Rafe and Dienne were executed today.

I couldn’t bear to attend the execution, and Hersia also said she couldn’t watch it.

“I remember the grand wedding of Her Majesty, the deposed queen. Such a magnificent ceremony—she was the bride envied by every woman in Recador.”

“If the deposed king had shown just a little more love, this tragedy today would never have happened.”

“How terribly sad.”

“Shalin… I heard she was sent to the north. Did you happen to see her before she left?”

Hersia quietly shook her head.

“I thought about confronting her, asking why she did this to me… but in the end, even that felt too exhausting. She’ll receive her punishment anyway… that’s enough.”

I took Hersia’s hand.

“If it brings you peace, then that’s all that matters.”

Hersia’s smile as she looked at me seemed sorrowful, but I could only leave it to time. Time would blur the painful memories.

Just then, Andrea brought out tea.

“Please, have some.”

Hersia drank her milk tea with a contented sound.

“Hmm. As expected, the milk tea from the Duke’s residence is the best. My household maids simply can’t replicate this flavor.”

“I’ll send the recipe to the Count’s residence through Meiri. If you follow it exactly, you’ll be able to recreate it easily.”

“Oh, by the way, I heard you’re moving into the palace.”

The decision was made just yesterday, yet rumors had already spread everywhere.

“Usually, a woman who isn’t royal only enters the palace upon becoming queen. I’m truly envious, Duchess. Or… should I start calling you Her Royal Highness, Mother of the King, from now on?”

“It’s excessive to call me ‘Her Highness’ since I’m not royalty. Please just address me as before.”

“I heard His Majesty has found his birth mother, Princess Veronia, yet he still holds extraordinary affection for you, the Duchess.”

“So the rumors have already spread, I see.”

“Rumors travel incredibly fast. People keep pestering me with questions and confirmations… Oh, of course, I haven’t said anything. I just told them His Majesty has always been a filial son.”

“It’s understandable that people are curious. I don’t blame them.”

Indeed, it makes sense. Even though he is royalty, the fact that he regards the Duke’s family as his parents naturally sparks curiosity among those unaware of the full story.

“Still, such attention is overwhelming.”

“This is probably just the beginning. Now that the rumor of your palace move has spread, the moment you enter…”

At that moment—I didn’t need Hersia to finish her sentence. I understood perfectly. I set down my teacup wearily.

“They’ll come to pay their respects.”

With the royal power shifting, they’ll try to align themselves.

But since Gillian’s reign, the Blakes have held the highest authority in Recador—and now stepping into the royal palace will surely breed resentment among some.

Not that I understand politics well; history simply always unfolds this way.

“Honestly, I’m truly delighted at the thought of seeing you, Duchess, inside the palace from now on.”

“Of course, I’m happy too. Oh, and thank you so much for helping me before. I was too flustered back then to properly thank you.”

“I owe you far more than you owe me, so don’t worry about it.”

“By the way, when will you marry Master Aaron?”

“Ah. Marriage with Aaron…”

Hersia paused mid-sentence, her expression turning gloomy as she let out a deep sigh.

“Aaron said he can’t marry me right now—he wants to postpone it until later. We argued about it.”

“What?”

“He claims he has no savings and his position is still too low to marry. I think it’s just an excuse. If he really wanted to, he could. Maybe he’s lost the will to marry me.”

So they fought over practical concerns.

“He even asked me, ‘You’re a daughter of a noble house—how could you live without servants?’ I told him I’m perfectly fine with everything, but he insisted he isn’t. It’s an excuse. Just an excuse.”

They’ve been arguing since before—and still are.

They’re the type who can’t live without each other, so I want to tell them to just reconcile already—but I should hold back.

After all, they’re merely wrestling with practical worries; their bond remains as inseparable as ever.

“I think I can understand Master Aaron’s feelings.”

“What?”

“He wants to live with you in a better environment.”

“I understand that desire too. But from my perspective, it’s unsettling—because my family has now fallen…”

“Don’t worry. Your family will suffer no repercussions.”

Hersia’s previously downcast face brightened slightly.

“But we’re relatives of the deposed king!”

Normally, they’d be implicated under guilt-by-association laws, but Hersia’s contributions were acknowledged, so no charges were pursued.

“You’ve rendered great service, and you’ve kept a low profile for some time. Moreover, there’s no evidence whatsoever that the Mobiat family supported the deposed king. So you’ll be completely unaffected.”

Hersia lifted both hands to her cheeks in disbelief.

“Is… is that really true?”

“It’s true. Feel free to rejoice as much as you like.”

“People kept saying my family was doomed—that even without direct involvement, our property would surely be confiscated.”

Hersia, evidently having worried intensely until now, released a deep sigh of relief.

“To handle matters so compassionately… His Majesty is truly merciful. Truthfully, Aaron earned great merit, but with my family on the brink of ruin, I was terribly anxious.”

“That would be profoundly unjust if it happened.”

“Hearing you, Duchess, say that too makes me feel so much more at ease.”

Yet Hersia’s expression still wasn’t cheerful.

“But you still don’t look happy?”

Hersia sighed and began to vent.

“Honestly, my dream was always to marry and live sweetly together. Even when Aaron was a penniless knight aspirant with nothing to his name, I fell for him because of his broad chest and muscles… Ah, no—I mean, his dependable presence, unlike other noble youths.”

So she fell for Aaron’s muscles. I didn’t know that from the original story—but apparently, that’s how it was.

