~CHAPTER 42~
Ah, Solenin!
‘You womanizer!’
May thorns rise wherever your feet step!
May everything your tongue tastes turn to ash!
May every woman whose hand you hold turn into a statue of salt!
‘You womanizing Majesty!’
May your future without me be filled only with sorrow and dark clouds!
‘Take back every word about being a gentleman!’
Whether her master gnashed her teeth or not, Dianu’s fingers finished the performance with practiced ease.
As always, Elpenlira lifted the hem of her dress and returned the audience’s standing ovation.
Today’s audience was only one person.
Unfortunately, the one person honored to watch the Imperial Princess’s performance in the music room of Oak Palace was the very one Dianu least wanted to see.
“Your skill has improved again, Lady Elpenlira.”
Adelaisa Bellua approached the stage and offered the compliment.
“And Miss Dianu’s pianoforte was wonderful as well. It’s a shame you won’t be performing on the Grand Cathedral’s stage.”
Her expression and voice overflowed with sincere admiration and goodwill.
Seeing her standing beside Rision made Dianu feel ashamed of the ugly emotions she had harbored.
Dianu accepted Adelaisa’s offered hand and forced a tired smile.
“Thank you. Do you enjoy music, Lady Adelaisa?”
“Only listening. I don’t have the stamina to practice for long.”
“Ah…”
Her slender body and pale face made her illness obvious at a glance.
Singing or playing any instrument required considerable strength.
It was Elpenlira who saved Dianu from not knowing how to respond.
“Adelaisa’s true talent is embroidery. Her piece was the highest bid at last year’s Saint Lusanna Feast auction. It was a Saint Lusanna about this big, and it was so beautiful the High Priest blessed it on the spot.”
Elpenlira spread her arms to show the size of the cloth.
Dianu genuinely admired it.
She herself had no talent for handiwork, barely able to stitch initials on her belongings.
Adelaisa waved her hands shyly.
“Someone who lies in bed all day can only manage embroidery. And that piece didn’t sell. His Majesty bought it so I wouldn’t be sad…”
Dianu had to react with exaggerated awe.
Otherwise she felt she might burst into tears.
‘So they really are like that…?’
After all, unless they were truly involved, why would an unmarried man and woman meet alone in such a secluded place without a chaperone?
But if he already had someone in his heart, then what were all the things Rision had shown Dianu until now?
Why had he been so kind, so gentle… almost as if he cherished her…
‘Was he just playing with me…?’
Like Solenin played with Enita?
No.
Even blinded by jealousy, Dianu knew Rision Catalos was not that kind of man.
Whatever had been between them, it had been real.
Maybe that was why it hurt so much.
Even if they had shared genuine feelings, they could never acknowledge them or dream of a future together.
“Miss Dianu. May I speak with you for a moment?”
As she was mechanically sorting sheet music, Adelaisa approached and whispered.
There was nothing she wanted less than a private conversation with Adelaisa, but she had no excuse to refuse.
Dianu forced a smile and nodded.
* * *
Because Adelaisa wanted a place with no listening ears, Dianu invited her to her parlor.
Only after sending even Kora away did Adelaisa finally speak.
“I heard something serious happened at Spruce Palace. Are you well now?”
Dianu kept her answer brief.
The incident where she blocked the attacker and was stabbed had been officially labeled the act of a madman.
But Adelaisa was the daughter of Duke Bellua.
She might know the truth.
After setting down her teacup, Adelaisa spoke in a calm voice.
“I would like to be friends with you, Miss Dianu.”
“Pardon?”
“You probably already know… My father is not exactly the most loyal servant of His Majesty.”
She wasn’t openly calling him disloyal, but for the daughter of Duke Bellua, it was a remarkably bold statement.
Seeing Dianu’s widened eyes, Adelaisa gave a bitter smile.
“His Majesty is a great ruler. I believe his ascension to the throne was a blessing from God upon Catalos.”
Dianu agreed.
Rision Catalos was capable and wise, and above all, he genuinely cared for Catalos and its people.
Someone with such qualities becoming Emperor safely was like rolling dice five times and getting the exact face you wanted every time.
“I’ve watched His Majesty since I was very young. Even then, he was always the same.”
A faint smile touched Adelaisa’s lips as she recalled her memories.
“When I was seven, the children of the palace went on a picnic. Everyone was running around, but I just sat on the mat. I was weak even back then.”
If she was seven, Rision would have been thirteen.
An age when a boy would want to sword-fight with friends, not babysit a sick child.
But Dianu already knew how he must have behaved.
“His Majesty stayed beside me the whole time and made flower crowns with me.”
Adelaisa laughed soundlessly.
“His hands were clumsy even then. The crown he made wasn’t wearable at all.”
Dianu could picture the scene too easily.
