I wiped away the tears that were falling down my cheeks.
“No. I was just a little surprised...”
“Next time I come, I will bring a portrait of Her Highness the Crown Princess. It is a painting I made, and although my skills are poor, I am sure you will be able to see how much the resemblance is.”
“...Thank you. I really want to see it.”
Isabella held my hand tightly.
“I believe that Young Lady's the one. If only for the Duke’s sake.”
I hope the Duke feels better now, Isabella added softly.
It was a very strange thing to say. But Isabella didn't even give me time to think deeply about it. She said goodbye gracefully and left the room right away.
“Did they look alike?”
“Yes. If I may venture to say, the first time I saw her, I thought Her Highness the Crown Princess had returned alive.”
Isabella gently placed the teacup on its saucer. Her tone was confident.
Isabella had long been at the top of court society and was adept at the art of socializing.
In other words, she was so good at handling difficult questions that she didn't answer them right away. She confirmed this from the very first word.
Laskan made a brief gesture to the knight waiting behind him. The knight placed the bag he was holding on the table.
Laskan reached out and opened the bag himself. What was inside was so old and dirty that it was hard to tell what it was at first glance.
When he took it out and unfolded it, it was a small dress that a child of about four or five years old would wear.
“Would you like to find out?”
“This is...”
Isabella couldn't bring herself to say anything. No matter how ugly and dirty it was, it wasn't something you could recognize.
She smoothed the fabric with trembling hands.
“It’s Her Highness Princess Anastasia’s clothing. The fabric as well... was definitely supplied to the palace.”
Isabella lifted her trembling eyes slightly.
“Your Majesty would have recognized it right away... You may remember that day, and the clothes on the portrait hanging in the hallway are the same.”
“I remember the face, but I’m not sure about the clothes. However, I’m suspicious that the clothes are exactly the same as those depicted in the portrait hanging in the palace corridors. What if someone stole them after harming the Princess? What if someone who saw the portrait made an exact replica?”
That alone was a difficult question to answer with certainty, but Isabella shook her head once more.
“It’s not completely impossible, but this fabric was definitely supplied to the royal family. Even if it was fake, it wouldn’t have been easy to put these traces of time on it.”
Cesare, who had been listening quietly, answered.
“I agree. Besides, is there anyone else whose appearance matches that well?”
“Laskan. Admit it now.”
Laskan quickly lost patience and raised his head at his aunt's shortened words.
“It looks very similar to me. If someone had intentionally brought the person near, they would have sent her away after at least some training, but there was no sign of that.”
“But, aunt.”
It was Cesare who received the message.
“Your Excellency, I am sorry to be presumptuous, but... even if it is a case of emergency, there are sufficient grounds for consideration. There is also sufficient evidence. There is no reason not to proceed.”
Laskan closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair. He felt a sense of bewilderment as he finally saw what he had been searching for for decades.
But what was most disconcerting was his desperate instinct to believe that the woman was real.
No matter how hard you try to deny it with reason, it gets blocked as soon as you shout it out.
In the end, it was as Cesare had said. There was no reason not to do it, even if it would make the woman unhappy.
Having already put a price tag on its utility, now they hesitate because of that one fact.
Whether the Princess is real or fake, it is clear that her life will no longer be ordinary.
Yeah. If he thinks about it, that's all it was because of.
Even as he planned to bring a woman into the most glamorous and exclusive place in the world, he was afraid that a woman like Anastasia would be unhappy.
Whenever he saw that innocent face... Laskan felt an ambivalent feeling that he couldn’t help but feel.
He wiped his face with his dry hands. Whenever his emotions and reason came into play, he always followed reason. So in the end, no matter how many times he thought about it, this was the only conclusion he came to.
He finally straightened his back, which had been slouched.
“Send a messenger to the palace.”
People are said to be creatures of adaptation. I was gradually becoming accustomed to living in the Duke's mansion.
At first, I thought I would die from the schedule, but somehow I managed to get through it. As expected, people tend to do whatever comes their way.
Isabella was the one who worked harder than anyone else to educate me. Of course, I was the one who was having the hardest time.
“There is too much harshness in the pronunciation. When you put stress, you should blur the ending slightly, saying ‘leu’ or ‘heu’ instead of ‘teu’. It is much more elegant than pronouncing it clearly.”
