The sky, tinged with twilight, illuminated the office.
Ricard finished all the official duties he had to complete today and quietly gazed at the crimson ceiling.
‘…Reina is not Duke Ricard’s doll.’
‘What kind of parent forces something like that on their child, knowing it’s torment?’
‘If you know it’s difficult, instead of discussing obligations or burdens, shouldn’t you be looking for solutions?’
‘Everyone I’ve met in Arcana is a precious connection to me. I apologize for the issues that arose in the faction this time, but I don’t want to give up on my friends.’
‘If I can’t find the answer by the time I graduate, I’ll do everything my father says. I’ll follow the noble path he describes. So please, give me a chance.’
‘Yes. I want to find my own path.’
Ricard quietly recalled the request made by Reina and Aike a few hours ago.
“Did I mess up again this time?”
He sighed and opened the left drawer of his desk.
Inside lay an old pipe tobacco resting atop neatly arranged letters.
“Alicia. We might be too late already.”
The very first gift given to him by his wife.
But contemplating that which he hadn’t touched since that day, Ricard sighed again.
★
Ricard Rozelia.
As the eldest son of the Rozelia Duke House, he had immense pride in his family.
Thus, he never once doubted the family’s teachings.
For nobles, connections are a weakness.
Therefore, solitude is essential.
The family needs an heir.
Thus, a son must be born.
The teachings of his predecessor, the Duke—his father—were like absolute revelations to Ricard; naturally, he took them for granted.
And the counterpart he married through political ties.
Alicia, the second daughter of Marquis Skir, shared a similar mindset, further solidifying his values.
After succeeding the title, he reduced his meetings with Ados.
Though Ados was the only one he could call a friend, to Ricard, connections were a weakness, and so he kept his distance.
When Alicia became pregnant, the news of a daughter brought him disappointment.
He needed an heir to carry on the Rozelia name someday.
Still, Ricard thought he loved his daughter in his own way.
But the family needed an heir.
After all, a daughter would eventually leave to live her life elsewhere, so he didn’t pay her much mind.
Reina’s talents wouldn’t be realized within the Rozelia Duke House anyway.
Seven years passed, and Alicia had a second child.
Upon confirmation, it was a son.
Ricard sighed with relief.
Following his father’s teachings, he could now rear the heir.
From the day his son, Rupert, turned five, he vowed to educate him as his father had done for him.
Ricard held onto that resolution.
On the evening of Rupert’s second birthday celebration, while Ricard lay in his room, Alicia entered with a pale face.
“…What have I done until now?”
And she muttered something incomprehensible.
“What’s wrong, Alicia?”
Not answering Ricard’s question, Alicia pulled the blanket over herself.
A few days later, during lunch, Alicia collapsed.
Alicia had always been a frail woman.
Yet, it had been at a level that didn’t interfere with daily life; the family doctor had assured her that as long as she maintained a steady regimen and healthy eating habits, there wouldn’t be any issues.
However, after collapsing, her condition deteriorated rapidly.
At a pace the doctor couldn’t have anticipated.
And ultimately, Alicia, who had lain bedridden for about two weeks, closed her eyes forever.
Alicia, having been the Duchess, received a grand funeral.
The Martires Central Church even had a cardinal attend.
Ricard, although it was a political marriage, mourned the death of his beloved wife and shed tears.
Rupert, not understanding his mother’s death, clung to Ricard’s hand, following him around.
And Reina remained unnaturally calm, to the point of giving others chills.
Seeing that cold demeanor, it was then that Ricard fully understood Alicia’s last words.
He could recognize his own guilt.
But by the time he realized this, Reina had completely shut her heart off from the family.
The sweet scent of wine enveloped the office.
Ricard hadn’t even started on the piled-up official duties.
Three days had passed since Alicia’s funeral, and it was about time he resumed them.
‘Do you know what happened to Reina on Rupert’s birthday?’
But all that filled Ricard’s mind was Alicia’s last request.
