Chapter 1.3
The place Ines was led to was the left wing of the imperial palace. She didn’t know it at the time, but it was a special guest room where royal family members from side branches usually stayed when visiting the palace.
As she followed the Grand Duke into the room, maids bowed deeply to greet her.
“These are the maids who will attend to you during your stay at the palace. You can treat them however you like. If they act out of line, you may punish them.”
The Grand Duke’s tone had returned to its smooth formality. The small distance that seemed to have closed between them suddenly felt wide again.
Ines felt a bit disappointed by that gap, but the next words brought her back to her senses.
“First, take a bath. After that, you’ll have dinner—”
“Excuse me, Your Highness.”
She had spoken up in such a hurry that she didn’t even realize she was interrupting him, which was rude. Ines stammered out her question.
“Are you telling me to stay here…?”
“Yes. Is there a problem?”
He answered as if it were completely natural. But to Ines, it didn’t feel natural at all.
The room was just as extravagant as the halls they had passed through—far too grand for someone like her. And there were at least twenty maids standing in line.
And he said it was fine to hit them if she didn’t like them. Ines had spent her whole life on the receiving end of violence, not dishing it out.
She hadn’t wanted to be dragged away to prison, but this was too much in a different way.
Ines quickly shook her head.
“Your Highness, this is too much for me.”
“Too much?”
“If I could have a simpler room, something less fancy… Just a normal one.”
“To me, this room seems more than enough.”
The Grand Duke firmly rejected her request.
“But—”
“Eleanor never treats guests poorly.”
His tone was so firm that she couldn’t say anything more. Ines glanced nervously toward the door.
Lucifer, the escort who had come with her from Jenaire, was stepping into the room.
“A perfect room for the future crown princess. Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness.”
“…Then, please rest well.”
The Grand Duke ignored the arrogant knight and gave a polite nod to Ines.
He would’ve walked away—if she hadn’t suddenly reached out her hand.
…
Rayan looked down at the delicate hand holding the edge of his shirt sleeve. Ines quickly pulled her hand back, shocked at what she had done.
Am I crazy…?
She hadn’t wanted to stay in the same space as Lucifer, and that desire had escaped before she could stop it.
It made sense. That knight had treated her harshly the entire way here. Being near him meant never being able to relax.
But since he was assigned as her guard, she had no choice.
Ines clutched her trembling hands and stepped back.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to… I just…”
“…Then.”
After a short silence, his voice returned to the same calm tone as before.
The Grand Duke turned away from her.
And then walked toward the door—
More precisely, toward the knight standing near it, as if inspecting the room.
“Jenaire must really be saving money on the palace. No tiles, no jewels…”
A shadow fell over the boastful knight. The Grand Duke, who had been across the room just moments ago, was suddenly standing right in front of him.
The knight flinched and stepped back. But the Grand Duke moved forward just as much, keeping the distance tight.
“Wh-what is it?”
“That’s what I should be asking you.”
Leaning against the doorframe, the Grand Duke blocked the entrance, having completely pushed Lucifer out of the room without lifting a finger.
“How far do you plan on following her?”
Lucifer was overwhelmed by the Grand Duke’s presence and couldn’t move. His hand trembled as their sharp green eyes met.
“I… I’m her guard. I’m responsible for her safety…”
“Responsible for her safety, huh.”
A faint smile appeared on Rayan’s lips. He straightened up and stepped outside.
“Not here to watch over her, then?”
Ines peeked at them nervously from inside. But the door shut with her still inside.
“Well… the way I see it, you looked ready to cut off her head if she even thought of escaping.”
There was no way the knights had brought such a naive girl all the way here without orders.
The emperor of Jenaire must have given them separate instructions—to watch her closely, to prevent her from running, and to kill her immediately if she tried to ruin anything.
Judging by how he trembled, it was clear he would never let her stray from the path to marrying the crown prince.
While Rayan was finishing his thoughts, Lucifer gathered all the courage he had to speak up.
