Chapter 32
At the break of dawn, eight carriages set off. Three carried passengers, and five were four-wheeled wagons loaded with cargo.
Through the windows, the darkness had yet to lift, and in the dim streets, people wearing hats went about turning off the lit street lamps one by one.
Damian, seated across from me, said nothing, his expression unreadable as he stared at the almost empty road.
When citizens heading to work in the early morning realized it was the carriage of the Crown Prince, they raised their hands in greeting. Damian responded with a calm smile and waved back.
The wedding had been grand, but the journey itself was modest. Eight carriages weren’t exactly few, but for the honeymoon procession of the Crown Prince and his bride, it was rather frugal. Of course, we had no say in the matter.
“Only four doctors following us…”
All of them were imperial personnel. They were pompous even in front of us, making it hard not to notice. Moreover, they ignored Damian entirely, addressing only me with courtesy.
<It has been a long time since we last saw Duke Moore. Might there be a hint of when he will attend another ball…?>
That was clearly to acknowledge my father’s presence. Although we were going far away, the emperor’s reason for assigning not guards but doctors was obvious.
They openly measured my temperature, asked whether I was getting fatigued, and whether I felt exhausted.
Whenever I looked healthy and lively, they would sigh audibly.
“Seems the emperor really wants to see his grandson.”
Even mocking it in my head didn’t make it any less frustrating. I suspected such incidents would continue throughout the journey.
At least Maya was accompanying me. Through her, I took along a letter envelope containing my diary and a letter knife.
I feared that someone might search my room and discard these items.
That couldn’t happen—these were magical tools I had acquired!
Outside the carriage, the scenery gradually changed from the bustling city to residential areas. The sound of horse hooves hitting the ground echoed.
I straightened my back briefly, felt discomfort, and leaned back into the seat. I lightly picked a topic to speak about.
“If we’re heading to the former Sardena territory, then it isn’t Sardena anymore, is it?”
I had no particular intention—just a remark to break the silence, as we wouldn’t be disembarking until lunch, and several hours of quiet seemed boring.
Damian’s reaction, however, was peculiar.
“You didn’t know?”
“Pardon?”
“After the death of the Marquis of Sardena, the heir, Duke Moore, abandoned the management of Sardena territory, and it was returned to the crown. That’s why it is referred to as the former Sardena territory.”
At the sudden mention of “Duke Moore,” my eyes widened. It seemed Damian was recalling that I had often visited there as a child.
However, I wasn’t an ordinary vessel—I retained Rosalind’s memories, and yet the name Sardena felt unfamiliar.
“And father gave up his inheritance? I can’t believe it.”
Of course, compared to a prime dukedom, a border territory would be barren and unremarkable. But even so, my father wouldn’t give up a secondary territory so easily.
He always emphasized dignity and duty as a noble.
Even if he renounced inheritance, it would simply pass to his brother.
Something felt off. I had never heard the name Sardena from either my father or my uncle.
Could it be from my mother’s side? But she was certainly the daughter of a viscount.
“…It’s regrettable.”
I had no other words as I carefully chose my speech. Damian smiled.
“There’s nothing you could have done, Rose. I also find it unfortunate. Still, if I become emperor, I might be able to return that land to you.”
He spoke as if I had a sentimental attachment to the land. I nodded awkwardly.
<Young Master, you may follow me.>
Through the slightly open door, I heard the laughter of adults. Damian glanced at the banquet hall and obediently followed the attendant to the playroom.
At eight years old, the argument that he was too old for the playroom held no weight. Otherwise, my father would have raised his hand again.
If he had to go anyway, it was less embarrassing to enter with a normal face than a swollen cheek.
Passing through the corridor, a lush garden appeared on the right. Moist grass, the scent of blooming roses wafting into the hall.
Sardena.
A land said to be cursed like the Land of Death, yet equally blessed.
Sardena territory bordered the Land of Death most closely, yet it was fertile. Seeds thrown anywhere would yield abundant crops. People joked that the Land of Death acted as fertilizer, but the produce there was always top-notch.
Cherries and tomatoes were sweet. Even roses grown in Sardena were more vibrant and fragrant than elsewhere.
The journey to Sardena was long, and enduring the same carriage as my parents for hours was grueling, but thinking of the fruit made it bearable.
It was the only place he could enjoy fresh fruit without worry.
People claimed that the soil and sunlight were excellent, which explained why everything grew so well.
Yet some whispered that Sardena’s blood carried the empire’s magical power.
Damian half-believed it. The Count of Sardena was the kind of man such rumors suited.
Always neatly combed brown hair, and eyes of unfathomable depth.
<Welcome, Your Highness, the Grand Duke.>
That man, always courteous.
He lived quietly in the borderlands with his younger sibling. Unmarried, he treated his niece Alina as his heir and cherished her deeply.
Even after Alina married Duke Moore and moved to the capital.
‘I’ll sneak out through the corridor later.’
Damian mentally retraced the path the attendants showed. He wanted no part of children who spoke without filtering words.
<Enjoy your time.>
The attendant bowed as the door opened. As he entered, the children on the sofa turned their gaze toward him.
‘Ah.’
And, as if realizing something, they turned away indifferently. Older children at least nodded politely.
My nerves tensed, and my stomach churned. He relaxed, seeing their reactions.
There were significant issues with receiving treatment as a Grand Duke.
The words spoken by other nobles the first day they met still lingered in his mind.
<Who is this? No land, living in a royal villa and calling himself Grand Duke?>
Before Damian was born, the Grand Duke had been a deposed prince. He had plotted to kill his younger sibling in anger.
But the plan was clumsy, and he could not leave the villa until his father passed away and his merciful sibling returned the opportunity.
Young Damian had no knowledge of this. Though he didn’t harbor the parental desire to kill the emperor, he did feel resentment.
Damian walked among the children as if accustomed and sat on a wooden chair.
The eldest son abandoned by the emperor for his violent temper. And the marchioness daughter who had toyed with him, unaware of what would come.
I was the troublesome one caught in between.
Perfect fodder for gossip. Nobles had loose lips, and children did not hide what they heard from their parents.
Damian straightened his posture deliberately, asserting his status as a member of the royal family.
He was not someone to be ignored. He received gifts from the emperor on his birthdays.
The silence was both comfortable and lonely. He thought again of the path to the garden.
Sardena was extremely secluded but often held banquets.
To see Alina, now in the capital, as frequently as possible after her marriage.
Even when Duke Moore was busy, Alina never missed a banquet.
Though the Duchess of Moore, she still carried herself as Lady Luzan. People gossiped about her, yet also respected her.
The closer they walked to the corridor, the nearer came the laughter of the adults, though the words were indistinct.
<Alina said she’d come today. I don’t like lowborn children causing mischief, but since she’s a duchess, she must be seen by her.>
I recalled clearly what my parents had said. They always sought ways to overturn the power structure.
In that sense, the Moore family, loyal to the emperor, was a strong ally. Their approval alone could sway public opinion.
‘Did they mention a daughter?’
I didn’t want to follow my parents’ advice. I hated approaching someone I didn’t like with a smile.
Moreover, being two years younger made it worse.
Damian surveyed the surroundings and stepped off the corridor onto the grass. Unlike the hard corridor floor, the lawn was soft.
‘The garden we visited before was really nice.’
He retraced his steps, walking forward thoughtfully.
