Chapter 10
The Duchess of Rohan
As I left the corridor and stepped outside again, a chill wind brushed the back of my neck.
Each breath carried the scent of winter — cold and clean, mixed with the faint bitterness of burning incense.
The breeze carried icy air and the crisp fragrance of frozen blossoms.
Even wrapped in a thick white fur cloak, the cold still seeped into my body.
“Your Highness, this way.”
Nell guided me as we continued down the long passage. Every time I hesitated or looked lost, she walked ahead and pointed the right direction.
The temple grounds seemed endless — one hallway led to another, and each one opened into another garden.
How big is this temple, really?
Well, it did cover the entire hillside. No wonder it felt like a maze.
After passing through the central gate, we stepped into a small garden paved with pale stone.
Beside the path was a frozen pond. Snowflakes covered its icy surface, and the sunset painted it red like a mirror of blood.
I still didn’t quite know where we were, but I could feel that we were getting closer to the outer gates.
If we just keep going this way, there should be an exit somewhere.
Just then, a familiar figure appeared at the opposite end of the path.
Wait… isn’t that—?
A middle-aged woman in a dignified navy-blue dress, her blonde hair neatly pinned up.
Even from a distance, I recognized her immediately.
It was the Duchess of Rohan — the woman I had met at the Empress’s tea party earlier.
“Oh my, Your Highness!”
The Duchess’s face brightened with surprise and delight as she hurried over, as though she had been searching for me.
“Good afternoon, Duchess. I didn’t expect to see you again so soon.”
The Empire was smaller than it seemed — you couldn’t walk three steps without bumping into someone from the palace.
The Duchess approached gracefully, lowering her knees in a polite curtsy.
“I thought Your Highness had already returned to the Imperial Palace. I’m relieved to find you still here.”
So she really was looking for me?
“Was there something you wished to speak to me about?”
“Well, I… ah…”
She faltered, her earlier enthusiasm fading into hesitation.
“At the Empress’s tea party earlier today… I said some things I shouldn’t have. I was worried I might have offended you, so I came to apologize.”
The tea party?
Ah — she must be referring to when the Empress tried to provoke me.
But that wasn’t the Duchess’s fault. She had only asked a harmless question about the war.
“Oh, it’s quite all right,” I said lightly. “You don’t need to worry about that.”
But the Duchess still looked uneasy, glancing nervously at my face for a reaction.
“Please don’t take Her Majesty’s words too seriously,” she said softly. “The Grand Duke is very busy these days, but things will surely improve after the wedding.”
Improve?
If anything, they’d get worse. But I forced a gentle smile and agreed anyway.
“Yes, I’m sure you’re right. Once we’re married, we’ll get along much better.”
“Y–yes, of course.”
She nodded, though her voice trembled slightly.
It was obvious even she didn’t believe what she was saying.
And who could blame her? A wedding wasn’t a magic spell. The Grand Duke wasn’t going to fall in love with Eve just because vows were exchanged.
I studied the Duchess’s face carefully.
Even in middle age, she was graceful and elegant — her pale blonde hair shimmered red in the sunset, almost like gold dust.
While looking at her, I quickly recalled what I knew about the Rohan family.
They weren’t very important in the original story.
The Duchess appeared now and then alongside the Grand Duke, but the rest of her family was barely mentioned — except for her daughter, Diane, who was supposed to serve as Eve’s bridesmaid.
A bridesmaid, of course, is the woman who stands beside the bride during the wedding, helping with every detail from morning to night.
Normally, that would be a close friend or sister — but Eve had no friends, and her only sister, Sorel, was away at war.
So the duty had fallen to the Grand Duke’s cousin, Diane Rohan — the Duchess’s daughter.
If I remember right, Diane secretly liked Eve’s brother, the Crown Prince, I thought. That’s why she was actually excited to be chosen.
Any other young lady would have burst into tears at the thought of serving as Eve’s bridesmaid, but not her.
