Previously
Dolores attempts to escape through the cathedral's underground passageways, only to be intercepted by Madame Rouare and dragged to the altar where James tries to force her hand to sign the wedding register.
At this point, no one yet knew that she was barren.
It was only after she had become the Crown Princess and consulted numerous physicians that her infertility had been definitively proven.
‘And the Emperor must not know that his own son is impotent either.’
Otherwise, he would not have prattled on about an impossible child.
…Moreover, when she stole a glance up at Resurreccion, he wore a profoundly indifferent look.
He seemed to view his father’s words as an utter joke.
Still, Dolores let out a quiet sigh of relief.
‘For now, I have escaped becoming Adrian’s wife.’
It had been rather drastic, but it was a success.
Yet where was she supposed to go now?
“Dolores.”
Just then, the Marquis managed to force a stiff smile.
Even so, deep rage was etched into the wrinkles of his withered face.
“Phew… yes… I have seen quite clearly that you wish to be united with His Highness the Grand Duke.”
“…”
“Now then, let us return to the estate.”
Dolores’s face chilled.
‘I no longer hold any value as a commodity to them.’
Her father and brother had never laid a finger on her solely to offer her undamaged to the Crown Prince.
Now that this goal was ruined, she did not even want to imagine what punishment awaited her if she stepped foot back into the marquisate estate.
Dolores offered an elegant smile.
“No, Father. I will not be going to the marquisate.”
“What did you say…? Dolores!”
Forgetting that he stood before the Emperor, the Marquis’s voice finally rose.
The vein at his temple twitched violently.
“A daughter is supposed to obey her father’s will—!”
“Lady Dolly is coming to the Lancaster estate.”
Resurreccion casually stepped between Dolores and the Marquis.
Though Dolores was by no means short, the moment he stood between them, her fuming father was completely blocked from sight.
“Grand Duke! Just what right do you have to do this? Return my daughter!”
“Why? Thanks to your hasty scheming, Marquis, Lady Dolores and I are husband and wife now, aren’t we?”
“…!”
“Then it is only natural for the wife to reside in her husband’s manor. Is it not?”
Resurreccion gave the Marquis a light poke in the chest.
Though it looked effortless, the Marquis staggered back several steps as if run through by a sword.
James, who had been timidly scanning the room like a coward, sprang forward to support him.
“F-Father!”
“Take care of your health on the way home, prospective father-in-law.”
Resurreccion offered a theatrical, mocking farewell and extended his hand to Dolores.
Dolores took her new husband’s arm to depart, offering a radiant smile.
“Your Majesty, Your Highness Prince Adrian. I bid you a pleasant evening.”
She chose to ignore Madame Rouare entirely.
The woman noticed the snub, her hand trembling violently around her folding fan, but Dolores did not care in the slightest.
“Father. Brother. Do have a safe journey back as well.”
How delightfully satisfying it was to watch those she had once feared writhe in helpless indignation.
Dolores had finally escaped the living hell shared with those leeches.
Dolores and Resurreccion remained linked arm in arm with polite smiles until the moment they cleared the imperial palace gates.
Yet the instant both were seated inside the carriage, the air turned entirely businesslike.
“When did everyone in the world lose their minds without telling me?”
Resurreccion grumbled, tossing his blood-spattered cloak onto the adjacent seat.
The dried blood gave a stiff rustle.
“They act like wild beasts. What on earth is a marriage by abduction?”
“Still, I was saved thanks to you. Your timing was impeccable.”
Dolores shuddered as she looked back on the ordeal.
Truly, had the Grand Duke arrived even a moment later…
‘If I had exchanged vows with Adrian, not even the Emperor could have easily undone it.’
Resurreccion nodded in agreement with her words.
“Sothis was quick to make contact.”
“Sothis? Ah… that must be the name of the person who received my signal.”
“Something like that.”
Sothis was a covert operative unit loyal solely to the Grand Duke, and their role had actually been to keep Dolores under surveillance.
They were watchers assigned to subdue her the moment she attempted anything foolish.
‘Not that there’s any reason to tell her that.’
Resurreccion pressed hard on the bridge of his nose as wave after wave of exhaustion hit him.
‘Only an idiot would take a marriage of convenience like this to heart in the first place.’
He had accepted her proposal solely because Dolores harbored enough spite to attempt taking her own life.
If she proved useless, he would cut her loose without hesitation.
‘So long as she knows I covet the Aleister Fief.’
Just then, the carriage finally pulled up to the Lancaster estate.
The manor was brilliantly illuminated, as if waiting for its master to arrive.
Resurreccion escorted Dolores down with an adequate display of gentlemanly courtesy.
“Ah. That fool Edwin came out.”
“Edwin… you mean Viscount Shelley.”
“Right. For the record, he’s the only one who knows this is a contract, so watch your words.”
“Yes, I understand.”
Edwin looked thoroughly exhausted as well.
It was only natural, as he had followed his lord to suppress the unrest in Anglesey before returning to the manor a step ahead.
On top of that, he must have been scurrying about relentlessly following the sudden news of the prospective Grand Duchess’s abduction.