What we're focusing on these days is pronunciation correction.
In particular, my accent was quite strong. George was from the north, and I would often unconsciously use the dialect and slang commonly used among the common people.
“When Young Lady is flustered, it shows on your face. You stutter too much. You don’t have to answer right away. Rather, speaking slowly and in an organized manner will convey more power and give more weight.”
“Ugh.”
“You don’t have to answer while you have the quill in your mouth. You can take it out now.”
I wrapped the quill, which was covered in spit, in a handkerchief and placed it on the table.
In the past, I would have just wiped it with my dress. That would have made Isabella's nagging longer and made class time double.
If class time gets long, my schedule after that gets messed up, and if my schedule after that gets messed up, I can't sleep on time.
It was a fact that I had become very aware of through my extremely difficult schedule.
Fortunately, Isabella seemed more than satisfied with my behavior.
“Still, you’ve improved a lot. Today’s homework is to read the first chapter of ‘Le Guinter’ twenty times.”
I pressed my hand against my quill-like lips, which were trembling from having spent the whole day writing.
It was a title I had never heard of before. And usually, when the title is one that I have never heard of before and cannot even guess at, it is a book written in gore.
It is an old word whose pronunciation is so complex that it is almost vicious, and whose meaning changes drastically depending on the stress and accuracy with which you read it.
Although I slumped my shoulders sullenly, Isabella was merciless.
I was half-pushed to the study. I didn't have Le Guinter, and it was probably one of those dirty, complicated must-reads of the aristocracy, so there would probably be a copy lying around in the main library.
I opened the study door without even knocking. I had never seen anyone here in all the time I had been coming and going.
I was a bit surprised, as I had thought it would be Cesar. The Duke, who had been busy for several days and had not shown his face, was there.
The Duke was sleeping in an uncomfortable position on his armchair and seemed to wake up at my presence.
“...What are you doing here?”
I ended up asking that question. And as soon as the words left my mouth, I regretted it.
It was a really funny thing to say. This was Laskan's house, and it was none of my business where Laskan was or what he did. Even if he was sleeping in a corner study, leaving his perfectly good bedroom.
He looked a little tired.
“...Ah, you’re here.”
He lifted his large hands and washed his face dry. It seemed like he hadn't slept properly for several days.
His hair, which had been beautifully pomaded, was disheveled, and the nape of his neck was visible through the loose cravat.
His throat twitched wildly with each breath he took.
Wild. It was a word that made me feel embarrassed just thinking about it, so I blushed.
He seemed to be waiting for me, but he didn't take the initiative to talk.
I decided to look through the books first while waiting for him to get ready. I was surprised, because I was surprised, and my homework was piled up.
Le Guinter, le, le, damn it, I can't even tell where the hell it is. It's all just a bunch of crooked gore, so I should have been able to figure it out.
As I was about to pull out a random book that started with the letter R, I heard him get up from his chair.
A fresh body odor hit me, and I felt his shadow behind me. It felt like I was trapped between the bookshelf and his arms.
While I was dumbfounded, Laskan took out a book and gently placed it in my hand.
“Le Guinter, here.”
“...Did you hear?”
“Of course. You muttered so loudly.”
He said with a faint smile. It was such a wonderful smile that my frozen stomach instantly warmed up.
I blushed.
“The pronunciations are still a bit difficult. Reading is my homework.”
“Still, it seems like it’s gotten a lot better.”
“...Are you saying that my pronunciation was that bad before?”
"Yes."
His throat rang, and a voice so wonderful that I couldn't believe it was the same person flowed out. Along with a very faint vibration that I could feel at my fingertips.
“...Just one more time.”
I said that as if I was possessed.
“No. I was just a little surprised...”
“Next time I come, I will bring a portrait of Her Highness the Crown Princess. It is a painting I made, and although my skills are poor, I am sure you will be able to see how much the resemblance is.”
“...Thank you. I really want to see it.”
Isabella held my hand tightly.
“I believe that Young Lady's the one. If only for the Duke’s sake.”
I hope the Duke feels better now, Isabella added softly.
It was a very strange thing to say. But Isabella didn't even give me time to think deeply about it. She said goodbye gracefully and left the room right away.
