episode_0091

Traditionally, the royal events were primarily the responsibility of the queen.

To be more precise, it was ‘the responsibility of the most senior woman in the royal court.’ According to that condition, among the women of the Galatea royal court, Queen Anne Rose was the most senior.

If the emperor had not married Anne Rose and lived as a bachelor, then perhaps the royal events would have been the responsibility of Dominique.

However, that was just a hypothetical scenario.

Currently, everything belonged to the queen. The debutante ball, the founding anniversary and harvest festival banquets, the hunting festival, and the New Year celebration party. All the royal events were being orchestrated by Queen Anne Rose.

“If that red-haired wench wasn’t around, I wouldn’t have to run away like this.”

Dominique murmured to herself as she leaned against the carriage window, watching the bustling scene outside pass by in a blur.

Because of that fact, whenever royal events were held, Dominique would briefly show her face and then disappear.

Of course, in her innocent and pure childhood, she had been deceived by the queen’s fake words and smiles, and had reluctantly stuck by the queen’s side, pretending to be a loving mother.

Even though she thought it was ridiculous.

That’s how Dominique had only briefly experienced the maternal love of Queen Anne Rose during her childhood innocence.

After realizing the hidden enmity behind that smile directed towards her, Dominique had always just shown her face and then disappeared.

To be honest, even that brief moment of showing her face felt inappropriate.

It felt like she was giving away her rightful authority to that red-haired wench, which made her uncomfortable.

And the nauseating sight of the queen pretending to be a loving mother in front of the nobles made her feel sick.

She wanted to forget about the royal events, the stares of the nobles, and just stay holed up in the Lily Palace where her mother’s scent still lingered.

But Dominique couldn’t do that. She had a task left behind by her mother.

The legacy her mother had left her.

The position of the Galatea princess. And the duty to protect the Galatea throne.

She couldn’t let the red-haired wench take away what her mother had left for her.

So Dominique endured and endured.

In front of the eyes of many nobles, as the empire’s first princess and a legitimate candidate for the throne, she had to face that red-haired queen.

But that was all in the past.

This year’s founding anniversary was different.

Inside the swaying carriage, Dominique placed the leather pouch she had brought on the seat next to her on her tempting thigh.

It was a perfect excuse.

And now that Beorn had entered her grasp, there was no need for her to care about the annoying nobles’ gazes as a princess and a candidate for the throne.

On top of the pleated decoration of her dress, she placed the leather pouch on her thigh. Inside the luxurious pouch engraved with the Lily emblem of the royal family, Dominique took out the invitation Elly had sent her and held it in her hand. Then, she began to stroke the envelope in her hand.

Her expression looked incredibly foolish.

The only one who could witness Princess Dominique’s annoyed expression was the knight sitting across from her.

Ignoring the knight’s disdainful gaze, Dominique continued to inhale the lovely rose scent left on the envelope.

The last night of the founding anniversary.

Dominique was not in the royal palace where the reception was being held, but inside a carriage heading towards Beorn.

#.

Outside the carriage window, the bustling scenery of the street was still visible. The street did not seem to match the destination of the suburban townhouse for tonight.

Nevertheless, the carriage began to slow down, eventually coming to a stop in front of the grand mansion with large iron-barred windows.

The mansion that the carriage stopped in front of was not particularly eye-catching.

Of course, compared to the nearby buildings, the shape of the window frames, the quality of the brick walls, and the slightly more elegant design of the door’s grilles made it stand out.

Well, it was a level of grandeur that could be found in the capital as well.

Following that, two attendants walked out from beyond the door.

The man with black hair was walking straight towards the princess’s carriage. Standing behind him, a woman with short hair was riding on the horse prepared by the butler next to the mansion’s gate.

The carriage door swung wide open.

Dominique squinted his eyes sharply at the ungraceful movements of the uninvited guest who boarded the carriage.

“Riding on a lady’s carriage, and not just any lady but the princess’s carriage. It seems like you don’t value your life at all.”

The mansion where the princess’s carriage stopped was the townhouse of Duke Verbreitz. The man who entered the carriage and opened the door was none other than the owner of the mansion, Dmitry Verbreitz.

Although Dominique’s gaze towards Dmitry was playful, it was filled with mischief. His voice was round, but that was all. It was a pleasant, blunt voice to listen to.

“Well, why not. It’s nice to have some company on the way.”

Dmitry, sitting opposite Dominique, turned his gaze and voice towards her and casually greeted the attendant sitting next to him.

“Long time no see, Sisil. You must have had a hard time dealing with the ugly master?”

“I hope you’ve been well, Your Grace.”

Despite his thin appearance, Sisil, Dominique’s bodyguard, bowed politely in a feminine manner. Dmitry, who was both his master and the owner of the carriage, did not seem to like that appearance.

