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chapter 40
Serena’s cheeks flushed bright red as she belatedly realized what had just happened.
“…!”
Absurdly, Lucas looked at her calmly and shamelessly, as if nothing had occurred.
“R-Right now… to me….”
“This is what I deferred from the engagement ceremony. It rightfully belongs to me.”
Since Lucas was much shorter than Serena, he had to fulfill the engagement by kissing the back of her hand instead of the forehead—a humbling gesture.
“Finally, I feel a bit relieved.”
He had longed for the day he could bow leisurely and press his lips to her forehead. And now, that wish had been fulfilled.
“Of course, there are still countless things I want to do.”
Serena blinked slowly. She wanted to kick him in the shin, but somehow the moment felt delayed, and her body refused to move awkwardly.
“Less than half a month remains.”
Lucas continued, ignoring Serena’s dazed state, as if a mere forehead kiss were nothing.
“I’m sorry you have to stay in this frustrating mansion until then.”
Seeing Lucas’s confident smile, Serena forgot what she had wanted to say.
“But once we’re married, no one will oppress you.”
Was that truly her only option? Could she never live freely as she had in Astel, as an independent woman?
“How about it? Aren’t you looking forward to our wedding?”
Lucas’s lips curved into a smirk. His dark eyes sparkled with some ambitious dream, and his carefree, confident demeanor irritated Serena.
“Ah, today I’ll let it slide.”
Truly, Lucas’s claim of having roamed battlefields was no lie—he stepped back with astonishing speed. It was nearly instantaneous.
“My shins still have bruises, and I want to walk properly at the wedding.”
Earlier, his face had been suffused with earnestness, but now a playful glint appeared. What was sincere, and what was jest? Serena could not tell.
“And this rendezvous cannot stain your honor, so I shall take my leave.”
Though he spoke calmly, his steps betrayed a reluctant regret. Even Cedric, keeping watch, could not help much.
Most importantly, if this incident were known, it would spark debate about the bride’s qualifications—something Lucas most wished to avoid.
“See you at the wedding, then.”
Before Serena could respond, Lucas, hooded, smiled once and left. Only the lingering trace of his scent reminded her that the encounter had truly happened.
“…Ah…”
The scroll Lucas had given her still retained the warmth of his hand.
“Can I… open this?”
From her experience governing the estate as a duke’s proxy, one lesson was clear: never open a letter carelessly.
A letter sealed with a noble’s name and signified the start of dialogue or negotiation simply by being unrolled.
“Well… nothing more could happen before the wedding, anyway.”
Serena, now the future Crown Princess, could safely examine a letter from her fiancé without worsening anything. Most importantly, she wanted to see what he had promised with her own eyes.
[To Serena Astel.]
Contrary to Lucas’s rugged demeanor, his handwriting was elegant.
[I, Lucas Tern, pledge this promise with my noble name, status, and lifelong honor.]
Serena paused at this part. He was no mere noble—the life of a Crown Prince encompassed the full authority of the empire.
[This is a promise from a man to a woman, a vow from Lucas Tern to Serena Astel.]
Her blue eyes scanned the scroll without pause. Reaching the last line, she could not help but exclaim softly.
[I shall protect Serena Astel’s free spirit under all circumstances and respect her will, and this vow shall not change even in death.]
Though phrased broadly, it was the strongest expression possible in this era. From her experience as a duke’s proxy, the statement carried legal weight and could even be recognized by the Papal authority.
“So that was the reason you boldly intruded.”
Serena exhaled deeply, speaking to herself. The scroll bore Lucas’s signature—combined with the Crown Prince’s seal, it was an unshakable, binding promise.
“At least it’s better than a mere declaration of love.”
Since he had put his name to it, not even the emperor could forcibly revoke it—doing so would ruin his son’s honor forever.
“Does… this really matter?”
Her resentment toward Lucas had long vanished. The childish quarrels from the engagement no longer mattered.
“But… if marriage is truly unavoidable.”
Though losing her independent life in Astel saddened her, it had already been determined the moment she became the daughter of a duke in this era.
Judging from the Duke of Astel’s attitude, even if it were not the Crown Prince, Serena would never have been allowed to remain unmarried. That much was certain.
“…I don’t want to admit it, but perhaps this is the best option.”
Rejecting Duke Pharrell’s persistent proposals had preserved her independence, but also because he could not promise her nearly as much as Lucas could.
“Still, this is reckless.”
Lucas, future emperor, had ensured his promise—one even a duke could not make—was sealed in writing, leaving no one able to take it away.
If she had to marry in this world, there was no better partner she could hope for.
“…If Élise appears, will this promise, and my current feelings, disappear?”
The story’s true protagonist was Élise. In the original tale, while she struggled to find her life and happiness, Empress Serena withered alone.
“Wait.”
The name Élise lingered strangely on her tongue. Simultaneously, the original text she had recalled when first becoming Serena flashed through her mind:
[Élise decided to use her ambition to make the only daughter of a new duchess the Empress.]
At the time, she thought it only meant that Élise would appear and that Serena, the existing Empress, had no power. But now, recalling her surroundings, a chill ran down her spine.
“Anna, Anna!”
Serena called urgently. Anna came running, shutting the door and widening her eyes.
“Miss, what’s wrong? Earlier, we had no choice but to vacate the room by order of His Highness… Is something wrong?”
“No, he’s fine.”
Could she find something out? Not yet—she could not jump to conclusions.
“Are there any other influential ducal families in the capital besides this one?”
“There are other dukes, but they aren’t currently in the Imperial Assembly. Their capital residences are empty as well.”
Élise’s plan, when she appeared, would be to make the only daughter of a new duchess the Empress. Only when a duchess with an only daughter harbored ambition could the story proceed.
“But… a new… duchess?”
The words slipped out before she could stop them. Why not simply “Duchess of Sherwood”? Why “new duchess”?
“Oh my, Miss, who told you that?”
“What?”
Serena realized she had spoken aloud without noticing.
“You just said ‘new duchess.’”
“Oh, um…”
“Yes. The current duchess is a second wife, so there’s quite an age gap with the duke.”
Finally, the puzzle pieces fell into place. The new duchess was Miranda, and her only daughter was Laura.
“The duchess must have been strict about keeping that secret. Who could have mentioned it?”
“Just… overheard by chance.”
Serena murmured to change the subject. In this world, she could not reveal that she had no prior knowledge and that she had died in a previous life.
“Don’t show it. It’s taboo in this mansion.”
“Yes.”
It was not because Serena wanted to hide it, but because it was impossible. Even after several attempts to tell Anna, her lips wouldn’t move, and no sound came out.
“Anyway, I can’t tell anyone.”
Serena spoke ambiguously, knowing it was impossible to share the truth of her past life and the mysterious events that had befallen her.
“Anna, while we are in this mansion, I need you to find out something.”
“What? You just went through so much earlier—rest now.”
“No, we need to investigate while we are in this duke’s mansion.”
Seeing Serena’s resolute expression, Anna nodded immediately. Normally lively and spirited, Serena became utterly unreadable when determined.
“What should I do?”
“Find out about a woman.”
“Who?”
Unfortunately, all she knew of the original story was that single sentence.
“I don’t know.”
“What? Then how will we find out? Why…?”
“Élise. Her name is Élise. She must be somewhere nearby.”
Anna had many questions, but seeing Serena’s seriousness, she only nodded.
“Only Peter and I should know. No one can know I’m curious about Élise.”
“Yes. I’ll be careful.”
Élise’s appearance was still far off.
But even knowing her current location would be a great help. At least they would know roughly where the real protagonist might emerge.
