~CHAPTER 43~
Dianu couldn’t sleep.
She dragged her hands through her hair and crawled out of bed.
It was well past midnight.
She slipped her feet into soft slippers and pulled a robe over her nightgown.
Even after drinking a glass of water and opening the window to let in some air, she still couldn’t calm down.
Dianu paced around the bedroom for a long time before finally opening the door and stepping outside.
The maids of Oak Palace took turns standing night watch every evening.
Tonight, the one assigned to Dianu’s sitting room was Cora.
She had been dozing off, but when Dianu opened the door, she jolted up in surprise.
“Lady Dianu? Do you need anything?”
Dianu motioned for Cora, who was hurriedly lighting the lamps in the sitting room, to sit back down.
“I couldn’t sleep, so I came out for a bit. Will you keep me company?”
Cora carefully sat across from Dianu, who had curled up in her seat.
If it had been daytime, and if anyone else had been around, this never would have happened.
“Why are you on night duty?”
Cora was one of the senior maids of Oak Palace, with many years of experience.
Usually the younger, less experienced maids took the night watch that everyone disliked.
“Because tomorrow… no, today is Saint Lusanna’s feast day. The head maid said that if we take night duty, we can spend the whole day out.”
She smiled shyly, and something about that smile made it clear there was more to this “outing” than she was saying.
Dianu grinned in teasing amusement.
“Don’t tell me, a date?”
Cora’s face flushed bright red.
“So it is a date! Who’s the lucky man?”
“…He’s just an ordinary person. He works at a small shop repairing clocks, and he’s two years older than me…”
Once her mouth opened, it seemed there was plenty she wanted to say.
Cora explained that talks of marriage had already been exchanged between his family and her parents, and that they might get engaged before the end of the year.
Dianu was genuinely happy for her.
Cora looked truly happy.
“Congratulations. That’s wonderful.”
“Thank you. It’ll still be a few years before we can marry, but I’m glad I found someone good while it’s not too late.”
“Hm? Why wait a few years?”
A troubled smile crossed Cora’s face.
Dianu realized her mistake too late, though Cora kindly explained first.
“Because we need to save money for the wedding.”
“Right, of course.”
Her face felt hot with embarrassment.
Dianu might have been speaking to her warmly, but she was still a noblewoman, and Cora wasn’t.
Cora could not possibly inherit enough money to marry and set up her own household right away.
“He’s training under another master craftsman now, but after we’re married, we’ll save up and open our own shop. He’ll make clocks, and I’ll make hats and ribbons to sell.”
Her face was full of pure hope as she said it.
That hope was contagious, and Dianu found herself smiling brightly, forgetting the sadness she’d carried through the night.
“When you open the shop, make sure you invite me.”
“You’ll come?”
“Of course. With your skill, I’m sure you’ll be setting trends in the capital.”
And now Dianu had more than enough money to spend on hats and ribbons.
She watched Cora clap her hands like an excited child, then suddenly asked on impulse:
“Do you like him?”
Cora looked a little startled, but she didn’t hesitate to answer.
“Yes. I like him.”
“What do you like about him?”
“Well… he’s hardworking, and even when things get tough, he never complains. He’s also very good with my younger siblings.”
“I see.”
“And I told him only once that I liked violets, but he remembered it even a month later.”
“…”
“That’s when I thought… he’s the one.”
Dianu listened to Cora with a faint smile, then pressed her forehead to her knees.
Cora hurried closer in worry.
“Lady Dianu? What’s wrong?”
“I’m fine. I just feel a little drained.”
The tight ache filling her chest was envy.
If Cora could have seen into her thoughts, she would have been shocked or even angry.
Dianu had never done difficult or dirty work in her life, and she never would.
Even the poorest and most modest noble lived on a level entirely different from someone like Cora, who had to earn her own bread and firewood her whole life.
Even so, Dianu envied her.
Cora loved someone suitable for her, and she would surely have a happy ending that suited her life.
Months ago, when Cora had blushed over Sir Marek Loisen, Dianu had clicked her tongue.
She worried that this naive maid would long for a man far above her reach and end up hurt.
What an arrogant, thoughtless assumption.
The most naive person, the one unaware of her place, had been Dianu herself.
“Wait a moment.”
Leaving the confused Cora behind, Dianu returned to her bedroom.
She came back holding a small pouch with several silver coins inside.
Before Cora could protest, Dianu waved her hand dismissively.
“You’ll need money for the festival. You’d feel bad using your wages, so take this.”
“But, Lady Dianu—”
“Think of it as an early engagement gift.”
It wasn’t certain Dianu would even remain at Oak Palace until Cora’s engagement.
