Chapter 11
The Desire to Offer a Joke
It had already been over two years since then. I thought time passed quickly. In the meantime, I had graduated from the academy and was now a grown woman living alone in Owen.
And the reason I found myself recalling what had happened with Shade was because his birthday was approaching.
For the past twenty years, I had always been with Shade on his birthday. Now that we were apart, I wanted to put even more thought into his gift.
I prepared a ribbon brooch for men. When I described what kind of brooch I wanted, Madam Nox contacted a jeweler on my behalf. It was crafted to be attached to a coat or jacket.
People of the Kingdom of Lundra dressed more flamboyantly than the people of Owen. I thought men in Owen wouldn’t normally wear ribbon brooches. It hadn’t been long since I arrived in Owen, but I’d learned at least this much about the differences between the two nations.
I wrote a card to send with the gift.
— I want to send you the feeling from that day when you tied my hair for me. I’m all grown up now. I hope you meet someone whose hair you’d want to tie for the rest of your life. Happy birthday, Brother Shade. —
I packed the box containing the gift carefully and wrapped it once more in paper. My gift would pass through the hands of the postal courier and the post-office mage before reaching the royal castle of Lundra.
The courier visited the mansion every day at the same time to collect and deliver letters and parcels. I watched from the window at the end of the third-floor hallway—the one with a clear view of the front gate—as the courier approached the duke’s mansion aboard the postal carriage.
“Princess.”
Hearing a voice, I turned to see Cedric.
“Good afternoon, Duke.”
“Good afternoon, Princess.”
I explained to Cedric what I had been doing and pointed out the window.
“I sent a package to the Kingdom of Lundra today. That carriage belongs to the courier.”
“Is that so.”
“It will soon be Shade’s birthday.”
“Is that so?”
Between royal and imperial families, they exchanged gifts on special occasions like the crown prince’s birthday. But the Duke of Owen had no obligation to acknowledge the birthday of a foreign crown prince. It was only natural Cedric didn’t know Shade’s birthday.
“Yes. I was born and raised in the Kingdom of Lundra and never left it before. So this is my first time celebrating my brother’s birthday from afar.”
“I see,” Cedric replied briefly. Then he spoke again, though it wasn’t new.
“I see.”
Even if his answers were similar, he was still listening.
“So I put a lot of thought into his birthday gift. I hope he likes it.”
Just talking about the gift made me happy, and I smiled without hiding it. Cedric, his expression as unreadable as always, looked into my eyes and then spoke.
“I shall send His Highness Shade a gift as well.”
“You don’t have to trouble yourself. It won’t cause any issue.”
“You are residing in the duke’s residence, Princess.”
I beamed once more. I could have simply excused myself and returned to my room, but since Cedric was being considerate toward Shade, I wanted to be considerate in return. Smiling, I made a suggestion.
“It’s almost lunchtime. Would you have lunch with me?”
“Yes, Princess.”
Cedric extended his hand to escort me. I placed my hand on his and stepped closer to him. Cedric then instructed a nearby maid to prepare a meal in the first-floor dining hall.
“Thank you for caring about my brother’s birthday.”
“It is only natural.”
Even so, I silently thanked him again. If Cedric sent Shade a birthday gift, Shade would think I was living under the roof of someone who treated me well. My family would feel reassured.
I didn’t know whether Cedric was being thoughtful in that way, or whether he simply felt he couldn’t ignore the birthday once he learned of it. Either way, it was good for me.
As we entered the dining hall, Cedric held the door open for me. I bowed my knees slightly in the Owen style of informal greeting to express my thanks.
“Thank you for opening the door for me.”
“It is natural, Princess.”
As he said, opening doors for me was natural. Even so, I found myself wanting to make a joke.
Was it his eternally formal, expressionless face that made me want to tease him? Or because he had said he would send something for Shade’s birthday? I smiled faintly.
“It might become a trap.”
“What do you mean?”
“You might turn me into a princess who can’t open doors without the duke’s help.”
My hand rested lightly atop Cedric’s. For a moment, I thought his thumb moved. I looked at his face. Still composed, still expressionless. It must have been my imagination.
“Call for me whenever you need a door opened.”
Cedric pulled out a chair for me at the table. I sat down, then watched him, still expressionless, take his seat across from me.
“Is it really all right for me to boss around an imperial duke like that?”
“Of course.”
I narrowed my eyes playfully. Even in the face of my joking, Cedric’s words and actions remained entirely proper. In the end, I let out a small laugh.
“You’re not startled by my jokes, are you, Duke?”
“Do I seem so?”
“Yes. You always respond to them so smoothly.”
It amused me that emotionless Cedric seemed accustomed to jokes. Even before, when I joked a few times, he never panicked. Though he never played along either.
“Do you enjoy jokes, Duke?”
“I believe I did, once.”
“And lately?”
“I’ve had no occasion to make any.”
Cedric picked up a moist towel and wiped his hands, lowering his gaze. Then he lifted his head to look at me again.
Appetizers were placed before us. I changed the subject and continued the meal with him.
A few days earlier, Rachel had sent a card through Cedric. It was to schedule her visit. As promised, Rachel arrived at the drawing room precisely on time and took her seat.
Without Cedric—just Rachel and me.
Rachel dismissed her ladies-in-waiting, and I signaled to the maids as well. They placed tea before us and left the room.
“Princess Rachel of the Stalwart Land, good afternoon.”
I greeted her in the Lundra style. Wondering what she wanted to say to me made my shoulders stiffen slightly. Ever since the days before the kingdom finalized its agreement with Owen, I had not been alone with Rachel like this.
Rachel might scold me or blame me. She must have had her own reasoning. And I had twisted that reasoning for the sake of my kingdom.
If she expressed emotion, it would be unpleasant for me—but at the same time, I felt it would reveal her true feelings. That wouldn’t be a bad thing.
“Daisy! How have you been? How’s life in the duke’s residence?”
Huh?
Her sudden friendly tone startled me. Before I could compose myself, my eyes widened.
Her manner of speaking was exactly like years ago—like Rachel of the Viscount Rich family, the academy student who used to treat her friend’s little sister so fondly.
I regained my composure and replied,
“Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. Life in the duke’s residence is very pleasant.”
“Hm. Daisy, when it’s just the two of us, couldn’t we speak casually like before?”
Rachel smiled. Her sharp eyes looked surprisingly clear.
My surprise turned into confusion. I thought our relationship had been redefined the moment she revealed her royal identity. And though Rachel had warmed up to me after we came to Owen, I didn’t think we could return to how we once were.
“I don’t know how to regard what has changed.”
I spoke gently, choosing my words with care. Rachel tapped her cheek with her fingertip.
“Is it because I used formal speech when we came to Owen? There were so many people around—guards, maids. I’m not someone who cares about things like that, but Daisy, you do, right? Etiquette and dignity?”
Rachel spoke as though she knew me well. And everything she said was true.
But what I was referring to wasn’t manners. I meant the change in our relationship. The fact that she had once calculated the price of Damon’s life in front of the King of Lundra.
I hesitated on how to respond—then decided: when in Owen, follow Owen’s pragmatism.
“You asked for the kingdom’s treasure in return for saving Brother Damon and keeping what happened a secret. And instead of the Dragon’s Tear, the kingdom sent me.”
“Ah… that.”
Rachel trailed off. She smiled mischievously.
