“My lady, the Duke is looking for you.”


  Just as I was about to get ready early for seeing off my husband, the butler appeared and told me that my father-in-law wanted to see me.

  What was wrong with my mean father-in-law wanting to meet me today?

  He hadn’t said anything to me since the issue of me running away was resolved.

  “Oh, Young Lady.”


  Duke Omerta, the twisted man, just like his son, greeted me in the stable.

  Giving a glance to his nice outfit, I think he was about to go out.

  “Were you looking for me, Father? Where are you going?”


  “I have a court meeting, and the weather is so nice that I wanted to ride a horse after a long time.”


  Right.

  I glanced at the grey stallion which the stableman was saddling.

  A magnificent muscular stallion with black and grey fur stared at me.

  Damn it.

  “That’s really nice.”


  “Do you like horseback riding? I’m sure you’ve attended a lot of hunting events in Romagna, so I’m probably no match for your skills.”


  “Not necessarily. A hunting festival doesn’t mean you’re really on the hunt.”


  Then there was a moment of silence.

  I was waiting nervously with a smile as innocent as ever, while the Duke seemed indifferent and clueless, adjusting his leather gloves.

  What is it, what do you want to say?……!

  “My son handed over the key to the jewelry warehouse to you. Or so I heard.”


  Oh, so that’s why. Well, from his point of view, I am not trustworthy.

  But it was too much to ask me to return it.

  I didn’t want to get involved in this fight.

  “Yes, what did he say when he gave it to you?”


  ‘You can use it however you want.’


  I couldn’t say that, so I had to come up with something else.

  “That he trusts me to take good care of it……”


  “Hmm, that doesn’t sound like him.”


  What does he sound like then? You both are so twisted.

  The Duke sent away the stableman and other servants and finally stared at me with a light sigh.

  There was a complex expression in his red eyes, same as his children.

  “As expected, the bracelet went to you.”


  “What?”


  “Didn’t he give it to you on the night of the feast? I was wondering where he’d use it because he took it from me, and why he insisted so much on it.”


  “What do you mean, took it from you? I think that’s……”


  “My grandfather made it out of the heart of a dragon. I wouldn’t say it’s particularly that plain.”


  I blinked and looked at my wrist.

  Oh my god, what in the world is this? The heart of a dragon?

  I thought it was a bit unique, but I never imagined this. Besides, why would he give this to me?

  So this was why he showed up at the banquet looking so unhappy? My father-in-law coughed quickly, as if he had seen through me while I was thinking.

  “I’m sorry I couldn’t attend the banquet properly. I don’t like such a place by nature……I thought I should show my face, but I got mad seeing my son’s clothes.”


  Aha, were you really mad at your son’s clothes, of all things?

  He was suspicious, but I didn’t say anything about it, and smiled broadly, “It’s okay, don’t worry. More than that, I didn’t know this bracelet was so meaningful, I just thought it was an accessory……”


  “Don’t worry, I won’t ask you to give it back, you’re the true hostess of this place, as you’ve finished your promise.”


  “Oh……”


  “By the way, you seem very satisfied with your life here. You must like this barren land.”


  He said this in a strangely cynical tone. My ears tingled and sweat ran down my back.

  God, what else are you going to ask for?……

  “I’ve never felt this way. In a way, it’s more interesting than Romagna.”


  “Right? I thought you’d miss your hometown very much, but you’re always acting…… unexpected.”


  “What do you mean, unexpected?”


  “Don’t get me wrong. It’s not natural for a woman like you to settle as soon as you get here without any connection. Elendale’s temple will always be ready to help you. From adapting to the North to every little problem. To be honest, the other day, you…… when you pulled off the runaway disturbance, I assumed that the temple was actually protecting you and keeping this a secret.”


  Ah, is it suspicious that I don’t spend time with the clergy, walking in and out of the temple like Rudbeckia in the original book? If you’re going to think it’s suspicious whether I do it or not, which song am I supposed to dance to?

  “I grew up in that environment since I was so young, and honestly, I get sleepy whenever I hear a chant. But of course, the Archbishop and everyone is very kind. Do you want me to pay more attention to my religious life?”


  When I worked hard on acting as a child, my father-in-law scratched his jaw without saying a word.

  “It’s not like that. I was just wondering if the Holy Father would misunderstand that we’re keeping you at bay.”


  “Ahaha, I don’t think he will. You know I really like this place.”


  “Do you like this place or my son?”


  I-Is this a test? Don’t look down on my big fan acting, mister!

  “Of course, I like my husband.”


