Winter (3)

As the party was winding down, a noisy commotion broke out outside the salon.

Everyone glanced at Alicia.

“What’s going on outside?”

Anne said it too, looking at Alicia along with the others.

Josephina, who had been listening to them, turned her gaze—and her face crumpled hard.

“Oh my, what is that?”

Reichardt entered the salon holding a bouquet of freesias.

“Go, Alicia.”

Anne whispered, delighted as if it were her own news.

“I’ll go first.”

With a dazed face, Alicia walked up to Reichardt.

The murmuring crowd shut their mouths when they saw her.

Reichardt held out his hand to the approaching Alicia.

“Rei.”

Alicia took the hand extended toward her and called Reichardt’s name.

She didn’t quite understand what was happening.

Reichardt led Alicia out of the salon as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“It’s a gift.”

Only once they were outside did he offer the bouquet to Alicia.

Alicia burst into a smile as she accepted the bouquet—white freesias mixed with yellow freesias.

“Thank you.”

It felt like flowers meant to comfort her lonely heart from before they had come here.

“Let’s go home.”

“Yes.”

Alicia’s smile never left her face as she climbed into the carriage.

Some things had changed into loneliness, but some things had changed into happiness.

Right now, the happiness was so much greater it wasn’t even comparable.

Today, Alicia had no reception schedule for the first time in a while.

But she chose her dress with more care than on days when she did have audiences.

She also took more time than usual with her makeup and hair.

Her makeup was kept from being too flashy, and her hair was done in a style she could change at any moment.

From next week through the end of the year, there were to be banquet after banquet hosted by the imperial family.

The nearest one was the celebratory banquet for the birth of the twin imperial princes.

Reichardt advised Alicia to have a new tiara made.

All the tiaras she currently owned were meaningful and fine pieces.

But he said it would be better to commission a new one, because the next banquet was too close to the last time she had worn the others.

‘Royalty, honestly.’

Alicia grumbled silently.

Reichardt coordinated a schedule with a jeweler, and a few hours later the Empress asked Alicia for her opinion on what she would do about tiaras and jewelry.

A postscript said that if she planned to borrow tiaras and jewelry from the imperial family, she should visit the Empress’s palace.

At present, all tiaras and jewels of the imperial house were managed by the Empress.

It was originally the Emperor’s authority, but he had handed it over to the Empress on the grounds that he did not know jewelry.

Alicia informed the Empress that Reichardt had already arranged an appointment with a jeweler.

The Empress recommended commissioning three pieces: a gold tiara, a platinum tiara, and one centered on colorless gems.

And she kindly offered that the imperial family would lend matching accessories if needed.

Empress Eleanor had high standards.

Especially when it came to evaluating gems, her eye was exceptionally sharp.

If Alicia brought something half-baked, the Empress had the aesthetic sense to turn the palace treasury upside down and produce exactly what was required.

Royalty, honestly.

With time short, Alicia decided to pick two from existing completed pieces and design only one from scratch together.

Considering the escort issue for the tiaras the jeweler would bring, Alicia chose the mansion tea room as the meeting place.

“……?”

As Alicia put on simple earrings, she turned around with a puzzled expression.

“Alicia?”

Daisy called her.

Daisy soon understood why.

Urgent footsteps rushed toward the dressing room.

Henrik, the Grand Duke’s butler, was strict about etiquette.

When he moved at a running pace inside the house, it meant something warranted it.

“Let him in.”

Alicia said, looking at the door.

“Yes.”

Daisy finished fastening Alicia’s earring and went to the door.

Knock. Knock.

In the brief moment it took Daisy to reach it, the door sounded again and again.

The knocking was urgent.

Daisy opened the door at once.

Henrik thanked her and quickly entered the room.

“Your Grace, I apologize.”

Daisy waited until Henrik was inside, then closed the dressing-room door.

“What is it?”

Alicia spoke to Henrik, who was breathing hard.

“It would be best to cancel today’s appointment. Since last night, an absurd rumor seems to have begun circulating in Baden.”

“An absurd rumor?”

At Alicia’s question, Henrik opened his mouth with a face that looked like he wished he didn’t have to speak.

“Yes. It appears a baseless rumor is spreading that Count Gique’s son, Pierre Gique, and Your Grace… are meeting… in secret. I will identify the source and deal with it immediately. Just in case, it would be best if you did not meet any outsiders.”

Henrik did not bother hiding the disgusted expression at his own words.

He, more than anyone, knew Alicia had been living busily without even a moment to catch her breath.

“W-What did you say? Does Her Grace even have time these days to meet anyone? People are awful. I know rumors spread when someone becomes famous, but this is truly low.”

Daisy, who had been listening behind them, bristled and cut in.

Henrik fully agreed with Daisy’s words.

“Pierre Gique…”

Alicia herself was startled at the name of the supposed scandal partner.

It was a name she had forgotten.

She never expected it to come up here.

More than disgust, sheer bafflement came first.

Knock, knock.

At that moment, the dressing-room door sounded.

“Your Grace.”

“Come in.”

Hearing Annie’s voice, Alicia immediately gave permission.

Daisy was already moving toward the door.

