Chapter 32
Hermia woke up early in the morning to the sound of rain tapping on the window. She pulled back the curtains to see thick raindrops hitting the glass vigorously, carried by the wind across the terrace.
“It’s pouring down…”
The monsoon that had started a few days ago had intensified, continuing day and night without pause. Although the heat had subsided and it was refreshing, she felt a bit disappointed that she couldn’t go for a walk.
To be precise, she missed walking in the garden with the Duke.
Aside from meal times, it was surprisingly difficult to see Walter’s face. He had taken a vacation, but instead of being free, he was buried under letters and documents that had arrived from various places.
Whenever they sat at the dining table and exchanged questions about what they had done that day, he always spoke about different topics.
Reports from troops arriving at the border, opinions on proposals raised in Congress, approval requests from local estates, insurance materials from the central bank, lists of name transfers related to the late Duke, and so on…
Most of it was hard for her to understand, but one thing was clear: handling all that work alone was certainly not an easy task for Walter.
‘It’s just that everything I should have inherited gradually piled up after my grandfather suddenly passed away.’
That was what he had said during dinner last night.
‘Still, it’s much less than it used to be after half a year.’
“Don’t Dukes usually have lawyers or others handle such matters for them?”
When Hermia asked this with confusion, Walter replied with his usual calm expression.
“There are easier ways, but ultimately these are things I will have to deal with later, so I’m treating it as studying in advance.”
Seeing him even say it was somewhat fun made Hermia distance herself a little from her feelings of closeness. The idea that studying was fun was something she could never understand.
What had she done while the Duke found his own enjoyment in piles of documents over the past few days?
“Hmm…”
Hermia puffed out her cheeks and then let out a sigh.
She had measured her size from head to toe to make a proper tailored outfit, regularly took the supplements Emily brought her, and tackled the exam papers Nora had brought from somewhere.
She could say she had been quite busy trying out every door in the huge library and other facilities available indoors.
There was even an exercise facility set up inside, but when Emily suggested waiting until she gained a bit more stamina before exercising, she turned back.
There were many interesting-looking machines; she promised herself to try them later. Feeling good about this resolution, Hermia hummed as she returned to bed.
Listening to the refreshing sound of rain pouring in the dimly lit room made her body naturally relax. What would be on the breakfast menu today?
Lying carelessly on the fluffy blanket while waiting for meal time felt like such an exciting thing she hadn’t realized before.
Just as she found herself smiling unconsciously, someone knocked on the door.
“Hmm?”
Usually, when she pulled on the bell rope, a maid would come in to serve breakfast; it was rare for someone to come in first to wake her up, so she raised her body in curiosity.
“Yes.”
Emily entered with a slightly surprised expression as she heard Hermia’s clear voice.
“Oh! You’re awake.”
“It’s raining heavily. What’s going on?”
Emily brightened up the room by transferring the flame from the gilded candlestick she was holding to lamps hanging on the walls.
“There’s an unexpected visitor who arrived early this morning. The master just went out to the gate to meet them.”
“Now? At this hour? Who is it?”
“I’m not sure. I only received instructions to wake you up. But it seems you need to get ready.”
Just then, maids came in line to help her dress. Still bewildered, Hermia quickly washed up and started getting ready.
After tying her hair into a bun and putting on a neat dark blue dress while waiting, Emily rushed back inside.
“Oh my! Princess Elisabeth is looking for you.”
At those words, Hermia jumped up from her chair.
“The Princess is here?”
The fierce monsoon brought an unwelcome guest along with it to the Duke’s castle.
Had that persistently troublesome woman finally come here to throw her into prison?
Seeing Hermia turn pale like a blank sheet of paper made Emily furrow her brows in confusion as well.
“She wants to talk to you alone; I don’t know what it’s about…”
Holding onto her pounding heart filled with anxiety, Hermia began walking down the hallway behind Emily.
So the Duke really did bring her here against her will? What could she want to talk about? Was she planning to demand a groveling apology?
Kneeling wouldn’t be too bad; however, there was no way she would say sorry. In reality, she felt no remorse at all.
In fact, she didn’t even want to kneel. Now that her head had cooled down and she faced reality, there was no way she could accept the insulting words spoken by the Princess.
So how should she mumble through this?
As Hermia felt her body vibrating with an unknown mix of tension and anger while arriving at their destination,
Damn it. What should I do?
Knock knock.
As soon as the door opened, Hermia expected rough guards would grab and crush her but felt relieved upon seeing Walter sitting calmly in his seat.
