Chapter 6
Time passed slowly—peaceful in one way, but painful in another.
After the grand banquet ended, a few outwardly peaceful days went by.
Ian was still kind to Elena, yet cold at the same time. And Elena… every day she felt happy because of him, and every day she was hurt by him.
Ian still called Elena by her name.
And Elena still called him Your Grace.
Every day, Elena secretly watched Ian training with Helena, the woman who was his lover. Seeing them happily crossing swords together felt like her chest was being cut open by a blade. Still, she watched them every day.
Because she believed that maybe, if she kept watching, she could give up her feelings for him a little faster.
“My lady, here is the financial report for this month.”
Elena received the documents from the butler who managed the household affairs. The numbers were so large that they felt overwhelming, but as the Grand Duchess, it was something she had to handle. Whenever she didn’t understand something, she asked the butler and slowly learned.
The allowance Ian had given her for maintaining her dignity was almost too much to handle, but she never asked him to reduce it.
After all, she hardly had any reason to spend it anyway.
“Alright. I’ll take a look.”
The butler left after handing her the papers, and soon Fei came in carrying a cold, sweet drink. These days Elena often had headaches, and she was grateful for how carefully Fei took care of her.
“My lady, have something cold and refresh yourself.”
“Okay. Thank you. I really only have you, Fei.”
“Oh, it’s nothing. Do you need anything else?”
“No, it’s fine. You should get some rest too. You’ve been busy since morning… Did something happen?”
Fei had been running around since morning. Usually she stayed right beside Elena the moment Elena woke up, but today another maid had come instead.
“Well… actually, my lady…”
Fei finally spoke after a long silence. But even then she just moved her lips without finishing her sentence. She suddenly sighed.
Just as she was about to speak again—
Knock knock.
A small knock was heard. Fei swallowed the words she was about to say and quietly stepped behind Elena.
“Come in.”
As soon as Elena answered, the door opened and Ian walked in. He was holding a white envelope.
“Elena.”
“Your Grace.”
“…”
“What brings you here…?”
“A letter arrived from Wales. I thought it was addressed to me, so I opened it first. I apologize.”
“That’s alright. That can happen.”
Elena thought he must have suspected it might contain orders from an enemy nation. She would have done the same.
She took the envelope from him and opened it.
“The king has requested that you visit Wales with him. It seems he misses his daughter who has gone to a distant country.”
“…”
That couldn’t be true.
Elena gave a faint bitter smile at Ian’s words. Her father definitely didn’t miss her. Most likely he had invited Ian, not her. He probably used her as an excuse to see the famous war hero and commander of the enemy nation.
To her father, she had always just been a tool to use.
Elena continued reading the letter. The elegant handwriting politely requested that she visit Wales with Ian.
But those words felt like they were choking her.
She felt anxious.
If she went there with Ian… and the people she hated saw that Ian only treated her formally…
“Elena? Is something wrong?”
“N-No, it’s nothing. About this visit…”
“I would like to go. It will be our first visit after the marriage, after all.”
“…Yes. Then I’ll prepare for it.”
Elena felt as if blades were spinning in her throat as she answered.
***
The day she had hoped would never come finally arrived.
It was the day they would travel to Elena’s homeland, Wales.
Normally it took a month by carriage to reach the capital where the Welsh castle was. But Ian had persuaded the emperor to allow them to use a magic gate.
Just three days.
That meant Elena had only three days to prepare herself mentally.
“Elena, please get into the carriage. I’ll also ride with you to the gate.”
“…Why aren’t you riding your usual horse?”
Ian had a magnificent black horse he always rode. It was huge and proud. The butler, Felden, once said the horse accepted no one’s touch except the stable master.
Elena had wanted to touch its beautiful black fur once, but she didn’t. It wasn’t something that could belong to her.
“If it makes you uncomfortable, I can ride the horse instead.”
Ian had been smiling lightly, but his expression stiffened a little.
Elena panicked.
“No, that’s not it… I just noticed you usually ride your horse…”
“My horse injured its leg and is being treated. By the time we return from Wales, it should be healed. Please bear with it for now.”
