Duke Kattlena of Dragona Empire.
At that moment, she couldn’t hide her embarrassment as she looked at the face of the person in front of her, whom she realized she had seen too late.
An unexpected return of someone she hadn’t thought of at all.
She was bursting with the desire to immediately approach that person and ask for the details.
However, the next moment, that person simply began to show a gentle smile.
And…
“!…”
*
The Duke began to show noticeable confusion.
At this, both I and Cazerose began to feel a strong sense of concern along with our questions.
“Uh.. Mother? Is something wrong?”
“…Huh? Ah.. no.. it’s.. nothing.. it seems I just had a moment of confusion. For now, I understand, so both of you should go back and rest.”
The Duke spoke in a stuttering, awkward tone in response to Cazerose’s words.
With this, both Cazerose and I started to feel even more profound questions, but we couldn’t really argue about her words.
After all, our current situation didn’t allow us to quibble over such things, and most importantly, what mattered to us was simply wrapping up the impending marriage quietly.
So, we were in a situation where we could only be grateful for just getting through without raising any more issues.
“Well then, we’ll take our leave for now.”
“We’ll see you later, Mother.”
With that, Cazerose, Polena, and I withdrew from the Duke’s presence.
Although the sudden actions of the Duke during this brief moment were concerning, we decided to just ignore that part and agreed to stay low until the wedding.
Hoping that the Duke wouldn’t call us back to pick a fight…
*
The Duke knew all too well through extensive life experiences that the ways of the world were unpredictable.
However, at this moment, the scenario laid out in front of her could truly be categorized as an incomprehensible situation, even from her past encounters with various variables.
‘This is nonsense… How is it possible for that person to be here? That person who disappeared for more than 10 years… How…’
At this moment, she was facing the significant event of her beloved daughter’s wedding.
Even if this marriage was, for the most part, based on affection, it couldn’t completely shed its political implications. In that regard, the Duke felt she had to thoroughly verify everything concerning her daughter’s groom.
Yet, at that very moment, such thoughts had completely evaporated from the Duke’s mind.
Even she, who usually handled things calmly, found it impossible to maintain her cool in the face of this major event.
That was… the person she was waiting for at that moment.
– Knock, knock, knock
“Y-Yes, come in.”
With a slightly trembling voice, she spoke as the knock echoed from beyond the door.
Right after that, the person she had been waiting for began to appear.
“…Well.. It’s been a long time.”
“Yes, indeed, it really has. Roughly about 10 years, right? To be honest, I didn’t expect it to take this long.”
The person spoke with a gentle smile directed at the Duke.
Seeing this, the Duke greeted her with a somewhat stiff demeanor, contrary to her usual self.
“P-Please, have a seat. I’ll get some tea right away. After all, it’s been so long since I…”
“There’s no need for that much… just a glass of water will suffice, Kattlena. Despite everything, I’m here as your daughter’s groom’s maid right now.”
“Hmm…”
With a clear voice, she stated the facts.
In response, the Duke paused her hand reaching for the teacup, simply pouring a glass of water and handing it to her.
After that, she took a sip from the glass placed in front of her.
Immediately afterward, with an even broader smile, she looked at the Duke and asked,
“So, how’s life been lately? I hear that thanks to our Emperor, Dragona Empire’s stocks have been rising quite a bit.”
“Y-Yes. That’s definitely the truth. The policies you’ve implemented are still excellent.”
“That’s a relief, but with all that, your face doesn’t seem very bright. Is our Duke Kattlena so unhappy about her daughter getting married?”
“…Hmm..”
The person spoke with a teasing undertone.
The Duke couldn’t help but frown slightly at that, but still, she could only keep quiet and listen.
This wasn’t just about hitting too close to home.
Of course, that aspect played a role to some extent but…
The most important thing was… who it was talking to her.
Unlike the Duke, who had black hair, the woman had red hair and red eyes.
This woman, known as Polena on the Bohemia side, was someone whom all people, including the Duke of Dragona, had to lower their heads to.
This wasn’t merely due to differences in combat abilities or social status.
It was instinct…
An admiration that had deeply taken root since childhood, blossoming into a giant tree that no longer wavered.
Because of that, the Duke cautiously asked as she observed the relaxed demeanor of the woman in front of her.
“Um, then, may I ask how this happened? Why were you working as that man named Santana’s maid?”
“Well, there are various reasons, but I suppose the biggest one is that it was amusing?”
“…Yes, I thought so.”
Considering the existence of the woman in front of her, it was a remarkably natural statement.
A person who made the pursuit of fun the primary goal of life.
That had been the figure of this Polena all along…
No,
the figure of her sister, Senel Polena Dragona.
“And if I’m going to gather information, it’s much easier to do so while sitting in a noble family, right? You’ve probably noticed how capable our master is.”
“…Master? Even so, isn’t that title a bit off? No matter how much you’ve hidden your tracks for 10 years, you are undeniably the second princess of the Dragona Empire. Referring to someone like that as a mere ‘master’…”
“Pfft, anyway, our little sister… has become more rigid ever since you became a Duke. You used to have a bit of a cute side back then.”
Polena teased lightly in response to the Duke’s words.
The Duke let out a deep sigh and began to drink from the teacup as if her insides were burning.
And right after that…
She set the empty cup down and with a much more serious tone, asked her,
“…In any case, while I don’t know about other things, can I take the fact that my sister’s return means the outline of that incident has begun to be clarified?”
“Of course, that’s exactly why I came here.”
In the same serious tone, Polena replied to the Duke’s words.
Then, she presented a piece of letter before Duke Kattlena.
Upon seeing this, a sharper light began to fill the Duke’s gaze.
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