Suddenly, their previously heart-wrenching romance seemed rather adorable.

“Back then, he was so dependable—he promised to pluck down the stars and the moon for me. But now? Not dependable at all. The moment he learned my family had fallen, he postponed the marriage. His talk about money just sounds like excuses.”

In the original story, Aaron became Captain of the Yukandar Knights about three years later—after earning recognition through battle.

But now, with no battles to fight, even if he becomes captain, it’ll likely be much later.

Given Aaron’s current situation, he’d need to save every penny of several months’ salary just to afford one dress for Hersia.

No wonder he’s wrestling with practical concerns.

“It’s probably a misunderstanding on your part, Hersia. Try talking with Master Aaron once. He’ll leap up insisting it’s a misunderstanding.”

“Right? It’s my misunderstanding? But why did it happen at such a perfectly timed moment…”

“Hersia, marriage isn’t something to rush. What matters is your faith in him—your belief that Aaron will never leave you, that he’ll always protect you. Believe in him again, like you used to.”

Hersia’s expression turned blank, as if struck on the head by a hammer.

“I called him dependable… yet I didn’t actually believe in him.”

To ease her heart, I smiled at Hersia with more tenderness than anyone else could muster.

“Go quickly and reconcile with Aaron.”

Hersia rose from her seat as if she’d been waiting for those words.

“Then I’ll take my leave for today, Duchess.”

“Yes. Reconcile well, Hersia.”

“I’ll reconcile properly and enter the palace together with Aaron.”

Hersia’s footsteps as she turned to leave looked remarkably light.

I may not understand romance well, but I know exactly how fiercely devoted Aaron is to Hersia—so that’s the advice I could give.

Thus, I’m certain they’ll enter the palace hand in hand, cozily reunited.

A week later, we finally entered the palace.

Andrea and Meiri alighted from the carriage with gestures as if entering a haunted house, then stared blankly at the palace—so vast it felt desolate.

“There’s much to organize, so come inside quickly.”

Andrea and Meiri walked briskly while constantly glancing around.

I followed slowly behind them, able to leisurely take in my surroundings. A wide garden path blanketed entirely in red roses, an outdoor terrace, a swinging bench, and a fountain adorned with beautiful sculptures—all formed a magnificent view.

“The palace is truly enormous…”

Sikar glanced sideways at me as if questioning what I meant by “enormous.”

“Our Duke’s residence is impressively large too.”

“True, our Duke’s residence is large—but this place is absurdly huge.”

“Absurd? It’s just slightly larger.”

“No. Even the air here feels different.”

“How so?”

“You can feel the royal atmosphere.”

Sikar wore a dismissive expression, but no matter how ancient and noble the Blake family was, it couldn’t compare to royalty.

As we walked a little farther, we saw Durion and Vika Lamberst rushing past urgently.

“Oh. Isn’t that Master Vika Lamberst and Master Durion? What’s happening that they’re running like that?”

“They’re competing to claim the top-floor rooms first—don’t pay it any mind.”

“Ah…”

So that’s why they’re sprinting so fiercely, even tripping each other…

Predictably, Vika Lamberst was more agile. Durion tripped over Vika Lamberst’s foot and tumbled forward.

Vika Lamberst didn’t even glance back—just kept running ahead.

“Did they compete like this over top-floor rooms back at the Duke’s residence too?”

“Back then, Durion had already claimed the top room, so Vika Lamberst had no choice.”

“But why does everyone want the top floor?”

“It’s the quietest room with the farthest view.”

Durion must feel a bit aggrieved.

“Which floor is my room on?”

“The same. Second floor.”

“Then your study—is it on the first floor?”

“No. The entire first floor here is reserved for maids.”

“I’m curious about the royal maids too…”

“They’re no different from those at the Duke’s residence, except they’re assigned personal handmaids. We’ll need to secure one soon.”

“Then, if Hersia is okay with it, I’d like Hersia to be mine.”

“I’ll ask her.”

“Please do.”

After saying that, I suddenly recalled how Sikar behaves when making requests to others—and snapped to attention.

“No, I’ll ask her myself. It feels more polite that way.”

“Fine, then.”

I wondered how my room would be decorated. The thought made me a little excited. Of course, my room at the Duke’s residence was lovely, but this was a palace—I couldn’t help but have high expectations. Even the garden alone was incomparably wider and more splendid than the Duke’s.

“Where is my room?”

“When you come up to the second-floor corridor, the central room right in front is yours.”

“Then where’s your room?”

“The same room as yours.”

I’d been walking cheerfully with a bright smile—then suddenly froze in place.

“What do you mean? Why is your room the same as mine?”

“We’re married—it’s only natural to share a room.”

“Ah, no—I mean, we didn’t share a room at the Duke’s residence.”

“At the Duke’s residence, whether we shared a room or not, no rumors would leak. But in the palace, it’s different. If rumors spread that we sleep separately, it won’t be good.”

“B-but you never mentioned that!”

Sikar replied with an innocent face, as if feigning ignorance.

“I assumed you knew without me saying it.”

It wasn’t that I was supposed to know—you deliberately didn’t mention it.

“H-hold on—surely we won’t have to share the bathroom like we did in the Grand Temple, will we?”

Sikar looked at me triumphantly, like a cat watching a mouse trapped in a jar.

“Of course we’ll share it. But the bathroom is much larger here—using it together won’t be a problem.”