# 53
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"Hmm? You?"
Why go out of your way?
I raised my eyebrows.
The carriage had been waiting for us less than five minutes away since we had taken tea in the Count's garden.
“It's okay, I can go alone, you two stay.”
I said, but Duke Roger shook his head.
"Since I've already taken your time and Countess Olsen's time, I hope you'll allow me at least that much. And besides…"
He smiled at me kindly.
“Is it greed on my part to desire the honor of accompanying Your Highness again?”
...He's really doing his best right now.
Being the Emperor's childhood friend definitely gives him some skill.
His experienced manner made it impossible for me to refuse again this time.
“Well, I'll leave it to you, Duke Roger.”
As soon as I gave permission, he eagerly offered me his hand.
Although the walk to the carriage was short, Duke Roger accompanied me as politely and skillfully as he had done at the Imperial Palace.
When I was fully seated in the cart, he released my hand with a somewhat regretful smile.
“It felt particularly short this time.”
“We were having tea in a nearby park.”
“However, to have the honor of accompanying Duchess Cloud twice, I must be very lucky.”
“However, it was you who asked. Are you perhaps skilled at flattery?”
“Of course not. Actually...”
He took a short breath before speaking.
“I was looking forward to seeing you again, Your Highness.”
"…I?"
“Yes, Your Highness mentioned that we should meet again if the opportunity arises.”
“I didn't think you would take such a polite greeting seriously.”
I smiled slightly and made a joking remark, which he responded with a soft laugh.
“Did I mention that I honestly admire your highness?”
“You have kind of strange taste.”
“Maybe it's just that Your Highness has a certain charm that attracts people.”
“Hmm.”
“Indeed, that's why I'd like to be closer to you, Your Highness.”
There was a strange tone in his voice.
“Is this not allowed?”
Duke Roger lowered his eyes charmingly, whether out of courtesy or habit, I couldn't tell.
I blinked quickly.
He was making such potentially misleading remarks so casually – he was so different from Ian.
'It must have made a lot of women cry.'
If I hadn't been married to Ian Cloud, I might have fallen deeply in love with him at this point.
Of course, Duke Roger had no idea what I was thinking, and continued to look at me with an innocent expression.
“You haven't forgotten that I'm already married, have you?”
“Haha, of course not.”
Duke Roger waved his hand dismissively, as if the idea was ridiculous, and then carefully released me.
“Please take care of yourf on the way back.”
"You too. Enjoy your time with the Countess."
"Yes."
Duke Haydn Roger bowed his head again and added in a calm voice,
“I hope we get another chance soon.”
❖ ❖ ❖
When I returned home in the carriage, the sun was setting toward the evening horizon.
As I was crossing the hall to head upstairs, I ran into Ian again on the stairs.
'Haven't we been seeing each other a lot lately...?'
How did we keep meeting in the hallway, or on the stairs, or in the hallway on the second floor?
After all, Ian's office was on the third floor, and his bedroom was at the far end of the East Wing on the second floor, so there shouldn't be any chance of our paths crossing.
'...Was he waiting for me?'
The thought crossed my mind, but I quickly dismissed it.
'I must have had some delusions'
The idea of Ian, the cold, robotic Ian, waiting for someone was simply laughable.
Even if he was waiting, Diana should be the one waiting, not me.
Without realizing my thoughts, Ian stared at me intently before greeting me.
“Did you enjoy your outing?”
“Yes, I finished my work faster than I expected.”
“… Hurry up!?”
Ian caught a glimpse of the sunset through the large window in the hall. It was only a moment before he looked back at me.
“You seem to be busier on weekends these days.”
“By chance, yes.”
In fact, I was supposed to spend some time with Ian today too.
'How many weeks has it been already? Two weeks?’
It's been a long time since our last lesson.
But in life, priorities must be set. It was more important to end things with Countess Olsen than to meet Ian, whom I see every week.
For some reason, Ian's expression seemed more tense than usual, but that was none of my business.
'Maybe it wasn't right to postpone the matter for several weeks in a row?'
As I stared at the sun, now setting to the west and casting long red shadows, I spoke.
"If that's okay with you, let's plan something for next week. There's nothing urgent, so we can…"
“That might be a little difficult.”
Ian interrupted me, his tone flat and even. I stopped, furrowing my eyebrows slightly.
'Is he seriously doing this just because I canceled a date two weeks in a row?'
Just when I was starting to think he was being mean and contemptible, he handed me something.
It was an envelope sealed with a gold logo.
“An invitation has arrived from the Imperial Palace. It is addressed to both of us.”
…What?
❖ ❖ ❖
I was now sitting at my desk, looking at the unfamiliar invitation.
I examined it under the chandelier, under the lamp, and even held it up to the window, but nothing changed.
She was already from the imperial family.
It was not just a general letter sent to several nobles – it was a personal invitation sealed by the Emperor himf.
“Why suddenly, out of nowhere...?”
I leaned on my clasped hands, deep in thought.
“Let's see, what kind of person was the Emperor again?”
Of course, with the exception of Diana, I didn't care much for the characters in this novel, so it took a while for me to fully remember them.
In short, the emperor in this story was the ideal ruler.
He was a leader who always prioritized his people, and his charisma could influence his ministers with just one word.
And that's not all.
Although Ian was his half-brother and perhaps a threat to his succession, the Emperor cherished him like his real brother. He also adored his younger sister, who was twenty years younger than him, and showered her with affection.
His relationship with the Empress was strong, and he did not keep any concubines either.
“He was the perfect example for any emperor.”
Perhaps this was the author's desire to place idealized supporting characters only around Ian, the male protagonist.
“But I don’t remember Eloise having any special connection with him...”
Unlike the Emperor, who was particularly fond of Ian, Ian himf tried to maintain a strict distance from the Emperor.
Except for monthly meetings or when business brought him to the capital as Grand Duke, Ian rarely arranged personal meetings.
“It wouldn't look good for a Grand Duke from a different mother to be hanging around the Emperor.”
Since Ian maintained this position, it was natural that Eloise would not meet the Emperor very often either, except for the official events she had to attend as Grand Duchess.
“The Emperor sometimes summoned Ian, but he had never formally invited Eloise before.”
Could this be an extension of Duke Brillose's seasonal gig?
It wouldn't be too surprising if she caught the Emperor's attention, considering the amount of interest the capital's nobles had shown in her.
“Hmm.”
She let out a small hum and opened the envelope to check the invitation.
As Ian said, the invitation was a brief note asking the Grand Duke and Duchess to visit the Imperial Palace next weekend.
“Well, at least it wasn't a sudden summon like the princess's.”
If that were the case, I might have feigned illness and refused to go this time.
Lost in uess thoughts, the phone rang to call Vivi.
“Ma’am, have you summoned me?”
“Yes, Vivi. Can you summon Lady Zedd as soon as possible? I need to prepare a dress to enter the Imperial Palace.”
“Of course, I will.”
I watched Vivi bow and leave, then put the invitation back in the envelope and slid it into the bottom drawer of my desk.
Well, I'll know when I get there.