Chapter 56
Chapter 56: The Relativity of Time
It all started when the Grand Duchess placed magazines around the castle—an effort to bring entertainment to the otherwise dull and quiet place for the servants.
“Well, honestly, I just bought them hoping the magazines would sell well,” the Grand Duchess said with a sheepish smile.
“I’m just glad everyone seems to like them.”
Her cheeks turned a soft peachy color as she blushed.
Though she said it so modestly, everyone in the castle knew how much she truly cared about the servants.
Lately, there were no longer any idle workers hanging around the back entrance of the main castle.
Now, during break times, they were all rushing off to play ball.
After realizing there were no proper entertainment opportunities for the servants, the Grand Duchess had set up a net and a small field near their quarters, complete with rackets, balls, and other sports gear.
The net turned out to be more popular than expected.
During breaks, people even fought over who got to use it first, so they had to come up with rules for taking turns.
The servants now looked more lively than ever.
Sometimes, while working in the office, you could even hear their cheerful shouts as they played in the distance.
Just three months ago, such a sight would’ve been unimaginable.
Watching all this made him think about something he tried hard not to imagine:
What if he hadn’t been cursed? What if they were just an ordinary married couple, and she stayed here with him?
Then maybe even Blenheim would’ve changed a lot.
He must’ve stared too intently, because the Grand Duchess blushed slightly and changed the subject.
“Oh, and apparently, some restaurants in Goldrein are copying the ‘menu of the day.’ Mrs. Marie even kindly introduced Morina to them. Oh! Morina is—”
“I know. She’s the one who did the recipe illustrations.”
How could he not know?
He remembered everything she ever said, no matter how small.
“She’s the younger sister of the maid you took in.”
And being the soft-hearted person she is, the Grand Duchess had even paid off the sisters’ debts.
“That’s right!”
Her eyes sparkled as if happy that he remembered.
“Morina’s been really busy thanks to that.”
While it was great that local restaurants were doing well, the Grand Duchess shook her head, saying Mrs. Marie was too kind for sharing all their secrets so easily.
She said that, even though she herself worked tirelessly to help people she had no real obligation to.
Loic resisted the urge to brush her golden hair behind her ear and fiddled with his hands instead.
They had tried walking slowly, but somehow they were already back at the entrance of the main castle.
Time always feels too short.
Loic bit his lip gently.
Lately, the Grand Duchess had been incredibly busy.
Of course, she still came in every morning to help him tie his cravat.
Sometimes—though rarely, and only if the timing worked—they even went on walks like this one.
Their contract was being followed properly.
But strangely, the time they spent together felt like it was shrinking.
Sometimes, when she left too quickly, he’d end up acting foolishly out of frustration.
Then the Grand Duchess would briefly hold his hand, like comforting a child, before hurrying off to her packed schedule.
Each time that happened, he felt like he was going to lose his mind.
At this rate, a whole year would fly by.
“Sorry, I talked way too much, didn’t I?”
The Grand Duchess gave an awkward smile, sensing Loic’s downcast expression.
“Not at all. Just listening to you makes me happy.”
Loic licked his dry lips.
He still had time before his next appointment. Maybe he could invite her for tea in the greenhouse, like last time?
—“As long as you keep to the contract, I don’t really care about anything else.”
But remembering her firm voice made it hard to speak. Would asking her make her feel burdened?
The Grand Duchess clearly saw him only as part of a contract.
She even said she wouldn’t mind if he married another woman someday.
Sure, she sometimes held his hand, but he thought it was just her being kind—knowing that he wasn’t used to physical closeness.
He had promised himself not to draw a line between them.
But what do you do when the Grand Duchess is the one who never crosses it?
If he kept approaching her without thinking, she might find him annoying.
But… inviting her for tea should be okay, right? If he just casually mentioned it…
Just as Loic was about to speak—
“Your Highness!”
Just at that moment—when everything was already frustrating enough—his annoying aide called out to him while coming down the stairs.
“Sir Perel.”
The Grand Duchess looked up and smiled warmly.
“Greetings to Her Highness!”
‘Why does this guy always show up at the worst possible times…’
His clenched fists showed the veins bulging from the pressure.
Perel, who had just been smiling cheerfully at the Grand Duchess, suddenly froze as he noticed the dark look on his superior’s face.
“What is it?”
“Uh… it’s about the matter you ordered earlier…”
When Loic narrowed his eyes, Perel hesitantly stepped closer and began making excuses.