***
“Did they look alike?”
“Yes. If I may venture to say, the first time I saw her, I thought Her Highness the Crown Princess had returned alive.”
Isabella gently placed the teacup on its saucer. Her tone was confident.
Isabella had long been at the top of court society and was adept at the art of socializing.
In other words, she was so good at handling difficult questions that she didn't answer them right away. She confirmed this from the very first word.
Laskan made a brief gesture to the knight waiting behind him. The knight placed the bag he was holding on the table.
Laskan reached out and opened the bag himself. What was inside was so old and dirty that it was hard to tell what it was at first glance.
When he took it out and unfolded it, it was a small dress that a child of about four or five years old would wear.
“Would you like to find out?”
“This is...”
Isabella couldn't bring herself to say anything. No matter how ugly and dirty it was, it wasn't something you could recognize.
She smoothed the fabric with trembling hands.
“It’s Her Highness Princess Anastasia’s clothing. The fabric as well... was definitely supplied to the palace.”
Isabella lifted her trembling eyes slightly.
“Your Majesty would have recognized it right away... You may remember that day, and the clothes on the portrait hanging in the hallway are the same.”
“I remember the face, but I’m not sure about the clothes. However, I’m suspicious that the clothes are exactly the same as those depicted in the portrait hanging in the palace corridors. What if someone stole them after harming the Princess? What if someone who saw the portrait made an exact replica?”
That alone was a difficult question to answer with certainty, but Isabella shook her head once more.
“It’s not completely impossible, but this fabric was definitely supplied to the royal family. Even if it was fake, it wouldn’t have been easy to put these traces of time on it.”
Cesare, who had been listening quietly, answered.
“I agree. Besides, is there anyone else whose appearance matches that well?”
“Laskan. Admit it now.”
Laskan quickly lost patience and raised his head at his aunt's shortened words.
“It looks very similar to me. If someone had intentionally brought the person near, they would have sent her away after at least some training, but there was no sign of that.”
“But, aunt.”
It was Cesare who received the message.
“Your Excellency, I am sorry to be presumptuous, but... even if it is a case of emergency, there are sufficient grounds for consideration. There is also sufficient evidence. There is no reason not to proceed.”
Laskan closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair. He felt a sense of bewilderment as he finally saw what he had been searching for for decades.
But what was most disconcerting was his desperate instinct to believe that the woman was real.
No matter how hard you try to deny it with reason, it gets blocked as soon as you shout it out.
In the end, it was as Cesare had said. There was no reason not to do it, even if it would make the woman unhappy.
Having already put a price tag on its utility, now they hesitate because of that one fact.
Whether the Princess is real or fake, it is clear that her life will no longer be ordinary.
Yeah. If he thinks about it, that's all it was because of.
Even as he planned to bring a woman into the most glamorous and exclusive place in the world, he was afraid that a woman like Anastasia would be unhappy.
Whenever he saw that innocent face... Laskan felt an ambivalent feeling that he couldn’t help but feel.
He wiped his face with his dry hands. Whenever his emotions and reason came into play, he always followed reason. So in the end, no matter how many times he thought about it, this was the only conclusion he came to.
He finally straightened his back, which had been slouched.
“Send a messenger to the palace.”
***
People are said to be creatures of adaptation. I was gradually becoming accustomed to living in the Duke's mansion.
At first, I thought I would die from the schedule, but somehow I managed to get through it. As expected, people tend to do whatever comes their way.
Isabella was the one who worked harder than anyone else to educate me. Of course, I was the one who was having the hardest time.
“There is too much harshness in the pronunciation. When you put stress, you should blur the ending slightly, saying ‘leu’ or ‘heu’ instead of ‘teu’. It is much more elegant than pronouncing it clearly.”
What we're focusing on these days is pronunciation correction.
In particular, my accent was quite strong. George was from the north, and I would often unconsciously use the dialect and slang commonly used among the common people.
“When Young Lady is flustered, it shows on your face. You stutter too much. You don’t have to answer right away. Rather, speaking slowly and in an organized manner will convey more power and give more weight.”
“Ugh.”
“You don’t have to answer while you have the quill in your mouth. You can take it out now.”
I wrapped the quill, which was covered in spit, in a handkerchief and placed it on the table.
