A Battlefield Of Flowers (4)

When I met him at dinner, he strangely seemed a little sulky.

Sulky? The Grand Duke of Death?

I shuddered at the terrible mismatch between those two ideas. Were the words associated with him not always things like raging like a volcano or annihilating everything without leaving even a speck of dust behind?

Of course, he was far too elegant to show it openly. But he often stared silently at me, and each time, I suffered from an inexplicable sense of guilt. Perhaps sensing something unusual in their quiet master, the servants moved about more silently than usual as well.

Unable to endure the awkward atmosphere, I spoke.

“Um, Victor.”

“What is it, Marion?”

He replied in a gentle aristocratic accent. Suppressing the urge to lower my head, I struggled to meet his eyes.

“I am still not very good at dancing.”

Victor raised one eyebrow.

I began rambling.

“I mean, I have been practicing hard, but I keep stepping on feet……. In any case, Sir Kaltz is having a very, very difficult time because of me. So…… when I become better at dancing, please dance with me then.”

My voice dwindled timidly at the end. Suddenly overwhelmed with embarrassment, I hurriedly put a piece of buttered bread into my mouth.

As I stared down at the pure white tablecloth, I heard a small laugh. When I raised my head, Victor was smiling as though greatly amused.

The Grand Duke of Death leaned back against his chair, his eyes curving beautifully.

“You are truly strange, Marion.”

“What? In what way?”

“He is a knight I value……. Yet I found myself feeling rather displeased.”

I realized he was talking about Sir Kaltz.

As I fidgeted with my fingers, unsure how to answer, he added with a sigh,

“I do not know why I keep becoming so petty whenever it concerns you.”

I had even less to say after that, so I took another bite of the roast turkey the kitchen staff had prepared with all their skill. Victor’s gaze never left the side of my face.

“Anything is fine, but please do not push yourself too hard. I do not want you to feel burdened.”

“……Even so, Victor, I want to look like a noblewoman at the ball.”

So that I would not become a flaw upon you.

The rest remained hidden deep inside me out of shyness. Victor’s smile deepened.

“Do as you wish. But there is no need to concern yourself with the honor of the Grand Ducal House or anything of that sort. Even if you fall twenty times while dancing, no one will dare say a word.”

I stared quietly at him.

How could that be? A flaw in the residence became a flaw in its master, and a flaw in the wife became a flaw in her husband. I had already learned that this was how noble society worked.

When I remained silent, he smiled smoothly.

“That is what power means, Marion. So do not worry and simply enjoy yourself. Understood?”

There was a certainty in his words that was difficult to deny. I had no choice but to nod.

The deep green of spring passed, and before long, the season entered early summer. As the weather grew warmer, the curtains were changed to a cool pale blue. The servants’ clothing also became considerably lighter.

Along with the newly ordered thin indoor dresses for summer, new gowns for the social season began arriving one after another. The dresses, layered with thin, fluffy fabric and decorated with beads, were all bright in color.

Having never worn bright or expensive clothing, I had nearly resigned myself to it by now. My protest that the dresses purchased before should be enough had long since been drowned out by the cries of Madam Sermona and the maids. Naturally, the only Grand Duchess in the Empire needed at least ten summer dresses and another ten in the latest fashion for every social season.

“But they are so beautiful, my lady. I think they will suit you wonderfully.”

Sir Kaltz admired them from beside me.

Kaltz, who had become part of my daily life before I knew it, was now something like a friend. He frequently told me about affairs in the capital and scandals between nobles whose names were difficult to remember.

One peculiar thing was that he almost never spoke about his own heroic deeds. Did knights not ordinarily enjoy endlessly recounting stories about what they had killed?

When I expressed my confusion, he said with an exaggerated sigh,

“What would be the point of boasting about my paltry martial accomplishments before Your Highness? It would be like a child bragging that he had caught a tiny mouse.”

What did that mean?

I still found it difficult to understand, but I nodded.

As a renowned knight, he must have had countless achievements to speak of. Perhaps despite his carefree attitude, he was modest when it came to matters like these.

In any case, time passed that way, and the first week of the social season approached.

Madam Sermona spent several days considering which gathering would be best for my debut.

It needed to be prestigious without being overwhelming, and a gathering where I could meet as many noblewomen as possible at once.

After even seeking advice from Dideric and Kaltz, she chose the event I would attend. It was the Duchess of Mülze’s salon party, held on the first Monday of the social season.

The Duchess of Mülze was said to be one of the most famous women in the capital’s high society, and her salon had long been regarded as a gathering place for noblewomen of the capital.

