The daily routine at the villa wasn't bad. When I woke up in the morning, I opened the windows wide to ventilate the room. The northern breeze, as cold as it was, was also good for driving away the sleepiness.
Looking out the window, covered with a blanket, I saw flowers growing in clusters, cute and charming. It felt wonderful to see flowers blooming even in such cold weather.
Woof!
What? I leaned back in my wheelchair and blinked.
Woof!
Another loud barking sound was heard. I craned my neck to peer just below the window. There, a familiar dog was standing, its paws against the wall.
I was so startled that I tried to get up from my seat, but I couldn't help but groan and collapse.
“Oh my, ma’am!”
Anna came over in surprise, but I quickly got on my butt and urged her on.
“Anna, is that Duke outside? Let’s go out quickly!”
Then Anna covered her mouth, smiled, and pushed my wheelchair. She seemed quite adept at pushing a wheelchair now. I thought, "She's been through a lot because of me."
When I went down from the second floor, I had to rely on the help of attendants. The feeling of guilt I felt when an elderly caretaker came to help me move my wheelchair was indescribable.
“Yes, you can just stay on the first floor.”
When I grumbled in embarrassment, the manager just wiped my forehead and said it was nonsense.
"Oh dear, there aren't any decent rooms on the first floor. This villa doesn't have many rooms to begin with, so I like the one Your Majesty the Grand Duchess used the best."
“But I know you must be busy, and it seems like you’re having a hard time carrying me up and down. I’m so sorry.”
“My hands are busy, but it’s much more enjoyable than the days when I was playing around.”
The manager was a truly kind person. Even the other attendants nodded in agreement. I could only express my gratitude for his kindness.
As I headed toward the back garden, Duke ran toward me. This smart dog, perhaps aware of my sore legs, hung on to the side of the wheelchair, an unusual move. I bent down and kissed Duke on the nose.
“Our cute Duke. How did you get here, huh?”
The caretaker, who was watching from the side, smiled happily as I let Duke lick my face without permission and showed great affection.
“Early in the morning, a carriage arrived from the Grand Duke’s residence. And with it came this big, cute dog.”
At those words, I suddenly raised my head. Of course, the Duke wouldn't have traveled that far alone. He must have been accompanied by someone in a carriage. I asked, as casually as I could, with a calm expression.
“Who brought him?”
“Well, the Grand Duke’s attendant brought him.”
The manager replied as if it were obvious. "Yes, that's obvious. Julian was too busy to come all the way here just to bring a dog."
The manager looked at my face and seemed to think he'd made a slip of the tongue. He quickly added:
“How much must His Highness the Grand Duke care about Your Highness the Grand Duchess that he sent away all your beloved dogs?”
“Yeah, I know that too. Thanks.”
Julian had said he was "lonely" when he was left alone. And perhaps because he was lonely himself, he assumed I would be. That's probably why he sent Duke away. I felt like I was being swept away by his affection.
'No! I need to get a grip. If I keep doing this, I'll really fall in love with him!'
I shook my head quickly and rubbed Duke's cheek. Duke stayed by my side, his pace slow, as I walked through the garden.
I tried my best to think of something else, but I couldn't help but think of Julian, who kept pace with me.
Luckily, the manager followed me and spoke to me first.
“Are you planning to look around the garden today, too?”
I nodded. My favorite part of the villa was the garden. While it was surprisingly small for a Grand Duke's garden, it was quite large considering the size of the house.
That alone gave me a sense of what Julian's mother wanted this house to be like. The garden here changed colors with each season, and when I opened the window in my bedroom in the morning, the scent of flowers filled me.
I rubbed the petals between my thumb and index finger, then looked up in puzzlement.
“But I don’t see the gardener today.”
I felt a sense of emptiness, not seeing the gardener who always diligently tended it. My words seemed to bring back memories of the caretaker.
“Oh, I gave him a day off today because it’s his wife’s anniversary.”
"Yes?"
After thinking for a moment, I asked cautiously.
“Do you think it would be burdensome if I sent him flowers?”
"Hey, it's a little surprising, but I think he'll like it. Who doesn't like gifts?"
That's right. I've been very grateful to the gardener lately. I've gotten a lot of advice on cultivating the villa garden. I figured it wouldn't hurt to give him a little gift every once in a while.