“You were running late, so I thought I’d come to meet you…”
“Oh dear, have I kept the Duke too long?”
The Grand Duchess said with a hand near her lips.
“Not at all!”
“N-no! I was just being impatient on my own!”
Panicked, Perel shut his mouth and stepped back when his boss shot him a cold glare.
“You should go now, Your Grace!”
The Grand Duchess gently pushed Loic’s back.
“Ah…”
‘Or maybe we could have dinner together later…’
Just as Loic was about to say something, after clearing his throat, the Grand Duchess suddenly held his hand, as if she understood what he was hesitating over.
“Your Highness?”
The scene was so sweet, Perel cringed and looked away.
“May the Goddess bless you today too… Help you find an Ekhnang on your way… Help your one-hour training feel like two… and may your meeting end early so you can rest soon.”
She softly held and massaged Loic’s big hand as she said this little prayer.
Each time she held his hand, the magic inside him would calm, filling him with a relaxing warmth.
If it weren’t for her strange little blessings, he might’ve pulled his hand away out of embarrassment and stormed off.
“Well then, I’ll get going! Have a great day!”
‘Ah, just a little longer…’
“…Have a good day.”
The Grand Duchess left with her maid, and as Loic watched her walk away, he swallowed the words he couldn’t say.
Later, in the office…
“How bad is the backlash?”
“It’s nothing serious. A few shopkeepers are jealous because business is booming, but it’s just a small group.”
Loic was looking at documents Perel had just brought—complaints from some shopkeepers about the inn, Marie’s Inn.
“Nothing to worry about with Her Highness either.”
Perel scratched his head.
“Some people know she helped the inn, but no one’s blaming her. In fact, other nearby stores are getting more customers too, so the mood around there is good.”
“And the merchant guild?”
A few days ago, Loic had heard that the guild had sent a warning to Marie’s Inn, which made him worry it might upset the Grand Duchess.
“They claim the inn expanded its restaurant too much and hurt surrounding restaurants.”
“Ridiculous.”
“Just an excuse. They don’t like losing control.”
Perel frowned.
“But since other restaurants started doing similar things, the inn had a way out. Plus, they helped nearby shops too.”
Loic turned to Norton, who stood nearby.
“Does the Grand Duchess still visit the inn?”
“About once or twice a week.”
“And those debt collectors from a few weeks ago?”
He meant the ones who had dragged Morina by the hair and were caught.
“They had no link to Her Highness. It seems they weren’t after her carriage or her directly—just a random encounter.”
Loic rubbed his forehead, deep in thought.
He always kept tabs on the Grand Duchess’s activities through Norton.
Right after their marriage, public opinion about her had been terrible. Loic just wanted to protect her from getting hurt.
Recently, the Grand Duchess had started things like setting up magazines for the servants and organizing a network. He didn’t try to hide these efforts from the public.
Thanks to that, people now saw her as a kind lady of the house, and the gossip had mostly died down.
There weren’t any threats to her safety either. Still, something felt uneasy in the back of Loic’s mind.
“Um…”
Perel hesitated.
“What about the Marquess of Fasie? He sent another letter yesterday.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
Loic’s face lit up with confidence.
“Her Highness said she’d handle it herself.”
Perel looked surprised.
Even though the Marquess kept sending letters, there was no need to worry.
The Grand Duchess had always been open and honest from the beginning.
—”Her Highness sent a letter to the young Lord of Fasie and said it’s not urgent, so we should take our time checking it before sending.”
Loic remembered what the inspector had said when she first sent mail outside the castle.
—”There was nothing suspicious. She even forgot to seal the letter, saying she’d leave it open next time to make checks easier.”
Even to Whitley, the butler, she had said she understood the security checks and would cooperate fully.
Because she was so honest, even those who were wary at first eventually accepted that she had nothing to hide.
Maybe the Marquess was up to something, but the Grand Duchess certainly wasn’t.
And recently, she brought up something unexpected.
—”My father wants to send me a maid.”
He wanted an invitation sent, clearly.
Loic bit his lip slowly.
He remembered how dirty the Marquess’s tricks had been, trying to plant people in the castle.
He had worked hard to prevent that.
But accepting the Grand Duchess for a year meant accepting everything that came with her.
‘We’ll just have to keep a close watch on anyone new who enters the castle.’
Loic was about to agree out of concern for her feelings when she suddenly said—
—”I already turned him down, so if you get a letter from him, you must not say yes, okay?”