He couldn’t possibly handle his duties perfectly in this mental state.
‘I saw Reina fall while returning to her room after the birthday party. She stumbled and rolled badly, probably tripping on the carpet.’
At that time, Alicia was lying in bed, gasping for breath and crying.
‘She severely injured her knee, to the point of skin peeling off. It wouldn’t have been strange for her to cry. But Reina didn’t cry. Instead, she stood up as if nothing had happened.’
Ricard could vividly imagine it.
Reina standing up, blood streaming from her knee, calmly, to a chilling extent.
‘There were certainly servants around… But none approached to help Reina.’
When he first heard Alicia’s words, Ricard couldn’t understand.
He thought he had misheard.
‘Do you know why?’
But Ricard had come to understand that this was reality.
After the funeral, he had gone to every servant and asked.
Their answers were all the same.
‘Sir, Reina ordered us not to concern ourselves with her, saying she’s no one in the Rozelia Duke House.’
Those who tried to help Reina were all reportedly slapped.
Ricard wanted to ask how that made sense, but it was the undeniable truth.
‘Even without an heir, Reina was undoubtedly our beloved daughter; what on earth did we do? Why were we unaware of how much Reina suffered?’
And it was clearly Ricard and Alicia’s karmic retribution.
‘Please, my love. Ensure that Reina can live happily from now on. I don’t think this will atone, but please…’
That was Alicia’s last wish.
“How did it end up like this?”
Ricard poured the remaining wine into his mouth, pulled out his pipe from his back pocket, filled it with tobacco, and lit it.
“Ahh.”
Now, though part of another family, Ricard had two younger sisters.
But his sisters were known for their vibrant personalities even within the Rozelia Duke House.
Certainly, they had acted just as their father taught them; what had gone wrong for things to end like this?
Ricard fell deep into such torment.
“…It’s not right.”
Taking a draw from the pipe tobacco Alicia gave him on their first anniversary, he thought the flavor had changed.
The sudden queasiness surged as his body rejected the scent of smoke.
Ultimately, Ricard was unable to even finish two draws and discarded the tobacco, putting the pipe back in the desk drawer.
The closed drawer would never be opened again thereafter.
★
“Happiness, huh.”
Since that day, Ricard believed he had given it considerable thought.
What should he do for Reina’s happiness?
What exactly could he do for her?
He had pondered only that for nearly a month.
Thus, the answer he came to was simple.
Teach her just as he had learned from his father.
What he had initially thought to teach only Rupert, he decided to extend to Reina as well.
Starting from how to handle official duties, up to the etiquette she absolutely needed to know as a member of the Rozelia Duke House.
The reason he forcibly cut off contact with Aike, despite breaking his promise, was out of concern for Reina.
After Anna left, Reina’s state became visibly unstable.
In a situation where no one knew when Anna would return, he thought that if he cut off contact with Aike, Reina would truly suffer.
Then perhaps it would mean she would quickly get used to solitude.
Without a doubt, Ricard held no malice.
For this had been the life he had lived, believing he had been happy within it.
“It’s really hard.”
But even that was not happiness for Reina.
Ricard could only bow his head.
“Ricard. I’m coming in.”
With a creak, the door to the office opened.
“Who…”
Ricard raised his gaze, looking to see the rogue attempting to enter without permission.
“…Ados. Nia.”
“It’s been a while since you came directly to Akses.”
“Indeed.”
The couple entering the office were Ados, head of the Akses Duke House, and his wife Nia.
“This time, our son caused trouble.”
“Yeah. Just like you in the old days.”
“Well, I wasn’t like this before. How time changes children so quickly, right? You think the same, Ricard?”
Ados chuckled, a smirk on his face.
Nia giggled, covering her mouth.
“…Ados. Can I ask something? Where did I go wrong?”
At Ricard’s question, Ados widened his eyes and stared at him.
Though he did hope Aike would change Ricard’s mind, he never considered Ricard would question him.
