Winter (6)

Even over House Gique’s gloomy estate, night arrived.

The family members who had been trading opinions late into the evening each returned to their own quarters.

Because of the heavy mood in the house, the empty corridor felt far more bleak than usual.

A shadow moved as though it were seeping into the silent hallway.

The shadow soon stopped before an ornate door.

Knock, knock.

A rustling sound came from inside at the noise.

“What is it?”

A sullen voice answered gruffly.

“Young Master Pierre?”

Alicia whispered on purpose in a frail voice.

In her hand, she held a short, sleek club.

As was publicly known, Pierre Gique was confined to his room.

But if Pierre wanted, he could open the door any time.

The middle door to enter the building was locked from the outside, but it was a path servants used often.

If Pierre wished, he could easily order a servant to open it.

Click.

As the door opened, a voice far kinder than before sounded.

“Who is it? Why are you—”

Through the gap as the door opened, Alicia thrust the slim baton in her hand inside.

Thud!

Pierre, standing by the doorway, was struck by the tip and went down.

But the sound ended there.

In an instant, Alicia slipped inside and shut the door.

“W-What, mmph—!”

A bedsheet was shoved into Pierre’s mouth as he panicked from the sudden attack.

“Mmph! Mmph!”

Pierre shook his head and tried to flee.

The rest of the sheet wrapped around his flailing head.

Then the short club came down on his thrashing side.

Whack!

With his mouth stuffed, Pierre let out a muffled sound.

“Mmph!”

In Alicia’s hand, the baton—about three handspans long—spun in a tight arc.

Thwack, thud-thwack, crack!

The smooth baton, settled firmly in her grip, beat down viciously on his flailing head and body.

After being struck without pause, Pierre lost consciousness and collapsed.

“Who’s whose ‘something’ with who? If you were already shoved aside, you should’ve lived quietly.”

Alicia had been watching how things unfolded, and then decided to move on impulse.

Octavia had handled it well, so Alicia hadn’t needed to step in—yet she didn’t want to let it pass like this.

As worries around her grew, she simply waited for night.

“I erased the fate where you’d become a murderer and ruin your whole house, and you don’t even know gratitude.”

Grumbling about things her opponent could never possibly know, Alicia gave the collapsed Pierre one last kick to the ribs and turned away.

Tomorrow House Gique would be thrown into chaos, but she didn’t care.

Doing even a little with her own hands made her feel refreshed.

It felt like she had done her share.

Still, doing her share was one thing—returning home meant being as careful as possible.

The grand ducal residence didn’t know Alicia had been gone.

It was deep night.

After changing into a nightgown and returning to the bedroom, Alicia lay down carefully beside the sleeping Reichardt.

Sleeping, Reichardt did not so much as stir.

Alicia smiled as she looked at Reichardt “sleeping” for her sake.

With senses unlike ordinary people, there was no way he wouldn’t notice someone beside him leaving and returning.

Reichardt had said he could track Alicia’s location by sensation alone.

“I’m back.”

Alicia whispered as she kissed Reichardt’s chest, pretending he was asleep.

“Did you have a good trip?”

Reichardt answered as if he had been asleep the whole time.

His hand stroked Alicia’s hair and pulled her shoulder into his embrace.

“Yes.”

Alicia replied calmly.

Reichardt kissed the top of her head in his arms and murmured in a secretive voice.

“…Big?”

In that whisper, the word “accident” was omitted.

“No.”

Alicia said boldly that it hadn’t been a big one.

It seemed to mean it wasn’t serious enough to become a problem.

“Alright. Sleep well.”

“You too, Rei.”

Holding each other tight, they went to sleep.

The next day, House Gique’s misfortune spread quickly from morning onward.

A rumor circulated that someone who disliked Pierre Gique had slipped into House Gique and beaten Pierre to a pulp before leaving.

House Gique insisted it was nothing but groundless gossip.

But no one believed them.

If House Gique’s claim were true, Pierre would have come forward himself and denied the false rumor.

Instead, with nothing but words and no convincing proof, everyone guessed the rumor must be true.

Along with the rumor came a pointed insinuation.

The “righteous villain” who infiltrated House Gique was probably the Grand Duke of Tessen—so people speculated.

Anyone could see that Tessen and the Grand Duchess of Tessen had been put in an awkward position by a sudden scandal.

And in the midst of that, Pierre Gique had fallen into another disgrace.

It was widely known the Grand Duke of Tessen was head-over-heels for his wife, so it was only natural he would rage at her humiliation.

House Gique had a sizeable mansion, but to the Grand Duke of Tessen—called a devil on the border—that would hardly be an obstacle.

Everyone in the world decided the “righteous villain” must be the Grand Duke of Tessen.

Reichardt did not particularly deny it.

As rumors boiled, House Gique sank into even deeper anxiety.

Count Gique was named head of the investigative delegation for the dispute in the Haban Islands—far below the Southern Continent.

To reach the Haban Islands was a three-month voyage.

Needless to say, the sea route was dangerous.

Disasters didn’t stop for House Gique.

People didn’t think it was coincidence.

They didn’t say it aloud, but they suspected the Grand Duke of Tessen was behind it.

Society nobles made a private vow never to cross the Grand Duchess of Tessen.

Crossing the Grand Duchess of Tessen was the shortcut to annihilating your entire house.

Brilliant fireworks bloomed into the winter night sky.

