Chapter 9
“Yes, understood.”
The woman replied briefly to the man’s command. She turned her horse and approached Grace.
“Please get on.”
The horse in front of her looked enormous and tall. Grace stared up at the woman, unsure of what to do.
“Um…”
The woman hesitated for a moment, then gracefully jumped down from the horse. Her light, butterfly-like movement surprised Grace, making her eyes widen.
“Put your right foot here.”
The woman pointed to the stirrup with her finger. Grace didn’t know exactly what it was, but she felt like she should follow the woman’s instructions. Carefully, she lifted one foot and placed it where the woman had pointed.
“…Ah?”
Grace let out a gasp as her body was suddenly lifted into the air. Instinctively, her left leg swung over the horse’s back in surprise.
“Get on top of it.”
The woman’s blunt voice came from behind. Grace shifted her hips slightly and settled onto the horse. It was a half-conscious effort just to keep her balance.
The woman mounted the horse behind Grace and grabbed the reins.
“Let’s go.”
As soon as she spoke, the horse began to move. With the jolt, Grace stiffened and braced herself by placing her hands on the horse’s back. She felt like she might fall at any moment if she wasn’t careful.
“…”
Her eyes, fixed straight ahead, landed on the back of the man leading them. His black hair fluttered wildly in the wind.
Grace held on tightly, not knowing who the man was or where they were going. It wasn’t until they left the forest and the duke’s estate came into view that she realized they were returning to where she had started.
“Your Grace!”
Two familiar faces came running toward them—Annie and the head maid who had greeted Grace earlier.
The man and his companions all stopped their horses.
“Your Grace, I have something urgent to report.”
“What is it, Dorota?”
Your Grace?
Relieved that the horse had stopped, Grace’s eyes widened at the maid’s words. The man was speaking to the head maid as if he knew her well. Confused, Grace locked eyes with Annie standing next to Dorota.
“Oh my goodness, My Lady! You were here!”
My Lady?
The man and the head maid both turned to look at Grace. The head maid’s mouth dropped open instantly.
“Your Grace, how did you end up meeting the Lady…”
“The Lady? You mean this woman?”
The man turned to Grace and asked.
“Explain, Dorota. What are you talking about?”
“It’s just as I said, Your Grace. I don’t know why she’s with you, but… this is Lady Grace Reinheim !”
“Reinheim …?”
The man furrowed his brow. He looked back and forth between Grace and Dorota in disbelief.
“Yes, she is to become Your Grace’s bride.”
“Your Grace.”
“It’s finally ready.”
Lisetta placed a steaming teacup on Frederick’s table. He picked it up with ease.
“Just as I thought, your tea is best. No one else can bring out this flavor.”
Frederick gave her a thumbs-up after taking a sip. Lisetta sat across from him with her own cup. Unlike his calm expression, hers was stiff.
“This is extremely unfair.”
“What is?”
“To send such an inadequate girl to be the duchess.”
Her voice held clear anger. She was still in disbelief over the so-called Lady Reinheim. Even in the brief time they had met, the girl could hardly speak and didn’t seem very intelligent.
In truth, Lisetta wouldn’t have welcomed any woman destined to marry Frederick. But at the very least, she had expected someone with basic manners and education—a proper noble lady. Never did she imagine such a dim-witted girl would become his bride.
“It can’t be helped.”
“Aren’t you even a little upset, Your Grace?”
Frederick remained as calm as ever. Lisetta frowned in disbelief.
“It’s not like I ever wanted a wife in the first place.”
He set the cup down as he spoke.
“This is just another move in the emperor’s game.”
“Bringing in a stammerer to be the lady of the duchy?”
“You shouldn’t call her that, Lisetta.”
Frederick corrected her sternly.
“Regardless, she came here as a noblewoman and is set to become the Duchess of Winstaine. Watch your words.”
“Are you really going to go through with this marriage?”
“There’s no turning down an imperial order.”
Even though it felt like a scam, Frederick seemed to have no intention of resisting. Lisetta’s chest tightened.
“Is she really a noblewoman? What if they just brought in a random imposter—”
“They wouldn’t dare fake the bloodline. The emperor guarantees it.”
As reckless as the emperor could be, even he wouldn’t send a false noble. If word got out, it would create chaos among the aristocracy. The marriage contract had both the emperor’s and the Duke of Reinheim ’s seals—this was a union bound by honor.
“Maybe… being a bit lacking could be better.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“This place isn’t exactly ideal for a delicate lady raised in the capital.”
Frederick looked out the window. The snow-covered duchy and forest’s edge came into view.
The winters in Winstaine were long and brutal. Wandering carelessly in the cold could easily lead to freezing to death. When the farmland froze too deeply, the next year’s crops would suffer. The already barren land became even more difficult under such harsh weather.
“If life here is hard and she starts complaining, that’s even more troublesome. If she doesn’t understand much, she might be less picky.”
“Aren’t you being a bit too optimistic?”
Lisetta sneered. A picky noblewoman might have been better than someone with almost no intellect.
“There’s nothing to expect from the Duke of Reinheim anyway.”
Frederick spoke indifferently. The emperor and the capital’s noble houses didn’t like Winstaine. Even after he led them to victory in war, they were wary of his growing power.
“Hah, those despicable snakes.”
“…”
“Just thinking about the rumors they’ve spread about you makes my blood boil.”
“Oh, you mean the ‘monster’ rumors?”
The more casually Frederick brushed it off, the angrier Lisetta became.
“It’s not just that, is it?”
She sighed. The rumors about Frederick were too vile to even repeat. They accused him of every gruesome act imaginable, distorting truth and fiction alike.
After the war, he’d worn a mask to a banquet due to a facial injury—but it sparked rumors that he was hideously deformed.
They smeared his name to keep him from rising in the capital, and now they even shackled him with a forced marriage.
“Well, it’s not that big a deal. I don’t live in the capital anyway.”
But Frederick didn’t bother fighting those who slandered or envied him.
Despite his great achievements, he didn’t seem to care about being denied proper recognition and reward. Was it peace of mind, or was this just how high noble behaved?
“I appreciate your concern for me. But you don’t need to be so worked up. Ah, and thanks to you, this last subjugation ended smoothly.”
“No, it was thanks to you, Your Grace. You led us well.”
“I always receive great help from you. Don’t deny it. You’re someone I truly need.”
Frederick looked her straight in the eyes as he said it. Lisetta’s eyes widened at the deep, low tone of his voice.
Someone he truly needs.
“I-I should go now. I need to rest.”
“Very well.”
She turned quickly to hide her blushing cheeks. For the cold and stoic Frederick to say such things to her—her heart pounded in her chest.
Phew…
At the same time, the image of his fiancée popped into her mind, and her mood sank slightly.
To think her perfect lord was being forced by the emperor to marry such an unworthy woman…
Her expression as she stepped out the door was full of complicated emotions.