Unfortunately, she had fallen ill right before the ceremony.
She’d always been sickly since childhood, and though her health had recently improved enough to take part, her condition worsened suddenly before the wedding.
In the end, the ceremony went on without a bridesmaid.
If Diane had been there that day, maybe things could have gone differently.
After all, a bridesmaid stays by the bride’s side through the entire day — even into the night of the wedding.
Eve’s maids had been useless when the tragedy struck.
So if Diane can really recover and attend this time… that would be for the best.
Thinking that, I turned to the Duchess and asked as if casually remembering something.
“Oh, by the way — how is your daughter doing?”
“…Pardon?”
The Duchess looked startled, blinking at my sudden question.
She hesitated, her expression tightening slightly.
“Ah, yes. Yes, of course — Diane’s doing much better these days. She’s been eagerly preparing for Your Highness’s wedding.”
“How wonderful. Please tell her I’m grateful for all her effort.”
“Yes, she’s been practicing her duties as bridesmaid every day. She’s even picked out her dress already — she’s so excited.”
The Duchess repeated herself with forced enthusiasm, as if trying to make sure I wouldn’t cancel the arrangement.
I could tell why she was being so careful.
If I, as the Princess, suddenly decided to replace the bridesmaid, her only daughter would be devastated.
So the Duchess had chased me down just to make sure everything was fine.
Honestly, it made sense. The real Eve would have easily thrown a tantrum and dismissed her without warning.
If Diane’s preparing her dress, that means she’s still healthy for now.
The original story hadn’t mentioned exactly when her condition worsened.
While I was thinking that, the Duchess suddenly gasped.
“Your Highness — your hands!”
“My hands?”
I lifted them automatically. My slender fingers were flushed red from the cold.
I hadn’t even noticed. I’d been too focused on the meeting with the Grand Duke to feel anything else.
After handling those cold snow-covered flowers, it was no wonder my hands had gone numb.
The Duchess frowned with concern.
“Why aren’t you wearing gloves?”
“Oh, well…”
I didn’t have a good answer. Everyone in high society knew that Eve always wore gloves — it was part of her fastidious nature.
I can’t exactly tell her they’re the key to my divine power, can I?
After a short pause, I came up with an excuse.
“I just received a flower from the Sacred Tree,” I said. “Since it’s such a holy and delicate thing, I thought it best to handle it with bare hands.”
“The Sacred Tree’s flower?” the Duchess repeated, eyes widening.
Of course she was surprised. No one could easily pick one.
“Yes,” I continued smoothly. “I offered my mother’s keepsakes to the temple — a few jewels and relics. I didn’t expect anything in return, but when I asked if I could take a single flower from the Sacred Tree as a token, the High Priest kindly allowed it. I went to the garden to collect it myself, so that’s why I was delayed.”
Of course, in truth, the flower had been my goal all along. But she didn’t need to know that.
“And… may I ask what you plan to do with such a rare flower?”
“In about two weeks, it will be the late Duchess’s memorial day,” I said softly. “I thought it would be meaningful to lay the flower on her grave.”
For a moment, the Duchess blinked — surprised and confused — and then her eyes softened with emotion.
“My goodness,” she murmured. “You’re so thoughtful, Your Highness. My sister would be overjoyed to know you remember her.”
“I hope so.”
Her gaze flickered toward me and Nell, probably wondering where the flower was since neither of us held it anymore.
I quickly added,
“Oh, I just met the Grand Duke nearby. I asked him to place it on the grave for me.”
“You… met the Grand Duke?” she asked, startled.
Her reaction was odd — as if she couldn’t believe I was still standing here unharmed.
“Yes,” I said calmly. “I wanted to apologize in person, so I gave him the flower myself.”
“…Apologize?”
The Duchess’s eyes went wide in shock.
It seemed she couldn’t believe her ears.
After all — who could imagine Eve, the Imperial Princess, ever saying such a thing?