Loving such a person must have felt like something predetermined.
She couldn’t blame Adelaisa.
Her own feelings for him had felt just as inevitable.
Except that Adelaisa Bellua was someone worthy of loving the Emperor.
“Miss Dianu. I may be my father’s daughter, but apart from that, I wish for His Majesty to achieve everything he desires. They are rights he was born to possess and has proven throughout his life.”
Dianu suddenly felt something wrong.
Adelaisa sounded less like a woman in love and more like a knight pledging loyalty to her lord.
‘Come to think of it… has Lady Adelaisa ever shown romantic interest in His Majesty?’
Everything Dianu knew about her being a strong Empress candidate came from other people’s mouths.
Neither Adelaisa nor Rision had ever implied anything of the sort.
They were close, yes.
And meeting alone in the Empress Palace had been suspicious.
But for two people supposedly in love, they were oddly… plain with each other.
‘Have I been terribly mistaken…?’
Perhaps they only seemed that way because they were proper and polite.
Maybe the way they treated each other was actually more like… Rision and Sir Roysen.
Maybe Adelaisa Bellua’s “love” was something entirely different from what Dianu had imagined.
Adelaisa’s glass-like eyes met Dianu’s directly.
Feeling as if her thoughts were exposed, Dianu flinched.
“His Majesty cares for you, Miss Dianu.”
The conversation was drifting into a strange direction.
Dianu couldn’t hide her confusion.
“As His Majesty’s servant, and as someone who wishes to be your friend, I want to offer you advice.”
“L-Lady Adelaisa… what are you talking about…?”
“Always be careful about your safety.”
Before Dianu could ask what she meant, Adelaisa stood up.
“And please forgive me for being unable to do more.”
“What?”
“I will pray for you, Miss Dianu.”
Before Dianu could stop her, Adelaisa bowed and left the parlor.
Left alone, Dianu stared blankly at the cooling teacup.
‘Be careful about my safety?’
The daughter of Duke Bellua warning her about safety while speaking of loyalty to the Emperor…
‘No… It can’t be.’
Impossible.
A giant like Duke Bellua wouldn’t target someone as insignificant as Dianu Ortensa.
Dianu forced away the anxious thoughts.
* * *
Grand Duchess Erbinjel Ellaris visited Oak Palace only a few days after Dianu declined her proposal.
She brought Erin along, who bounced excitedly beside her.
“Teacher! Are you getting married?”
The moment Erin ran into her arms and said that, Dianu realized the Grand Duchess had brought her son as backup.
“It’s not difficult to meet him at least once, is it?”
She removed her hat and got straight to the point.
Dianu pushed a plate of cookies toward Erin with an awkward smile.
“Meeting him when I don’t intend to marry would be rude to the gentleman…”
The Grand Duchess couldn’t hide her frustration.
“Are you hesitating because of your family?”
The real problem was that Dianu had realized her feelings for Rision at the same moment she was heartbroken, leaving her with no desire to meet any other man.
But she couldn’t say that, so she nodded politely.
Of course, the Grand Duchess was not convinced.
“The two elder sons of Sir Vallich have already married ladies of excellent families. For a count’s family, the third son’s marriage is not that important.”
“…”
“Is it the dowry? If so, I can help with that as much as needed.”
When Dianu didn’t respond, the Grand Duchess sighed deeply and leaned back.
“I thought you were a practical young woman. I don’t understand why you are being so stubborn.”
Dianu lowered her head.
She felt ashamed.
Nothing the Grand Duchess said was wrong.
It was an offer far too generous for someone like her.
If not for the Grand Duchess’s goodwill, even with the money Rision had entrusted to her, she would never have dared consider marriage to a count’s third son.
The Grand Duchess extended a hand.
Dianu silently took it.
“All else being equal, a married woman lives better than an unmarried one in Catalos. That’s reality whether we like it or not.”
Dianu knew that.
She had chosen an unmarried life only because she had no other option then.
If she had been able to study and still keep her dowry, she would have chosen a decent man and married too.
So why didn’t she want it now, when the opportunity was given again?
“Miss Dianu. Let me ask just in case…”
The Grand Duchess narrowed her eyes.
Even Erin, quietly chewing cookies, turned toward her.
“Do you… already have someone else in your heart?”
Facing the sharp gaze of a hawk, Dianu thought:
‘She knows.’
It was instinct.
Her nape tingled coldly.
The Grand Duchess was her employer and patron.
Since Dianu entered the palace, the Grand Duchess had treated her less like a tutor and more like a cherished young relative.
But Ellaris Erbinjel was a royal and the Emperor’s aunt.
The noblewoman closest to the position of imperial mother in all Catalos.
Such a person trusted Dianu enough to entrust her with royal matters.
And now Dianu, who had been entrusted with…
