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Chapter 26
As soon as the banquet ended, a carriage was prepared to head to Blansk.
Servants rushed back and forth inside and outside the Lavender Palace, carrying my luggage in a chaotic flurry.
I had already sent a message to Sir Julio through Katarina, letting him know we would be coming with my husband and to have everything prepared. Since he was a former soldier, protocol would surely be followed to the letter.
As I was about to leave my bedroom with my personal belongings in hand, I ran into someone in the corridor.
My mother-in-law, Queen Elizabeth.
She, too, would soon be leaving this palace to return to Fadon Island. Perhaps she had come to see us off to Blansk.
Knowing her not to be an ordinary person, it immediately felt slightly awkward.
“Your Highness, it is a pleasure to see you again. If you have come to bid us farewell, I thank you in advance.”
“…To my beautiful and wise daughter-in-law, I wish to speak a few words out of concern, as a mother-in-law.”
A bad premonition stirred in me. From my experience in high society, when a noblewoman frames something as a “concern,” it never ends with anything pleasant.
She was surely using worry and care as an excuse to provoke me, and I had no way of knowing exactly where she would strike, so I didn’t even know where to put up my defenses.
“Yes. I shall take every word of advice from your wise Highness, Queen, and engrave it deeply in my mind.”
“To speak frankly, this is, after all, a politically arranged marriage bound only by treaty, isn’t it?”
“Yes, it is a marriage with political undertones.”
I wondered what she intended to say. Would she talk about my husband?
“My beloved son David has a remarkable talent.”
“I’ve heard the Grand Duke was a competent knight, but he must have other talents as well.”
“No. He has a way of charming people, like a silver fox. Unfortunately, it seems he inherited this trait from his late mother, so there’s nothing I can do about it.”
The Queen frowned and sighed, the corners of her wrinkled eyes glistening.
Though she looked mournful on the surface, to my eyes it was utterly insufferable.
I had to admit that the Grand Duke’s appearance could indeed charm people. But the Queen’s twisted tone was irritating.
“Oh, that is a talent I greatly need. Living as the lord of a small city recently, I have realized how difficult it is to win the hearts of the people of Dvorca. In that regard, I will certainly be relying on the Grand Duke’s assistance.”
I smiled more brilliantly than ever.
Her intention was obvious—to plant prejudice against the Grand Duke in me and create cracks from the start. I had no desire to fall for such a trap.
And it was true, to some extent, that I could make use of his external charm.
“…Excessive talent can become a poison. As a minor duchess of Lasantia, you are destined to undertake great things. I worry that if you become too enamored with his appearance, needless troubles may arise.”
“Oh, you fear that I might fall head over heels for the Grand Duke and ruin everything? You need not worry about that. As you know, I have lived long enough and experienced enough romance to remain composed when it comes to men.”
“There are precedents, which is why I speak, Your Highness.”
The Queen emphasized her words. Beneath her radiant smile, a hint of agitation showed. My daughter-in-law’s disregard for her advice seemed to have provoked her.
Precedents. I already knew exactly whose name would come up, and my eyes rolled instinctively.
The Queen let out a small sigh and continued.
“…There is one who became obsessed with women, lost all interest in state affairs, and went mad, unable to even witness my son’s coronation.”
She was referring to her own husband, my father-in-law, King Madilof.
It was not funny. Masked as concern, it sounded more like a petty curse—that I, too, would end up like Madilof in a miserable fate.
I quickly knitted my brows, putting on a delicate expression.
“How kind of you to worry that I may go mad in the future. Your Highness shows such deep affection, even caring for your daughter-in-law’s mental state like a true mother. It is incredibly reassuring.”
I clasped my hands neatly, feigning tears of gratitude. Of course, my real mother had never comforted me like that—this was all pretence.
The Queen, flustered by my reaction, took a small step back.
Now, she would see me as either a ✕woman or a madwoman.
I added in a sweetly coaxing tone:
“The Grand Duke, despite losing his biological mother at a young age, is, as Your Highness knows, a beloved adopted son. You raised him with such thorough education that he can be confidently entrusted in matters of a national marriage. I am certain he will be faithful to his wife as well.”
