Chapter 127

Chapter 127

For a moment, I couldn’t believe what I’d just heard. I cracked my eyes open and stole a sidelong glance at the Duke’s face. He didn’t show any particular expression. Rather, he was calm and composed. So much so that I momentarily wondered if he and I really had been engaged all along.

“It’s not official yet, is it? Because His Majesty hasn’t heard a thing about it.”

The Imperial Princess propped her chin on one hand and turned to the Duke, her question direct and serious. It felt like I was being cornered into an engagement—no escape, no maneuver. For me, that would’ve been less shameful than dancing naked in the middle of the street. Yet what made it worse was how normally he acted. The Duke behaved as if nothing had changed, and that stung the most.

“Yes. I plan to speak with His Majesty about it soon.”

He answered again in that same calm tone. I had no choice but to shrink into myself silently, a gesture of remorse for having blurted out something so reckless.

“I see. My brother has no reason to refuse, so let me offer my congratulations on your engagement early.”

Whether she sensed my turmoil or not, the Imperial Princess simply smiled faintly.

“Oh, do sit down. I’d like to hear more of your story.”

She gestured to an empty seat. Without a word of refusal, the Duke took it. Soon, a servant placed a teacup before him. I stared down at the dark tea brimming in my own cup, thinking this conversation might drag on. At least until he finished that tea, I’d be stuck here.

“Since the leads of the rumor are here, it’s best to ask the parties themselves. I’ve been so curious. So, if you don’t mind, may I start with how the two of you met?”

Her direct question followed. At her words, a crowd of noblewomen swarmed around us, eyes sparkling with interest. But I couldn’t answer. The lie about our engagement gnawed at me too much. I felt I had to apologize to the Duke right then and there, leaving no room for any other conversation.

“There’s not much to it. I posted a notice that I was looking for someone at Kubershaleden, and Laura came to me after hearing about it.”

While I kept my lips pressed tight, the Duke broke the silence first. His words pulled me back to that cold day when I’d first visited Kubershaleden.

My first impression of the place had been grim. The vast mansion was eerily chilling, and its master exuded a fearsome aura. I know now that the Duke is an endlessly good man, but back then, his fierce demeanor had felt nothing but oppressive.

“When Laura opened the study door and walked in, I was a little… no, a lot surprised.”

He kept talking, and I listened silently, holding my breath.

“She was impossibly beautiful. I think my heart started falling for her right then.”

“I… I see… Huh?!”

At that moment, I flinched and spun to look at him. But the duke merely gazed straight ahead, a faint smile playing on his lips. Around me, the voices of admiring women drifted in. A mortifying embarrassment flooded through me—I couldn’t tell if his words were a joke or sincere, and they sounded so saccharine that my heart refused to settle. My pulse raced so wildly the world seemed to spin before my eyes.

“Oh my, so he felt you were his soulmate at first sight? How romantic.”

The imperial princess clasped her hands together tightly, her voice rising. I wanted nothing more than to scream and bolt. But the duke’s teacup still held plenty of tea. He’d barely taken a sip—just enough to wet his lips—before he opened his mouth again.

“Yes, that’s correct. That’s why I insisted Laura stay at Cuvershaiden.”

“Then I suppose you’ve succeeded. After all, you’ve ended up engaged to Miss Highen.”

“I suppose luck is on my side.”

For all his composure, the duke was truly shameless. Even as he uttered such embarrassing words, his expression and gestures remained utterly relaxed. Meanwhile, I was a bundle of nerves. My hands trembled so badly I nearly dropped the cutlery twice. Anyone could see my manners had gone to ruin. At times like this, I envied the duke’s ability to pretend nothing was wrong.

“Well then, what about Miss Highen? When did you start feeling the duke was your soulmate?”

The imperial princess’s arrow now turned toward me. At the same time, the gazes of the ladies present fixed on me in an instant. Their eagerness to hear my romance story felt eerily familiar—like I was seeing the ladies-in-waiting of Cuvershaiden all over again.

Oh my god. Sonia, there are people like you here… Soniath One, Soniath Two, Soniath Three….

Still, I felt I couldn’t disappoint their eager anticipation. So I forced myself to recall the moment I had no choice but to start liking the duke, stammering as I tried to speak.

