Chapter 27
***
***The Duke’s pov
Even in those few words, I could read her personality.
It was hard and solid, like it would never break.
"I came a little while ago."
"Why didn't you call for me, then I wouldn't have kept you waiting..."
"The Grand Duchess has been preoccupied."
I pointed to the piano with my chin.
For a moment, I wondered.
Did she realize that at times like this, she created an air that was almost unapproachable?
For a god she'd believed in and served as a matter of course since birth, she'd never really thought of herself as religious until now.
And yet, as she sat before me, a sense of awe filled me that I didn't know existed.
"I couldn't interrupt your sacred moment."
"I wouldn’t mind if you did."
The bluntness of her words, which she must have uttered without any intent or meaning, pleased me.
The unpleasant feeling I felt a moment ago melted away in an instant.
I stepped closer to her and, out of habit, grasped her winter-cold hand.
Her voice was still hard as she called to me, even though it was a familiar routine repeated every day.
"Your Highness."
"Why are you calling?"
"..."
She didn't say anything else in response.
The flush on her pale cheeks couldn't have been caused by the chill. I wanted to believe it wasn’t.
Still, I tucked my hands under her knees and scooped her up.
There was a time when she would have asked me to put her down, but now she just threw her arms around my neck in a familiar way. As if this moment was natural.
Our gazes locked.
Her eyes, white and blue, reflected my reflection like a mirror.
There was a man there, happy as a fool to see his lover.
I smiled faintly and walked away.
My swaying body unnerved her, and she only hugged my neck tighter.
It didn't matter that my aunt was unhappy, or that one of her maids had stolen from us, it mattered that she was here.
I spent the night with her, woke up before her, and watched her as she slept as if she were dead.
Her transparent silver hair lay disheveled on the bed.
At times like this, she seemed more like she could melt away and disappear.
If it weren't for her chest rising and falling with her faint breathing, I would have thought she was an elaborate statue.
I stroked her arm, which was so warm and soft it felt strange.
"...Grand Duchess."
That short word, the one that tied me and her together.
In her sleep, she didn’t answer, only exhaled a thin breath.
When I slipped out of the bedroom, dressed in a robe, the maid, who had arrived early, was placing flowers in a vase in the parlor.
Sensing my presence, the maid turned her head. She bowed lightly to me.
"Did you get the flowers?"
"Yes. Lily of the valley today."
"Yes, because it looks like the Grand Duchess."
Smiling crisply, the maid held out the vase.
A bouquet of flowers was skillfully arranged.
Heads bowed, daring not to face the sun, the pretty white blossoms.
They looked as if they would make a tinkling sound if they bumped into each other.
Their nonchalance and aloofness reminded me of the nobility and sadness I could see in her.
Yes, it was like her.
Right down to the poison in that transparent face.
I may have already been poisoned beyond detoxification.
"...the Grand Duchess."
“Yes?"
"Does she like it?"
It was a pointless question. Because I already knew the answer.
The maid, who was holding the vase, gave an awkward laugh.
“She neither likes it nor dislikes it. In fact, I think it would be more accurate to say that she’s not particularly interested in it.”
I heard the expected response.
In a way, it's probably a good thing.
She was the same person no matter how you looked at her.
The maid added deftly, as if by way of excuse.
"We are very comfortable here, for there is a lady who is very fussy when a carpet is changed, but Her Highness is indifferent to whatever we do."
It was a line that must have recited dozens, perhaps hundreds, of times whenever my aunt said something.
It was one of her greatest strengths as a princess and one of her greatest weaknesses as a queen. The voice that followed was cautious.
"To the "the one who sees," the Queen's message................ When you first came, I was very worried. I thought you would never be satisfied no matter what I gave you, since you only kept the precious things of the kingdom close to you."
In the eyes of the maid who guarded her closest, she was nothing more than an exalted person, contrary to what she had constantly been told. It was a misconception she didn't want to correct.
As I walked away, I suddenly remembered something and asked.
"Did anything else happen?"
"Yes?"
"My aunt said there was a burglar."
"Oh............."
The maid’s voice trailed off, clearly worried about who might be listening.
"I only found out about the incident a short time ago, Your Highness, and I'm sure it’ll be back on track soon enough."
"Is that it?"
How dare you steal something that belongs to the duchy, and you can't just put it back.
The maid knew what I meant.
"Give me your orders, and I will follow them."
"The Grand Duchess is of a mild disposition and does not wish to be troubled, but it is not as if the thief has not troubled my mind."
It was up to her what to do with what I said.
The more I thought about it, the more I felt an inexplicable bitterness and wistfulness.
"Let the head maid take care of it. At the very least, it shouldn't upset my aunt, and I hope it won't happen again."
The maid bowed her head picturesquely.
"Your Highness, I will take your orders to heart."
"Very well."
Kick them out, punish them, whatever, they would take care of it.
At least I wouldn’t be setting foot in the queen's palace anymore, and that's that.
"I’ll leave for the palace tonight."
"Yes, then I will prepare dinner for Her Highness tonight.”
"Please take care of the Grand Duchess. Her knees are weak.”
The maid lowered her eyes cautiously. She seemed to smile wistfully.
"It would be nice if Her Highness could recognize a little bit of your attentiveness."
"Don’t worry about that."
I said it, but inwardly I expected more.
It wasn't something I was particularly proud of.
Still, I hoped that one day she would recognize me and speak to me.
A change of bedding, an ornament brought in because I thought they were what she liked, a new piece of furniture carved with a pattern that could only be made in the Duchy, or even a different flower in a different vase every day.
Some days, some times, I hoped she looked back and thought a little.
But for now, I wanted more than that, I just wanted her to be happy.
Her time in the kingdom must have been difficult, and I hope she was at peace here.
And that one day, it would be me who would live forever in those so-called blue gazes.
And today, my schedule was cut short.
I went to the queen's palace in the usual order, but it was already well into the night.
As if she had been sitting quietly in the temple until the wee hours of the morning, the clinking of dishes could be heard in the chamber.
"It feels very quiet today."
The maid chattered in a gentle voice.
Reaching for the door, I hesitated.
To open or not to open.
"Your Highness, aren't you lonely? His Highness is here.”
"I'm comfortable being alone."
The cold reply was without even a moment's hesitation.
My outstretched hand slipped through the air in vain.
My mind, which had briefly pondered the question, tilted toward.
I wanted her to be happy and at peace, but I was still an unwelcome guest.
I realized that I was someone who made her uncomfortable.
Maybe it was because she didn't feel the need to argue, because she had always been a patient person.
The door to her heart was firmly closed and showed no sign of opening.
Until when.
My unspoken protest must have started that day.
In short, I was getting tired of her indifference and coldness, and she was still not very interested in me as such.
There was no standard for one's stay and departure from the world, even though I knew that one day we too would be separated.
The selfish part of me didn't want to admit it.
***
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