Chapter 84

"Stephen, do you think Roxana is having a hard time?"

The Duke put down the tea he was drinking and asked.

Stephen raised his head in surprise at his words.

The Duke's face was full of concern.

Seeing him like that, Stephen thought about how to comfort him.

"A child who had never shown tears but cried and fell ill for several days....I'm not sure if it's good to break up the engagement."

The Duke, who always maintained his composure in the battlefield between life and death, and in front of the emperor, was also an ordinary person in front of his child.

Stephen understood the Duke's concern for his one and only child, but he was too worried in his own eyes.

"The engagement was what the young lady wanted, and this is also the case with this breakup. It's all because she wants it, so there's no need to worry. And the Crown Prince...."

Stephen could not finish his words and kept his mouth shut.

As a person who has been watching the Crown Prince's atrocities by Roxana's side, if he opened his mouth now, he would surely make a mistake.

He licked his lips, barely finding the right words of comfort.

"Don't worry too much. She's a wise and strong woman, so even if there is pain, she will definitely get over it."

"How easy is that? Roxana was affectionate from a young age and her heart was soft. How much thought and hardship must such a child go through alone before she decides to break up?"

The Duke frowned with an anguished face. Roxana's breakup with the Crown Prince was also what he hoped for.

However, when he saw his daughter struggling with the real situation in front of his eyes, his heart ached.

But it was not possible to shake her daughter's decision.

The Duke looked at the family portrait hanging on the wall.

Inside the large frame were himself, his wife, and the young Roxana.

Unlike then, now his wife had passed away and he was old.

Roxana, too, has grown into a fine lady.

But in the eyes of her parents, no matter how old she was, she was nothing more than an immature child.

What's more, Roxana was still young, not even coming of age.

As her parents, it was natural to worry.

"What happened to what I ordered you to investigate?"

"The young lady has been attending fewer parties and tea parties than before. Hermes is where she has recently started visiting."

"Hermes? Where is it?"

"It is located on the upper street."

At Stephen's calm reply, the Duke made a dissatisfied face.

"If it's the upper street, it would be dangerous, but what is she doing in such a place? If she needs anything, she should call someone to the mansion."

"Even if that's not the case, people from Hermes often visit the mansion. They usually bring new dresses and jewelry, and the quality is pretty good."

"Is there anything particularly suspicious?"

The Duke was still in doubt.

"There is one thing. The lady has met the owner a few times, and she traveled alone there."

"What?"

The Duke immediately jumped out of his seat and got up.

"Why did you report that just now?"

"Sir, don't worry too much."

Stephen said, holding a kettle and pouring more tea into the Duke's empty cup.

"Now, next year the Lady will be an adult. While you couldn't see her, she has changed a lot. So, how about you trusting her a little more?"

A grown child would one day leave the arms of their parents.

No matter how precious it was, it was impossible to hold on to it forever if it was truly for the sake of the child.

But it took mental preparation to accept it.

The Duke raised the corners of his mouth with a bitter face.

And he sat down again.

He took a sip of the tea that Stephen had poured.

Because it was colder than before, the bitter taste seemed to be particularly strong.

"Stephen, you're right. But... that doesn't mean I can just stay still and watch bad men approach Roxana."

The Duke ordered again with a calm face.

"Find out about the man."

***

Time passed slowly.

I ate, then took medicine and went to sleep.

Today I sat still, looked out the window, drank tea and read a book.

Thankfully, I was able to walk around safely on the day of the event thanks to a few days of rest.

"Your Excellency, Miss. We've arrived." Said the driver.

Then the carriage came to a complete stop and the door opened from outside.

The duke got off first and then extended his hand to me.

"Thank you."

With his help, I got off the carriage.

Upon entering the mansion, the changed interior and elegant decoration caught my eye.

Marquis Flynn made quite a bit of money in the fur business, and it seemed that the mansion was completely renovated.

It was more luxurious than last year, so I could guess how much wealth he had accumulated through this event.

"Are you feeling okay? You should stay home and rest..."

The Duke often looked at me with a worried expression.

"I'm okay."

"Didn't the doctor tell you to relax because you're not fully recovered yet?"

"It's just a cold. I took a few days to rest and I'm fine now. If it hurts, I'll tell you right away. Okay?"

I put more force on the hand that was holding the Duke's arm.

The Duke shook his head with a look of disapproval.

"Come on, let's go."

The inside of the banquet hall was brightly decorated with seasonal flowers and various decorations.

There were white tablecloths on the tables scattered throughout, and gold candlesticks flashed on them.

The roses carved on the candlesticks were so exquisite that it was as if they were hardened by applying gold on a living flower.

When I looked around the banquet hall, there were already many people inside.

The Crown Prince and the Second Prince had already arrived and were talking with people.

Looking at the two, I remembered a scene I had seen at the Imperial Palace a few days ago.

'Is his face okay?'

