Chapter 3

……Wait a minute.

Wait. What?

What exactly had Richard just said?

Before I could collect myself, his gaze, cold as frost, fell upon me once more.

“It’s been a while, Bella. About five or six years, hasn’t it?”

Ten years, four months, and eleven days.

“No.”

“Really?”

Richard seemed to calculate the dates for a moment, then shrugged as though it didn’t particularly matter.

“I was waiting because I thought I might be held responsible if the place touched by the hand of a lowly knight happened to rot or something……”

Richard’s gaze slowly swept over me, as though he were a merchant inspecting an item for defects.

“But you seem perfectly fine. I suppose that’s because I’m no longer a commoner.”

“Licht, did you really think I would marry a commoner without even a noble title?”

Ah.

I understood.

Really, I didn’t even need an explanation.

His cold gaze, twisted lips, and frigid expression told me everything I needed to know.

Richard Winston.

My lover from ten years ago, the ex-boyfriend I had cruelly dumped……

He……

“You can see for yourself that I’m perfectly fine, Lord Winston. Ah, you’ve been granted the title of Count, haven’t you? As you may already know, I inherited the title of Duchess of Bellua a few days ago. Since we are now both heads of noble houses, I would appreciate it if you maintained appropriate boundaries between us from now on.”

“……As you wish, Duchess of Bellua.”

He resented me.

And not just a little. He resented me bitterly, with an intensity that was impossible to miss.

Three days later.

The person who finally dragged me out of bed after I had postponed every external engagement and shut myself away was Noah.

More precisely, it was the news he brought with him.

“That’s impossible.”

“There’s nothing impossible about it. You knew that mansion had been on the market for a long time. I’m just surprised someone actually stepped forward to buy it. The asking price was outrageously high.”

“If you’d known beforehand, you should have bought it yourself, even if you had to offer more than the asking price!”

Noah didn’t bother responding to my unreasonable demand. Nor did I expect an answer from him.

Instead, I hurried down the corridor and practically slid into the main hall on the first floor.

“Oh, for heaven’s sake! Will you only be satisfied once you’ve broken something this time?”

Noah shouted irritably as he hurried after me, but I was too distracted by the sight before me to pay attention.

Aristocrats who had settled in the capital considered selling their family mansions a disgrace. As a result, properties rarely came onto the market, and even when one did, completing a sale was almost impossible.

Why?

Because the prices were astronomical.

The mansion directly opposite the House of Bellua had stood empty for years. The owner had listed it for several times its already exorbitant market value.

Everyone had laughed at the property, wondering who on earth would buy it, no matter how good the location was.

And yet, it had finally sold.

To none other than—

“Well, well. I suppose the rumors about the Hero of the North returning in a golden carriage weren’t exaggerated after all.”

My damned ex-boyfriend.

“Oh. Your Grace, isn’t that Richard over there?”

I reflexively whipped my head around in the direction Noah pointed.

I could see the elderly butler giving various instructions to the servants.

“……Hey.”

“It’s so obvious, yet I wonder why Richard hasn’t noticed. Now that you’re neighbors, you should try rebuilding your relationship.”

Unbelievable. Just unbelievable.

Grinding my teeth, I turned and went back inside the mansion. My attention, however, remained fixed on the noisy commotion across the street as people moved into the neighboring house.

Noah followed close behind me, continuing his endless stream of nagging.

“It’s not too late, you know. Dump that useless Damon and find yourself a decent relationship for once.”

“If you’re going to keep talking nonsense, shut your mouth. What about Claire and Gerard?”

“Have you finally become interested in the elders of the family?”

Having said that, Noah immediately explained.

“Claire took Gerard back to the estate on the day of the funeral. She told me to remind you to keep the family firmly under control.”

“……And what did she say to you?”

“She seemed extremely pleased that her only son had obediently stepped aside without trying to claim Your Grace’s position. Oh, and I told her I’d visit the estate, so she won’t suspect anything when I arrive.”

I nodded.

Apparently, things had been progressing as planned while I was shut away in my room.

“I suppose you should thank Count Winston. He moved into the house across the street, and now you get to see his face before he leaves.”

“Anyone listening to you would think I’d been hiding away like a hermit.”

“Weren’t you?”

I glared at Noah, who had responded with an irritatingly innocent question, and dragged him all the way to his room.

“Why don’t you move your base of operations to the estate permanently while you’re at it?”

“There’s a lot I need to take care of regarding the account books at the Bellua estate. I need to bring quite a few things with me.”

“Moving house would probably be less chaotic than this.”

Was he really in a position to complain about me after I’d spent only a few days cooped up in my room?

Noticing my gaze, Noah began picking up random items and tossing them into a corner while grumbling.

“This is all your fault, Your Grace.”

“How is your room being a complete disaster my fault?”

“Do you have any idea how busy I’ve been while you were moping around over the appearance of your ex-boyfriend?”

“…….”

I had no comeback for that.

Perhaps he intended to finish packing while he was at it, because Noah began throwing clothes into a large backpack.

“Honestly, why do you insist on saying things you’ll regret later? ‘I’ve always loved you! It was all a misunderstanding! I love you! The obstacle is gone, so let’s give it another try!’ Why can’t you just say that?!”

I stared at Noah in disbelief as he continued lecturing me while packing.

“Who said I regretted anything?”

