Chapter 14
***
***
Sir Carlz widened his eyes in surprise, then let out a long sigh.
“It seems you’ve heard some useless gossip. Yes, it’s true. Duke Welch provided military support to the Morte Knights on the battlefield, and in return, demanded an engagement to his daughter. Victor had no choice but to accept.”
Her heart sank. She lowered her eyes.
“What people said was actually true…”
“But the engagement is long over!”
As Carlz hurriedly leaned forward, the carriage rattled violently from side to side.
“Oh!”
Carlz shook his head.
“As soon as Duke Welch learned of His Grace’s illness, he broke off the engagement. After that, the Grand Duke married you. Nanael Welch is no longer tied to His Grace.”
‘But didn’t the ladies say they were forced to break up?’
It was not difficult to imagine Nanael and Victor as a married couple. They would’ve made a truly perfect pair…
Suddenly, she felt sick to her stomach and set down the meat skewer she’d been eating. Carlz turned pale.
“Madame, you didn’t finish your food…”
She looked away with a gloomy expression.
She was ashamed of her constant worrying. She didn’t want Victor to know about her lowly feelings.
She begged Carlz.
“Please don’t tell the Grand Duke that I asked about Lady Welch.”
Carlz looked at her.
After all, he was Victor’s knight. Any happenings were to be reported to his master.
But if Victor looked at her with disappointment, she wouldn’t be able to stand it.
She had no choice but to say something she didn’t really mean.
“If you ever tell him…”
“?”
“I’m going to cut ties with you.”
Carlz gasped and dropped his skewer.
***
She gazed at the luxurious mansion with clouded eyes.
The Catalonia estate.
It was the residence of the Marquis family, famed as the wealthiest in the Empire.
The ‘Golden Room’ of the Catalonia estate, where jewels towered taller than a man, was a favorite topic among minstrels.*
[*A minstrel was a medieval entertainer. Originally describing any type of entertainer such as a musician, juggler, acrobat, singer or fool, the term later came to mean an entertainer who sang songs and played musical instruments.]
But to her, it was just torture.
After entering the ballroom and greeting Marquis Catalonia, she immediately hid along the wall. The marquis’s chandelier, crafted from beautiful and expensive crystals, distracted her for a few moments.
However, Lady Welch’s voice was too loud to ignore.
“The Grand Duke Morte is every woman’s dream.”
“Isn’t he the greatest knight on the continent? Besides, who could resist that dignified look! The knights in fairytales are nothing compared to him.”
“Nowadays, the Grand Duke has been quiet, so will we hear good news soon, Nanael?”
“Oh my, how could you ask me that? How shameful!”
Amid tinkling laughter, Lady Welch veiled her mouth with a fan and smiled radiantly like a flower.
Amarion couldn’t take it anymore.
She picked up a glass of champagne and sat in the chair farthest from Lady Welch.
After Carlz rebuked Count Minfield, no one was openly hostile, but their curiosity and ridicule lingered. She bowed her head.
‘Away from the spotlight is where I belong.’
At that moment, a shadow fell over her feet.
“Your Grace, Grand Duchess.”
‘…Is someone trying to talk to me?’
She startled and instinctively raised her head.
It was the first time a young lady had willingly approached her. She wore a stunningly gorgeous dress paired with a sapphire necklace bearing jewels so large they took one’s breath away.
Her long black hair was curly yet strangely sparkling, laced with tiny jewels. The moment Amarion saw the dazzling diamond circlet on her head, she forgot her manners and gaped.
It was the first time she’d seen such an expensive outfit, despite attending social events daily.
Was she the Imperial Princess?
Oblivious to her thoughts, the lady sat beside her without hesitation.
“Forgive my rudeness, my lady. I am Catalina Catalonia, daughter of the marquis.”
Catalina hurriedly stopped her from curtsying.
“Please sit. I’ve broken etiquette as well.”
She summoned an attendant with a graceful gesture and picked up a champagne glass. Amarion stared blankly at her profile.
