Chapter 43
It’s not like she meant the two of us should hold hands and happily skip into the ballroom together.
“Are you asking me to have Baratheon or Sische escort you to the party, Miss Kana?”
“Yes. Given my current… circumstances, I can’t exactly attend with anyone from my family.”
‘That’s understandable.’
Unmarried women without lovers usually attended parties with a family member or relative as their escort.
But after the kidnapping incident, Kana’s family—the Baron Osett household—had completely fallen apart.
It was because the Grand Duke had expelled them from the Senate.
That act clearly declared that he would no longer recognize the name Osett as part of the Aschinov lineage.
Aside from being distant relatives of the Aschinovs, the Osett family had nothing to their name.
Now that they’d been cast out of the family, their downfall was practically guaranteed.
To make matters worse, Baron Osett fell ill while being interrogated in the dungeon of their winter estate.
He’d returned home for treatment, but they couldn’t even identify the cause of his illness—his life was said to be hanging by a thread.
And since all that misfortune had started with Kana’s betrayal, she was, in her family’s eyes, an irredeemable traitor.
‘Of course, it’s thanks to that very “betrayal” that she’s now staying here in the Dawn Estate.’
After all, it was Kana who had risked everything—even her family—to report that I had been kidnapped.
I probably would have managed to escape on my own, but her resolve was an entirely different matter.
It meant that I owed Kana Osett a debt.
Perhaps it was because of that debt that the Grand Duke had agreed to take her in and protect her.
‘She must know that—and that’s why she’s here asking me for help.’
But just because I owed her didn’t mean I could repay that debt by throwing someone else under the carriage.
‘Besides, it’s not like Baratheon or Sische are the kind of people who’d agree to it just because I asked.’
“In that case, wouldn’t it be better to ask them directly yourself?” I suggested.
“But… both of them really dislike me…” Kana’s voice trailed off as she lowered her head.
“If I don’t have a partner, I can’t attend the party at all. I truly don’t know who to ask… I thought someone as considerate as you might help me.”
Her pitiful look might have melted a naive young girl’s heart—but unfortunately for her…
‘This “young girl” happens to be much more cunning than you, dear.’
I smiled sweetly and, just like the day she’d lured me out to that auction, took her hand.
“Miss Kana, what’s the point of going to a party with someone who doesn’t even like you? It should be someone who does! A young lady deserves at least that much.”
“Well, I suppose, but…”
“So the problem is just that you don’t have a partner, right? Don’t worry! I’ll find you a perfect escort who’ll look only at you. You can count on me.”
“That’s not really what I—”
“No need to refuse! I owe you for helping me during the kidnapping, remember? Consider this my repayment.”
As I smiled brightly, Kana’s lips trembled slightly.
“No, it’s all right. On second thought, I think I’ll just ask them myself.”
“Really? Are you sure about that?”
“Yes, truly. You needn’t trouble yourself, my lady.”
“If you say so…”
I released her hand and offered a polite farewell.
“Then that’s settled. Goodbye, Miss Kana.”
And please—no more strange requests from now on!
✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦
Maybe it was because I’d been so busy preparing to go out since morning, but by sunset, sleepiness crept in and my body grew sluggish.
Fortunately, today wasn’t one of Sische’s dance lesson days, so I figured I might as well take a nap.
But then Sische burst into my room, looking unusually agitated.
“Hey! Is it true the princess laughed at your outfit?”
No, she didn’t go that far.
Apparently, the story had grown quite exaggerated by the time it passed through Marina’s mouth.
“She didn’t laugh. She just frowned when she saw me—like this.”
I mimicked the expression Iella had made when we crossed paths, scrunching my brows.
Sische immediately did the same. “That’s a laugh.”
“She laughed?”
“Obviously.”
He snorted in irritation and began circling me with his arms crossed.
“This is all because you look so plain. My fashion sense has never once been criticized.”
“Plain? I think I look decent enough!” I protested, spreading my arms wide.
If he’d called me plain before I came to the winter estate, I might have agreed.