“Ah… It’s quite disrespectful for a duke of the empire. Really.”

As playful as Dominique’s voice was, riding on a lady’s carriage, especially the princess’s carriage, was against the law.

Someone might say that the Duke was harboring disrespectful feelings, especially if it was a former noble faction that served Dominique.

Unfortunately, Dominique was a person who didn’t care about such things.

After a brief conversation, the carriage started creaking again.

Despite the additional weight of the two people who were originally riding, the speed of the carriage remained unchanged.

The carriage continued quietly for a while.

“But, you. Weren’t you supposed to stay at the Beorn mansion?”

As the scenery outside changed from the bustling city full of lamplight to the dim forest, Dominique broke the silence and asked Dmitry, who was staring out the window absentmindedly.

“Well, I can’t just stay at the Beorn mansion all the time.”

Dmitry replied, still fixed on the window.

In fact, Dmitry had said he was staying at the Beorn mansion, but he was just staying there. It was a routine of leaving the mansion in the early morning and returning late in the evening.

There were many things that needed immediate attention.

The biggest problem was the drainage system of the ducal residence.

Hilda’s room was equipped with a luxurious bathroom and bathtub that could rival the palace, but that was it.

If Elly were to come to the ducal residence, she would probably be more shocked by the bathroom than the cold.

Thanks to that, Dmitry was having busier days than anyone else in the capital.

“So are you coming out of there now and staying at your townhouse?”

“No. I sleep at the Beorn mansion. There’s a lot to see these days, so I go out in the early morning and come back late in the evening.”

Dmitry answered lightly. Dominique stared at the man opposite him. There seemed to be a sense of ease in the man’s face as he muttered about the many stars in the sky tonight.

And that sense of ease somehow irritated Dominique.

“You don’t seem to be in a position to be so relaxed, Dmitry.”

At Dominique’s slightly sharp voice, Dmitry turned his gaze from the window to look at Dominique.

“Elly called Yuri today.”

“Yeah, I know.”

Dmitry didn’t show any particular reaction to the name that came up. And Dmitry’s indifferent response touched a nerve with Dominique.

“Wait, wait. Do you not know the relationship between Elly and that Yuri guy?”

Eleanor Yeong-ae’s infatuation with Yulian Vallatié Gongja was a well-known story even in the capital’s social circles.

Of course, among the young ladies of her age, who wouldn’t be captivated by Yulian’s looks? But Eleanor was a woman with equally striking features, and her prestigious family name only added to her renown.

However, their relationship came to a standstill after Eleanor fell ill with a fever and lost her memory.

During Eleanor’s debutante ball, Yulian Vallatié Gongja knelt down and kissed her hand, causing a stir in the capital’s social scene once again.

To be honest, to those who were unaware of the subtle dynamics between Eleanor, Dmitri, and Yulian, it would be natural to think of Yulian first as Eleanor’s match, rather than Dmitri.

“Dmitri, do you really like Ellie?”

Dominique let out a deep sigh.

She knew that her distant cousin and long-time friend was not a trustworthy man, but she never expected him to be this despicable.

“Dominique, do you always have to meddle in people’s business like this?”

His words were full of annoyance, but Dmitri continued to smile foolishly.

Dominique noticed a strange awkwardness in that smile.

“Wait a minute.”

In a fleeting moment of changing expressions, Dmitri seemed to release a hint of tension, which Dominique caught onto.

“Dmitri, what’s going on?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

He didn’t seem strange to Dominique more than once.

Today, he seemed to be smiling more than usual.

His meticulously tailored black jacket, paired with a sky-blue cravat that resembled someone’s eyes, bothered her for some reason.

Moreover, Dmitri, who would usually get angry and lose his temper easily, was unusually calm, which made Dominique uneasy.

“Do you have something up your sleeve? Are you planning something against Ellie?”

“Against Ellie?!”

Dmitri sighed softly, muttering to himself that he couldn’t hide anything from her, and carefully took out a small square box from his pocket.

In his rough and calloused hands was a small black velvet box, which didn’t seem to match him. Dominique could tell what was inside without even opening it, as the box had a crow engraved in gold on the lid.

“Whatever happens today, I will settle things with Ellie.”

#.

Escorted by Dmitri, Dominique stepped out of the carriage and absentmindedly gazed up at the dark night sky.

As Dmitri had murmured in the carriage, tonight’s moonlight was softly fading, making the stars twinkle brightly. In the distance, Eleanor was smiling back at herself, elegantly dressed in a white dress with platinum hair styled up, illuminating the somber evening atmosphere with her appearance alone.

Dominique silently resented her inability to stay by Eleanor’s side until the end of the night.