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chapter 18
– Stubbornness Neck-and-Neck
After finishing her conversation in the reception room, Serena reluctantly gave her formal farewells and returned to her bedroom. Her jaw ached from forcing a smile after so long.
“What, only twenty minutes?”
Serena looked at the clock in disbelief. It felt like they had been alone for at least two hours, yet only twenty minutes had passed.
“Miss, how did your audience go?”
Anna, passing by, spoke kindly and naturally tidied Serena’s clothing and messy hair.
“Not well at all. It was awful.”
As Anna fixed a slightly askew hairpin, Serena pouted. At twenty-four, she was usually independent, but in Anna’s careful hands, she always yielded.
“He simply won’t listen. He won’t even consider that our engagement might be invalid!”
Serena let out a heavy sigh, venting her frustration. With the Harvest Festival approaching and so much to do, being held up by Lucas felt like a punishment.
“Do you remember Peter saying that His Highness sent three carrier pigeons?”
“Yes? Of course.”
“Apparently he trusts something. He told me to discuss things again once the pigeons arrive.”
Serena bit her lip. At first, she had thought he had abandoned her, then she had felt she had abandoned her fiancé. She had never imagined a day like this.
“Well, at least I’ve prepared just in case. That’s a relief.”
It had been a tedious task, but Serena was meticulous once she set her mind to something, and her preparations were thorough. For a noblewoman to have her fiancé neglect her for six years during her prime marriageable age was almost like a punishment, but it also allowed for some sympathy.
“Yes. I don’t think it’s something to worry about too much. So don’t frown so harshly on that beautiful face of yours.”
“I still have some annoying matters to handle. Actually, one just came up.”
“Annoying matters?”
“The Crown Prince intends to observe and learn while accompanying the lord who governs the Astel Duchy.”
Anna didn’t relay Lucas’s exact words, but the meaning was the same.
“But the Duke is away.”
“I responded that, but since I’m acting on the Duke’s behalf, he said it’s the same.”
The moment Serena arrived in Astel, she learned many things in the Duke’s office, which had been used by generations of dukes. Though frustrated, she could not deny that Lucas’s words were correct.
“It seems our Astel’s prosperity impresses him.”
Anna thought Serena’s face looked both annoyed and strangely proud, childishly so.
“So now an uninvited guest will intrude on every task. He wants to join lunch immediately.”
Could Lucas’s goal really be learning Astel’s management secrets? Anna sensed otherwise but chose not to tell Serena.
“I should inform the kitchen immediately.”
“Leave it as is. Just add one more portion.”
“But, Your Highness…”
Serena’s eyes were firm.
“If he’s curious about Astel, we show it as it is. We obey a royal order, but there will be no special treatment.”
Anna nodded with some hesitation. Not giving the Crown Prince special treatment could be a grave offense, but in this situation, it was inconsequential.
“Actually, this might be good. Even following me for just one day, he might give up once he sees how busy and tiring my life is.”
“But the Crown Prince has endured hardship, training, and battlefield experience.”
Serena flopped onto the sofa and wiggled her index finger side to side.
“Anna, everyone has their own battlefield.”
Wearing an arrogant smile, Serena was unmistakably a quirky young lady.
“The Crown Prince was born into nobility and has never experienced ordinary treatment, even on the battlefield.”
She wasn’t belittling Lucas’s training or battlefield experience. She knew from his transformation that he had lived with firm resolve and will.
“No matter how strong a warrior he is, no matter how much he has roamed the continent, he’s always been treated specially. He must be.”
“Miss, even if you dislike His Highness, you mustn’t be rude.”
“I know. But he said he wants to experience a life like mine. Isn’t that just following an order?”
Her blue eyes gleamed mischievously.
“Giving the Crown Prince special treatment would actually be disrespectful.”
Serena’s interpretation was entirely self-centered, seeing all this as a fight Lucas had initiated first.
“If he wants to know a lord’s life, give no special treatment beyond basic royal etiquette. Meals, movement, and official duties—all as usual.”
“If that is your wish, Miss…”
Watching Anna trail off, Serena seized an idea that crossed her mind.