“You’ve been losing sleep again these past few days, and you’re still going to deny it?”

“Did you even listen to what the physician said?”

“My hearing is perfectly fine, Your Grace.”

“Then you should know that my inability to sleep has absolutely nothing to do with Richard.”

“I know you very well, Your Grace.”

Was I the sort of person who would spend days bedridden just because I was tired? Noah knew there had to be a reason I had remained lying down despite knowing that everyone was gossiping about me.

He was convinced I didn’t want to see the princess, who had made such a dazzling entrance into high society, and Count Winston, her seemingly perfect partner.

Noah rattled off the entire argument without taking a single breath, then tightened the straps of his bag and declared,

“To be honest, I didn’t want to say this much, but……”

“Then don’t.”

“Shutting yourself away in your room isn’t going to solve anything, so pull yourself together and get back on your feet! That man is being hailed as the Hero of the North, has even been granted a count’s title, and is climbing higher and higher. Meanwhile, you’re lying around like this! People are bound to compare the two of you!”

He seemed to have really wanted to say that.

“Be honest with me. You’re worried about the family, not me, aren’t you?”

“Me? You’ve completely misunderstood!”

Right. Sure.

Noah wasn’t wrong. I couldn’t hide away for the rest of my life.

But it was also true that I needed time to sort out my thoughts. At least a few more days.

“That’s why I said I’d go to the estate.”

“And what do you think people will say if you rush off to your territory immediately after inheriting the duchy?”

It was customary for central aristocrats to remain in the capital for some time after inheriting their titles, establishing their influence before returning to their estates.

As Noah had pointed out, there were usually only two reasons someone would rush off to their territory immediately.

Either they had something urgent to conceal, or there was trouble on their estate.

In either case, they would have to accept the rumors that inevitably spread through high society.

When I let out a weary groan, Noah gave me a pointed look as though to say, See? Then he continued his lecture.

“Stop trying to hide from everything and get your feelings in order first. I’ll find the account books detailing the money the former duke siphoned from the imperial treasury somehow, so don’t worry about that.”

“Haaah. Fine. I get it, so stop already. I’ll wait until you leave, then start preparing for my first banquet. Happy now?”

“I’m delighted, as your retainer, cousin, and longtime friend, to see you finally rise from your prolonged period of moping and overcome the sorrow of reuniting with your ex-boyfriend.”

Noah placed a hand lightly against his chest with an exaggerated flourish. He despised aristocrats with a passion, yet his manners were impeccable.

“And speaking of banquets, there’s no need for you to organize one yourself.”

“Why not?”

“Because there’s already a much better occasion prepared for your first public appearance as the new Duchess of Bellua.”

Noah flashed me a mysterious smile as he handed me an invitation card.

I had known him my entire life, yet there were still times when I couldn’t fathom what was going on inside his head.

……The envelope was unnecessarily extravagant, too.

“What’s this?”

“You can see the seal, can’t you?”

Of course I could.

Two swords crossed in an X, connected by dozens of ribbons. At first glance, it looked like an ordinary imperial seal.

Except that all the ribbons were turned upside down.

Ribbons turned over so that the crests of the noble houses could not be seen symbolized members of the imperial family who had yet to receive recognition from the aristocracy.

It was a seal used primarily by the Crown Prince. For more than a decade, Damon had been the only person in the empire permitted to use it.

“Don’t tell me……”

“You already have an idea, don’t you? Officially, it’s a banquet celebrating the return of his cousin, who was thought to be dead, but……”

Celebrating? My foot.

He clearly intended to gather every noble in one place and make them demonstrate their loyalty to him.

Seeing my expression, Noah shrugged.

“Well, that’s what the occasion is really about.”

“His chronic paranoia has flared up again.”

That damned suspicious mind of his.

“It was only a matter of time.”

In other words, the lunatic who had always imagined that the emperor would never pass the throne to him had finally snapped at the appearance of a direct member of the imperial family who possessed a claim to the succession.

“Regardless, this is an excellent opportunity for you to make your first move as head of the family. You should also settle things with His Highness before the banquet.”

“Ah, right. I’d forgotten about that.”

Breaking up with Damon.

I really, really didn’t want to do it.

Perhaps my reluctance showed on my face, because Noah spoke again.

“You were planning to end things as soon as you inherited the title anyway. Don’t tell me you still have feelings for him?”

“Are you kidding me? I just can’t be bothered. Knowing Damon, he’ll throw a tantrum if someone else breaks up with him. He’s the sort of man who would rather dump someone himself than have them dump him first.”

I peeled the wax seal off the envelope and checked the contents.

For a moment, I doubted my own eyes.

But the message written on the card was so short and clear that there was no way I could have misread it.

A low groan escaped my lips.

“Damon says he’ll come to pick me up on the day of the banquet?”

Something had definitely gone horribly wrong.

“……That womanizer is going to escort you, Your Grace? Wait, hasn’t he failed to escort you even once in the past ten years? Why would he suddenly do it now?”

“……I don’t think I can afford to lie around anymore.”

A bad feeling swept over me.

A very, very ominous feeling.

“You leave for the estate immediately. I need to go to the imperial palace.”

“Don’t get dragged into anything unnecessary! Just declare the breakup as soon as you get there, then run!”

I could hear Noah shouting behind me, but I was in no state to respond.

What on earth had happened during the three days I’d spent lying in bed?