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* * *

‘I managed to drag him out somehow…’

I sat in the carriage, sneaking cautious glances at the man seated across from me. The Duke of Elpinard sat with his arms crossed, eyes closed. The vibrant scenery of the capital passed by outside the carriage window, but he didn’t seem particularly interested.

‘Well, of course.’

It would have been stranger if the Duke had been peering out the window, eyes sparkling with curiosity. I sighed inwardly and leaned back against the seat, my eyes darting around.

‘This is awkward.’

It had been quite some time since I was recognized as the Duke’s daughter, but this was the first time I had gone out alone with him. The Duke wasn’t someone who enjoyed outings. He guarded the Elpinard estate as if something disastrous would happen if he left. The only times he ever left were for important official duties. 

I had never seen him leave for something as simple as buying clothes. Though there were rare occasions when he ventured out because of Noah’s insistence, today I had taken on that role.

‘Playing Noah’s role, huh?’

I closed my eyes and tried to recall what Noah had been like during those outings. He would chatter endlessly, spinning all sorts of stories, even if the Duke didn’t respond.

‘Hmm. No matter how I think about it, I can’t do what Noah did.’

Just as I opened my eyes again, feeling a bit uneasy, I was startled and involuntarily flinched. The Duke’s eyes, which I thought had been firmly closed, were now wide open, staring straight at me.

“Party.”

“Yes?”

I blinked in confusion, not understanding the sudden word. The Duke elaborated slightly.

“I thought you didn’t like parties.”

“Oh.”

I immediately realized what the Duke was curious about. It must have seemed strange that I, who had not attended a single party since my debutante, was now bustling about excitedly over an invitation. 

Feeling a bit awkward, I scratched my cheek and forced a smile.

“The truth is, I’ve never really had the chance to figure out if I like parties or not.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well… there was a bit of a misunderstanding, so I never received any party invitations.”

“Not even one?”

The Duke’s voice dropped noticeably. Even with his expressionless face, a chilly aura seemed to emanate from him.

“It was just a misunderstanding!” I quickly waved my hands in denial. I didn’t want him to think I had caused some scandal that led to this situation.

“What kind of misunderstanding would result in Lady Elpinard not receiving a single invitation?”

The Duke’s eyes sharpened, and I found myself in a very uncomfortable position.

“Uh… well… that’s….”

To explain the misunderstanding that led people to believe I was Kirke’s illegitimate child would take quite a while. I’d have to delve into my relationship with Kirke, which was rooted in my past life. Even though we were now family, I couldn’t reveal everything to the Duke. However, since the misunderstanding about me being the Emperor’s illegitimate child also affected Elpinard, it didn’t seem right to hide everything from him.

In the end, I decided to give the Duke a version of the story that was true but slightly adjusted.

“Well… His Majesty the Emperor had a situation where he needed my help as a saint. He asked for my cooperation privately.”

It was true that Kirke had needed my help, so it wasn’t entirely a lie.

“Because he didn’t want to make it public, he asked Axel to contact me discreetly. But the Empress misunderstood and thought I was the Emperor’s illegitimate child…”

“Hah.”

A scoff escaped the Duke’s lips.

“If you were misunderstood like that, you should have told me.”

“I’m sorry. I asked His Majesty to clear up the misunderstanding, and I didn’t think it would escalate this much.”

I slumped my shoulders, watching the Duke’s reaction closely.

“But… it seems like the rumor didn’t spread! So you can rest assured that Elpinard’s honor hasn’t been tarnished!”

The Empress’s silence was likely a strategic choice to protect herself. If rumors of an illegitimate child spread, it wouldn’t be good for her or the child she was expecting.

‘That’s probably why she chose to ostracize me in social circles rather than openly confront me.’

Despite everything, I didn’t entirely blame the Empress. After all, even imagining that your husband’s illegitimate child had appeared in front of you… it would naturally make you want to avoid seeing that person.

The fact that the Empress hadn’t caused a scene in front of me showed she was a remarkably patient woman, worthy of being the Empress of a nation.

“And now that she’s invited me to this party to celebrate her safe delivery, I think the misunderstanding has been completely cleared up.”

“Sigh…”

The Duke let out a deep sigh, clearly dissatisfied with my words.

“I’m not worried about Elpinard’s honor…”

He started to say something but then clamped his mouth shut, running a large, rough hand through his hair in frustration.

His usually immaculate hair became disheveled, giving him a different aura from his usual composed self. His eyes, too, held a different look from the usual detached gaze I was accustomed to.

The odd tension made me swallow hard, and the Duke asked, “You haven’t received a single invitation since your debutante?”

“Yes…”

“And the one behind this is the Empress?”

“Probably…”

“I see.”

His response was brief, but there was an unsettling current in the air.

“So they all went along with that scheme, did they? How dare they.”

His voice was chilling, and I found myself staring at him in shock, my mouth slightly open.

I’d heard many times that the Duke was a cold and intimidating person, but this was the first time I’d heard such an emotional tone in his voice. The sense of authority I’d always felt from him was now completely different. If the Duke had always felt like an untouchable being from another world, the person in front of me now felt, at least… 

‘Human.’

Of course, the Duke has always been human.

‘That’s true, but…’

There was no better way to describe the current Duke than to say he finally seemed “human.”

“So, you needed the dress because you were invited to the palace?”

In reality, I had more than enough dresses. Saying I needed a dress was just an excuse to get the Duke out of his stifling study, but I couldn’t exactly admit that.

“Yes, that’s right.”

The Duke’s eyes narrowed at my response.

“In that case… unfortunately, you won’t be able to attend Her Majesty the Empress’s invitation.”

“What?”

I tilted my head in confusion. Why couldn’t I attend when I’d already received an invitation?

Before I could ask further, the carriage came to a stop. We had arrived at our destination, the dressmaker’s shop.

The Duke glanced out the window at the view and then calmly tapped the side of the carriage, signaling for the door to be opened.

“Still, let’s have a new dress made. You’ll be needing many more in the future.”

* * *

I ended up having a very peaceful time with the Duke at the dressmaker’s. Despite our sudden visit, without prior notice, the staff were exceedingly courteous.

‘They were friendly when I came with Noah before, but this time they were even more formal.’

The Duke hadn’t been particularly intimidating. In fact, he was gentler than usual, suggesting various clothes and accessories for me. Dresses, hats, gloves, fans, handkerchiefs, ribbons—all of it. He ordered everything custom-made in new designs, keeping the staff so busy that they hardly had a moment to rest.

‘But why can’t I attend the Empress’s invitation?’

The question gnawed at me as we returned to the estate. As soon as we arrived, Noah stormed in with a pout.

“That’s so unfair! You went out without me?”

“Axel wasn’t there either.”

“Uncle never joins in on things like this, so he doesn’t count.”

Noah pouted his lips and promptly claimed the sofa for himself. I had been worried that he might feel depressed after his parents were sent off to a rural estate, but Noah was as lively as ever.

He was surprisingly resilient and tougher than I’d expected.

“But did you get into some kind of trouble?”

As I watched Noah, he looked me up and down with a suspicious expression.

“Grandfather suddenly called all the retainers together.”