“Anna.”
“Yes?”
“If he truly wants to experience a lord’s life, wouldn’t it be better if the palace guard were absent?”
Anna’s eyes widened with unease.
“Sir Cedric, the Crown Prince’s guard. If he’s free today, it might give us some leeway.”
“What leeway?”
“Peter.”
Anna slowly nodded at that.
“Peter was originally a knight, wasn’t he? Even the captain of Astel’s knights?”
“Yes. He retired after being injured while protecting the Duke on the battlefield, but out of loyalty, became the steward.”
Astel, though prosperous, had a strong knight corps. Though small, they excelled in swordsmanship and loyalty rivaled even the royal knights.
Peter’s loyalty became an example for Astel’s knights. Even now, the captain’s seat remained vacant in his honor, with the vice-captain leading.
“Any young knight like Cedric would admire a retired knight who shared the hardships and loyalty of their lord.”
“You plan to use Peter as a spy?”
“No. No matter how young, he is the Crown Prince’s escort. He won’t betray his lord for such a trivial scheme. But as a knight, we might learn of the hardships his lord endured.”
Anna wanted to call that spying but simply nodded. She knew from experience that no one could stop Serena when her eyes gleamed like that.
“I’ll inform Peter.”
Serena nodded, still wearing a mischievous smile.
Lucas always added notes to the small notebook he carried in his chest pocket—a habit learned from his mentor in childhood, helping him organize his thoughts and learn.
“Do you really have that much to write?” Cedric asked, noting his familiarity. Lucas nodded and continued.
“There’s no end to what I want to know about Astel.”
Though he had traveled the continent, seeing both rich and fertile lands, he had never seen a place with such a well-established system as Astel.
“When do you think the carrier pigeons will return?”
Lucas closed his notebook.
“Sent yesterday… They’ll take three or four days. But since the palace isn’t far, they may arrive as soon as tomorrow.”
“No. I don’t want to open them one by one.”
Lucas decided he would confront Serena once all three replies arrived. Their opposing attitudes about marriage made it oddly amusing for outsiders.
“I also need to check that scandalous rumor I heard yesterday.”
“Excuse me?”
“That the Archduke proposed to the Duke’s young lady!”
Young boys, unaware of discretion, excitedly spread the rumor to boast of the lady’s greatness.
“A mere commoner’s testimony won’t convince the Archduke.”
“Exactly why I want you to investigate. Start with her close aides, gradually drawing out the story… naturally.”
Though the two protagonists were unaware, what they intended was quite similar.
“I’ll try, but I lack the gift of words, so I can’t guarantee anything.”
“Today, spend time with the Duke’s representative. Naturally, step back from my attendance and find someone appropriate to speak with.”
“Yes.”
Lucas stood by the window, gazing at the clear autumn sky. For some reason, Astel’s sky seemed more beautiful than anywhere else. Perhaps it was because its mistress was so graceful.
“Cedric.”
“Yes, Your Highness?”
“Was the Duke’s young lady like this at the engagement?”
Cedric blinked a few times at the odd question.
“She wore formal attire then.”
“No, I mean like now… I mean…”
“She’s about the same height as then.”
“I know. Not that, I mean a little more…”
He paused, unsure how to finish his question.
“I only saw her under the veil at the time, so I don’t know well.”
Lucas remembered only that her features were delicate, and her complexion fair. He had felt small and flustered beside her, and because of their height difference, had kissed her hand rather than her lips. That memory had faded over time.
“Why do you ask, Your Highness?”
“Just… nothing.”
Serena’s face in the deepening blue dress was vivid in his mind. He had been flustered when she first entered the reception room, forgetting what he said.
“It’s nothing.” Lucas muttered, unable to ask Cedric whether Serena had always been this beautiful.
“Honestly, I feared being disappointed seeing her again.”
The training had started to surpass her. He worried that after reuniting, he might feel nothing.
“What a needless worry.”
Lucas smiled, recalling Serena. She was just as he had dreamed—slimmer, elegant, radiant.
Even that alone made his dream half-fulfilled.
