Ideline looked full of guilt, perhaps feeling sorry for inviting me here at the request of her lover, Baron Belmand.
'Just what kind of person is Ideline?'
An innocent victim? Or rather, the real mastermind who conspired with the Baron?
I smiled at Ideline.
"No. I heard you are close with the Baron. How painful it would be if the man you love were framed and executed."
"..."
Is it because I spoke harshly on purpose?
She clamped her mouth shut for a moment.
"...I must seem morally flawed to you, having a lover while having a husband?"
It was the first thing Ideline said in a long while.
But I shook my head.
"Actually, His Excellency the Grand Duke... well, I don't think he would be someone easy to live with."
At those words, Ideline looked up and stared at me, appearing momentarily surprised.
I chuckled as I looked at her.
"Do I have the right to judge Ideline when I don't know her life?"
"..."
Ideline suddenly felt lonely during the day.
Of course, not everything I say is sincere, but I need to get to know Ideline better.
If Ideline is innocent.
'Because I still have a little bit of a desire to pull it out.'
However, if the Baron is indeed an insider and Ideline helped him as his lover, I also cannot prevent the punishment.
"It's the first time I've heard that. Thank you."
"Honestly, it is true that people speak carelessly about this and that."
I heard subtle gossip while coming and going from various social parties.
Since my husband had died while with a lover, wives who had similar experiences regarded me as something of a comrade.
However, at the same time, I asked Ideline.
"Even so, since the Baron and I have joined hands now, I wish you wouldn't hide things like this."
"I will. I'm sorry."
Ideline nodded as if reflecting on her actions.
She closed her lips for a moment, then slowly revealed a fragment of her inner thoughts.
"You know, when I come here... I feel a sense of freedom, even if only for a brief moment, that I haven't been given even a little bit."
"Is life as a Grand Duchess stifling?"
"Many."
Ideline's laughter was sad.
"To be honest, I wasn't interested in high society or positions."
In the original work, she was merely a woman with a gentle personality who mediated the anger of her ill-tempered husband.
I never knew there was such a backstory.
I nodded and listened to Ideline.
"Ever since I was little, my dream has always been to become a professor at an academy. Being buried in piles of books makes me feel as happy as if I were dreaming."
"Then, did you enroll in the academy?"
"Yes. I hid my family name, passed the entrance exam, and even graduated at the top of my class."
Ideline shyly boasted.
I spared no praise, assuming that this was probably her pride.
Meanwhile, I was confused to see a side of Ideline that was different from what I had expected.
'I can't believe you were more ambitious than I thought!'
"That's amazing. I heard the Academy's entrance exam is really difficult."
"Yes. But I didn't know until then that the entrance exam was the easiest one."
She let out a low laugh.
"I studied so hard that no one knew I was the daughter of the Count of Dalton."
"Then how did you meet the Grand Duke?"
"My husband came to the dedication ceremony when the Grand Duke's family built and donated a new library to the Academy..."
"Of all people, Ideline was shining so brightly that she ended up standing out."
Upon hearing those words, Ideline finally burst into a chuckle.
"After getting married, when I told my husband I wanted to become a professor, he absolutely refused. He said I had to fulfill my responsibilities as the housewife."
"Even though you said it was the wish of a lifetime?"
"Because my husband is a very conservative person."
Ideline burst out with all her pent-up feelings, as if she had finally found someone to confide in.
"And my husband thinks he is the smartest, so he doesn't think about learning anything."
"After all, Baron Belmand is clever, isn't he? He is smart enough to teach His Royal Highness the Crown Prince etiquette and language."
"The Baron knows everything—philosophy, politics, history, and more. Talking to him was enough to finally let me breathe, even though I had been stuck at the very top of my throat."
Unable to take her eyes off the Baron talking with other women, Ideline let out a self-deprecating remark.
"In the end, all of this is just an excuse, though."
It was then.
The reason Ideline hurriedly made excuses to me was a look of realization.
"Oh, of course, I’m not saying that I dislike my husband! I don’t dislike the position of Grand Duchess either."
"Don't worry, I won't misunderstand."
I looked down at her affectionately and nodded.
Then, after a brief silence, Ideline spoke.
"...I apologize for my son’s rudeness that day."
"Thank you. I was very surprised."
Walter's behavior was indeed ill-mannered, making it difficult to simply say, "He's just a kid, so it's understandable."
Upon hearing those words, Ideline lowered her gaze for a moment.
Then, she fell silent again for no apparent reason.
'Maybe the son is the weakness?'
From the looks of it, it seems Ideline has no affection for her husband, Grand Duke Dischlie.
Instead, she might end up living for her only son.
"I have to go now."
Ideline bowed to me in greeting.
I also didn't really have any reason to meet anyone else after that, so I struck up a friendly conversation with her.
" Let's go out together. I've finished my business too."
***
“Asha!”
"Carcel, why were you waiting outside when you were in the carriage?"
Ideline left the salon with Asha and stared at the man standing near the entrance. The man, with his brow deeply furrowed, was sensual, yet his mere presence exuded a considerably dangerous aura. Ideline, too, had never once seen that man smile.
The man, who had been like that, smiled as soon as he saw his wife.
And a rather natural smile at that, unlike before.
Moreover, the words that came out of his mouth were far beyond Ideline's expectations.
"I missed Asha so much I couldn't stand it. I was contemplating whether to just barge in, forget the invitation or not, and take Asha out, when..."
"Oh my! With Ideline here too, what could possibly go wrong!"
“Still, I missed you.”
The Marquis reached out, tightly grasped his wife's small hand, and looked into her face.
That look in his eyes makes it so obvious he's dying of cuteness.
The man, who was as huge as a giant, was showing off all sorts of antics in front of his tiny wife.
As Ideline stared at the Marquis with a look of inward disgust, he cast a cold gaze at Ideline while holding his wife in his arms.
'That is the original Marquis Rivandel.'
A man with a devilish face who looked like he could devour a few people without a second thought.
Soon the hug ended, and Asha turned around to say goodbye to Ideline.
"See you later, Ideline."
"Y-yes. I hope the Marquis and his wife get home safely as well."
And the Marquis greeted Ideline with a light bow.
Ideline hurriedly ran away from them.
And yet, suddenly, she ended up envying them.
They, who could freely reveal themselves as an affectionate couple in front of everyone.
However, Ideline also knew that she had no intention of giving up her position as Grand Duchess.
The things that had built up against her husband were merely the byproduct of spewing out after a stifling married life.
Because it is the heart of a parent to do anything for their own son, Walter.
'No matter what the Marchioness thinks of my son, he possesses all the qualities of a ruler.'
From the decisiveness to clearly distinguish between rewards and punishments, to quick and strong judgment, and even an enterprising personality that charges toward what it aims to achieve without hesitation.
Walter was a child who deserved to climb to a higher place.
And Ideline hoped that his son would achieve what she herself had failed to accomplish.
Walter was everything to Ideline.
"Home."
She took the coachman's hand, climbed into the splendid carriage, and gave instructions.
Then, ending her brief amusement, Ideline headed back to the house where she belonged.
***
"Hasn't there been any other news?"
After returning from the salon and changing into comfortable clothes, I began speculating with Carcel again. Baron Belmand was at least the only man I had a chance to meet. He had even taken the initiative to arrange a meeting through Ideline.
However, for me to meet Count Tabes or Priest Noction in person rather than through Carcel felt somewhat unnatural, as it was not a social event.
"Count Tabes lived his entire life unmarried and attended social events, but being a scholar, he did not particularly enjoy socializing."
"Then what about the new priest?"
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