“Then please send him a bouquet of flowers in my name.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
The caretaker immediately stepped aside. For the rest of the time, I walked around the garden with Duke, reflecting on what we had accomplished and what lay ahead.
Kaiser ran away to a distant place. I had asked Anna to hire someone, but judging by the lack of news, he seemed to have been nowhere to be found.
Prince Cain was ultimately imprisoned. His attempt to frame the Crown Prince, who had been appointed by the Emperor, was tantamount to treason.
However, given that he was imprisoned in a prison exclusively for the royal family, it was difficult to say that there was no chance at all. If Prince Cain were alone, the possibility would have been low, but...
'Prince Cain has a sister named Abigail.'
Princess Abigail was the Emperor's most favored child and was both intelligent and vicious.
If the note that Nife had saved was completely true, it meant that Princess Abigail had been using her subordinate Ari Eriant to manipulate Prince Cain like a puppet.
One day, Kaiser said this:
'Ah, Ari, you see! Ever since that woman came, Prince Cain has been lusting after the throne.'
This meant that Prince Cain himself lacked the will to become Emperor. Princess Abigail wanted him to become Emperor, and so she sent Ari Eriant into his secret government to persuade Prince Caim.
If that's the case, then it wasn't Prince Cain but Princess Abigail who was in danger.
I lowered my head to Duke, who wanted to lick my cheek, and whispered.
“How can I get Julian to believe me?”
If I had personally witnessed the relationship between Princess Abigail and Ari Eliant and stood as a witness, Julian would have believed me.
But the evidence I had was something Nife had provided. So, Julian's distrust... was understandable.
But why am I upset?
And why did I have high hopes when I saw the Duke coming?
Anna spoke to me while I was lost in thought.
“Oh, ma’am. The Duke is acting like he never used to.”
"Huh?"
At those words, I turned my head to where Duke was loitering. He had stopped in front of a tree and was diligently scratching at the roots with his forepaws. Startled, I called out to him, wondering if he might damage the tree.
“Duke, stop!”
When I shouted, Duke immediately stopped moving. But he kept looking back at the tree roots, as if he was feeling a pang of regret. Seeing his tail drooping down was both amusing and heartbreaking.
“What’s in there, huh?”
I asked affectionately, moving the wheelchair closer to the tree. In that brief moment, the roots had been exposed, showing how diligently they'd been dug. I was about to suggest they cover it up again when I noticed a faint scratch on the tree trunk.
Was it scratched by a wild animal? At first glance, it might have seemed so. But upon closer inspection, it looked like... a downward-pointing arrow. And it was perfectly straight, as if scratched with a knife.
“Anna, look at this. Doesn’t it look like an arrow?”
“Well, I guess so.”
A faint mark carved into a tree. I felt a thrill, as if a treasure was hidden there. With a pounding heart, I asked Anna.
“...Shall we take a look?”
Anna covered her mouth and laughed.
“It’s been a while since you’ve looked so excited. I doubt there’s any treasure...”
“But I’m still curious.”
“Yes, then. I’ll get the shovel.”
“Thank you, Anna.”
While I was trying to get Duke to behave, Anna hurriedly brought the shovel. She held onto her skirt and squatted down.
“I wish I could do it.”
“It seems to me that you look at me like a child.”
We looked at each other and smiled. Anna had been much more polite to me since I became the Grand Duchess. Of course, I had to be treated like the mistress of a household, not just a young lady.
But since I came to the villa, she's been more at ease with me. Sometimes, this kind of behavior felt like a return to the days when I lived at the Count of Winsley's, so it wasn't a bad thing.
Anna scraped the soil with a shovel, taking care not to damage the tree roots. The soil wasn't too soft, but it wasn't too hard either.
She hadn't even dug for very long when something hard hit the tip of her shovel, making a dull thud. Anna said in an excited voice.
“There’s something stuck on the end of the shovel.”
“Really? Let’s dig deeper.”
"Wait a minute."
Anna began to dig more carefully, and eventually the object buried in the ground began to slowly reveal itself.
“It looks like a jewelry box.”
“Really? Did you really find some treasure?”
If that were the case, then it must have belonged to the former Grand Duchess, so I had no intention of taking it without permission. I thought Julian would be pleased to see it. Anna cleaned the dirt off the jewelry box and handed it to me.
