Chapter 44
#044. The Beginning of Discord
Duke Giovanni Madeleine's office. The midday sun filtered through the round glass window.
Sir Huxley, realizing the sunlight was creeping onto the desk, quickly drew the curtains.
Fortunately, the Duke said nothing. The scratching of a pen filled the office.
It was an ordinary day, like any other.
However, Sir George Huxley, who had been assisting Duke Madeleine for several years, instinctively knew that the Duke was in the calm before the storm.
And in this situation, Sir Huxley knew very well what he had to do as his aide.
Sir Huxley quietly left the office. As the door closed gently, Giovanni Madeleine let out a heavy breath.
His sharp, amethyst-colored eyes glared at the documents. The letters blurred and became illegible, but the face of Grand Duke Bikander from the last Nobility Council meeting became clear.
"That's far enough. Didn't I tell you kindly, Duke?"
It was after the Nobility Council meeting, when Giovanni was gritting his teeth and looking for Olivia.
Instead of Olivia, who was nowhere to be found, a languid voice that sent shivers down his spine reached Giovanni.
When he reflexively turned around, the Grand Duke was standing there as if it were only natural.
"Are you declaring that you will become my enemy if you try to come any closer?"
"...Is a father trying to see his daughter a threat, Your Highness?"
Even as he said it, it felt like his mouth was full of sand. At the same time, the Grand Duke burst into laughter. His eyes, crinkling with amusement, were chilling.
Then, the Grand Duke shrugged and said quietly, just loud enough for Giovanni to hear.
"Good heavens. What kind of father would leave his daughter cowering alone?"
He could do that because she wasn't his daughter. Giovanni was taken aback by his own words and fell silent. As if he had wanted that reaction, the Grand Duke tilted one corner of his lips upward.
"...Since you didn't heed the words to cherish your luck or to stop there, I hope you will at least heed today's warning."
Even after several days, the voice remained vivid in his mind. Giovanni, who had been glaring at the familiar desk in his office, suddenly took a deep breath and furrowed his brow.
The Grand Duke doesn't know.
He can say such things because he doesn't know.
Twenty-one years ago, the mother of that girl, a dancer who could be bought with money, was with him when he was drunk. That night, after a private meeting with Duke Elkin of the Aristocratic Faction, he was more intoxicated than usual, and he didn't know that it would become the biggest regret of his life.
His head throbbed, and his breathing quickened. Lately, the frequency of neck stiffness and headaches had increased. It seemed like it had been quite a while since he had seen a doctor, and just as he was thinking that...
"The tea has cooled, so I brought a new pot."
Sir Huxley presented a new teapot and teacup with a subtle fragrance. The aroma of the transparent brown tea soothed his frayed nerves.
"...Thank you."
Giovanni lifted the teacup. It was warm, just the way he liked it.
The Duke's expression gradually relaxed as he drank the tea. Seeing this, Sir Huxley sighed inwardly.
Even this tea, which occasionally calmed the Duke's anger, was running out.
If he had known this would happen, he would have asked the First Princess about it sooner.
"This tea is good for the cardiovascular system, and my father looks for it sometimes. Oh, and the temperature of the teacup should be hot enough to feel warm on your wrist. That way, he thinks it's the right temperature to hold and drink."
Suddenly, he remembered the First Princess, who had brought tea utensils when she was appointed as his aide.
The First Princess, who didn't even think about serving the tea herself, had taught him how to brew it and looked at this office with expectant green eyes.
But he would no longer see that sight.
* * *
Late that evening, in the drawing room of the Madeleine Dukedom.
Conrad swallowed a sigh.
The butler's words about urgent matters were true. The promissory notes and payments recorded in the ledger did not match at a glance.
Esella, who was in front of him, couldn't have failed to notice his momentary stiffness.
"I'm sorry, Brother. I should have checked a few more times."
Conrad shook his head at his youngest sister's dejected face. And he smiled as if it were nothing.
"...It's a quarterly payment ledger, so it would have been difficult to notice right away."
"The Young Duke is right, Lady Esella. It's not easy to figure out what's wrong at your age, so you did well,"
the butler said, trying to cheer Esella up. Still, her gloomy expression didn't fade, so he added another word.
"In fact, Lady Esella must have had a hard time doing even Jade's work."
But…….