When it opened, Annie offered a light greeting and reported,

“Your Grace, Viscount Stein has come to see you. She requests to see you immediately. She says it is urgent. It seems she came straight here without even stopping by her own residence on the way up from Gaeller.”

Alicia’s violet eyes shifted gently.

Viscount Stein—Octavia Stein.

It was a name closely linked to Pierre Gique, the name she had just heard.

“The tea room?”

“It is prepared.”

Annie had transformed from a bright, mistake-prone friendly presence into the head maid of the grand ducal residence.

These days, Annie followed etiquette far more strictly than even Daisy did.

“Show her there.”

“Yes. I will prepare.”

At Alicia’s impulsive order, Henrik and Daisy exchanged subtle looks.

They had just decided to postpone even the existing appointment because it seemed best not to meet anyone at all.

Yet she was about to grant an unscheduled audience to Octavia, famous for meeting people constantly—there was no end to how uneasy it felt.

“I will meet Octavia privately in the tea room. Daisy, please look after the viscount. Henrik, do what you must. Tell the jeweler we will reschedule as soon as possible, and make sure to compensate for the travel and effort costs.”

Alicia issued her instructions quickly.

“Yes. I will see to it.”

Daisy left first.

“I will grasp the situation as quickly as possible and report back.”

“See you later.”

Henrik spoke with urgency on his face.

Even hearing a false rumor about herself, Alicia felt like she would be calmer than he was right now.

Alicia waved lightly to Henrik, who was worrying on her behalf.

“Octavia and Gique…”

Left alone, Alicia murmured quietly.

“I’ll have to hear it first.”

When Alicia stepped outside, Annie—waiting by the door—closed it and followed at her side.

Even in this bewildering situation, Alicia secretly smiled, surprised and amused by Annie’s change.

With a strict demeanor, Annie escorted Alicia to the tea room.

“Shall I prepare tea?”

Annie asked as she opened the tea-room door.

“I’ll call if I need it.”

As Alicia entered the tea room, she erased the expression that had been lingering on her face.

Octavia, who had arrived first, rose when she saw Alicia.

Daisy, stationed at Octavia’s side, greeted Alicia and withdrew.

“I greet Your Grace.”

Octavia paid her respects toward Alicia as she took her seat.

“Octavia, sit comfortably. You said you came urgently. You must be tired from coming up from Gaeller—what is it?”

Alicia’s face was the same as always.

In contrast, Octavia’s face was confused and in shambles.

“Alicia, there’s something I need to tell you.”

“Go on.”

At present, Octavia lived shuttling between Gaeller and Baden.

Octavia was Viscount Stein, and she was serving as acting Viscount of Gaeller.

Four days a week she worked in Gaeller, and three days she came to Baden to maintain her social connections.

She handled both sides flawlessly.

Alicia rated Octavia highly.

But knowing Octavia’s ambition, she always kept her guard up when dealing with her.

“I left that house.”

“What?”

After becoming Viscount Stein, Octavia had left Baron Given’s household.

But it was far too late to be announcing her independence now.

And it was sudden and out of nowhere.

For someone living in Baden, it was something everyone already knew—so it was strange that she was announcing it as if declaring it.

From Octavia’s attitude, Alicia could tell this independence was not a simple branch separation.

“My father, Baron Given, is Count Gique’s half-brother.”

Octavia’s next words were closer to an exposure than a confession.

“I see.”

From the two facts Octavia had thrown out, Alicia roughly sensed where the situation was heading.

“Alicia, it wasn’t me!”

Octavia’s outcry that followed was too abrupt.

With what Octavia had just told her, Alicia erased all her suspicions of Octavia at once.

“Octavia, calm down. If you say it wasn’t you, I’m not sure what you mean…”

Alicia maintained a dignified front.

“Let me handle this. I’ll finish Pierre Gique!”

Ignoring Alicia’s feigned ignorance, Octavia pressed her claim forcefully.

Octavia was extremely competent.

For someone like that to say she would destroy Pierre Gique—she sounded truly reliable.

“Shouldn’t we learn what happened first?”

Alicia soothed Octavia, who was speaking heatedly.

Octavia suddenly burst into tears.

“Alicia, it really wasn’t me. Believe me. Please…”

Octavia repeatedly insisted on her innocence.

Unable to make sense of the protestations, Alicia nodded anyway.

“I believe you, Octavia.”

Octavia sobbed, her shoulders shaking even more violently.

“Alicia gave me the title of Viscount Stein. Right after that, I was driven out of the house. To be precise, I left, but that was being driven out.”

Alicia, who had been seated in the place of honor, moved to the seat beside Octavia.

“Driven out?”

“My father, Baron Given, told me to hand over the Viscount Stein title I received to my older brother. An absurd demand. To give a title I earned through effort to some idiot who loafed around. When I refused, he said I had no right to remain in the barony, so I left.”

As Octavia recalled the moment, resentment surged and she breathed in angry, rough bursts.

“I see. It must have been hard to be at odds with your family.”

“It’s not being at odds with family—they’re trying to steal what’s mine. I don’t know whether Alicia has heard yet, but the House of Count Gique is trying to make a move on Alicia.”

Alicia’s face, which had been comforting Octavia, turned cold.