She settled her racing heart and greeted him calmly.
“It’s an honor to meet you, Princess.”
Elisabeth looked remarkably tidy for someone who had braved wind and rain. It was evident how meticulously she must have been attended to without a single strand of hair out of place upon arrival.
Elisabeth discreetly scanned Hermia from head to toe before speaking softly.
“Welcome.”
Her expression was far from welcoming, but she extended a formal greeting nonetheless. Unfortunately, Hermia couldn’t even manage that much. She mustered her best effort to reply:
“…Yes.”
“Your greeting is still quite brief.”
Elisabeth chuckled lightly and gestured toward the sofa across from her. Hermia bit her lip and walked over slowly.
This time, Elisabeth spoke elegantly to Walter.
“As I mentioned earlier, I came here today to see Hermia. We have things to discuss as women, so I would appreciate it if you could excuse yourself.”
“……”
Walter furrowed his brow slightly as he stared at Elisabeth.
His gaze held a fierce question: What business could the Princess have with his fiancée?
It was also a silent warning not to bring up the incident at the tea party, which he had already resolved on his own.
Even without saying anything, the pressure from his dark green eyes weighed heavily on her.
Although she was officially a Princess, in terms of social influence, the Rockford family was a powerful house that even royalty could not treat lightly.
Elisabeth unconsciously gauged how far she could maintain an authoritative stance in front of Walter.
In the past, there had been a reckless king who tried to frame the Rockford family for treason in an attempt to keep them in check, which nearly led to the annihilation of the royal family.
Accusing a family that had defended the kingdom against two great empires for so long of treason sparked outrage among the people, and some factions sought to overthrow the king.
Walter’s ancestors remained loyal to the Müller family even during that chaotic time when becoming king was easy.
Whether intentional or not, those who praised the Rockford family only increased, resulting in immense power for future generations.
After nearly facing a crisis where the Müller Kingdom could have become the “Duchy of Rockford,” the royal family desperately tried to maintain a friendly relationship with the Duke’s house.
Elisabeth was well aware of these historical facts, so she forced a smile despite her trembling lips. It was very different from when she had carelessly tried to change a few maids.
“I came to clear up any misunderstandings between me and Hermia. There’s nothing for you to worry about.”
At this point, even the Princess was bending over backward as much as she could. Hermia caught on and discreetly nudged Walter’s shin under the table.
“Ahem, cough.”
“…Understood.”
Then Walter, who had been sitting like a statue, stood up without any expression on his face.
“……?”
Realizing the awkward cough and busy signals exchanged below the table, Elisabeth swallowed her astonishment.
‘What is this? He’s acting like a puppet on strings.’
After all of Walter and the attendants left and the reception room door was firmly closed, Elisabeth finally spoke up.
“I didn’t think you would be detained from the start.”
“……”
“It’s only him who can take away criminals without any particular reason.”
Seeing Hermia looking much better than when they first met made her let out a hollow laugh.
“For someone who was supposedly taken as a criminal, you seem to have been living quite peacefully.”
“Criminal…”
“I heard from Gerald that you were cursed?”
“……!”
The mention of “criminal” caused Hermia’s blood pressure to rise again as she stiffened with indignation.
Does she really believe that? That ridiculous curse she still wasn’t sure about herself?
“Do you really believe that?”
“Isn’t it true?”
“Of course it is! Do you think I would say such nonsense in front of a Princess if I were crazy?”
Hermia shouted back before stopping herself from covering her mouth.
She didn’t know. At this point, whatever happens happens. It might be better to let Elisabeth think that way.
“Hah.”
Elisabeth looked at her as if questioning what kind of situation this was and then calmly cleared her throat.
“I didn’t believe it at first either. Not until Gerald showed me… his curse directly.”
“What exactly is this Prince’s curse? It’s driving me crazy.”
“He said his words and actions come out uncontrollably. It seems to be true.”
Seeing Hermia confidently cross her arms made Elisabeth frown disapprovingly.
While actions weren’t part of the curse, Hermia decided to use it as an excuse and crossed her legs while sitting. She felt incredibly comfortable like this.
“I’m saying this because you believe me, but I’m also in a lot of trouble because of this curse. I might suddenly curse, so please be careful.”
“…I’ll try.”
Trying hard to appear calm, Elisabeth’s hand trembled as she lifted her teacup.
“The reason I took the liberty of coming here early in the morning is…”
“Oh, macarons!”