Looking out the window, covered with a blanket, I saw flowers growing in clusters, cute and charming. It felt wonderful to see flowers blooming even in such cold weather.
Woof!
What? I leaned back in my wheelchair and blinked.
Woof!
Another loud barking sound was heard. I craned my neck to peer just below the window. There, a familiar dog was standing, its paws against the wall.
I was so startled that I tried to get up from my seat, but I couldn't help but groan and collapse.
“Oh my, ma’am!”
Anna came over in surprise, but I quickly got on my butt and urged her on.
“Anna, is that Duke outside? Let’s go out quickly!”
Then Anna covered her mouth, smiled, and pushed my wheelchair. She seemed quite adept at pushing a wheelchair now. I thought, "She's been through a lot because of me."
When I went down from the second floor, I had to rely on the help of attendants. The feeling of guilt I felt when an elderly caretaker came to help me move my wheelchair was indescribable.
“Yes, you can just stay on the first floor.”
When I grumbled in embarrassment, the manager just wiped my forehead and said it was nonsense.
"Oh dear, there aren't any decent rooms on the first floor. This villa doesn't have many rooms to begin with, so I like the one Your Majesty the Grand Duchess used the best."
“But I know you must be busy, and it seems like you’re having a hard time carrying me up and down. I’m so sorry.”
“My hands are busy, but it’s much more enjoyable than the days when I was playing around.”
The manager was a truly kind person. Even the other attendants nodded in agreement. I could only express my gratitude for his kindness.
As I headed toward the back garden, Duke ran toward me. This smart dog, perhaps aware of my sore legs, hung on to the side of the wheelchair, an unusual move. I bent down and kissed Duke on the nose.
“Our cute Duke. How did you get here, huh?”
The caretaker, who was watching from the side, smiled happily as I let Duke lick my face without permission and showed great affection.
“Early in the morning, a carriage arrived from the Grand Duke’s residence. And with it came this big, cute dog.”
At those words, I suddenly raised my head. Of course, the Duke wouldn't have traveled that far alone. He must have been accompanied by someone in a carriage. I asked, as casually as I could, with a calm expression.
“Who brought him?”
“Well, the Grand Duke’s attendant brought him.”
The manager replied as if it were obvious. "Yes, that's obvious. Julian was too busy to come all the way here just to bring a dog."
The manager looked at my face and seemed to think he'd made a slip of the tongue. He quickly added:
“How much must His Highness the Grand Duke care about Your Highness the Grand Duchess that he sent away all your beloved dogs?”
“Yeah, I know that too. Thanks.”
Julian had said he was "lonely" when he was left alone. And perhaps because he was lonely himself, he assumed I would be. That's probably why he sent Duke away. I felt like I was being swept away by his affection.
'No! I need to get a grip. If I keep doing this, I'll really fall in love with him!'
I shook my head quickly and rubbed Duke's cheek. Duke stayed by my side, his pace slow, as I walked through the garden.
I tried my best to think of something else, but I couldn't help but think of Julian, who kept pace with me.
Luckily, the manager followed me and spoke to me first.
“Are you planning to look around the garden today, too?”
I nodded. My favorite part of the villa was the garden. While it was surprisingly small for a Grand Duke's garden, it was quite large considering the size of the house.
That alone gave me a sense of what Julian's mother wanted this house to be like. The garden here changed colors with each season, and when I opened the window in my bedroom in the morning, the scent of flowers filled me.
I rubbed the petals between my thumb and index finger, then looked up in puzzlement.
“But I don’t see the gardener today.”
I felt a sense of emptiness, not seeing the gardener who always diligently tended it. My words seemed to bring back memories of the caretaker.
“Oh, I gave him a day off today because it’s his wife’s anniversary.”
"Yes?"
After thinking for a moment, I asked cautiously.
“Do you think it would be burdensome if I sent him flowers?”
"Hey, it's a little surprising, but I think he'll like it. Who doesn't like gifts?"
That's right. I've been very grateful to the gardener lately. I've gotten a lot of advice on cultivating the villa garden. I figured it wouldn't hurt to give him a little gift every once in a while.
“Then please send him a bouquet of flowers in my name.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
The caretaker immediately stepped aside. For the rest of the time, I walked around the garden with Duke, reflecting on what we had accomplished and what lay ahead.
