Chapter 26
Harry’s gaze shifted toward Adrian. The boy flinched and quickly hid behind Aileen’s back — but even while trembling slightly, his eyes stayed alert and watchful.
Harry frowned faintly, as if displeased by the sight, then looked back at Aileen.
“You’ve just come from meeting His Grace, I presume?”
“Yes,” Aileen replied calmly. “We were discussing Adrian’s education. The formal lessons will begin soon.”
“I see.”
He nodded slowly, then raised his eyes again.
“Would you mind if we spoke for a moment?”
“If it’s going to take long, I’ll have to refuse.”
“It’ll be brief.”
Aileen studied his face carefully, trying to read his intentions. Then, gently patting Adrian’s hand that clutched her skirt, she said kindly,
“Adrian, why don’t you go wait in the garden for a little while? The one in front of the main hall.”
“But…”
“I’ll come soon, I promise.”
After a moment of hesitation, Adrian reluctantly obeyed. Once he disappeared from view, Aileen turned to Harry.
“Alright. What is it you want to say?”
Harry looked straight at her and asked,
“How important do you think the seat you’re sitting in truly is, Duchess?”
Aileen frowned slightly at the strange question.
“What are you trying to say?”
“I believe that seat — the position of the Duchess of Olden — holds enough power to shake the Empire itself.”
Aileen fell silent. To her, it was simply the title of Duchess, but Harry clearly saw it as something far greater.
He continued,
“The Olden family is not small. And its head is not just any noble — he’s a prince of the Empire, one with a rightful claim to the throne.”
“…”
“I serve the Second Prince,” Harry declared, placing his right hand over his heart — a gesture of loyalty.
“And I sincerely wish to see His Highness ascend to the throne. For that to happen, he must have someone suitable standing by his side.”
Aileen’s voice was calm but cold.
“…And you think I’m not suitable?”
“I believe you already know the answer to that, Duchess.”
Aileen was left speechless. Harry’s words were polite — yet every sentence carried an unmistakable insult.
“Please,” he said finally, “make the wise choice.”
From beginning to end, his tone remained courteous, but the meaning beneath it was clear: Step down.
Despite his audacity, Aileen stayed composed. Looking at him steadily, she spoke softly,
“You said you serve Richard, correct?”
“Yes.”
“Then do you actually know what he truly wants?”
Harry blinked, clearly thrown off by the question.
After a short pause, he replied carefully,
“Whatever His Highness desires… it will all be fulfilled once he ascends the throne.”
“You really believe that?”
“I do.”
Aileen gave a faint, bittersweet smile.
This man, she realized, didn’t understand Richard at all — even though he claimed to be his most loyal vassal.
Looking at him with quiet disappointment, she murmured,
“Then perhaps you’re not fit to call yourself his servant.”
Harry’s head snapped up sharply, his eyes turning cold and sharp as blades.
But Aileen didn’t flinch. She met his gaze fearlessly.
“If you truly serve Richard,” she said firmly, “then face what he truly wants.”
“What are you implying?”
“A true servant should understand their lord’s wishes — and act accordingly. Not to satisfy their own ambitions, but to fulfill his.”
“…”
“You should think carefully, Marquis,” Aileen added, her tone unwavering. “Are you truly Richard’s vassal… or just another citizen of the Empire?”
Her words struck deep.
Then, as if the conversation were finished, Aileen turned and walked past him.
When she stepped outside, Adrian came running toward her from the garden.
“Sis! Are you alright?”
“Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?” she said lightly.
“But that scary old man looked really angry…”
Before he could finish, Adrian froze — Harry had just stepped out behind her.
The Marquis looked at the two of them quietly. His eyes moved between them, lingering on Aileen for a moment longer.
Aileen didn’t look away. She stood tall, meeting his stare directly.
In the end, Harry was the one who turned aside first.
“…Let’s go,” he muttered to his men.
Moments later, his carriage rolled away from the mansion.
Only when it disappeared from sight did Aileen finally release a long breath.
❧ ❧ ❧
After spending the afternoon playing with Aileen, Adrian fell asleep almost immediately.
Aileen was tired too, but she didn’t skip her nightly task with Richard — creating the magical stones.
Hand in hand, they produced the right number of stones before parting for the night.
A few days later, Richard summoned her to his office.
“These,” he said, handing her a stack of papers, “are the chosen tutors for the young count. All of them are the best in their fields.”
Aileen took the documents and skimmed through them. As expected, every name was well-known and highly regarded.
Satisfied, she nodded and handed them back.
“If you chose them, I trust your judgment. Let’s proceed with these.”
“The lessons will alternate,” Richard explained. “If he studies only one subject a day, it won’t be effective. I plan for him to take two lessons a day — two or three hours each.”