Back then, I definitely looked rough.
But now?
Now I was clean, well-fed, and properly dressed every day.
Anyone who had seen the old me would be speechless to see me now.
But Sische still looked dissatisfied.
“You’re still too small to be thirteen. You’ve gained a little weight, sure, but you’re still skinny.”
That was true.
The girls I’d met at the tea party were all taller and fuller than me—probably because they’d grown up pampered and well-fed.
Even Princess Iella, who was on the smaller side, was taller than I was.
“But still, that’s a huge improvement.”
“Then keep improving. Until I can’t just pick you up like this anymore, got it?”
Before I could respond, Sische scooped me up effortlessly, so our eyes were level.
“How am I supposed to ‘improve’ exactly—ah!”
I puffed out my cheeks in protest, then suddenly remembered something.
“Sische.”
“What?”
“As your Grand Duchess-in-training, I’m issuing you an order.”
“An order?”
I lifted my chin solemnly and spoke in an overly serious tone. Sische couldn’t help but laugh.
“All right then, Your Little Grace. What’s your command?”
“I need the mage associations to receive samples of Melovin. I think you’re the best person for the task.”
Melovin was an item related to magic.
Given Sische’s close ties to mages, it made perfect sense for him to handle it.
“Ah, Melovin.”
Realizing this was a serious topic, Sische stopped smiling and gently set me down.
I took out four small pouches from a drawer—each filled with Melovin samples—and handed them to him.
“It’ll be easier to negotiate if they can see a sample first.”
Melovin was believed to have gone extinct ages ago.
So they’d need time to confirm that this really was the legendary Melovin they knew of.
A simple experiment or two should be enough to prove it.
‘After that, all we have to do is wait for the mage associations to contact us. Patience is key!’
Sische examined the samples silently, then tucked them into his coat pocket and tilted his head.
“I’ve got a question.”
“Yes?”
“Are all thirteen-year-olds like you?”
“…What?”
“In my experience, thirteen-year-olds are usually way dumber than this.”
“Isn’t that a strange thing to say coming from someone who was already a sage at that age…?”
He turned away, looking a bit awkward for once.
“Anyway, I’m just saying—you’re not an ordinary thirteen-year-old.”
Well, that much was obvious.
‘A thirteen-year-old with memories from a past life? Definitely not normal.’
Even in my previous life, I hadn’t exactly been a normal thirteen-year-old.
Back then, I’d already been wandering the Misty Mountains, hunting giant beasts.
I hadn’t realized it then, but that was far from ordinary.
‘What even is a normal thirteen-year-old?’
Maybe Princess Iella was the perfect example—her expressions changed at every word spoken to her.
I was lost in thought about her when Sische’s next question brought me back.
“So all I have to do is deliver this, right?”
“Yes, for now.”
No need to add anything more.
Sometimes, silence worked better—it made the other side even more curious.
‘They must be dying to know more.’
It was a strategy: use the imbalance of information to gain the upper hand and steer things where I wanted.
“But still, is it really okay to use the famous Ice Prince as a delivery boy?”
“Wasn’t teasing Baratheon all day enough for you?”
He flicked my forehead lightly, narrowing his eyes.
“Aw, come on, that was funny!”
“If I reacted more, you’d just keep doing it. That’s why Baratheon’s hopeless.”
“Because he always gives the best reactions.”
“If he heard you say that, he’d be throwing a fit right now—‘Are you making fun of me?!’”
“Oh, but that’s the fun part! He never gets it!”
Just picturing Baratheon flailing around, shouting ‘What do you mean I don’t get it?!’ made me burst out laughing.
Watching me laugh, Sische asked, “So that’s the end of your orders as Grand Duchess?”
“Uh, yes. Why?”
The ominous tone made me trail off.
Sische grinned and placed a hand on my shoulder.
“Then it’s time for you, as my little sister, to follow your brother’s command.”
“…What?”
“I can’t stand to see our family’s little fool being treated like that outside.”
