Chapter 40

While listening to her say she’d decided to start over after leaving all those difficult times there, Sana had hated him without even knowing the duke’s true nature. She’d glared like he was standing right before her eyes.

“I want to do whatever the young lady wishes. If she hates him so much her teeth grind and never wants to see him again, I’ll nurse him alone like this, get him recovered quickly, then send the duke away without even telling the young lady.”

This girl called Sana was truly bold beyond measure. Though her own lady was also a count’s daughter, she seemed to serve her subtly or really treat her like a younger sister, and that didn’t particularly change even before a duke she’d never met.

“Your heart for your lady is good, but if you act this way before just anyone, it could come back to hurt her. Do you understand what I mean?”

Sana sometimes found it very frightening when he erased any hint of laughter not only from his face but even from his voice.

The fact that there were times when he held a smile was why she could stay by his side and say such things, but when he made this expression, she felt a sensation like her fingers and toes going numb.

“You mean… don’t pick fights in front of nobles.”

The village elders had occasionally cautioned her too. Though they’d said things like don’t speak carelessly before the young lady or don’t act too familiar, she understood the context of their worry or scolding.

“So you do know.”

At her quick acknowledgment, Ethan let a smile return to his voice. Sana, who’d felt suffocating pressure just moments ago, barely returned to normal.

“To reclaim the count’s name, she’ll need to enter high society, and I’m worried whether she or you can endure the twisted nature of noble ladies.”

At his expression and tone suggesting it would be difficult based on what he’d seen, Sana started to speak then closed her mouth.

This was how it would be. When it came to women’s sharp tongues, they’d be worse than her if anything, certainly not less.

Even if Sehera said the right thing and received glares and was affected, they just needed to be there for her. But she didn’t want to unnecessarily interfere where she shouldn’t and make things difficult for her.

Watching Sana obediently nod, Ethan also let out a small laugh. Having such a maid was like carrying a small bomb, but on the other hand, having such a reliable ally by your side would be greatly helpful.

“The young lady will still do well! She came back to Planer with nothing and accomplished this much!”

Sana held unwavering faith in Sehera until the end. Like someone placed inside a wall of steel that would never break.

“Yes…”

This was a Sehera that Ethan didn’t know.

As far as he knew, Sehera had spent most of her time in her room and seemed shy, unable to easily befriend the employees. She’d never proactively sought out things she wanted to do.

Even while just coming and going from the estate due to war, hearing about various happenings within the estate from Leri, he could understand what it must have felt like.

Because Leri’s observations were quite accurate, he’d believed them as they were… but this meant she’d lived the past year so fiercely that she’d completely carved out and changed even her personality.

Or else…

“Was she… hiding all of that there, choosing to live a life as no one?”

That would be the worst scenario he could imagine.

If she’d abandoned her entire self, leaving only a shell to move as desired here…

Perhaps if someone had guided her well, she could have accepted the Croft ducal family’s traditions while finding her own identity.

But no one had guided her, and far from experiencing various things, she’d been buried inside, unable to face anything.

Could he blame only her… Even if the reasons he’d had to go out were all unavoidable for the empire’s peace and the family’s prosperity… could he say his actions were justified?

“From now on, I’ll never do anything that harms her, so don’t worry.”

After serious thought, he answered. Sana first made a blank face because of the lesson he’d given her, keeping her lips tightly closed, then pressed them firmly with her teeth.

Ethan watched with slight interest as her face showed she was holding back what she wanted to say. And Sana, still not fully trained, finally opened her mouth.

“How can I believe that? Like I said earlier, once your wounds heal, will you just quietly return without a word?”

Watching her grumble disbelievingly, he deeply realized his credibility had fallen not only with the imperial family.

He’d been properly finding his place for the imperial family, but this side seemed to have grown irreparably distant.

“If that’s what she wants… that would be best. Though you’ll need to help with that a bit.”

“What…? I help with that?”

Ethan raised the corners of his lips in a smile.

Using his deep wound as an excuse to spend such leisurely time was a luxury. He’d tried to win the war in an unprecedented way in the empire’s military history.