‘Why is she talking to me? There’s nothing beneficial about being close to me right now.’
‘Is she here to mock me too?’
“Forgive my rudeness, but why are you here?”
When asked, Catalina answered sternly.
“They are really rude. Isn’t that right?”
Her glare was directed toward the ballroom’s center—at Lady Welch. Amarion startled.
It was the first time anyone other than her had criticized Lady Welch. Catalina spoke with a harsh attitude that belied her appearance.
“I didn’t want them defiling my family’s salon, but I couldn’t uninvite them because the Welch Knights serve as their escort. I apologize again for the rudeness, Your Grace.”
“Oh, no.”
‘Thank you for your kind words, though.’
She swallowed those words with a small smile. Catalina misinterpreted it as a grimace and explained further.
“Nanael Welch has long pretended to be the hostess of the Grand Duchy. Every time the Grand Duke made a contribution on the battlefield, she boasted as if it were her own. Even his real wife isn’t so arrogant.”
“Is that so…”
Amarion nodded, feeling a strange joy that someone else despised Nanael as much as she did.
Catalina clenched her fists.
“Then the Grand Duke married, so she started spreading rumors that when he recovers, she’ll be the next Grand Duchess. It’s so absurd and low…”
Catalina shivered at her own words and downed her glass in one gulp. Amarion was overwhelmed by the intensity and simply nodded.
Unlike many in society, she didn’t like Nanael.
Catalina set down her glass with a clink.
“Your Grace is the rightful hostess of the Morte estate. What she does is dishonorable. I’m sorry for venting my frustrations to Your Grace, who came from abroad.”
Amarion glanced at Catalina.
She seemed a woman who took great pride in being Imperial.
Wearing finery and decrying dishonor, she looked every inch the true aristocrat.
Before she could think, words spilled out.
“Catalina is truly noble.”
“Is that so?”
Catalina smiled softly.
The jewels in her hair shimmered with her movements, her family’s wealth evident at a glance.
Catalina spoke gravely.
“I do not forget the rights and obligations as Catalonia’s heir. Unlike some…”
‘Rights and obligations…’
Amarion nodded silently.
After that, for the first time in society, she laughed and chatted freely.
***
Catalina.
Thanks to her, Amarion wasn’t in a bad mood today.
After dinner, she washed with unscented water to remove the perfume’s stench. Donning a shirt, everything grew fuzzy.
Catalina dismissed the rumors as nonsense, but Nanael Welch could truly stand beside Victor.
Daughter of an allied house, the Empire’s premier socialite.
Perhaps Victor’s lover, poised to become Grand Duchess in Amarion’s stead.
‘I’m a Grand Duchess who can’t even act like a hostess…’
She had come here sold off, for duty to Amari.
Thus, this suffering was to be endured.
She crouched by the bed, clutching her sword.
Hers was a hard life of struggles. She was used to solitude.
Still, her sadness stemmed from Victor’s kindness.
He was the first like him in her life.
“Sigh…”
As she buried her head in her arms, the bedroom door swung open.
“Marion!”
Victor entered, gazing at her eagerly.
She greeted awkwardly.
“Welcome, Grand Duke…”
“What happened?”
He stopped right before her.
He positioned himself in her line of sight, urging her gaze. She kept avoiding his eyes.
“What happened?”
“Oh, what?”
“You’re not looking at me.”
She squeezed her eyes shut and hugged her sword like a lifeline. Seeing Victor flooded her with useless thoughts; she couldn’t face him.
When she stubbornly refused, he stilled.
“…Do you know we haven’t talked properly in days?”
“It’s because I’m tired…”
“The servants say you leave the dining hall when I arrive.”
She bit her lip.
The mansion bustled, but only two masters. She’d face him eventually.
Hardening her expression, she lifted her head.
Victor’s eyes were terribly sunken.
She smiled, swallowing rising sadness.
“It’s because I really wanted to rest. Nothing happened.”
***
