WBWB | Chapter 46

The Duke returned after summer ended. As expected, I didn’t get a chance to see him. Still, I felt relieved just knowing he was back. If he had been seriously injured, I would have heard about it. Wouldn’t I? Probably.

…There would have been a commotion in the mansion. Even as I reassured myself, I couldn’t shake off a lingering anxiety. What if he had returned injured, even if not seriously?

But I had no way of knowing. My days continued as usual, even after the Duke’s return. As time passed, I grew increasingly restless. But what was there for me to be restless about?

I didn’t know what I wanted. I just wanted to know if he was alright. If he was unharmed, if anything had happened to him during the expedition. And, and… I wanted to go back to our weekly dinners and conversations.

Perhaps…

‘Should I have accepted his offer?’

At the time, I had been offended and humiliated by his proposal to be his mistress. But if not knowing anything about him was this agonizing, wouldn’t it have been better to accept, even if it meant becoming his mistress, just to be closer to him? After all… hadn’t the feelings been mutual? He had wanted me, and I had wanted him.

‘Wouldn’t that have been enough?’

I just wanted to give in, to do anything to escape the pain of not being able to see him, to talk to him.

‘Should I?’

But then, the faces of my family came to mind. My mother, my brother, and then my grandfather and father. Could I face them in the afterlife and tell them I had become the Duke’s mistress?

‘That I fell in love with someone and became his mistress because I couldn’t be his wife?’

I didn’t think I could.

‘That I couldn’t help it because I was in love?’

I came to my senses. No matter how painful it was, I didn’t want to do anything that would shame my family.

Besides, the offer had been a one-time thing. If Duke Skadi had truly loved me, would he have given up so easily after a single rejection?

‘What if he felt the same way as I did? What if he was suffering just as much?’

The answer was obvious.

‘He wouldn’t be able to stay away. If he was as tormented as I was.’

I shouldn’t delude myself into thinking we felt the same way. He had just been testing the waters, like any other nobleman. I pulled myself together.

Then, one day, the servants in the mansion became noticeably busy. Madame Pauline, her keys jingling, bustled through the mansion, the maids scrubbed the floors on their knees until they gleamed, the servants replaced faded wallpaper, and ladders were brought in to clean every windowpane, window frame, and chandelier. Some furniture was taken outside, chopped into firewood, and replaced with new pieces.

Puzzled, I learned the reason from Lady Ana.

“Her Highness the Princess is visiting soon! There might even be a ball, and we might get to dance, Teacher!”

It was because of the Princess’s visit.

“…Her Highness, you say?”

“The First Princess. You were the prince’s tutor, weren’t you? Have you met the princess?”

I knew the First Princess. I had seen her from afar and knew her reputation.

“I’ve seen her from a distance.”

Princess Chrétienne de Lances, the First Princess, was a true social butterfly. Her assertive and confident personality, sharp intellect, and stunning beauty made her incredibly popular, and whenever she appeared at a ball, every man, married or unmarried, with or without a lover, vied for a dance with her.

But the brighter the light, the darker the shadow. She had a dark reputation. It was well-known at court that she toyed with men’s affections, and once she was certain of her victory, she would discard them without a second thought.

She also enjoyed watching duels. Many young noblemen dueled for her favor, like fighting cocks. Duels, of course, resulted in injuries. But no one could dissuade the Princess from her cruel hobby because she was the King’s favorite.

Then, a scandal too big to ignore erupted. The sons of Duke Choiseul, one of the King’s closest advisors, and Count Saint-Germain dueled, resulting in the death of the Duke’s son. It was a major incident that cast a pall over the court, so I knew about it.

The two young men, once close friends, had argued over who was more favored by the Princess, eventually resorting to a duel. But the Duke’s son shouldn’t have been allowed to duel. He was the sole male heir to the duchy.

When a precious son of a noble family became involved in a duel, other influential nobles usually intervened to prevent it. And even if the duel took place, it was usually just for show. But because the Princess wanted to watch, her young followers kept the duel a secret from the older nobles.

The two young men dueled in the back courtyard of the palace. The Duke’s son won. But as he held his sword to the Count’s son’s throat, demanding he acknowledge that the Princess belonged to him, the incident occurred.

The Count’s son, refusing to accept defeat, drew a dagger hidden in his boot and stabbed the Duke’s son in the thigh. The Duke’s son collapsed.

Everyone screamed. And witnesses claimed the Princess watched the whole scene from her balcony. The Duke, having lost his heir, roared his grief and vowed revenge.

Alarmed by the Duke’s wrath, Count Saint-Germain fled to the southernmost tip of the kingdom with his son and his belongings. The Duke wanted to raise an army and destroy the Count’s territory. The problem was that other nobles’ territories lay between the Duke’s and the Count’s.

Should they allow the Duke his revenge?

The nobles argued, and the matter was finally resolved when the King intervened. The King confiscated most of the Count’s lands, demoted him to Baron, and granted the Duke a royal castle.

But it wasn’t a perfect solution. The King declared dueling a sin and ordered the Princess, the instigator of the incident, to confine herself to the Temple Monastery. But right then and there, the Princess burst into tears and proclaimed her innocence.

‘I instigated the duel? That’s slander! I went to the balcony because my maid told me a duel was taking place! Even while watching, I didn’t know why they were fighting!’

Despite her protests, the King sent her to the monastery.

But the young noblemen continued to complain. They all wanted the Princess. The noblemen who had been killed or exiled due to the duels were forgotten, and the only topic of interest became when the Princess would return.

The Princess made a triumphant return to society after a season. At her first ball, she wore a black veil and mourning dress to honor the memory of the deceased Duke’s son, and even her mourning attire became fashionable.

“The Princess must be beautiful, right? All princesses in fairy tales are beautiful!”

Lady Ana asked with certainty.

“Yes, she is. Very beautiful.”

“What about her voice? What’s her voice like?”

“I’ve never spoken to her directly, so I don’t know.”

Excited about the Princess’s visit, Lady Ana bombarded me with questions. I considered telling her about the rumors I had heard but ultimately remained silent.