TPWSM 24

Chapter 24

“Ah, the Grand Duchess’s fief is my…”

“Yes, it’s the place where your mother was born and raised.”

After my marriage to the Grand Duke was decided against my will, I learned this thanks to Sir Julio.

That Madilov’s concubine, Nadia, was a dancer from Blansk.

She was famous for her striking looks, but surely her dancing skills must have been extraordinary too. Otherwise, how could a girl from a small town like Blansk make it all the way to the capital stage in Yorka and even catch the king’s eye?

“The Grand Duke… has never been to Blansk, has he?”

“No, I haven’t.”

Of course, he hadn’t.

Nadia, locked away in the concubines’ quarters, would have had no way of taking her son back to her hometown.

My fief seems to be one of the only connections between him and me.

Even though it’s nearly the only place he could escape the palace to stay at, he doesn’t seem very eager to accept my proposal.

I thought this as I looked at his profile, glowing pale even under the shadow of the carriage roof.

Why? Is it because he dislikes the fact that his precious mother’s hometown belongs to someone like me?

Screeeech.

By then, the massive gates of the royal palace had swung fully open.

The coachman announced departure, and the white horses pulling the carriage neighed loudly.

Uooooohhhh—!

A thunderous cheer and raucous applause erupted, echoing high into the sky.

The Levanteia military band had been waiting, and as soon as our carriage rolled out, they began to play.

It was the national anthem of Dvorka, now reduced to a Grand Duchy.

How strange, hearing our troops play Dvorka’s anthem. But I suppose that’s what happens when you marry a man from that country.

Those in the crowd who remembered the melody sang along, voices thick with nostalgia.

Since this event was propaganda meant to suppress resistance, even the music had been chosen to please the people of Dvorka.

So they could be swept into the illusion that their defeated, colonized country was still alive before their very eyes.

The streets scrubbed clean for the parade were packed with people on both sides, stretching endlessly. Their noise was deafening.

The Grand Duke smiled and waved as I had instructed him, and in return, he was met with roaring cheers.

Then suddenly, the voices grew louder still.

The crowd began to chant, not for us, but for someone else.

“The Queen! The Queen!”

I turned back.

Behind us, in another carriage, was his foster mother, Queen Elizabeta.

I remembered that face. She looked exactly the same as she had ten years ago: jet-black hair perfectly tied without a strand out of place, and green eyes.

Her figure was small, but her presence was overwhelming. To the people of Dvorka, she was still the Mother of the Nation.

Queen Elizabeta waved gracefully with a warm smile. Even in the slightest gesture, elegance shone through. She knew exactly what face to show the people.

She, too, must have been dragged here for propaganda.

To show that even the Dvorka royal family exiled to Pardon Island approved of this marriage.

But then—why hadn’t the queen taught her foster son?

That when a royal faces the people, he must always smile?

“Grand Duchess.”

“Yes, Grand Duke?”

As I looked back toward the queen’s carriage, he suddenly spoke first.

His way of addressing me still felt stiff, distant—like I wasn’t really his wife but some foreign duchess. I sometimes wondered if he even remembered my name.

I turned to him again and gave a small nod. Go on, say what you want.

His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down noticeably.

“Do you… treat everyone this kindly?”

“What was that? I can’t hear you.”

It sounded like he’d asked me something, but his voice was drowned out by another burst of roaring cheers.

“I asked, do you treat everyone this kindly?”

The Grand Duke raised his voice, enunciating each word clearly, while at the same time waving toward the left side of the crowd.

Kindly? What kindness had I shown him? Was he talking about the wedding gifts I had provided?

“Well, when have I ever treated you kindly? The wedding chest I gave wasn’t a kindness—it was simply Levanteia’s tradition.”

“Whether it was kindness or tradition, I have nothing with which to repay you.”

Hearing his cold, dry tone, I had the uneasy feeling that the hundred days allotted to him could crumble away at any moment.

It was true—he hadn’t even given me a wedding ring. It wasn’t unwillingness; he’d simply arrived with nothing but the clothes on his back.

Still, receiving something without giving anything in return only left behind an uncomfortable sense of debt.

“We’re not exactly in a position to trade favors equally, are we? You’ll repay me in other ways.”

“What should I do, then?”

“You don’t need to do anything special. Just sitting here beside me, waving your hand—that alone is a gain for me. As I said when we signed the contract, I intend to make full use of your existence.”

