WHCCP 08

CHAPTER :08

One knight was covering his mouth, excitedly slapping the shoulder of the knight next to him.

‘There were people here? And this many…?’

Having been too busy chasing the man in front of me to notice my surroundings, I finally turned my head to look around.

Dozens of knights gathered in the training yard, servants passing by nearby, and even the butler who had chased after me—everyone was staring in our direction with the exact same expression.

Faced with a situation all too similar to what had happened at the banquet, I found myself anxiously checking the reaction of the man in front of me.

‘Oh no. He looks furious.’

The Duke’s mouth was pressed into a tight, straight line, the tension showing in his jaw, and his face was burning bright red.

He looked so terrifying that I wondered if he was barely suppressing his rage.

“Lady Feldorand.”

The Duke finally called my name in a low voice.

“Yes…?”

At the sound of his voice, which seemed to sink even lower, I replied, my face tense with anxiety.

“I do not believe this is the place for us to talk. Follow me.”

I quickly followed behind him as he swept out of the training yard.

After walking for a while, he finally stopped in front of the main gates of the ducal residence.

“I do not know what kind of prank you are playing, but please stop this.”

“This isn’t a prank, it’s…”

Just as I was about to protest, I saw a fleeting look of bitterness cross the Duke’s face, and my words died in my throat.

“Then, please return home safely.”

*Slam.*

Having been practically thrown out of the ducal residence, I could only watch his retreating back with a blank, hollow expression.

I visited the residence a few more times after that day, but each time I had to return home without ever seeing him, only drinking enough tea to bloat my stomach.

***

A few days later.

*Knock, knock.*

“My lady, I’ve brought the mail.”

“Thank you.”

Getting up from my seat, I flipped through the invitations May had left behind and muttered,

“What a harvest of invitations.”

The number of invitations I had received over the past few days was more than double what I’d gotten over the last several years, which said it all.

Thanks to this, I wouldn’t have to worry about firewood for the winter fireplace.

It had been a week since Delos’s birthday banquet.

Since then, interest in me within high society had been scorching hot.

Naturally, the Duke of Valenstein was also at the center of those rumors.

“Sigh.”

As the Duke’s face suddenly flashed in my mind again, I let out a soft sigh.

This was because Cesar had recently shared some facts about the Duke that I hadn’t known before.

“Apparently, the noble ladies have been placing bets on who can seduce the Duke first.”

“A bet?”

“It seems to have started with Lady Brien. She must have really hated the idea of marriage. Well, for the other ladies, the terms weren’t bad, so they joined in on the bet. To be honest, looking at the Duke’s face alone, he’s incredibly handsome, and above all, his title is so high.”

Only then did I realize exactly what “prank” the Duke had been referring to a few days ago.

With noble ladies he didn’t even know constantly throwing themselves at him, and then me doing the same…

“No wonder he misunderstood. I can’t even make an excuse.”

Remembering how I had been practically rejected and chased out of the ducal residence a few days ago, a sigh escaped my lips.

To make matters worse, my father and Cesar, seeing my state, had spent the last few days constantly asking if I had truly fallen in love with the Duke at first sight, making my days a dizzying blur.

“If only I could meet him and talk to him properly.”

But as I recalled the Duke, who hadn’t shown so much as a single strand of hair no matter how many times I visited, I let out a deep sigh.

I had clearly been branded as an absolute weirdo in his eyes.

Just as I was agonizing over how to untangle this mess—

*Knock, knock.*

“My lady!”

May, rushing into the room with urgent steps, held out an invitation to me.

“An invitation has arrived from the Imperial Palace!”

“What? From the Imperial Palace?”

Surprised by the sudden news, my eyes widened as I turned the invitation over.

And there, I found the crest depicting a double-headed eagle and a single sword.

“This is…”

The sender was none other than the Emperor himself.

***

The next day.

Inside the carriage heading to the Imperial Palace, I couldn’t hide my complicated feelings.

Because half a year from now, the Emperor was destined to fall ill from an unknown disease and ultimately die a year later.

At the time, every doctor in the country had scrambled to save him, but they ultimately failed.

“It feels strange.”

Knowing that the person I was about to meet today was destined to die in a year made me feel strangely unsettled.

“By the way, why did he summon me specifically?”

I muttered, recalling the Emperor’s face from my memories.

After my marriage to Delos, the Emperor hadn’t shown much interest in us.

Even after the wedding, Delos caused trouble day in and day out, and I only vaguely remembered the Emperor looking at both of us with pathetic eyes whenever we had meals together.

While I was lost in thought, the carriage was already crossing the threshold of the Imperial Palace.

“My lady, we have arrived!”

The coachman’s voice called out from outside.

As I stepped down from the carriage, the Central Palace, where the Emperor resided, came into view right before my eyes.

“Greetings, Lady Feldorand.”

A servant waiting at the entrance of the palace greeted me as soon as he spotted me.

“This way, please.”

Guided by the servant, we arrived at a massive glasshouse garden.

Walking further inside, I found a space with a white wooden table. And sitting there was a middle-aged man with brilliant blonde hair.

“Ah, you’ve arrived.”

I quickly offered him a formal greeting.

“Glory to the Sun of the Empire.”

“Yes. Come, sit down.”

The Emperor gestured for me to sit, indicating that the formalities were unnecessary.

As I drew closer to the Emperor, I realized there was someone else sitting in a spot previously hidden from view by giant leaves.

“Haha, what are you doing? Why aren’t you sitting? Are you acting formal around each other in my presence? I have already heard the news, so there is no need for that.”

I stared with wide eyes at the Duke sitting across from me.

He seemed equally unaware of my arrival, as surprise was clearly written on his face.

‘I didn’t expect to see him again like this.’

As I stared blankly at the Duke, I saw him subtly avert his gaze.

Remembering the days I had been turned away under various excuses despite my relentless visits, my lips pouted of their own accord.

As I sat down, the Emperor, who had maintained an amused expression throughout, looked directly at me and spoke.

“So, Lady Feldorand.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The Emperor slowly stroked his chin and continued.

“I thought you would go as far as marrying Delos.”

After speaking, the Emperor leaned slightly toward me, prompting an answer.

Clasping my hands tightly beneath the table, I replied with a calm face.

“The Second Prince and I parted ways by mutual agreement a long time ago.”

Not knowing what ulterior motive the Emperor had in bringing up Delos, my expression naturally stiffened.

‘No matter how pathetic he is, Delos is still the Emperor’s son…’

What if he orders me—disguised as advice—to try and make things work with him again?

Just the thought of it was horrifying.

“Hmm. I see. Indeed, one can never predict matters of the heart. Do not be so tense, for I did not summon you today to speak of unpleasant things.”

While I was racking my brain for an answer in case he asked about the reason for our breakup, the Emperor surprisingly seemed to have little interest in my separation from Delos.

Leaning back comfortably in his chair once more, the Emperor turned his head toward the Duke.

“More importantly… I heard there was a very interesting incident at the Second Prince’s birthday banquet?”

Although his face, adorned with a faint smile, appeared incredibly kind and gentle, the man sitting before me was the Emperor of this country.

In other words, I couldn’t afford to take what I saw at face value.