The Rozelia Duke House inherently carries the value that nobles must remain solitary.
This was the result of being fixated on the title of nobility itself rather than noble honor following the civil war.
As a result, if it was deemed necessary, they would not hesitate to cut off those around them.
So even if the Rozelia Duke House was clearly one of the two great houses alongside Akses, they had excessively many enemies.
“Well.”
Ados and Nia slowly sat down on the sofa, gazing at Ricard.
“Honestly, we knew what kind of environment Lady Reina was growing up in.”
The fact that Ados and Nia cherished Reina like a daughter stemmed entirely from that.
However, they couldn’t confront Ricard about it.
Such a moment would undoubtedly lead to familial conflict.
“If I were to simply voice my thoughts, I’d say I’m quite disappointed in you and Alicia.”
Still, Ados sending Aike to try and prevent Reina’s suspension was due to the information he heard from Leon.
That Reina’s reputation was rising significantly within Arcana, thereby easing the negative sentiment from factions that previously held ill will towards the Rozelia Duke House.
The Rozelia Duke House must never collapse.
Ados wasn’t thinking this merely because he was childhood friends with Ricard.
He understood that the Rozelia family contributed greatly to the Empire beyond appearances.
The moment Rozelia crumbled, the Empire’s advancement would surely be hindered.
Thus, Ados sent Aike to prevent Reina’s suspension.
To reduce the enemies against the Rozelia House, even if slightly.
‘But for Ricard to question himself like this…’
Ados expressed silent gratitude to his son, who had yielded more than expected.
“But if you’ve realized it now, then starting from now should be able to change. That’s what I think.”
Though Ricard thought it simple yet challenging, he slowly shook his head and spoke.
“That’s impossible. I’ve lived my whole life this way. No matter how much I realize my mistakes, changing myself is going to be difficult.”
Ricard knew himself well.
If he tried to force himself to change, he anticipated even worse outcomes.
“…So, I should quietly support Reina’s choices from behind and ensure I don’t interfere.”
Ricard took out his pipe tobacco from the drawer, filled it, and lit it.
And for the first time in nearly ten years, he placed the mouthpiece to his lips.
The familiar tobacco scent filled his system, dizzying him.
Yet unlike the last time he smoked, he did not feel disgust.
After tipping the tobacco into the ashtray, Ricard stowed the pipe back into his back pocket.
“Since both of you are here after a long time, shall we have a drink?”
“Sure.”
“I’d like that too.”
Slowly rising from his chair, Ricard had a faint smile on his face.
★
A week after the runaway.
“It’s been quite a while since the two of us met. We are betrothed, after all.”
“…I’m sorry.”
I found myself facing the Crown Prince in the palace.
This was a place created at my request.
“Well, it’s fine. I was going to visit Lady Reina soon anyway.”
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
“Right. You mentioned you had a request?”
“Yes. I’m sorry to ask, but…”
In this moment, I intended to request a dissolution of our engagement.
After realizing my feelings for Aike, I worked hard to forget them, but it proved impossible.
Rather, recent events had only intensified those emotions.
Holding the position of Crown Princess with such feelings was akin to deceiving His Highness.
I had divulged everything to my father except for my feelings regarding Aike.
I’d expected him to oppose me, but instead, he simply nodded and said he understood.
Therefore, all that remained was to reveal everything to His Highness.
“Alright. I’ll do my best to fulfill your request.”
His Highness replied with a bright smile.
But would he still be understanding after hearing my next request?
That thought nagged at me, and I quietly swallowed.
“But before that, I’d like you to grant me a request first, Lady Reina.”
“Ah, yes. Whatever you say, Your Highness.”
I knew the extent of how rude my request was going to be.
Therefore, I had no intention of refusing.
But.
“Lady Reina, I’m sorry, but you’ll have to dissolve our engagement once the second semester begins.”
Seeing His Highness say this with a smile, I lost my ability to respond.