“As part of the delegation from Jenaire, I represent Jenaire’s honor. Even you, Your Highness, shouldn’t treat me this way…”
“Jenaire’s honor? Then you must think you look very impressive in that state.”
But that cold sarcasm crushed his spirit again. Lucifer instinctively realized he had spoken back to someone he should never challenge.
This was the man Jenaire feared the most—the ruler of the duchy.
Over the past seven years, thousands of Jenaire’s knights had died at the hands of this man.
If Eleanor hadn’t held the southern and eastern coasts of Lezan, the duchy would’ve surrendered long ago.
He was known as the Demon of the West.
The man who stood on fields of corpses—both human and beast.
Even now, dressed in luxurious robes instead of armor, with his killing intent hidden behind indifferent eyes, he was still the same sword that swept through the battlefield.
“I don’t know why Jenaire sent you along. And I don’t care.”
Rayan took a step closer.
His pace was calm.
But his voice hit like a hammer.
“But if your presence gets in the way of my work—that’s all the reason I need.”
Without warning, a knight crept up behind Lucifer and struck him hard on the neck with the hilt of a sword. Lucifer collapsed without resistance.
“Take him away. Make sure he can’t come near this place.”
Rayan gave the dry order and walked past.
What happened to that bastard later didn’t matter to him. But at least until she chose her husband, that illegitimate girl needed to stay alive.
Without looking back, he left the doorway.
Several days passed in the unfamiliar room with unfamiliar people.
Ines couldn’t tell how each day went by. Even though she hadn’t taken a single step outside the room, she never had time to feel bored.
No one hit her, no one shouted at her, and no one looked down on her. The maids always greeted her with warm smiles.
Every day, new things filled the room.
Dozens of dresses she had never even dared to touch in her life arrived one after another. Brilliant jewels that she could hardly look at directly were casually laid on the table.
There were also luxurious baths with warm water and dozens of fragrant oils. The bedding was soft and warm, with no cold air at all.
That wasn’t the only thing that had changed.
Ines looked at her reflection in the mirror with unfamiliar eyes.
Yesterday, one of the maids had cut her hair. The damaged and split ends were trimmed off, cutting her hair nearly in half.
Now it was braided so delicately that it couldn’t be unraveled easily, falling over one shoulder.
Her pale cheeks had started to regain some color.
Of course, her clothes had changed, too.
I don’t look like myself at all.
In just a few days, the dirty and pitiful illegitimate girl had completely disappeared.
“I told you, right? Just a few days of care, and you’d become so much more beautiful.”
The maid with curly brown hair smiled brightly as she draped a shawl over Ines’s shoulders. Her name was Berry.
“Green suits you so well. His Highness really has a good eye.”
“His Highness…?”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I meant the Grand Duke. We’re maids from the Grand Duke’s house in the capital of the duchy.”
After nearly a week, Ines realized this room was known as Eleanor’s Room.
All the kind maids were from the duchy. All the gifts that filled the room were sent in the name of the Grand Duke.
Even their conversations were mostly about the duchy.
Warm and cozy enough to bring tears to her eyes, this place was like a little Eleanor.
Except for one thing—the owner of this place had not returned.
Since their first meeting, the Grand Duke hadn’t come to see her again. And truthfully, there was no reason for him to.
We probably won’t meet again.
Ines looked down with a small sigh.
It was clear the Grand Duke’s only role was to bring her here.
She didn’t know why he was still sending gifts…
But honestly, she didn’t need them. What she wanted was to see him one more time.
He even got rid of Lucifer for me…
As she thought about it with some regret, a sudden question came to her and her face stiffened.
But what would I even do if I saw him again?
Ines looked down at her clasped fingers. She quietly answered her own question.
I want to talk to him. I want to know what the real Duchy of Eleanor is like.
Whether it was a place that could welcome even an illegitimate child with a dark past like hers.
And what kind of person he really was.
Ines pressed her trembling hand to her left chest to calm her pounding heart.
From the edge of her heart, Kian whispered:
[Don’t trust anything, Ines.]