“Alright.”
She turned to Claude, who stood nearby looking completely worn out. Dark circles shadowed his eyes.
Feeling guilty, Aileen offered him a small smile.
“Thank you for your help, Claude. And… I’m sorry for making you work so hard.”
“It’s nothing, Madam. I’m only doing my duty,” he said, smiling weakly.
That faint smile only made the exhaustion on his face more obvious.
As Aileen gave him a sympathetic look, Richard tapped his desk lightly with a fist to get her attention.
“Aileen — there’s also a letter for you.”
“A letter?”
“Yes. It’s addressed specifically to you.”
Aileen tilted her head.
A letter? From whom?
She couldn’t think of anyone who would write to her.
Richard placed a whole stack of envelopes on the desk.
Her eyes widened.
“This many?”
“My guess is they’re party invitations,” Richard said with an amused smile.
“Party invitations?”
“Of course. You’re now officially the Duchess of Olden. The wedding ceremony was some time ago — it’s only natural you’d start receiving invitations.”
Aileen blinked, slowly understanding.
Still… this is way too many.
Surely she wasn’t expected to attend every single one.
As she looked through the senders’ names, uncertain, Richard offered a bit of advice.
“You don’t need to go to all of them. Some dates will overlap anyway. Choose carefully — consider the influence and status of each family.”
He meant to be helpful, but the suggestion only made Aileen’s head spin more.
After all, she had once been from a fallen noble family. The thought of sitting in judgment, deciding which invitations to accept or ignore, made her uncomfortable.
Sensing her hesitation, Richard spoke gently.
“Don’t overthink it, Aileen. The position you hold now — that’s both your luck and your capability. You’ve earned it.”
“…You’re right,” she said with a small, awkward smile, gathering the letters.
“Thank you, Richard. I’ll get going now — you should focus on your work.”
“Ah, wait a moment.”
Aileen turned back, puzzled. Richard was watching her closely, his expression serious.
“Aileen… did you recently meet Marquis Frederick?”
“What?”
She froze.
How did he know that?
Unsure of what to say, she hesitated. Richard continued evenly,
“Someone reported seeing you speaking with him. May I ask what it was about?”
“It was nothing serious,” she said quickly. “We just happened to cross paths and exchanged greetings, that’s all.”
“Are you sure?”
“Of course.”
Aileen lied — because she didn’t want him to act on it.
If Richard decided to “handle” Harry, things would get messy.
And besides, even if their marriage was only a contract, she still wanted to act with dignity as the Duchess of Olden. She didn’t want to cause him unnecessary concern.
Richard studied her expression for a moment, his golden eyes narrowing slightly. Then he nodded.
“…I see. Understood.”
“Then, may I go now?”
“Yes. I’ll see you at dinner.”
“Alright. See you then.”
Aileen waved lightly and left the office.
As her footsteps faded down the hall, Richard sighed quietly.
“She didn’t need to lie.”
Claude smiled knowingly.
“She only said that out of concern for you, Your Grace.”
Claude was, in fact, the one who had told Richard about the encounter.
While heading toward Richard’s office that day, he had seen Aileen and Harry in the hallway — and, sensing tension, had hidden nearby to eavesdrop.
He’d been honestly impressed by what he heard.
He had always thought of Aileen as gentle and soft-spoken, but she had spoken with remarkable strength and clarity that day — defending Richard fearlessly.
And above all, her words had been full of sincerity toward him.
Claude had immediately reported everything to Richard. But his master’s reaction had been brief.
***
“Is that so.”
“…That’s all you have to say, Your Grace?”
“What else is there to say?”
“…Nothing, sir.”
***
Claude had been slightly disappointed then — and he still was now.
He sneaked a glance at Richard, who was already absorbed again in his paperwork.
“You may go now, Claude,” Richard said without looking up.
“Yes, Your Grace.”
Claude left, closing the door quietly behind him.
Even after the sound of the door faded, Richard didn’t stop working.
But his thoughts kept drifting back to Claude’s words.
***
“Her words to Marquis Frederick were so refreshing, Your Grace. She told him that a true vassal should understand what his lord truly desires — I could feel how much she cares for you.”
“She said all that for your sake, Your Grace.”
***
Richard finally put down his pen and ran a hand over his face.
“Haah…”
His golden eyes flickered with a complicated expression.
“She… cares about me?”
The thought made his chest feel strangely warm — an unfamiliar sensation.
And then, a memory surfaced.
“You two really look like a real married couple,” Aileen had once said with a soft, teasing smile.
That image filled his mind — her bright face, her gentle laughter.
He leaned back in his chair, abandoning his work altogether.
“…I’m losing my mind,” he muttered.
Because his heart was pounding uncontrollably.
