grass.
“Wow, this is amazing. Didn’t you hate her? Look at her smiling. Crazy. You actually like her?”
“Stop babbling and watch your mouth. She has a temper.”
“Ah, come on. She’s the ‘kind to everyone’ student council president, right?”
“……”
Sherylotte handed off the talkative friend to the knights, marveling silently at the changes in him.
Then a thought crossed her mind:
“Oh, but what about Senior?”
“Huh? Ah, Senior Sedes?”
“Didn’t they come with you?”
Aquila Sedes, from another department, had helped her the most. Had they not come?
Koberik scratched the back of his head and avoided her gaze.
“Hmm… didn’t hear from them, maybe tending to the estate.”
“……”
“Should we have brought them along?”
“……No, it’s fine.”
Sherylotte sent the guests who had traveled far upstairs first, leaving only Eonian and her closest allies. Her expression grew serious.
She had sent the invitation to Senior Aquila first, as they were at the southernmost region. So why hadn’t they arrived yet?
‘Well, maybe busy with estate affairs.’
Still, it would have been nice if they’d left even a message. Resigning herself to the disappointment, Sherylotte resolved to contact them via the communication orb after the wedding and walked toward Eonian.
“……”
At that moment, Eonian stepped up briskly and adjusted his gaze on her once more.
Sherylotte was not flustered. His gaze was directed out the wide-open window.
A dry swallow caught in her throat. Her fingertips trembled unconsciously. As she walked past Eonian toward the inner castle doors, warmth touched her hand.
Looking up, she saw Eonian holding her hand tightly. The similar warmth calmed his previously racing heart.
Sherylotte tilted her head.
“Have you been acting strange a lot lately?”
“Strange? I’m just helping.”
“……Enough. Let’s not talk.”
Shaking her head, she laughed. The tension melted away at his audacity, and she cleared her throat before giving the knights an order.
“Open the castle gates.”
Koo-gu-goong… The massive double doors opened, revealing a carriage with a dark green exterior adorned in gold.
Behind it, more than ten carriages followed. Thinking she’d need to find an inn for the servants, Sherylotte held Eonian’s hand and stepped forward.
From the most ornate carriage, with a faintly glowing magical lamp, a noblewoman with an elegant posture stepped down, guided by a knight.
Her hair was jet black, loosely twisted up, her eyes a swampy hue.
“Long time no see, Sheryl.”
Four days before the wedding.
“My niece.”
The Dowager Duchess Freyju had arrived—the last guest for the wedding.
Sherylotte Chartreuse remained composed.
“Thank you for coming such a long way. Shall we go to the prepared room?”
Duke Leonart was surprised by Sherylotte’s confident demeanor. He disliked that she subtly addressed him as a superior while using ‘thank you’—it annoyed him.
‘No matter how skilled she was at the Academy, she always seemed intimidated in the Eastern estate.’
She had kept up a disinterested act before, reinforcing the impression of a quiet, obedient ‘cat.’ Now seeing the Northern Duchess Sherylotte, he wondered if his previous impressions were even accurate.
And he wasn’t the only one shocked.
“My son.”
“……”
“Noil Leonart!”
“Yes, yes?”
Noil, who had been dazed in the carriage, perked up at the duke’s scolding.
“Don’t you fall down the stairs if you’re spacing out like that?”
“Ah, yes. Sorry.”
“……”
He looked noticeably dejected. The duke ground his teeth in secret.
‘That wretched cat… abandoning me to marry Vascalia?’
He regretted not dealing with Lea Mascell back then.
‘How could anyone treat Leonart like this!’
Clenching his fists, he exploded in anger.
Eonian’s ex-fiancée, Lionella, hadn’t been brought either. His eldest daughter was also displeased like the cat duke, but the fact that he chose Sherylotte was even more insulting.
Ultimately, the duke was shown the guest floor and left his son to rest alone. Then, entering the large living room used as a reception hall with the duke and duchess, he shouted:
“This is absurd!”
The exhausted duke sat on the sofa, then straightened up in surprise at the outburst. Odelle’s indifferent gaze was on the duke.
“That cat deceived us. Choosing Vascalia as the partner!”
“……”
“The wolf must have collaborated even before openly refusing marriage with Lionella Leonart! Whatever way they contacted… this is impossible…!”
Duke Leonart did not approve of his son marrying Sherylotte. Yet now, with Vascalia and Chartreuse almost certain to unite, he was oddly afraid the marriage would really happen.
“Duchess, shouldn’t you say something?”
“……”
Now, Leonart’s voice sounded almost pleading.
Odelle, sitting lightly at the edge of the sofa to keep her black dress pristine, spoke after a pause:
“Duke, just shove your son into my niece’s room.”
“……Pardon?”
“Just knock out Noil Leonart and put him in Sherylotte’s bedroom. Then, naturally, Chartreuse will have to be involved with Leonart.”
Odelle’s green eyes gleamed sharply.
The duke was dumbfounded. As he said nothing, Odelle secretly smirked.
‘Thanks to the duke, we can capture a new Peregrine, but it’s time to make sure the lion can’t climb over.’
Though Eonian choosing Sherylotte was unexpected, seeing him whine about using Noil Leonart as her restraint was intolerable.
Odelle did her best to act as Sherylotte’s ‘benevolent aunt,’ never raising a hand or scolding her openly. She even treated Sherylotte when she collapsed from poison instead of Freyju’s heir.
Without Sherylotte, there’d be no justification to take the North.
‘But I thought I’d trained him almost like brainwashing… and it failed.’
The duke’s antics had surely strengthened Sherylotte’s vigilance.
He should have crippled the boy before the title succession to avoid all these losses.
Swallowing her regret, Odelle shook her head slightly.
“Just kidding. Relax your expression?”
“Ah… yes. I was surprised, Your Highness. Still… he’s my son.”
“I said it’s a joke.”
Odelle, expressionless, poured herself a drink prepared by the castle’s maid.
“I have an idea.”
“What is it?”
“The mages we brought as servants, remember?”
Leonart’s eyes gleamed.
“As you know, the Lavre Volcano dispersion-link magic system is neutralized. But…”
She poured the clear, pungent alcohol to the brim and set the bottle down with a thunk.
“There’s one more magic system. Find its trace.”
Immediately.
The next day.
Sherylotte greeted a dawn filled with dark clouds.
Hearing that someone was looking for her, she washed and prepared quickly. With Cecil’s help, she was dressed completely in the Northern Conquest attire.
To the guest waiting in the room, Sherylotte dismissed all the servants except Cecil and greeted them.
“Long time no see, Aunt.”
“……”
“May I ask what brings you here so early?”