He needed to know the results, rally those injured in the process, and soothe himself… to prepare for the next war.

She couldn’t wait for him to protect her and left to find her own way to survive, but the empire was still in a precarious state from wars happening here and there without people knowing.

“Yes. Sana, you’ll be able to help best… you’ll be a very suitable gift.”

When given a role, especially one where she could help the duke, Sana’s face began flushing with pride at how fulfilling this task was.

Having such a proactive child by her side seemed to have helped Sehera grow even more. Yes… she was a woman who would become even greater with such people nearby.

He wore a somehow complicated expression. Sudden pain rushed through his left shoulder, and he lowered his head while pressing hard on his chest.

“D-Duke! Are you alright? I’ll bring Himoph!”

While he held his breath in pain, Sana bolted out of the room. Hearing the bang of the closing door, Ethan barely managed to take a deep breath.

What he needed to do was clear. And to do that, this wasn’t the time to be resting here.

The wound hadn’t properly healed yet, but it wasn’t time to wait until it did either.

As the wound’s pain subsided, he began breathing normally again by carefully exhaling.

It would be difficult to act immediately… but what he needed to do had become clear.

* * *

“Rabo, thank you.”

“…”

After finishing early breakfast and coming out, Rabo strode toward Sehera. Seeing the several letter envelopes in his hands, she immediately knew why he’d appeared.

She smiled while receiving them, but he just nodded, greeted her, then turned and left.

“Today somehow… feels good.”

She hadn’t been waiting happily, but anyway, things were taking longer than expected and her mood had been about to sour.

Because it was a mountain she needed to cross quickly, she’d been worrying about it.

“Huh, um… but this is…”

At first, she’d just thought about attending small social gatherings or tea parties where a few ladies or wives met. She’d pictured showing her face there and word spreading that the divorcée doing business in Planer had started moving.

What surprised her while looking over the envelopes… was that the most ornate envelope in her hands bore a familiar crest.

“The… imperial… family…”

An invitation to an imperial ball had arrived.

At this level, she might not need much more deliberation.

“I’m a bit fifty-fifty on this.”

“Why? Fredil, you said back then it would be good if a party invitation came from a duke, didn’t you? You said it would be good because it’s a place building the highest influence in the position Croft vacated, and the duke’s daughter there is famous for spreading words well.”

Fredil was at the estate now. The day the envelope bearing the imperial crest arrived happened to coincide with Fredil’s periodic estate visit.

Between the two sitting across from each other in the drawing room, the three letters received from Rabo this morning lay stacked with all their contents revealed.

And in the very center was the problematic one.

“High status would play a part, but… first, I viewed it most favorably because of the duke’s daughter’s tendencies, and it’s only effective when the scale is small. The imperial ball’s scale is too large.”

With a serious face, Fredil dropped the imperial ball invitation he’d been holding onto that pile with a thud. As though he’d been holding something distasteful, he crossed his arms after putting it down.

An arrogant posture leaning fully back in the chair, and an expression frowning deeply without hiding his displeasure.

They said this was exactly what all nobles couldn’t adapt to when first starting work with him.

Though there were rumors he was also of noble origin, anyway, as an employee, far from being intimidated even before nobles who’d hired him, he’d make the commissioning nobles shrink with this arrogant and harsh atmosphere.

When speaking glibly, he also had a way of cutting people down with his characteristic eloquence. That didn’t discriminate between people or status, and it was something that had quite flustered Sehera initially too.

But she could discern that it wasn’t actually done deliberately to look down on people, but rather his way of approaching work very seriously.

“Then…”

But aside from the imperial ball invitation, the others were just letters containing only formal pleasantries asking after her.

Seeing one even had writing asking if the count couple were well, she set that letter aside separately. To remember what kind of person they were.

“But it’s an unwritten rule not to hold such gatherings before or after the imperial ball. Because everything must be poured into the ball.”

Fredil furrowed his brow deeply like it was troublesome.

In contrast, Sehera just wore a peaceful expression.