  “I don’t know what you find so good about that blunt man. Actually, not long ago…… It was said that Cardinal Valentino might take you away as soon as he arrived.”


  “It won’t happen, but I’ll never follow him if I get in trouble.”


  It’s a yard that’s over till the end of the night, so Cesare doesn’t even have the means to take me with him.

  What is he trying to tell me? Is it now that we’re gonna have to divorce her later? Because you don’t think I’m gonna walk away?

  “It’s a little surprising. Even though he was so upset……”


  “I’ve rotted more, well.”


  “What do you like about my son?”


  “Well, I fell in love at first sight.”


  “You fell in love at first sight. Fated love or what?”


  “Oh, that sounds romantic. I don’t know if it is fated or not.”


  I opened my eyes wide, placing my palms on my cheeks, blabbering foolishly.

  Duke Omerta looked at me with a rather blank stare, and then he spat out, “It’s not true.”


  “Huh……?”


  “You don’t mean it.”


  What’s this?

  The palms covering my cheeks slipped down.

  The look in his eyes was surprisingly calm.

  “What do you mean?”


  “Just what I said. You don’t have to be so scared, I’m not here to argue.”


  What is this guy talking about?

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about……”


  “You’re just trying to escape under the guise of love. I’ve been with such a person, so it’s not surprising.”


  You’ve been with that kind of person? Are you talking about your wife? The story of your marriage that started like a fire and then went down the drain?

  I was not curious about that at all.

  The Duke smiled slightly at me, frozen stiff.

  A bitter and twisted smile.

  “Would you believe me if I told you that the reason why Britannia’s princess refused all of the queen positions in other countries and chose Omerta, who wasn’t in power at the time, was because she didn’t want to leave Elendale? I knew it from the beginning, but I was overconfident.”


  I’m not curious. So, why are you talking about things you didn’t ask all of a sudden? What does that have to do with me?

  “My son, who has been wandering all his life with a sword, has been acting like a complete stranger these days. I’m worried as I get older. Do you understand what I mean?”


  “.……”


  “I even thought I shouldn’t have made you his wife. I didn’t know that first love would be such a scary thing…… No, I did know that, but I thought my son would be different. He’s not a human being, so he’ll be an exception. But my gut tells me it won’t just be a short-lived passion.”


  So……

  “I don’t know the inside story of your life. There’s no way to know if what you want is just a refuge her, or other political things. The more I look at you, the more I can’t get rid of the feeling that you’re struggling to death.”


  “.……”


  “It’s ridiculous for me to say this, but…… is there a chance? For my son.”


  What’s the point of this? The reason why you were so enthusiastic about our wedding was because you wanted to fix your son’s habits. I’m just putting it in practice. You have a real daughter-in-law in mind. You talked about my duty to get laid or else the divorce would take place.

  But why are you picking up on my mindset now?

  What’s the point of that?

  What’s important about my real feelings?

  If your son has fallen in love with me for the first time and you think it’s going to be hard to separate him later, shouldn’t you not say this?

  Why are you making such a weird move all of a sudden?

  What does his business have anything to do with me?

  It stung under my ears and made me irritated, but I quickly got rid of the feeling.

  No, let’s not get caught up in this.

  I relaxed my stiffened facial muscles, holding myself together.

  “I’m sorry. I don’t understand what you’re saying at all. Did I offend you?”


  Silence passed.

  The Duke turned his eyes. At the same time, the tense atmosphere disappeared.

  “That’s not so. Maybe it’s because I’m old, but I said a lot of nonsense today. Then, have a nice day.”


  “I’ve never seen that flower before. What’s its name?”


  “I thought I was in a different world for a second. Even if the weather is bad outside, it’ll always be spring here.”


  “This fountain is Cesare’s, right? I think I saw something similar when I traveled to Romagna.”


  Watching everyone admire and praise it, I felt like I had been too worried about choosing the greenhouse garden as a venue for a tea party.

  I was afraid I might seem too proud.

  Ellenia was right to insist, saying, “This is something to brag about.”


  Yes, I’ll be damned if I don’t brag about it. It won’t hurt. It’s perfect for the role of a childish princess.

  “It was true that the princess was a good fan of the Duke. They’re always here together……Did you play a lot with him?”


  Nevertheless, it was inevitable that I would turn red when someone asked this question.

  Ugh, it’s hard to survive.

  Beyond the tea table we sat around, there was a huge dollhouse next to a maize of daisy and lavender flowers.

  Inside the dollhouse woven with pastel-toned wood, were the other guests of the day, Leah and Princess Arien, having their own tea time.