“Becky, go to the mansion first. Things are still chaotic, and we’re short-handed, so we’ll need your help, too.”
“Understood, my lady.”
She had hired a gardener, but the screening process for the other servants was still underway. After sending Becky out of the palace first, Rachel boarded the royal carriage for guests that had been waiting for her and headed to the Hall of Glory, where today’s title-granting ceremony would take place.
As befitting a place that was only opened for special occasions, the Hall of Glory consisted of a vast outdoor hall with a towering platform and staircase, surrounded by gardens.
When she arrived nearby, Viscount Lubil from the Imperial Household Department came out to greet her.
“Welcome, Lady Ingrave.”
“Hello, Viscount.”
The viscount led Rachel to the waiting area beside the hall.
“Please wait here until you receive the signal to come out.”
“Thank you.”
When Rachel entered the area, which was enclosed by pillars and curtains, she saw the other main figures of the day.
One was Duke Nathan Valencia.
The others were Count Bovalt, the commander of the Imperial Guard, and Duke Cardier, the Minister of Military Affairs.
“Hello.”
“Welcome, Lady Ingrave.”
“Good day.”
Duke Cardier and the commander of the Imperial Guard greeted her aloud. And then there was the last person.
“……”
“……”
After their eyes met briefly, Nathan Valencia quietly turned his head away. He looked as though the urgency he had shown that day had never happened.
Rachel paused for a moment.
Then she spoke to him first.
“Hello, Duke.”
“……!”
The man flinched and turned toward her in surprise. His wide-open red eyes were filled with confusion and bewilderment.
Nathan Valencia’s lips moved several times before he finally managed to speak.
“……Yes, my lady.”
It was an unbearably awkward greeting.
She began to wonder if he hadn’t come because he was worried about her after all.
Then Rachel naturally stepped beside him and spoke again.
“When do you plan to withdraw the marriage proposal?”
The marriage proposal should have been called off a long time ago. Of course, with the emperor courting her and Nathan having declared that he had no intention of continuing the proposal, it hadn’t become a major topic of discussion.
Still, the matter was quietly being discussed in high society and within the palace, and it bothered her.
The man quickly composed his expression and answered in his usual blunt tone.
“When your safety is confirmed.”
“When will that be?”
“Soon. So wait.”
“…….”
At least his response was the same as always. He still seemed determined to help her as much as he wanted, entirely on his own terms.
In a way, that was reassuring. If he still felt this indebted to her despite keeping his distance—
He might agree to her request to hide from the emperor.
Of course, she needed to apologize first.
“First, I’m sorry for being rude to you before. I shouldn’t have said that to your face. I’m truly sorry, Duke.”
“……!”
As he watched her bow her head slightly, the man’s fingers twitched.
“What are you talking about? Why would you apologize to me, my lady?”
“When you asked me to explain my gaze at the ducal residence, I think I revealed feelings I shouldn’t have dared to show. Even if I needed to explain myself, I shouldn’t have done it that way. I’m sorry.”
“…….”
By now, the commander of the Imperial Guard and the Minister of Military Affairs had long since fallen silent.
This wasn’t exactly an ideal place for such a conversation.
But unless she used a situation that forced them together like this, it would be nearly impossible to get a proper response from this man, who subtly avoided her.
“……You have nothing to apologize for, my lady. I was also at fault for questioning you, and—”
“Still, will you accept my apology?”
“…….”
The man gazed down at her for a moment, then slowly nodded.
“All right.”
“Thank you.”
At least they had managed to mend things somehow. The problem was asking him for help with the emperor.
“…….”
Rachel looked at him for a moment. Just as she decided to be satisfied with this much for now and stepped back—
“Is there anything else you need from me?”
“Pardon?”
“You may not know this, my lady, but I still owe you a great deal. I’ve decided to repay you on my own terms, but I don’t think there’s anything wrong with granting you something you want, either.”
“…….”
In her dazed vision, she saw the man’s red eyes quietly gazing at her.
Calm.
And somehow, almost warm.
“So take this opportunity to think about it. I’ll grant you anything.”
After finishing his words, he strode forward. At the same time, the curtain at the entrance was lifted.
“You may prepare yourselves now.”
“Ahem.”
“…….”
Duke Cardier and the commander of the Imperial Guard followed him out of the waiting room. As Rachel left last, she looked at Nathan Valencia’s back.
Then, on impulse, she spoke.
“The other day, when you suddenly came to my carriage. Was it because you were worried I might have been hurt?”
“…….”
After pausing briefly, the man gave a casual nod.
“Of course. I wouldn’t want my benefactor to get hurt before I’ve repaid my debt.”
‘You said this was exactly the kind of thing you were most wary of.’
She barely managed to swallow the words that had risen to the tip of her tongue. Rachel remembered what Nathan Valencia had said in the carriage on the way to the execution grounds.
—If I hadn’t known, I would have continued being swayed by you until I eventually gave in. Someday, when you asked me for something, I would have nodded without a second thought.
He had said that.
—So take this opportunity to think about it. I’ll grant you anything.
Rachel realized something. That man really had let go of all his suspicions.
And because he now regarded her wholeheartedly as his benefactor,
Even after hearing such rude words directly from her, he was still treating her with extraordinary leniency because he was thinking about the debt he owed her.
……It was a truly strange feeling. Could changing just one thing, the fake heir incident, really change their relationship this much?
More than anything, Nathan Valencia seemed far too lenient toward her. Given how tangled things had become, he would have been justified in holding a grudge against her.
Though he could be stubborn and act on his own terms, he was someone who ultimately couldn’t bring himself to turn away from her, no matter the circumstances.
‘Even though you were so cruel before I regressed.’
Strangely, she felt a knot twisting inside her.
Before her Regression.
Or during the Great War.
Or even before her confinement.
If he had treated her this gently back then. If only he had—
“…….”
……It was a pointless thought.
Rachel had already regressed. It had taken being driven all the way to confinement for her to do so.
……She wasn’t sure whether it was something to be grateful for, but thanks to it, she had been given the chance to start her life anew.
Of course, she was still entangled with Nathan Valencia.
And, unexpectedly, the emperor was courting her. Even so, she was guaranteed a life of comfort and wealth.
‘This time, I’ll live well.’
She would live a peaceful life as a noblewoman, wealthy and free of trouble to the point of boredom.
She would live the life she had always taken for granted. The first step was the title she would receive today.
With her expression firm, she followed the viscount’s guidance and stood at the entrance to the Hall of Glory. When she raised her eyes, she saw nobles lined up throughout the vast hall.
The King of Borza stood on the staircase below the imperial throne.
At the very top, the emperor stood like the sun, wearing his imperial crown and holding his scepter.
“Let the four of you enter.”
A deep, commanding voice rang across the hall. As Rachel stepped inside under the discreet guidance, she felt a gaze fall on her neck.
The violet eyes that had briefly settled on her as if checking something
Soon passed over her eyes and fell away, seeming a little more subdued than before. Perhaps even the emperor’s patience was gradually wearing thin.
“…….”
Rachel discreetly looked around. Even among the countless nobles, it wasn’t difficult to spot the pink hair that stood out.
Aisha Labelyn was dressed magnificently today.
She wore a dress like a flower in full bloom, along with a white fur cloak. Small fresh flowers were pinned into the hair cascading over one shoulder. Even her makeup blended perfectly with the rest of her appearance, making her look as lovely as a garden in early spring.
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