***
***
At dinner time, Victor looked strangely sulky.
‘The Grand Duke? Sulky?’
She trembled at the terrible disharmony between the two words.
Of course, he was very elegant and did not throw a tantrum.
But he stared at her often, and she suffered from unknown guilt every time.
The servants also moved back and forth quieter than usual, perhaps because they felt something was wrong with their silent master.
She couldn’t stand the awkward atmosphere and opened her mouth.
“Hey… Victor.”
“What’s wrong Marion?”
He asked in a soft aristocratic accent. She suppressed the urge to bow her head and struggled to make eye contact with him.
“I’m not good at dancing yet.”
Victor lifted an eyebrow.
She spoke quickly, worried she would lose her nerve.
“Well, I’m okay at it, but I keep stepping on his feet… Sir Caltz has suffered a lot. So… when I get better at dancing, please dance with me.”
Her words ended in pure embarrassment and fear. Suddenly, she became so shy that she hurriedly stuffed some butter-coated bread in her mouth.
She heard a small laugh. When she raised her head, Victor was smiling at her as if he was very happy.
The Grand Duke leaned back in his chair, his eyes bent pleasantly.
“It’s weird, Marion.”
“Wha- What?”
“He’s someone you care about… it doesn’t feel good.”
She realized that he was talking about Sir Carlz.
She didn’t know what to say, so she just sat there silently and wrung her hands together. Victor spoke again with a sigh.
“I don’t know why you keep getting so nervous.”
She was even more speechless than before, so she quickly took a bite of grilled turkey.
Victor’s gaze didn’t leave her face the entire time.
“You’re doing fantastic, so please don’t overdo it. I don’t want you to feel pressured.”
“…Victor, I want to look like a lady at the ball.”
‘That way, I’ll make you look good.’
The meaning of her words was clear, even if she didn’t verbalize it.
Victor’s smile deepened.
“Do as you wish. But you don’t have to worry about the honor of the Grand Duchy. Even if you fall 20 times while dancing, no one will be able to say anything.”
She looked at him in shock.
‘How could you say that?’
The flaws in the estate became the flaws of the master, and the flaws in the wife became the flaws of the husband.
She knew that was the way aristocratic society worked.
He smiled calmly at her, who was silent.
“That’s what power is, Marion. So don’t worry and just enjoy it. Okay?
There was a conviction in his words that was difficult to deny.
She had no choice but to nod.
***
The deep blue spring had passed, and they entered early summer.
As the days got hotter, the curtains were changed to a light blue fabric, which Amarion had chosen after much deliberation. The servants’ clothes also became thinner and brighter.
New dresses for the social season began to arrive one after another, along with thin indoor clothing ordered for the summer. The dresses were made of thin, fluffy fabrics and the embellished beads were bright colors.
She was shocked by the bright colors, which she had never had the chance to wear back in Amari. Sumona insisted that the clothing she bought before was not enough and ignored Amarion’s protests.
Of course, the Empire’s only Grand Duchess would need 10 summer outfits and 10 fashionable dresses each social season.
“It’s beautiful, Madame. I think it’ll look very nice on you.”
Sir Carlz admired her wardrobe, which was displayed beautifully on mannequins.
Carlz, who had suddenly become a part of her daily life, had now become a friend.
He often told stories from the Capital, and explained complicated political affairs between nobles whose names were difficult to remember.
The peculiar thing was that he never told his own story.
‘Don’t knights usually like to tell endless stories about what they’ve killed?’
He said with an exaggerated sigh,
“What would you do if I talked about martial arts in front of her highness? It would be like a little kid bragging about catching a mouse.”
‘What do you mean?’
He was difficult to understand, but she still nodded.
He was a famous knight, so there was likely no limit to his glory and triumph on the battlefield. Contrary to his light attitude, he seemed to have a humble personality in this regard.
Time passed quickly, and the first week of the social season arrived.
***
Sumona agonized for several days over which banquet she should debut at.
She wanted a gathering where Amarion could meet as many ladies as possible, without being burdensome.
She finally decided, after taking the advice of Diderick and Carlz. It was the Duchess of Mülze’s salon party on the first Monday of the social season.
