Chapter 97

“…So this is what you look like when you’re asleep.”

Neat eyes, a straight nose, full lips, and a jawline that looked like it had been carefully carved by a sculptor.

His build was tall and broad shouldered in a very masculine way, but looking closely from up here, his face was surprisingly refined and even pretty.

Sleeping defenseless like this, he looked gentle. Almost like some sheltered young noble who didn’t know much about the world.

“It’d be nice if you were like this all the time…”

Edwin was always kind to me. His manners were flawless.

But sometimes, for reasons I couldn’t quite explain, there was a faint sense of distance.

Like he gave me everything, then suddenly drew a line. As if he was afraid of getting too close.

But right now, he seemed completely unguarded. Soft, relaxed. It felt strangely new.

“Aren’t you going to wake up?”

He was sleeping far too deeply to justify waking him.

I tried pulling my hand away, but our fingers were tightly intertwined. Not for any dramatic reason. They just wouldn’t separate.

I wriggled around and settled back down, trying to find a comfortable position.

I’d only meant to lie there for a moment.

But the blanket was warm, and his steady breathing sounded right beside me. My eyelids quickly grew heavy again.

‘I’ll just close my eyes for a second.’

It was a thought doomed to fail.

A little while later—

Edwin, who had opened his eyes peacefully without the usual nightmare for once, found Elicia sleeping soundly against his chest.

It was already late in the morning, the sun high in the sky. That alone surprised him.

But what shocked him more was that, no matter how light she was, he hadn’t even noticed Eli curling into his arms.

Just how relaxed had he been.

Unable to move, he fiddled uselessly with the tips of her fingers, then eventually lay back down like a man who’d lost all his strength.

The way his face turned red like a ripe tomato shall remain a secret known to no one.

* * *

The clocks of the court never stopped moving.

I was currently inside the imperial palace chapel.

Not because I was especially devout and couldn’t skip prayers during the festival season.

Today was the important feast day commemorating the birth of the Holy Mother.

That was why the empress had gathered the noblewomen here.

She was presiding over a ceremony where flowers, silk, pearls, and other offerings would be presented before the statue of the Holy Mother while praying for the empire’s peace.

I overheard two noblewomen passing by.

“It seems Her Majesty put quite a bit of effort into this offering ceremony.”

“Well, there’s no better opportunity to strengthen her position than an event like this.”

I thought about the empress’s background.

She was Vittorio the Fourth’s second wife, a foreign princess. Her base of support within the empire was weak.

On top of that, the first empress’s two children were already grown. The chances of the young prince she bore inheriting the throne were slim.

Events like this were one of the few ways she could build influence among the nobles.

I lifted the corners of my lips slightly as I approached the seat of honor.

“Your Majesty, it’s been a while.”

“Elicia?”

The empress, Mariana, widened her eyes in surprise when she saw me.

She was the youngest sister of the King of Marcen from the south. That made her my younger aunt.

“You attending something like this? The sun must be rising in the west tomorrow.”

“I’m married now. I can’t go on acting like a child forever.”

“That’s good to hear. I’m glad you’ve steadied yourself. From now on, don’t miss events like this. Show your face more often.”

Mariana wasn’t particularly affectionate, but her words didn’t sound insincere.

If she was even welcoming someone like me, who wasn’t exactly an asset to her reputation, it showed just how isolated she must feel within the imperial family.

In truth, many noblewomen were gathered around Rosalind instead.

She was second in line to the throne and the full sister of Nigel, the most likely future emperor. Politically speaking, siding with her was the smart choice.

Perhaps thinking the same, Mariana’s expression grew faintly bitter.

I turned my attention to the child in her arms.

“Josef’s grown a lot. He’s six now, right? He’ll grow into a fine man someday.”

“I worry because he’s so spoiled. I hope he grows up to be as brave and accomplished a knight as the Duke of Lombard.”