The best response to insincere concern is to answer with even greater insincerity.
In truth, I had no reason yet to fully trust the Grand Duke. Even though we promised to remain faithful for a hundred days,
I do not trust men easily. Especially handsome ones.
Given my background, my fortune, and all the men who had tried to take advantage of me over the years, I could hardly let my guard down.
Responding to the Queen’s provocation had nothing to do with loyalty. Unintentionally, the Grand Duke had already entered my domain. Now that we were bound as husband and wife, I could not allow anyone—even his mother—to belittle him.
It was unpleasant to see him treated lightly, and even more so when it meant I would be treated lightly by association.
Amid all this, one question curled in my mind:
…David Mihail, Grand Duke.
How on earth did you grow up under that man?
The carriage ride to Blansk passed in silence. The Grand Duke, sitting across from me, didn’t utter a single word.
His violet eyes gazed blankly out the dark window. Was it the rough road making the carriage shake, or was something troubling him?
I recalled the conversation at the banquet. He had reacted particularly strongly when the “forest” had been mentioned.
“Do you like forests, Grand Duke? I do, too,” I tried to break the awkwardness.
“……”
He slowly turned his head toward me without replying. His side profile, bathed in moonlight, was unreal in its beauty. Dazzling by day, ethereal by night. No wonder Rizel had been drawn to him.
Yet his lips remained sealed.
Why wouldn’t he answer? It’s maddening.
“Do you like hunting? Blansk has many forests. You were a knight, so I’m sure you can handle weapons well. If the weather’s nice, we could go hunting together sometime.”
“I do not like shooting living things.”
He answered.
Ah, he dislikes killing. That made sense. Even in military school, some peers didn’t enjoy hunting, reportedly unnerved by the dying cries of the animals.
“Don’t they hold hunting competitions on Fadon Island?”
“They do. I have never participated.”
“……I see.”
I tried to continue the conversation, but each attempt ended abruptly.
He was difficult to get close to. I had sensed this at the banquet—he had almost no social instinct, and seemed to have built a thick wall around himself. Perhaps he had no desire to make new acquaintances at all.
After three days of a wedding that felt like a battlefield, he might simply be tired. I gave up talking and we spent hours staring out the window together.
Night deepened. Leaning against the carriage wall, I dozed off until the distant howl of a wolf woke me. Far ahead, I could see the walls of Blansk.
The walls, built from pale gray granite, had been completely destroyed during the war, and reconstruction was completed about two years ago.
I had heard that in ancient Dvorca, territorial conflicts between lords were frequent. Lords built walls around their lands to prepare for emergencies. When I arrived as a lord and undertook postwar reconstruction, the residents wanted the walls to be built taller and stronger than before.
Their fear of war was only part of it; there was another reason.
“What are those tents?”
The Grand Duke pointed to a spot outside the window.
Though it was past midnight, the bright moon made everything clear. Dozens of tents were scattered around the walls at irregular intervals, entrances wide open, people sleeping in the warm weather.
Further away, soldiers wearing Levanteia uniforms guarded the gate strictly, allowing no entry.
“These are tents set up by refugees.”
“Refugees? The war ended five years ago. Why are there still refugees?”
“Even after all this time, most of Dvorca is still unlivable. The regional lords, who govern the provinces, belong to the Levanteia royalty or nobility… but they forced laborers to build only luxurious lordly residences and neglected rebuilding the homes destroyed during the war. Those who could not endure it fled.”
“Why did they come here?”
“They wanted to enter Blansk.”
“What’s different about Blansk?”
“All the destroyed houses were rebuilt, bigger and stronger. While the labor of the residents was required, it was paid fairly without forced labor. As a result, people from other regions came seeking work on the construction sites, and soon the refugees began to gather here as well.”
I hadn’t realized that once the camps inside the territory disappeared, the tents outside would appear.
The Grand Duke stared at me intently. A slight crease appeared between his brows, as if his curiosity had deepened.
“Why are they not allowed in?”
“The explanation is a bit long and complicated.”
“Please, go ahead, Grand Duchess.”