Boom! Ba-boom!

Alicia, who had been staring blankly at the deafening blasts and eye-dominating light, turned her head.

Reichardt held out his hand to her.

“We’re here.”

Hearing him, Alicia reached out and clasped his hand.

The carriage carrying them slowed gradually, then stopped.

When the carriage door opened—boom!—the explosion of sound hit directly.

With Reichardt’s escort, Alicia stepped down from the carriage.

Each time a firework launched, a strong vibration rolled through the ground.

It was a night of banquet at the imperial palace.

“His Grace the Grand Duke of Tessen, and Her Grace the Grand Duchess!”

To the steward’s announcement, Alicia and Reichardt headed for the Great Hall.

They walked calmly into a space of grand ash-gray walls, lavish ceiling paintings, and red carpets spread wide.

A huge chandelier spilling bright light, golden ornaments, and famed paintings adorned the hall beautifully.

As Alicia entered a place that looked like all the world’s glitter had been gathered in one spot, a light stir went through the room.

They had held the wedding in the imperial palace, but today’s banquet was the Grand Duchess of Tessen’s first official appearance as royalty.

Alicia and Reichardt walked along a carpet embroidered with gold thread on the border leading to the high table.

The nobles had already arrived inside the banquet hall.

They watched the new royal with curious eyes.

For her first official event to be a banquet celebrating the birth of twin imperial princes—her luck seemed extraordinarily good.

If she tripped on such an important day, it would be truly entertaining.

Sparkling eyes followed Alicia.

Reaching the high table, Alicia and Reichardt bowed at the same time.

“We greet His Majesty the Emperor. We greet Her Majesty the Empress. We offer our heartfelt congratulations on this blessed day.”

“May both princes be filled with good fortune always.”

In step with Reichardt’s greeting, Alicia offered her blessing.

“Tessen’s blessing moves both myself and the Empress. Today is truly a joyous day.”

The Emperor smiled and returned their words.

The Emperor and Empress were each holding one of the twins.

It was an exceedingly unusual sight.

In society, many stories had been whispered about the Empress giving birth to twin imperial princes.

There was especially much talk about the banquet.

At a celebration banquet for a prince’s birth, usually the birth mother held the child.

But now there were twins, and serious debate had gone around over whether the Empress would hold both—one in each arm—or use another method.

Some suggested a favored consort or close attendant might hold one prince instead.

If so, they even named candidates for which consort or attendant would be chosen.

At the actual banquet, breaking everyone’s expectation, the Emperor and Empress each held one child as they received guests.

No one “took charge” of a particular baby.

If the baby in the Empress’s arms cried, the Emperor took the crying one, stood, and soothed him.

The Empress was weakened by childbirth, and in a dress, walking alone was difficult—so she couldn’t easily move around soothing a baby, whereas the Emperor could move freely and took that role on.

After receiving Alicia and Reichardt’s congratulations, the Emperor rose at the high table and introduced the princes to his brother and new family.

“Reichardt, greet him. Georg—consider him your youngest uncle.”

The Emperor’s lowered voice was full of affection.

It was fortunate the babyish lisp only circled the high table.

If the sound had carried far, the Emperor’s dignity would have taken a heavy blow.

“Have you decided all of the twins’ names?”

Reichardt spoke with his gaze fixed on the baby’s face that looked exactly like the Emperor.

Rolling her tongue, Alicia softly repeated “Georg,” and peered into the small, flawless face.

“Renat. That one is Conrad. Georg is here.”

Eleanor spoke carefully to the three gathered close.

While patting the baby in the Emperor’s arms, she passed the child to Reichardt.

Reichardt ended up holding the prince without meaning to.

The Emperor, instead of taking the baby back, tended to Eleanor.

“Alicia, would you like to hold him? This one is Georg. The one His Grace is holding is Conrad. We haven’t finalized all their official names yet. To decide their formal names according to imperial rules, the procedure is complicated. Still, we needed to tell them apart, so we gave them temporary names.”

Eleanor smiled brightly and flicked a glance at the Emperor.

“We’ll be able to finish the procedure soon.”

“I’m sure we will, Your Majesty.”

The Emperor replied with a smile as bright as Eleanor’s, and Eleanor responded without losing hers.

Carefully, Eleanor placed Georg into Alicia’s hesitant arms.

“He’s so small.”

Alicia’s face filled with laughter as she held the baby awkwardly, not knowing what to do.

Alicia did not recognize that Georg and Conrad’s faces resembled the Emperor perfectly.

She only thought the twins were as pretty as angels.

The sight of the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of Tessen holding the twin princes—today’s banquet’s stars—while receiving smiles from the Emperor and Empress was the very scene the imperial family idealized.

It was a magnificent moment.

“Grand Duchess.”

The Emperor called Alicia in a suggestive tone.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

In Alicia’s arms, Georg babbled something.

Seeing it, Alicia burst into a smile.

Reichardt and Eleanor watched closely—Alicia’s bright face, and the Emperor smiling radiantly.

“I would have you take the post of Palace Count.”

The Emperor spoke in a generous voice.

“No.”

With a beaming smile, Alicia played with Georg and answered.

Her voice was clear and straight, without a trace of impurity.

“…Did you hear my words correctly?”

“I heard you correctly, Your Majesty. I dislike it, Your Majesty. I don’t want to work in the imperial palace.”

Alicia said it while smiling brightly at Georg.