“I understand.”
Ian helped Elena into the carriage.
Originally Elena planned to ride with Fei, but Fei was already sitting beside the driver.
Once Elena sat down, Ian climbed into the carriage too. Even though it was large, the space suddenly felt small with him inside.
When Ian knocked lightly on the carriage door, it started moving.
Elena had nothing to say to him, so she quietly looked out the window. Beautiful forests of green and orange passed by.
And then—
“…Ah.”
“Elena?”
“It’s nothing.”
Helena.
A woman with long blonde hair tied tightly back was riding a horse beside the carriage. Seeing her confidently riding a pure white horse made Elena feel sick.
Did he really have to bring her along? Bringing his mistress while going to his wife’s hometown…
Elena wanted to shout something, but she knew she had no right.
What if people in Wales saw Helena? What if they mocked Elena for being a foolish Grand Duchess who couldn’t control her husband’s mistress?
Elena resented Ian.
She wanted to confront him.
But she was too afraid of what his calm answer might be.
Her vision spun with resentment and pain.
***
“Let’s rest for a while.”
After what felt like endless torture, Ian suddenly stopped the carriage.
Had he noticed her face turning pale?
They hadn’t even traveled half a day yet.
When Elena looked at him in confusion, Ian moved his lips slightly but said nothing. Then he sighed and stepped out of the carriage.
“My lady, are you feeling sick?”
Fei entered the carriage and checked on her.
“How did you know?”
“His Grace said you didn’t look well and asked me to take care of you. Are you feeling carsick? Should I bring medicine?”
He noticed…?
Did he stop because of her?
Elena suddenly felt her mood brighten.
“Yes, please bring some medicine.”
Fei left the carriage.
Even though Elena’s nausea had already settled, she pressed her hand over her racing heart. Just knowing Ian had noticed her made her chest feel full.
To calm herself, Elena stepped out and sat on a large rock nearby.
Soon Fei returned with the medicine.
“Please take this, my lady.”
“Okay. Thank you.”
“His Grace said you could take a walk if you’d like. There’s a lake nearby too.”
“Really? Let’s go see it.”
Elena gently took Fei’s hand and walked toward the lake.
The large lake sparkled under the sunlight.
“It’s so beautiful, my lady.”
“It really is.”
The clear water seemed to wash away all her worries.
Maybe she could dip her feet in it. It wasn’t very proper for a Grand Duchess, but it might ease her heavy heart.
“Could I dip my feet in just for a moment?”
“Of course! Come here, my lady! I’ll prepare it!”
Excited, Fei quickly found a flat rock and helped Elena sit down, removing her shoes.
And then—
They heard voices.
“Why are we stopping already? We barely traveled.”
“It’s because of that Grand Duchess.”
“Someone in the kitchen said she’s picky with food too. Apparently she never finishes a plate.”
“They even made food from Wales, but she hardly ate any.”
“Such a delicate princess.”
Elena froze.
Were they talking about her?
“Honestly, Helena should have been the Grand Duchess.”
“Right. She’s strong, from a noble family, and she suits His Grace.”
“Much better than that skinny Grand Duchess.”
“Exactly! Hahaha!”
Their mocking laughter made Elena unable to move.
Then another voice spoke sharply.
“That’s enough.”
Even if we don’t like her, she’s still the Grand Duchess. His Grace officially married her.”
“Officially? She’s just a war tribute.”
“Try saying that in front of His Grace. I don’t know if he’ll stay quiet.”
The group fell silent.
Finally one of them sighed.
“Alright, alright. Let’s go. Break time is over.”
“With this speed, when will we arrive?”
“We have to reach there in three days, so we need to hurry.”
Their voices faded away.
Elena let out a quiet breath.
At least they hadn’t discovered her.
“My lady…”
“Let’s go back. We should get on the carriage too.”
Elena stood up and looked at the lake one last time.
She had wanted to dip her feet in it.
But the lake still sparkled under the sunlight—clear and blue.