“Uh… well… you see… when I was returning with the Duke as part of the envoy to Krentis… we stopped by my house, House Highen. And at that very moment, a thief had broken in. He was a nasty sort, and it nearly turned dangerous—but the Duke appeared and saved me. I suppose that was the decisive moment.”

“Good heavens… I’m so relieved nothing serious happened.”

Soniath One—no, the imperial princess—covered her mouth with a folding fan, her eyes widening in surprise. Then she murmured that aside from the danger, Miss Laura’s story was quite romantic. She added that the moment of falling in love was wonderfully dramatic.

But then, I felt a strange dissonance in her words. Above all, the word “suddenly” struck me as odd. And soon, I realized a truth I hadn’t even known myself. I blurted the fact out loud.

“No, that’s not it. Looking back now, I don’t think that day was the beginning. The Duke has always been a good person. I’ve always felt his kindness and consideration. It all piled up—bit by bit—until at some point, my feelings for him just swelled. The burglary at our house… it was just the moment I became aware of those feelings. I think I’ve been falling for the Duke a little more every day since the moment I met him.”

“……”

“……”

For an instant, the tea party went still. The sudden silence made me glance around in puzzlement. As I met the wide-eyed stares of the other ladies, it hit me: I’d just held a public reading of my own heart. Flustered, I turned toward the Duke. Our eyes met—but he quickly averted his gaze. Then, as if nothing had happened, he raised his teacup to his lips.

“…Is that so?”

Only after downing a sip did he reply, his voice low and subdued. I could see his ears burning red. He was always so composed, but my direct confession must have embarrassed him deeply.

Watching his uncharacteristic reaction made me so mortified my fingers curled. I clutched the hem of my dress, bent my head low to hide my surely flushed face, and could only nod faintly, whispering, “…Yes.”

“I didn’t realize just listening, but you two really do suit each other. If Her Majesty refuses to approve the engagement, I’ll persuade her myself. So don’t worry.”

Then, breaking our awkward silence, the Imperial Princess interjected.

“Thank you, Your Highness. I’ll leave it to you, then.”

At that, the Duke gave her a light bow. Then, as casually as ever, he took another drink. A moment later, the teacup clinked down, its white bottom exposed. Seeing it, a wave of emotion swelled in my chest. He had drained the cup offered by royalty—which meant we could finally take our leave.

Goodbye, Sonias! I’m out of here!

I shifted eagerly in my seat, ready to escape this prison of embarrassment.

“Oh, you’ve finished your tea so quickly. Let me pour you another. You won’t refuse, will you?”

But the imperial princess was no pushover. She summoned her lady-in-waiting herself and had more tea served. I had no choice but to linger a little longer.

And so, after she’d held us captive for a few more exchanges, we finally, barely, managed to escape her garden.

* * *

Withdrawn from the princess’s tea party, we walked across the Imperial Palace gardens. I clung tight to the Duke’s arm, watching his expression sidelong before slowly opening my mouth.

“…Thank you for backing me up.”

“It’s fine. It was rather amusing.”

He said it with a flicker of a smile, his tone almost teasing. I could only pout in silence, unable to add a word. Then, abruptly, I stepped in front of him, meeting his gaze head-on.

“You know what you told the princess can’t be taken back now, right? So… are you really going to marry me? It goes without saying that… I won’t refuse. So if there’s anything holding you back, you need to tell me now!”

“…Holding me back?”

For a split second, I saw a tiny crack appear in his expression. Not that I doubted his heart, but I wanted to approach the idea of an engagement realistically. So this was a question I would’ve had to ask someday anyway.

“Yes. My feelings for you are enough for me, Your Excellency. But they might not be for you.”

“Why can’t you believe that I feel the same?”

“Well… you’re… the Duke.”

“… …”

At my words, he silently took both my hands. Then he just looked down at me. He seemed to ponder something, and after a very brief silence, he spoke again.

“…You are what I want most.”

He pulled my hand sharply toward him, drawing me a step closer. His chest suddenly loomed in front of me, far too close. I tilted my head up slightly and found his blue eyes right there.

I reached out both hands, trying to brush through his black hair. The Duke also bent down lightly, ready to welcome my touch.