“Welcome back, Your Highness! And Lady Roche—”
Yet his breathless greeting cut off short the moment his eyes landed on Dolores.
With every passing second, he clutched both cheeks as if blinded, entirely at a loss.
“H-Heavens…”
“Lord Shelley? I am Dolores Sienna Rochester.”
Dolores elegantly extended her right hand, then quickly corrected her name midway.
“Or rather, well… it is Lancaster now.”
“Y-Yes! I heard, Your Highness the Grand Duchess!”
“I look forward to working with you. Thank you for your hard work.”
“Not at all! Not at all! Oh, heavens above.”
Edwin hurriedly pressed a courteous kiss to the back of Dolores’s hand, then stared at the Grand Duke with a dazed expression.
“…Starting today, I intend to truly revere Your Highness.”
“Does that mean you didn't before?”
“I did, but I meant I shall revere you with even deeper sincerity from now on.”
Edwin cast an admiring look toward Dolores.
“To keep such a goddess of the moon by your side and speak so casually…!”
Resurreccion’s face contorted into an even deeper scowl.
Dolores, on the other hand, viewed the fussing Edwin like an endearing puppy.
She had heard far more excessive flattery than that before.
“You have quite an amusing adjutant.”
“Hardly by choice.”
Resurreccion shook his head in sheer distaste. One day, he would sew that man’s blabbering mouth shut.
At that moment, the old butler, Bertrand, appeared.
“Welcome home, My Lord. And to you, Your Highness.”
Though Edwin must have delivered the news only shortly beforehand, the seasoned butler betrayed not a hint of fluster.
Instead, he respectfully treated Dolores as the lady of the house and guided them inside.
“Given the late hour, you must be thoroughly exhausted. Allow me to show you to the room prepared in advance.”
“Thank you. I presume I will be staying in the guest quarters for the time being.”
“Not at all, Your Highness.”
“Pardon…?”
“Though the precise date was uncertain, we had already prepared private quarters for Your Highness.”
A quiet pride seeped through the butler’s voice.
As the two approached, waiting servants opened the door to a chamber.
“Right this way.”
“Ah…”
What kind of room would Resurreccion, who had arrived drenched in blood, provide for her?
In truth, she had held no expectations whatsoever.
At worst, she had imagined a sparse chamber containing nothing more than a lone bed and a vanity side table.
‘We are a married couple in name only, so I shouldn’t expect much.’
Yet the moment the door swung open, Dolores paused at the fragrance suffusing the entire room.
To begin with, the chamber itself was exquisitely elegant.
Finished mostly in clean, pristine white, the curved details along the walls added a sophisticated refinement.
The furniture similarly boasted graceful, flowing contours.
‘A room that doesn’t suit a beast in the slightest.’
Blue porcelain vases decorated various corners of the chamber.
And packed into every vase were blooming roses that looked as though they had just been gathered.
‘These are Brillant Roses.’
Dolores was entranced by the sight of the vases brimming with the blooms.
“These flowers… how are there so many?”
The Brillant Rose was a variety exclusively reserved for the imperial family.
Even during Dolores’s time as Empress, this variety had never been permitted to leave the palace grounds.
‘Of course, the Grand Duke is also imperial kin, so he might have managed it if he insisted.’
Still, to have prepared such fresh blooms precisely in time for her arrival…
When Dolores stole a glance at the butler, he was smiling politely.
It was as if to say, ‘Where there is a will, there is always a way.’
“Everything is prepared splendidly. I like it very much.”
“The honor is ours, Your Highness.”
“Where does the Grand Duke reside?”
Though she found his conduct displeasing at times, she owed him an immense debt of gratitude today.
‘It is only proper that I thank him properly before going to sleep.’
“His Highness the Grand Duke stays in the chamber across the corridor. However, he likely will not retire tonight.”
“Why?”
“Because he brought the unrest to a swift end to return, there is still much aftermath left to settle.”
“Ah.”
At the news that he had to stay up all night even under such circumstances, Dolores shifted her gaze out the window.
In the garden, where several bonfires had been lit, armed men moved back and forth. They looked frantic, as if gathered on short notice.
‘The Grand Duke’s men.’
In any case, holding the Grand Duke back to discuss their contract was out of the question.
Bertrand bowed his head once more.
“Then please rest comfortably, Your Highness. I shall attend to you tomorrow morning.”
“…Yes. Thank you for your trouble.”
After completing her preparations for bed, Dolores was at last truly alone.
She plucked a single Brillant Rose and lightly turned it in her fingers.
“When I was young… I was so overjoyed just to see this flower once.”
Whenever Adrian brought one for her, she had cradled it tightly in both hands and cherished it like a treasure.
Where had that girlhood innocence vanished?
In a harrowing marriage, her heart had sickened until nothing could flutter it anymore.
Yet seeing them here in this estate, the withered feelings seemed to stir ever so slightly.
‘Perhaps this arrangement won’t turn out as terribly as I thought…?’
Soon, however, her thoughts grew increasingly fragmented.
The overwhelming exhaustion mingled with the intoxicating rose perfume, drawing Dolores into a sweet, deep slumber.