Chapter 30
Could it be sincere? A letter neither sent nor received.
Instead of answering, I alternated my gaze between Cecilia and Laura.
Either of them could have concocted such a transparent story.
Of course, Cecilia, who smiled cheekily while subtly avoiding my eyes and sipping her cold drink, seemed the more likely culprit.
“Maribel, since Venta has the day off tomorrow, she probably won’t come. If you want to study alone, wouldn’t it be fine to take a day off?”
In the meantime, kind Gabriella was taken aback, her eyebrows raised in surprise.
“Well…”
If my younger sister spoke so frankly, I was about to insist on attending the grand tea time hosted by the princess, but I quickly closed my mouth.
A much better plan than a surely boring tea time had just occurred to me.
I decided not to let this opportunity slip away.
“I was planning to ask Father for permission to briefly visit the estate alone tomorrow, even though there’s no class.”
“Alone, sister?”
“Yes. Of course, that is if Father is willing to provide a carriage.”
“Maribel. What do you mean by that? A grown duchess wandering around the estate alone?”
A hint of anger flashed across Mateo’s face.
It seemed an activity unbefitting of a duchess’s dignity.
I ignored it and spoke.
“I’d like to personally check and collect the fan I ordered, as well as some clothes. With the ball approaching, if I receive items I’m not satisfied with and have someone deliver them multiple times, it would take too long and be exhausting. Doing it myself seems better in every way.”
Cecilia narrowed her eyes, seemingly offended by my matter-of-fact answer.
“My goodness. The reason you said you were busy is far lighter than I expected, Lady Sephardi. I’m a little disappointed.”
“Of course, I apologize, Your Highness.”
Who should be disappointed here? Shouldn’t I, the one excluded from the invitation, feel wronged?
Still, I placed my hand on my chest, feigning regret.
“Honestly, it’s rather embarrassing to admit. I grew up only within my palacio, so I don’t know much about the Sephardi estate. That’s why I wanted to use the fan as an excuse to explore every corner of the estate. I’ve planned this for a long time, and I’m afraid of peacocks, so I don’t keep a single one in my palacio.”
I didn’t even know if there were peacocks in the duchy, but a little pretense would help them understand, I thought, and I let out a small breath and shrugged my shoulders.
“Naparo may always be one, but for a southern bumpkin like me, Sephardi is my first and glorious land. Especially since I was fortunate enough to leave my name there.”
Glorious? Honestly, if it weren’t for Gabi, I wouldn’t care about Sephardi at all.
Yet the words flowed smoothly, and my clasped hands might have looked rather tender.
“So I’d like to take some time to soak in the vastness of Sephardi while I still can. That’s all. So, Your Highness, could you kindly understand my rudeness with a generous heart?”
The Naparo Empire was one, but the five duchies had only recently been unified.
Each region’s people loved their own land with a passion akin to first love.
While others might see such provincial devotion as naive, no one viewed it negatively.
At least, that was my impression from reading the original works.
For me, having just arrived here, it was merely words spoken as they came to mind.
“Haha, if the young lady speaks like that, Cecilia, let her have her way. Don’t you love Bernau just as much?”
“I understand that feeling well, as I’m from Sephardi. I hope Cecilia can understand Maribel’s heart.”
Ah, I knew they’d help.
While I still had time.
The words I carefully emphasized implied that soon I might no longer have time—soon I might be married and leave this place.
Carlos and Gabriella, sensing this, quickly stepped forward to defend me.
“Then it’s unfortunate, but there’s no choice. I will set aside my disappointment.”
Cecilia murmured, her lips pressed together.
Cecilia’s reaction didn’t really matter, so I turned to Father with earnest, wide eyes.
“Father. I was going to speak to you privately later, but does that mean you’ll allow it?”
Mateo chewed his steak slowly, buying time.
After glancing at the crown prince, Gabriella, and Cecilia, he swallowed and slowly smiled.
“I didn’t realize your love for Sephardi is so profound. I’ll provide the carriage.”
That artificial smile. It nagged at me, but at least I got the carriage, so I thought my impromptu plan had worked fairly well.
Emboldened, I quickly made one more request.
“If you could also provide the seal of glorious Sephardi, it would make my trip much easier.”
“A seal? What are you talking about?”
“…Yes?”
“You don’t need a seal. You’re not wandering completely alone. And if you lost it, someone else could pretend to be Sephardi—what would you do then?”
Father’s words deflated my excitement, and he cleared his throat and glanced at Pedro.
Before I could stop him, Pedro grinned and spoke.
“Lady Sephardi, your noble love for your homeland is truly beautiful. If you need an escort, I would gladly serve.”
“…But hasn’t Prince Eskia already promised to attend Princess Cecilia’s tea time?”
Don’t come, you lunatic.
My goal was to move alone as much as possible.
Having barely secured a chance to leave the palacio with matters piling up, Pedro was the last person I needed.
But Pedro persisted, as if nothing were wrong.
“I trust Your Highness will understand generously. Isn’t that right, Your Highness?”
“Well… if Prince Eskia truly wishes it,” Cecilia replied, indifferent, poking at her honey-coated peas with a fork.
Her gaze wasn’t on Pedro but on Arius, who observed the situation impassively.
I was the only one anxious about this unnecessary hindrance.
“Prince Eskia, I know that promises with the royal family are of utmost importance. Especially for a duchess like me.”
“No, Lady Sephardi. Princess Cecilia said it’s fine.”
“Prince Eskia, you haven’t forgotten the Cantevia Accord, have you? You can’t break such a sacred promise just to escort me.”
The Cantevia Accord was established when Bernau’s victory unified the five duchies into one empire.
In short, the members of Romero, Eskia, Puerto, and Sephardi must always honor their promises to the royal family under Bernau’s rule.
The only way to stop a war was submission.
In exchange for perfect obedience, Bernau allowed each duchy considerable independence.
Though it was one empire, entering a duchy still required passing a checkpoint.
That was why the residences of dukes were still called palacios.
How could anyone trample on the Cantevia Accord like that?
I remembered the same angry cries from the crowd during Arius’s execution, and later, when Pedro and I faced execution.
“Well, that may be….”
Pedro muttered.
Bringing up that sacred accord over a tea-time promise left everyone dumbfounded.
“Lady Sephardi is right. Though strict, the Cantevia Accord must always take priority.”
The one who spoke up was the usually quiet Prince Marco of Puerto.
I nodded several times, as if I’d been waiting for him.
“I can go alone if Father provides the seal. I’m confident I won’t lose it. And if needed, I’ll bring a servant.”
“That cannot be allowed.”
What now?
Just when things seemed to go well, Arius blocked my plan.
“It’s true that Sephardi is well managed, but it’s not a place for a young lady to wander alone.”
“But…”
“You know that better than anyone, don’t you?”
His gaze on me was resolute.