“That sounds… promising.”

Even his sarcasm came out in that calm, quiet tone.

“So then, will you follow me to Blansk or not?”

I asked him again.

Afraid my words would be lost in the deafening noise, I leaned close to his ear.

At once, his shoulders went stiff. Flustered as he was, he couldn’t bring himself to push me away.

“…I’ll think about it.”

What was there to think about?

Clearly, he wasn’t eager. It seemed I’d need to work harder to persuade him.

After the parade, I walked with the Grand Duke through the gardens behind Lavender Palace.

In the sweltering heat of July, under the deep green canopy of towering yews, we strolled in the shade.

Lavender blossoms swayed at our feet, filling the summer breeze with a damp, grassy fragrance that tickled my nose.

“Grand Duke, has your mother ever told you anything about Blansk?”

I was determined to lure him there, to my fief.

Now that we had been granted a hundred days together, I had no desire to spend our newlywed life under Crown Prince Daimon’s watchful eyes.

More than anything, I wanted to bring the Grand Duke into my own domain and observe him slowly. Surely, he didn’t really know how the people lived.

As a Grand Duke, how would he think, how would he act? I wanted to see for myself.

“I didn’t hear much that was good.”

“What did she say?”

“She told me when I was very young, so I don’t remember well…”

“Try to recall.”

“She said in winter it was freezing, in summer it was scorching, rats were everywhere, and food was always scarce so people starved.”

“…I see.”

“Yes. She said she worked hard because she wanted to escape that place.”

So, to his mother, Blansk wasn’t a beloved hometown at all.

Just as the palace in Yorka, now reduced to a governor’s office, wasn’t a place he could long for either.

“And with the war, I imagine it only grew poorer.”

“Yes, it was desperately impoverished, unbearably so. But now it’s one of the more livable—”

I stopped mid-sentence.

From the glass greenhouse in the eastern corner of the garden came a sharp voice.

It was Princess Lizel, the mistress of this palace, and her mother, Crown Princess Sasha.

The princess, hands on her hips and face sulky, was venting her complaints.

“I just can’t understand Grandfather! If he wants to marry off a prince from a neighboring country, shouldn’t he consider his real granddaughter first, before a granddaughter by marriage?”

“Lizel, that’s enough. His Majesty must have his reasons.”

The Crown Princess soothed her gently, but the princess clenched her fists and trembled with fury.

“No! Grandfather only ever favors Sister Alisa. He even gave the daughter of some mere duke the status of royal princess! And then—he married her off to a breathtakingly handsome prince!”

“Mere duke,” she said. Yet Duke Lasantia was the most powerful noble in Levanteia—though now bedridden and powerless.

Realizing it was dangerous to run into them here, I stopped in my tracks. If we went further, the princess and crown princess would surely notice us.

I tugged the Grand Duke’s sleeve and pulled him back, hiding behind a crape myrtle tree.

He followed me, puzzled. But he was so tall that his head was still visible. His silver hair gleamed in the sunlight, making him even more conspicuous.

“Grand Duke, crouch down a bit.”

We couldn’t let them see us.

At my gesture, he bent his knees awkwardly.

“…Are we eavesdropping?”

“Yes.”

“I doubt it’ll do you any good.”

“Nor will it do me any harm.”

With a resigned shake of his head, he leaned lower.

If they had been sharper, they might have sensed us—but luckily, the princess and crown princess were too caught up in their own quarrel.

“This is all Sister Alisa’s fault for being so old! If she had just married some suitable man earlier, none of this would have happened!”

“Lizel, you must have drunk too much wine at luncheon. Watch your tongue—remember, a married couple is staying here.”

Crown Princess Sasha pressed her temple with a weary sigh.

I shaded my eyes with my hand and studied Princess Lizel’s face carefully. Her cheeks were flushed red. At lunch, I had noticed her gulping down white wine in a rather alarming way.

“But it’s true, Mother! Why didn’t anyone tell me Dvorka had such a stunning prince? Why was I kept in the dark? Huuuuh! If I’d known, I would’ve told them to capture him during the war!”

…What in the world?

Princess Lizel was twenty this year—yet still so immature. Then again, perhaps that was natural at twenty.

Come to think of it, at last night’s ball she had circled around the Grand Duke all evening, even dancing with him three times.

Ha. To think she had fallen in love at first sight with her cousin’s husband. I hadn’t expected that.