As I signed the reply confirming my attendance, I tried to calm my wildly pounding heart. Excitement and anxiety surged over me at the same time. I had been told that it was nothing to be so nervous about, yet I could not understand why I felt so uneasy.

And so, the morning of the party arrived. From early morning, the maids led me around and spent nearly two hours dressing me.

A pale-yellow gown with delicate golden embroidery was wrapped tightly around my thin body. My hair was combed with scented oil and allowed to fall long, while a heavy jeweled tiara was placed atop my head. Once the adornments were complete, I felt like some kind of porcelain doll. Even when I groaned that it was uncomfortable, Madam Sermona remained firm.

“As the Grand Duchess, you will be the highest-ranking noblewoman there. You must naturally appear dignified.”

Though she said that, she also seemed to enjoy decorating me with ornaments just as much as the attendants did. In the end, I accepted the ordeal with a groan.

After finishing my preparations, I awkwardly descended to the lobby.

More than a month had already passed since I arrived in the Imperial capital, but in truth, my only outings so far had consisted of peering around the garden. Outdoor dresses and the capital still felt unfamiliar, and Victor was too busy to spare time to guide me. Moreover, strangely few people visited the residence, so I hardly knew the face of any noble at all. The tension of my first outing and my social debut weighed heavily upon me.

I cautiously stepped into the entrance hall. Victor, already prepared, was waiting for me.

Ah.

I admired him inwardly. He wore the formal attire of an Imperial nobleman, with a black satin jacket embroidered in gold thread over a black shirt. He was always handsome, but he looked exceptionally splendid in formal dress.

When I approached, Victor’s expression briefly stiffened.

Was something wrong? When I looked up at him anxiously, he quickly relaxed his face and smiled.

“You are even more beautiful than usual, Marion.”

There he went saying something absurd again.

I quickly averted my gaze toward Victor’s magnificent black formal attire and changed the subject.

“When will you return today, Victor?”

“Let me see……. I believe I must remain through the banquet at the Imperial Palace. I regret that I cannot accompany you to the ball.”

“That is all right. I will enjoy myself to my heart’s content.”

When I spoke while recalling what he had told me, a soft laugh followed.

“Even so, do not enjoy yourself too much. I do not wish to let others look at you for long.”

What?

For a moment, I failed to understand his words and raised my head. But Victor had already beckoned Sir Kaltz over and was quietly giving him some instructions. Then he spoke gently again.

“If you become tired, return early and rest. Farewell.”

He raised the back of my hand and lightly kissed it. Unlike when Sir Kaltz had done so, the back of my hand felt as though it were burning. Barely aware of what I was doing, I nodded and hurried toward the carriage.

Sir Kaltz, who had gone ahead, held the reins with an uncomfortable expression.

Suddenly curious, I asked,

“What did His Grace the Grand Duke say to you?”

“He said that if anything happened to you, he would cut off my head and use it to decorate the front gate of the residence.”

I laughed aloud. To think he was making a joke even now to ease my nerves. Kaltz truly was an excellent escort knight. Someone as elegant as Victor would never say anything so vulgar.

At the sight of my laughter, Kaltz’s face twisted strangely. I smiled at him once more to show that I was fine, then climbed lightly into the carriage.

With the exception of balls, Imperial social gatherings were strictly divided into women’s and men’s gatherings. This was because the Empire considered it improper for nobles of different genders to mingle together. Women’s gatherings were especially exclusive, and it was customary for even their escorting knights to remain at a certain distance from the ladies they served.

That only made me even more nervous. I would suddenly be thrown into a place without Victor, Madam Sermona, or Sir Kaltz.

As I tried to suppress my trembling hands, Sir Kaltz soon opened the door.

“Please step down, Your Highness.”

He escorted me with flawless knightly etiquette.

I stepped down from the carriage and looked at the mansion.

Although the Mülze ducal residence was not equal to the Mort Grand Ducal residence, it was still remarkably large and beautiful. Well-tended climbing roses bloomed along the walls, and elegantly shaped shrubs decorated the garden.

Following the servants’ courteous guidance, I headed toward a glittering glass conservatory on one side of the garden. This conservatory, which the Duchess of Mülze was said to treasure greatly, was one of the largest salons in high society.

The attendant standing guard before the door called out loudly,

“Her Highness the Grand Duchess of Mort, mistress of the Black Lion Residence, has arrived!”

I squeezed my eyes shut and stepped into the conservatory.