“He will. We’re not exactly ordinary blood, are we?”

“You’re right.”

Proud of her homeland, the empress nodded.

Josef, still nestled in his mother’s arms, shyly waved at me.

I gave him a light pat before stepping aside as other noblewomen approached Mariana.

‘I’ve shown my face to the host. That should be enough.’

Just as I was about to enjoy looking around the chapel at ease, several women approached me.

They were noblewomen with estates in the north.

“Duchess.”

“We should’ve visited Lombard ourselves. Our greetings are terribly late, aren’t they?”

Lombard was nominally a duchy, but in practice it was virtually imperial territory.

So in the north, I was called Duchess, meaning the wife of a sovereign ruler.

In the Capital, I was addressed as Duchess in the sense of a vassal’s wife.

‘Call me whatever you want.’

They were all beneath me anyway.

As expected, they immediately began showering me with flattery. The way they buttered me up made Baron Conte look subtle.

Their praise traveled from the top of my head to the tips of my toes before settling on my necklace.

“My goodness, I’ve never seen such a large and beautiful sapphire in my life.”

“As expected of the Duchess. I wouldn’t even dare wear something so precious.”

“Neither would I. But it suits you perfectly, Lady Elicia.”

“…”

My slight satisfaction evaporated instantly.

‘Are they mocking me right now?’

Considering the solemn atmosphere of the offering ceremony, I had worn the necklace Edwin gave me.

He’d said that for a great noble, this level of gemstone was no burden at all. Just something lying around at one’s feet.

To me, it all looked the same.

But nobles were trained from childhood to recognize fine jewels. They must’ve already guessed its value.

The more I thought about it, the more it felt like they were setting me up.

“Precious? I don’t know. It’s nothing special. Just something suitable for casual wear.”

I considered lying about its value, but if I got caught, I’d be the one embarrassed. So I chose honesty.

Instead, like a sparrow puffing up its feathers, I exaggerated my confidence.

“C-Casual wear?”

“There’s no reason to keep something like this locked away. Necklaces like this are common enough to kick around in my jewelry box. My husband told me to wear it comfortably.”

Sorry, Ed. To me, it’s the most beautiful necklace in the world.

I apologized inwardly while lifting my chin.

Only then did the noblewomen seem to realize their mistake and hurriedly agree.

“Well, of course. Lombard is the wealthiest house in the north.”

“And Lady Elicia is the richest imperial relative after His Majesty. A gem like this is nothing.”

“I’m so envious. My husband doesn’t have even a speck of the Duke of Lombard’s attentiveness.”

I was glad I’d handled their subtle jab like an adult.

So this was noble conversation.

Feeling oddly accomplished, I replied,

“He’s always giving little gifts like this. He’s a very thoughtful man.”

“Just as expected, hoho.”

From there, the topic shifted naturally.

Which house was betrothed to which, what the latest fashion was, how a famous playwright’s new work had the theater packed every night.

I nodded along half listening when laughter rang out from a corner of the chapel.

If it was something funny, I wanted in on it. So I discreetly listened.

“My, I’ve never seen such a worn out dress.”

“Is that the latest fashion in Favia?”

“Even so, there’s a limit. What if moths spread. We’d better keep our distance.”

The content was far less amusing than I expected.

Favia was a small island nation that had been in civil war for years. I’d heard its princess had sought refuge in the empire.

‘Princess Katerina, was it?’

How miserable it must be to lose your country and wander like that.

I felt human sympathy for her situation. But knowing the future, I couldn’t ignore their rudeness either.

Katerina would one day reclaim her country and ascend the throne.

And Favia was a key maritime hub for intercontinental trade. Making an enemy of its future ruler wouldn’t benefit the empire.

“Lady Elicia?”

Someone called from behind, but I ignored it and walked toward Katerina.

Before the others could even properly greet me, I twisted my lips into a smirk.

“Look at these fools trying to show off in front of a chrysalis.”