Previously
Evgenia reconciles with her younger brother Alexis, who is hurt by being excluded from family discussions and her cold treatment.
Alexis grumbled about whether he was really such a blabbermouth, but he clamped his mouth shut the instant the Crown Prince was mentioned.
Even so, his silence was short-lived. He added under his breath, laced with lingering resentment:
I chided him harshly, though I couldn't entirely say I didn't understand his position. After all, as a knight of the Imperial Guard, answering the Crown Prince honestly was only natural for him.
Alexis, oblivious to my inward empathy, grumbled:
If that could truly happen, he looked ready to inform the Crown Prince about my wedding this very second.
Faced with my threatening glare, Alexis finally swore not to utter another word on the matter. Even then, I made him promise several times over before I was satisfied.
Truthfully, I thought Alexis was right. The Crown Prince would probably be glad to hear of my marriage. Even so, I couldn't shake the uneasy feeling lingering in my chest.
It was because of how strangely the Crown Prince had acted that day.
Was it just my imagination? No matter how much I thought about it, his look back then seemed slightly off!
At any rate, I had appeased Alexis and obtained the answers I came for, so my visit had served its purpose.
Watching Alexis smile while clutching the handkerchief I had given him, I rose to leave.
Then, out of nowhere, Alexis—who had been rejecting me just moments ago—jumped up and opened the door for me.
Hmph. As I walked past his grinning face, Alexis smirked and said from the doorway:
Before I could even answer, he clicked the door shut behind me.
Idiot. Did he really think I didn’t know that?
Of course I was aware. The Imperial family, feigning indifference, was holding the departure ceremony at dawn specifically to avoid the Temple's attention.
I had given him the handkerchief purely to wish him safe travels.
Shaking my head, I turned around.
Two days later at dawn, Alexis departed for the southern Arohin Kingdom alongside the Crown Prince, just as planned.
And two days after that, Euclid arrived in the capital for the wedding.
Chapter Three: When the Villainess Met Her Favorite
The journey from the northern Duchy of Rodion to the capital usually took three to four days, and even longer if the schedule was leisurely.
Delano, who had been born and raised in the north and rarely visited the capital, had been intensely nervous about this unfamiliar mode of travel.
Yet contrary to his worries, they had reached the capital in no time at all, even with breaks for meals and rest.
It was all thanks to the magic carriage dispatched by the Basilian family to accommodate the wedding schedule.
Reluctant to make the north seem like a backward countryside, Delano had concealed his astonishment for two full days, but in the end, he could not suppress his admiration.
Magic carriages, luxury goods sold by the Magic Tower along with mana stones, were so astronomically expensive that their price rivaled the cost of provincial estates.
Naturally, they were rare not only in the north but throughout other territories as well, seen as exceedingly opulent possessions. Rumor had it that nobles in the capital went into deep debt just to buy one to keep up appearances.
At first, Delano had scoffed at the concept, thinking it was just a carriage. How could it cost as much as a manor? But after experiencing its convenience firsthand, he began to see why people were willing to spend so much on it.
Euclid commented, “If time can be bought with money, it might actually be a bargain.”
Yet Delano was not so quick to agree with what followed. He said with a slightly hesitant expression:
At first, it sounded almost like praise, but the subtle shift in his tone at the end carried a strange undercurrent of skepticism.
Euclid, quick to pick up on it, set aside the documents he had been reviewing and silently looked at Delano.
Unaware of his master's gaze, Delano continued.
Delano thumped his chest in frustration at Euclid’s seemingly nonchalant expression.
Lowering his voice as though he could not shake the scent of a hidden conspiracy, Delano whispered, “Why are they so desperate to rush this marriage?”
It was an alliance between two of the founding noble houses of the Empire, both bearing the rank of duke.
Even though the Duchy of Rodion lived quietly in northern obscurity, the Basilian Duchy was the most powerful and influential family in the Empire. Why would they rush into marriage as if their feet were on fire?
The back-and-forth between the two—one attacking and the other defending—felt like a clash between sword and shield.
Finally, Euclid, who had set the papers down entirely, spoke in a low voice.
Delano swallowed hard, throwing the question back at him.
From Euclid’s perspective, a swift and private wedding would indeed help ease the concerns of the retainers and residents of his territory, who might otherwise be unsettled by the identity of their future duchess.
But why would the prestigious Basilian Duchy go to such lengths, effectively conceding so much in the process?
“Is there an urgent reason the marriage must happen right now, or perhaps… a flaw they are trying to hide?”
Just as Delano was about to voice the suspicion he had been harboring, Euclid cut him off firmly.
The faint smile that had always rested on Euclid's lips vanished without a trace, freezing Delano in place.
Realizing he had crossed the line, Delano bowed his head.
Though he thought he had accepted the match when Euclid signed the marriage contract, deep down he still could not bring himself to acknowledge her as the Duchess of Rodion.
With a voice heavy with guilt, Delano said, “My apologies. I spoke out of turn.”
A wave of remorse washed over him. How could he utter such slanderous words about the future mistress of the Rodion Duchy, the very person to whom he would pledge his loyalty starting tomorrow?
Delano, still unable to raise his head, heard Euclid speak gently, as if offering comfort.
Delano answered firmly, “Yes, My Lord. I will take it to heart.”