Chapter 31

To Diana’s eyes, Duke Wesley of Gazard clearly doted on his two daughters.

Even if he nagged them about various things, she could always tell he kept his two daughters constantly in his thoughts.

And Alan was saying that Wesley and Baron Quilter were alike.

(If Lord Alan says so, then perhaps they truly are.)

Diana trusted Alan’s judgment of character enough to think that much.

While Alan was dense when it came to his own feelings, especially the nuances of romance, he possessed a perceptive maturity in other emotional matters that made him wiser than Diana.

“I shall try speaking with the father about various things. However, the one whose emotions are tangled up is likely the daughter, wouldn’t you say?”

“That… may be true.”

At Alan’s words, Diana nodded.

Miriam had seemed to reject even the mere act of speaking with the baron.

The dark expression Miriam had worn earlier.

That expression lingered in Diana’s mind like a tiny splinter embedded in her finger.

Noticing the new bride sinking into contemplation, Alan smiled gently.

“Let us leave the thinking for tomorrow and rest for today. You must be tired from the long journey.”

Guided by his voice, Diana allowed herself to be gathered into Alan’s arms and surrendered her body to the bed.

Only when enveloped in those sturdy arms could she miraculously manage to push away the myriad worries weighing on her mind.

The following day, Diana accompanied Miriam to a small mausoleum situated behind the Quilter estate.

They laid flowers picked from the courtyard before the grave and offered up a prayer.

The small stone mausoleum, though weathered by the sea breeze, remained as pristine as if it had been meticulously polished.

The morning sunlight softly illuminated Miriam’s cheek as she placed the flowers down.

“Thank you. I am sure my mother is delighted as well. She loved flowers, you see…”

“If I had known, I should have brought more.”

“No, not at all.”

At Diana’s words, Miriam shook her head slowly.

“Just having you come here makes me happy, Lady Gazard.”

Standing before her mother’s grave, Miriam wore an expression entirely different from the tense look she wore when speaking of her father.

A natural smile rested upon her face.

“Please, call me Diana.”

“Oh. Then, please, call me Miriam.”

The two of them exchanged glances and smiled warmly.

(We rarely spoke alone back at the academy… If I had known we could converse so easily like this, I should have reached out to her much sooner.)

During her time at the academy, Diana had been entirely consumed by her studies, leaving the expansion of her social circles entirely to Cordelia.

If she had time to chat with someone, she would rather spend it on academics or sword training──the younger Diana had believed that without a shadow of a doubt.

Now, she understood that her own intense drive had simply built a wall around her.

When it came to companions, it was always Cordelia and Miles… Come to think of it, she had spent quite a lonely school life.

(Back then, I must have been far too desperate, completely blind to my surroundings.)

As the eldest daughter, and as the future Duchess of Gazard… she had been desperate to forge herself, ensuring other nobles would not dare look down on her.

Most of the rumors circulating at the academy stemmed precisely from that attitude of Diana’s.

That was why she had never even bothered trying to dispel those rumors.

Standing before her mother’s grave, Miriam looked every bit a young girl befitting her age.

For the moment at least, she seemed to have forgotten her rebellion against her father.

“I am certain your father cherished your mother dearly as well.”

“Eh…?”

At Diana’s words, Miriam raised her face.

“Both inside the mausoleum and all around it… everything is meticulously maintained. I imagine he visits here quite frequently.”

Upon hearing those words, Miriam was struck speechless for a moment.

She seemed to be wrestling with how her father truly felt.

“…I’m sure it was the servants.”

“You think so?”

To Miriam’s stubbornly defensive words, Diana offered a wry smile.

Despite her phrasing, turmoil was clearly visible in Miriam’s eyes.

What that meant was──a mixture of confusion and lingering hope.

Even while resenting the father who had discarded the paintings she had poured her soul into, deep down in her heart, she likely still harbored expectations of him.

(At this rate, reconciling might actually happen sooner than we think.)

Diana smiled as she thought that, but her anticipation was shattered the moment the two of them returned to the mansion.

What caught the eyes of the two as they re-entered the estate was a single carriage parked right before the gates.

It bore far more lavish adornments than the one Alan and Diana had ridden in.

“Could we have other guests visiting…?”

A look of agitation swept across Miriam’s face.

Given that the Quilter family was already hosting guests, a clash between visitors could, depending on the circumstances, become the seed of troublesome complications.

“You needn’t worry about us. You should go see to them.”

“Thank you very much.”

When Diana spoke up, Miriam gave a polite nod and hurried off toward the mansion at a light jog.

Diana approached the carriage and spoke to the coachman who was tending to the horses.

“We are staying at the Quilter residence. Whose carriage might this happen to be?”

“We are here on the business of Count Geraty.”

Realizing she was a noble as well, the coachman answered respectfully.

Count Geraty was a noble house whose domain bordered the Quilter barony.

There was nothing strange about neighboring territories communicating with one another.

Thinking as much, the moment Diana opened the doors of the baron’s residence, Miriam’s shocked voice rang out.

“What do you mean, a marriage proposal!?”