After some hesitation, Cora finally tucked the pouch into her apron, realizing Dianu wouldn’t back down.
“Thank you. I’ll pray to Saint Lusanna for your happiness, my lady.”
Dianu gave a wry smile.
Even Saint Lusanna would have trouble granting that wish for a while.
* * *
Dianu finally fell asleep at dawn and didn’t wake until long past noon.
Elpenlira and the maids, dressed entirely in white as tradition required, had already departed by carriage for the Grand Cathedral to prepare for the evening performance.
Only Dianu headed to the Erbinjel Grand Duke’s residence.
She was going to meet Lord Valich.
Ever since Dianu reluctantly agreed to meet him, everything had moved quickly.
Grand Duchess Erbinjel was an excellent matchmaker.
She arranged for Dianu and Lord Valich to have their first meeting in the residence’s sitting room on Saint Lusanna’s feast day, then watch the cathedral performance together afterward.
‘This is insane. What am I supposed to do?’
Even as she had her measurements taken in the dressmaker’s shop a week before, dragged there by the Grand Duchess herself, Dianu had thought the same thing.
She’d been so overwhelmed that even though she had a new dress, hat, gloves, handbag, and parasol made for the occasion, she hadn’t felt a shred of excitement.
The only thing she chose herself was the new ribbon.
She didn’t want to meet another man while wearing the ribbon Rision had given her.
And so the feast day arrived before she knew it, and Dianu, dressed up like a doll, was delivered to the grand residence.
“I am Ganid Valich. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lady Ortensa.”
Lord Valich bowed politely and kissed her right hand.
He didn’t look much different from the man in the sketch Dianu had been given.
His slightly tanned skin gave him a rugged charm, fitting for a naval officer.
Yet his manner was calm, and his speech elegant, like any Catalos nobleman.
He sat across from her and looked at her for a moment without speaking.
When Dianu frowned in confusion, he quickly lowered his gaze in embarrassment.
“My apologies. Ever since the Founding Day banquet, I’ve wished to see you just one more time, Lady Ortensa. Now that my wish has come true, I can hardly believe my luck.”
It didn’t feel like flattery meant to charm a woman.
His face and stiff posture were full of nervousness.
‘He’s sincere.’
The heaviness already on her heart grew heavier.
Unable to endure the guilt, Dianu fidgeted with her fingers and stole a glance at Grand Duchess Erbinjel, sitting far away.
She’d volunteered to play chaperone and sat at a distance where she couldn’t overhear the conversation, working on embroidery.
But she still seemed aware of the mood, because when Dianu looked at her, she offered an encouraging smile.
Dianu took a shaky breath.
She had no courage, but staying silent now would be the same as lying.
She didn’t want to do that to a man who felt genuinely kindly toward her.
“Um… Lord Valich.”
He straightened up at the sound of her voice.
The hopefulness in his face only made her guilt grow.
“Thank you for showing me such undeserved affection. Even in this short time, I can tell you’re a wonderful gentleman. But…”
His face, bright with anticipation, fell at once.
Still, Dianu pushed through, biting her lip.
“I cannot marry right now. Not any gentleman, not just you. This meeting shouldn’t have been arranged at all, but circumstances… I’m very sorry.”
“…”
“Her Highness the Grand Duchess wished for me to meet you, and I wasn’t in a position to refuse. Because of my personal circumstances, I’ve been terribly rude. I’m sorry.”
Lord Valich remained silent for a long time.
Dianu thought he might stand up and walk out, and she wouldn’t blame him.
He was a gentleman; once he calmed down, she hoped he might understand her situation.
But when he finally spoke, his words were nothing like what she expected.
“I will be leaving the capital this winter. I’ve been assigned to the southern seas, so I won’t return for at least a year.”
The main duty of the Catalos Navy was to guard the southern trade routes.
For an officer like him, long absences from the capital were normal.
“Lady Ortensa. Will you give me at least one good memory today? If I have that, I think I can endure the coming year without hardship.”
“…”
“And when I return a year from now, if there is still no one at your side… please remember me once. Think of it as how you can settle the discourtesy you believe you’ve shown me.”
He added that last part for her sake.
By framing it as a trade instead of a request, he tried to ease her guilt.
‘He’s such a good man.’
Dianu felt miserable.
What if she had met him at another time, in another situation?
What if she’d met Ganid Valich before giving her entire heart to Rision Catalos?
Maybe she could have had a happy ending like Cora and her clock-repairing sweetheart.
But all of that was meaningless now.
“I accept.”
In the end, Dianu took Lord Valich’s hand.