Conrad swallowed the thought that suddenly came to mind. And once again, he comforted Esella.
"It's okay since it's your first time doing it. You worked hard. I'll take care of this, so keep studying hard like you are now."
Only at his kind words did Esella finally nod and leave the drawing room.
Only then did Conrad press the bridge of his nose. Fatigue rushed in instantly. With the Heferti agreement approaching, his work as an aide to the Foreign Minister was piling up like a mountain.
And on top of that, he had to take care of the family affairs.
He had come to the mansion for a short break, but he had ended up taking on new work. Conrad let out a soft breath and checked the ledger.
In addition to the quarterly promissory note payment ledger, there was also a review of the budget items and the current status of the Madeleine Territory.
Conrad, who was gritting his teeth as he thought of Jade, shrugged as if he had given up. Rumor had it that Lady Madeleine, the vice-commander of the Third Knight Order, was focusing on sparring like a madman these days.
It seemed to be related to the incident a few days ago when she came to him with a pale face, but Conrad didn't want to call Jade and talk about it again. If she could solve her problems by overworking herself like that, then that was fine.
Conrad picked up his pen again. And he looked for the record of the last final approval. Unlike the stained ledger in front of him, the front part of the ledger, which had been finalized, was clear at a glance.
It would be nice if he could just sign the ledger, which was so clearly organized.
Conrad, who was looking at the suppliers of food ingredients, Esella's boutique, and transactions with various merchants, froze in an instant.
Come to think of it. Since when had he stopped paying attention to the family ledger?
His father, the Duke, was too busy with national affairs. In that case, it was only natural for Conrad, the Young Duke, to take over the family affairs.
The change in that natural order came about.
"I, I can look at the ledger well now, Brother!"
Five years ago. That is, when he was twenty years old and had just become an aide. At that time, Olivia was.
"...Fifteen."
A soft voice leaked out between his teeth. That's right, fifteen. At first, Olivia's ledger was a mess, but it gradually improved.
From checking the final confirmation once a month to only having to do the final review on a quarterly basis.
Conrad shook his head.
He didn't have time to indulge in such sentiments now. It was just that one person had left for a while. The Emperor was still testing Olivia and Esella, so his father would naturally push Olivia back into the Crown Prince's side.
By then, everything would be back to normal.
So it was fine.
Without even knowing what was fine, Conrad tried hard to convince himself. So he decided to ignore this situation.
The same flowers that were always in the vase, even though spring was coming to an end.
The meals that were somehow gradually deviating from his taste.
The gloomy atmosphere of the mansion, like winter.
The disappearance of the gaze that he always felt from across the hallway.
He felt strangely drained. Conrad gritted his teeth and glared at the numbers in the ledger.
Ignoring the familiar, elegant handwriting, Conrad wrote down new numbers.
While also ignoring the emptiness that was somehow growing in his heart.
* * *
Through the carriage window, Olivia saw a road that looked familiar. Lush trees and modest flowers. Olivia looked at the road that had passed by and exclaimed, "Ah," softly.
It was the road she had taken when she went to the Abandoned Mine. At that time, she had somehow regretted leaving and kept looking back through the carriage window.
Once she started to remember, the trees and flowers she had seen then, and the Abandoned Mine she had gone into along the remote road, became as clear as if they were drawn in front of her eyes.
Olivia sat close to the window, but it had been a long time since they had passed the road to the Abandoned Mine. Regret dripped from Olivia's eyes.
If she went there, she could show Edwin her own mine. Olivia hesitated for a moment.
Should she tell him after finding a way to utilize the Abandoned Mine? Or should she tell him now?
Just as Olivia was thinking about the Abandoned Mine documents in her luggage...
"Olivia. Are you feeling unwell?"
Olivia waved her hand at Edwin, who was looking at her with a worried expression.
"Of course not."
"The bedding was harder than I thought yesterday. Don't forget that you promised to tell me right away if you feel uncomfortable, okay?"
Edwin said as if he was urging her. Just like he had done every time they were on their way to the Territory of Vikander.
Olivia chuckled.
To be honest, the journey to the Territory of Vikander was a series of joys.
The picnic-like lunches were filled with new foods such as warm soup, salad, and fresh fruit, and the hotels in the villages where they stayed every night were also good.
It was Edwin and Lord Howard Interfield who were anxious about the accommodations.