In the past, I would have just wiped it with my dress. That would have made Isabella's nagging longer and made class time double.
If class time gets long, my schedule after that gets messed up, and if my schedule after that gets messed up, I can't sleep on time.
It was a fact that I had become very aware of through my extremely difficult schedule.
Fortunately, Isabella seemed more than satisfied with my behavior.
“Still, you’ve improved a lot. Today’s homework is to read the first chapter of ‘Le Guinter’ twenty times.”
I pressed my hand against my quill-like lips, which were trembling from having spent the whole day writing.
It was a title I had never heard of before. And usually, when the title is one that I have never heard of before and cannot even guess at, it is a book written in gore.
It is an old word whose pronunciation is so complex that it is almost vicious, and whose meaning changes drastically depending on the stress and accuracy with which you read it.
Although I slumped my shoulders sullenly, Isabella was merciless.
I was half-pushed to the study. I didn't have Le Guinter, and it was probably one of those dirty, complicated must-reads of the aristocracy, so there would probably be a copy lying around in the main library.
I opened the study door without even knocking. I had never seen anyone here in all the time I had been coming and going.
I was a bit surprised, as I had thought it would be Cesar. The Duke, who had been busy for several days and had not shown his face, was there.
The Duke was sleeping in an uncomfortable position on his armchair and seemed to wake up at my presence.
“...What are you doing here?”
I ended up asking that question. And as soon as the words left my mouth, I regretted it.
It was a really funny thing to say. This was Laskan's house, and it was none of my business where Laskan was or what he did. Even if he was sleeping in a corner study, leaving his perfectly good bedroom.
He looked a little tired.
“...Ah, you’re here.”
He lifted his large hands and washed his face dry. It seemed like he hadn't slept properly for several days.
His hair, which had been beautifully pomaded, was disheveled, and the nape of his neck was visible through the loose cravat.
His throat twitched wildly with each breath he took.
Wild. It was a word that made me feel embarrassed just thinking about it, so I blushed.
He seemed to be waiting for me, but he didn't take the initiative to talk.
I decided to look through the books first while waiting for him to get ready. I was surprised, because I was surprised, and my homework was piled up.
Le Guinter, le, le, damn it, I can't even tell where the hell it is. It's all just a bunch of crooked gore, so I should have been able to figure it out.
As I was about to pull out a random book that started with the letter R, I heard him get up from his chair.
A fresh body odor hit me, and I felt his shadow behind me. It felt like I was trapped between the bookshelf and his arms.
While I was dumbfounded, Laskan took out a book and gently placed it in my hand.
“Le Guinter, here.”
“...Did you hear?”
“Of course. You muttered so loudly.”
He said with a faint smile. It was such a wonderful smile that my frozen stomach instantly warmed up.
I blushed.
“The pronunciations are still a bit difficult. Reading is my homework.”
“Still, it seems like it’s gotten a lot better.”
“...Are you saying that my pronunciation was that bad before?”
“It wasn’t proper etiquette.”
“Yes.”
"Yes."
“Oops. Damn, I’m sorry. Oops.”
I ended up cursing without thinking. Even to myself, my pronunciation was hopeless.
Even after a week of corrections, my pronunciation was still a mess.
The nobles pronounce every letter very delicately and clearly. It's commoners like me who pronounce words roughly.
But what can I do? I've lived like that for eighteen years.
I was prepared to get scolded, but Laskan didn't even show any sign of scolding me. He just gently grabbed my hand.
The moment my fingertips touched his lips...
“Yes.”
"Yes."
“Oops. Damn, I’m sorry. Oops.”
I ended up cursing without thinking. Even to myself, my pronunciation was hopeless.
Even after a week of corrections, my pronunciation was still a mess.
The nobles pronounce every letter very delicately and clearly. It's commoners like me who pronounce words roughly.
But what can I do? I've lived like that for eighteen years.
I was prepared to get scolded, but Laskan didn't even show any sign of scolding me. He just gently grabbed my hand.
The moment my fingertips touched his lips...
"Yes."
His throat rang, and a voice so wonderful that I couldn't believe it was the same person flowed out. Along with a very faint vibration that I could feel at my fingertips.
“...Just one more time.”
I said that as if I was possessed.
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