Involuntarily looking towards the 2nd Prince, I made eye contact with him.

Instead of avoiding my gaze, he stared at me.

He looked like he had something to say, but he didn't come.

Being poke on the side, I slowly turned my head back to the front.

"Your Excellency, Princess, it's the first time I've seen you since the last banquet."

Soon, people flocked to us as well.

"It's really nice to see you two together."

"I know, right. I'm envious of your harmonious appearance. My child is not docile and only makes trouble, and I am worried whenever she goes out, but the princess is more mature and elegant."

"Well, Roxana is just like the Duke, so you must be proud. Smart and calm. I admire her."

I could see the corners of the Duke's lips slowly rising at people's flattery.

As far as I know, he hated flattery.

But looking at him these days, the credibility of that statement was questionable.

"By the way, next year, the princess will marry the Crown Prince. I'm really sorry you have to send her away. If I had a daughter like her, I would keep her for the rest of my life."

The Duke's expression quickly hardened at the words that someone had inadvertently brought out.

"Marry. Madam, what do you mean by that?"

"Yes? Are you talking about the wedding of the Crown Prince and the Princess next year? If that's the case, isn't that something everyone knows?"

"As for the marriage, it has only been talked about, nothing has been confirmed. So, I hope you don't talk about things you're not sure about."

People exchanged glances with puzzled faces.

The Duke reacted negatively to the wedding next year, so sooner or later new gossip will arise.

As the atmosphere became colder, the lady who spoke up looked at him with a bewildered face.

It was meant to be a compliment, but it was a very difficult situation because it was like touching the heart of a lion.

"It's good to see that your relationship with your daughter is really strong."

Someone spoke to relieve the stiff atmosphere.

It's an obvious flattering remark, but the mood has definitely improved as the others clashed.

"Looking around the venue, it seems that the Marquis paid a lot of attention. I'm looking forward to this year as well."

While the duke was dealing with the people, I sat quietly a little further away.

The plan was to hide behind him and keep quiet.

However, contrary to the thought of wanting to rest comfortably, people soon flocked to my side as well.

"Princess, you look beautiful today. Your hair and dress go very well together."

goes really well with the hair up and the dress."

"Princess, I have brought in some masterpieces this time, and I hope you will give it your opinion."

"My mother is very interested in flowers, and she was able to find rare varieties of flowers this time in a foreign country. In the meantime, I'm going to have a tea party in the garden, but if you have time..."

The attention that was pouring in all at once made my head dizzy.

Normally, I could have endured it, but today I was not feeling well, so my stamina was very exhausted.

Unlike banquets, which usually start in the evening, charity events begin at lunch and run into the late night.

Contrary to what I had confidently told the duke earlier, my energy quickly disappeared.

I got motion sickness from riding the carriage for a long time and the speed was not good.

I stood there, barely keeping a smile on my face.

"Lady, here."

Joan, who was standing next to me, handed me a glass of cold drink.

After drinking it, I felt my stomach was calming down.

"Thank you."

I thanked her and unfolded the fan in my hand.

I certainly seemed to have cleared my head after cooling my fever.

"I was disappointed that people who used to come often didn't reply even if I sent invitations these days. If you don't mind, let's drink tea together soon. Just like before."

A Young Lady, whose face was familiar, said.

It was a young lady who could be said to have a close relationship with Roxana.

But after I entered Roxana's body, there was no interaction.

Last time, she followed Lady Flynn around, but now Lady Flynn was not here, and she came to me to make acquaintances.

"I'll let you know when the time comes."

It was an ambiguous answer.

Drawing the line without going against the etiquette.

At my answer, she put on a disappointed face.

"Princess, it was my first time seeing you at the last Imperial Palace banquet. I wanted to say hello back then, but I couldn't. Do you remember me?"

A cute young lady in a pink dress asked me with her eyes shining.

Contrary to her cautious look as if she was looking into my eyes, her gaze on me was full of anticipation.

'Have we met before?'

I hurriedly recalled my memory.

Come to think of it, I remember seeing her at a tea party held at the Count of Evans.

She was one of the few people who showed me friendliness.

"We met earlier at Count Evans' residence. Ellie... right?"

"Yes. Right. I'm Ellie Hazel. But I didn't know that the Princess remembered my name."

Count Hazel was a family that was on the rise recently.

Like the Duke Lillian, the Count was the same imperial faction, but was the power of the second Prince.

"Miss Hazel, how are you?"

"If it's okay with Princess, please feel free to call me Ellie."

"Okay. Ellie, do you have anything to say to me?"

"Actually, when I saw you last time, it was a pity that I didn't have a long conversation. I've always been hoping for opportunities to come, but I didn't have the courage to talk to you."

Ellie blushed in embarrassment.

She hesitated for a long time, as if it was not easy to get her words out.

She then asked with difficulty.

"Princess, we are having a party in our family soon, can you please come and brighten up the party?"