Kaiser ran away to a distant place. I had asked Anna to hire someone, but judging by the lack of news, he seemed to have been nowhere to be found.
Prince Cain was ultimately imprisoned. His attempt to frame the Crown Prince, who had been appointed by the Emperor, was tantamount to treason.
However, given that he was imprisoned in a prison exclusively for the royal family, it was difficult to say that there was no chance at all. If Prince Cain were alone, the possibility would have been low, but...
'Prince Cain has a sister named Abigail.'
Princess Abigail was the Emperor's most favored child and was both intelligent and vicious.
If the note that Nife had saved was completely true, it meant that Princess Abigail had been using her subordinate Ari Eriant to manipulate Prince Cain like a puppet.
One day, Kaiser said this:
'Ah, Ari, you see! Ever since that woman came, Prince Cain has been lusting after the throne.'
This meant that Prince Cain himself lacked the will to become Emperor. Princess Abigail wanted him to become Emperor, and so she sent Ari Eriant into his secret government to persuade Prince Caim.
If that's the case, then it wasn't Prince Cain but Princess Abigail who was in danger.
I lowered my head to Duke, who wanted to lick my cheek, and whispered.
“How can I get Julian to believe me?”
If I had personally witnessed the relationship between Princess Abigail and Ari Eliant and stood as a witness, Julian would have believed me.
But the evidence I had was something Nife had provided. So, Julian's distrust... was understandable.
But why am I upset?
And why did I have high hopes when I saw the Duke coming?
Anna spoke to me while I was lost in thought.
“Oh, ma’am. The Duke is acting like he never used to.”
"Huh?"
At those words, I turned my head to where Duke was loitering. He had stopped in front of a tree and was diligently scratching at the roots with his forepaws. Startled, I called out to him, wondering if he might damage the tree.
“Duke, stop!”
When I shouted, Duke immediately stopped moving. But he kept looking back at the tree roots, as if he was feeling a pang of regret. Seeing his tail drooping down was both amusing and heartbreaking.
“What’s in there, huh?”
I asked affectionately, moving the wheelchair closer to the tree. In that brief moment, the roots had been exposed, showing how diligently they'd been dug. I was about to suggest they cover it up again when I noticed a faint scratch on the tree trunk.
Was it scratched by a wild animal? At first glance, it might have seemed so. But upon closer inspection, it looked like... a downward-pointing arrow. And it was perfectly straight, as if scratched with a knife.
“Anna, look at this. Doesn’t it look like an arrow?”
“Well, I guess so.”
A faint mark carved into a tree. I felt a thrill, as if a treasure was hidden there. With a pounding heart, I asked Anna.
“...Shall we take a look?”
Anna covered her mouth and laughed.
“It’s been a while since you’ve looked so excited. I doubt there’s any treasure...”
“But I’m still curious.”
“Yes, then. I’ll get the shovel.”
“Thank you, Anna.”
While I was trying to get Duke to behave, Anna hurriedly brought the shovel. She held onto her skirt and squatted down.
“I wish I could do it.”
“Oh dear, Madam still thinks you're the mistress, don't you? Your leg's like that, so just stay put.”
We looked at each other and smiled. Anna had been much more polite to me since I became the Grand Duchess. Of course, I had to be treated like the mistress of a household, not just a young lady.
But since I came to the villa, she's been more at ease with me. Sometimes, this kind of behavior felt like a return to the days when I lived at the Count of Winsley's, so it wasn't a bad thing.
Anna scraped the soil with a shovel, taking care not to damage the tree roots. The soil wasn't too soft, but it wasn't too hard either.
She hadn't even dug for very long when something hard hit the tip of her shovel, making a dull thud. Anna said in an excited voice.
“There’s something stuck on the end of the shovel.”
“Really? Let’s dig deeper.”
"Wait a minute."
Anna began to dig more carefully, and eventually the object buried in the ground began to slowly reveal itself.
“It looks like a jewelry box.”
“Really? Did you really find some treasure?”
If that were the case, then it must have belonged to the former Grand Duchess, so I had no intention of taking it without permission. I thought Julian would be pleased to see it. Anna cleaned the dirt off the jewelry box and handed it to me.
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