The Duchess of Mülze was one of the most famous women in the Capital’s social circle, Sumona explained, and her salon was known as the favorite room of the Capital’s ladies.
Signing a reply announcing her attendance, Amarion suppressed her beating heart. Excitement and anxiety swirled in her chest at the same time.
She didn’t know why she was so nervous, even though she knew it wasn’t something to be so nervous about.
And just like that, the morning of the party came.
She was dragged around by her maids all morning, and tried on dresses for almost two hours.
A light yellow dress with delicate golden embroidery was chosen.
Her hair was combed with fragrant oil and left to hang down her back, and a bejeweled tiara was placed on her head.
After her make up was finished, she felt like a porcelain doll.
Even when she complained that she was uncomfortable, her old maid was determined.
“The Grand Duchess will be the most noble lady there, so you should be dignified.”
That’s what Sumona said, but she also seemed to have as much fun decorating her as the maids. Eventually, Amarion accepted her fate with a grumbling sound.
After dressing up, she walked through the mansion’s lobby awkwardly.
It had already been a month since she came to the Imperial Capital, but she had only snooped around the garden in that time.
The Capital was still unfamiliar, as Victor was so busy that he had no time to escort her.
In addition, there were no visitors to the mansion, so no aristocrats knew her face.
The tension of her first outing and social debut weighed heavily on her.
She stepped carefully out the front door.
Victor was waiting for her.
She was amazed. He was dressed in robes of an Imperial nobleman, with a black satin jacket embroidered with gold thread, and a silky black shirt.
He was always handsome, but even more so in a suit. As she approached, Victor’s face hardened.
‘Is something wrong?’
She got nervous and stared at him. He quickly managed his expression and smiled.
“You’re more beautiful than usual, Marion.”
‘This nonsense again.’
She quickly turned away, avoiding his gaze.
“When are you coming back today?”
“Well… I have to attend a dinner at the Imperial Palace. I’m sorry I can’t go with you.”
“It’s okay, I’ll enjoy it to the fullest.”
When she spoke, a small laugh was heard.
“But don’t enjoy it too much. I don’t want anyone else to see you but me. Not for a long time, anyway.”
‘What?’
She didn’t understand what he said and raised her head. But Victor was already beckoning Sir Carlz to ask for something. After they finished their quiet conversation, he spoke to her again.
“If you’re tired, come back early and rest. Hmm?”
He grabbed her hand and kissed it gently. The back of her hand felt like it was burning. She nodded and quickly headed for the carriage in a daze.
Sir Carlz, who had spoken with Victor earlier, was holding the horse’s reins with a disheartened face.
She suddenly became curious.
“What did his highness say?”
“He said, ‘If something happens to my wife, cut off the offender’s head and hang it on the front door of the mansion.’”
She laughed out loud.
Carlz was a really good escort driver, joking around to relax her even at a time like this.
There was no way an elegant person like Victor would say such a vulgar thing.
Carlz’s face was strangely distorted when he saw her smile.
She smiled once again and boarded the carriage.
***
Imperial social gatherings were thoroughly divided into women’s and men’s gatherings, with the exception of balls.
This was because the Empire considered it impolite for men and women to mingle.
Women’s gatherings were especially exclusive, so it was customary for escort knights to stay a certain distance away from their lady at all times.
She couldn’t help but be nervous. She couldn’t believe that Victor, her husband, and Sir Carlz, her escort, wouldn’t be able to support her during her debut.
As soon as she suppressed her trembling hands, Sir Carlz opened the door.
“We’re here, Madame.”
He escorted her with perfect etiquette.
She got off the carriage and looked around.
The Mülze mansion was quite large and beautiful, but of course couldn’t be compared to that of Grand Duke Morte. Well-groomed rose bushes bloomed at consistent intervals, and shaped shrubs adorned the garden.
She headed towards the sparkling glass greenhouse with the polite guidance of the Mülze servants. The greenhouse, which Duchess Mülze cherished very much, was one of the largest salons in society.
The attendant, who was standing in front of the door, shouted loudly.
“The madame of the Black Lion’s mansion, her highness the Grand Duchess of Morte, has arrived!”
She closed her eyes and entered the greenhouse as confidently as she could.
***