In their eyes, she was still a precious young lady who had only slept in good bedding in the Duke's residence.
Olivia had slept on straw beds since she was a child and had experienced various accommodations while traveling to other regions under the Princess's orders.
But Olivia said nothing.
She felt a little embarrassed but also liked the way they treated her like a really precious young lady. Even if she told them about her past, she didn't think their fussing and caring attitude would change. But still.
She wanted to enjoy this happiness that had become hers for a long time.
.
.
.
"You must be feeling uncomfortable."
When Edwin said definitively, Olivia couldn't wave her hand like before.
She muttered to herself that she had been fine until just a moment ago, and fiddled with her fingertips.
She tried to force a smile, but she couldn't suppress the tension that grew stronger as she got closer to the Territory of Vikander.
"...Or. Are you nervous?"
Edwin's voice sounded playful. Olivia, who was about to pout her lips at the sudden surge of spite, blinked for a moment when she saw Edwin's face.
He always had a smile on his face, but now Edwin was smiling even more brightly. Olivia, who was carefully looking at him to find the source of his sparkling vitality, said in disbelief.
"Don't tell me. Edwin, are you nervous too?"
"Of course. It's been a long time since I've been back."
At Edwin's easy answer, Olivia blamed her insensitivity.
She knew that he had only been going from war to war, so why hadn't she thought that he had also been away from the Territory of Vikander for a long time?
Olivia looked at Edwin's face with a fresh perspective.
Come to think of it, it was really the first time in a long time that Edwin was returning to his land. She felt a strange sense of kinship, and at the same time, she felt a little sorry for not taking care of Edwin because she was only thinking about adapting herself.
Olivia relaxed and looked outside. Meanwhile, Edwin put on a Robe over his uniform. The Robe with the clumsy and flashy pattern, which was definitely not the work of a high-end embroidery shop.
It was the Robe he had been wearing when she first saw Edwin.
"Is it a special Robe?"
"If I don't wear it, I'll get scolded, so it's special in its own way, I guess?"
Scolded? Olivia smiled a little, wondering who would scold Edwin in this place where Sobel wasn't around.
As the majestic and solid castle walls grew closer, the colorful flower necklaces hanging outside the walls caught her eye.
She could feel the lively atmosphere of the Territory of Vikander, welcoming the Grand Duke who was returning after a long time.
The iron gate, which seemed like it would never open, opened, and the carriage entered the Territory of Vikander. At the same time as her heart pounded wildly, a thunderous roar poured out towards the carriage.
Olivia, who was startled, looked outside the carriage. She saw a long line of people stretching from the gate along the road. Everyone's face was bright.
It was her first time seeing such a welcoming procession. Olivia, who was dazed, nodded as she looked at Edwin.
He was a war hero who hadn't even had a victory parade. Maybe this level of procession was only natural in his territory.
"Wave your hand outside quickly."
Olivia said to Edwin, thinking of Sally.
Just like Sally, who had wanted to see the war hero, the people standing there must have wanted to see Edwin too.
If she had known this would happen, she would have told him to ride a horse instead of a carriage.
Just as Olivia was urging Edwin with a strong sense of regret...
"Young Lady, who received His Highness's oath! Welcome to Vikander!"
Olivia's eyes widened at the loud, youthful voice coming from outside. Edwin smiled mischievously and shrugged.
"What are you doing? Why aren't you waving your hand outside?"
"Right now……."
Before she could even ask if she had misheard, there was a bang- and fireworks exploded in the clear sky. The letters embroidered by the beautifully sparkling fireworks were.
Welcome, Prospective Grand Duchess!
It was the first time she had seen fireworks used to create letters like that. Olivia stared blankly at the letters with her mouth open. Edwin chuckled and muttered.
"Anyway. Bethany's skills are still the same."
"...Isn't this procession for Edwin?"
"It's obviously a procession for Olivia, isn't it?"
"It looks like a victory parade no matter how you look at it."
"The people of Vikander have already had victory parades more than ten times. So wave your hand quickly."
It was her first time receiving such a welcome. As her mind went blank, not knowing what to do, Edwin looked at Olivia, opened the window, and waved his hand outside.
As if telling her to follow, Olivia slowly waved her hand. The cheers grew even louder.
Her heart was so full that it ached at the start of her relationship with Vikander, which had been filled with tension.
