While Olivia continued her unseen battle with the Grand Duke, Masha was steadily carrying out her Young Lady’s orders.
Having already become acquainted with all the servants of the Grand Duke’s residence over the past few days, Masha frequently spent time with the kitchen servants, who were the most talkative and quickest with gossip among them.
The Grand Duke’s residence also had a rest area for servants on one side of the kitchen, similar to ordinary residences. Masha, having a late meal and picking up stories about the Grand Duke, nodded and responded.
“So that’s how it was. It was His Highness’s own will. Well, of course—even if it’s the North, she would be the Grand Duchess, so how could young ladies refuse that?”
“That’s why you have no idea how surprised we were when Miss Russell first arrived.”
“Why?”
“His Highness escorted her personally and even guided her to her room.”
Masha’s eyebrows twitched. It was thus revealed that the behavior was not merely Olivia’s misunderstanding. Coming from the maid second in age to Marilyn, it could not be dismissed as mere excitement.
“So we thought that this time, His Highness the Grand Duke would finally marry.”
“For people who thought that, I remember everyone was rather cold to my Young Lady?”
At Masha’s words, the other maids surrounding her cleared their throats awkwardly or scratched their cheeks. A maid who had set down her soup bowl, avoiding Masha’s narrowed gaze, blushed and muttered.
“Ahem, well, that’s because we’d only heard bad rumors about the Young Lady……”
“Yes. You’ll have to understand that. You also said at first that there was nothing to see in His Highness the Grand Duke besides his face.”
“Hmm, that’s true.”
No one seemed to realize that this had been a scheme to dig into what kind of person the Grand Duke was by piquing the servants’ curiosity. Masha pretended not to know and pouted her lips as she spooned her soup.
“Still, now that you’ve told us the truth, Masha, everyone likes the Young Lady.”
At those words, Masha had no choice but to soften as well. It had only been a few days since she started staying here, but the servants here, at least on the surface, did not show any bad feelings toward Olivia.
“Yes, since it’s come up, finish the story you were telling yesterday. I waited through lunchtime just to hear it today.”
“That’s right, that’s right!”
“Hmm, where did I leave off?”
“Up to being invited to the Madam Count’s tea party!”
The best way to raise Olivia’s likability was, in the end, to reveal the truth, and Masha was an excellent storyteller. Olivia’s past tales of daring, exchanged for a single piece of information about the Grand Duke, were conveyed to the servants of the Grand Duke’s residence through Masha’s mouth.
“Ah, yes. It was the first tea party I was invited to after the Duke returned. I escorted the Young Lady there and waited outside, and……”
And so, when the brief rest period of about thirty minutes ended and everyone was about to return to their workplaces, Masha was also on her way out of the kitchen, organizing in her mind the stories about the Grand Duke to deliver to Olivia.
“Hek, Young Lady. When did you get here? Is it alright for you to be walking around alone like this?”
“Just now. And it’s fine. I can walk.”
Was it really alright to take “just now” at face value? Masha placed a hand on her pounding heart and tilted her head. Olivia smiled softly and took the lead as if to say let’s go.
“You were making a great contribution to forming public opinion at the Grand Duke’s residence, Masha.”
“You heard all of it?”
“Some of it.”
Masha, who had scurried after her, whispered.
“Hehe, the servants are all on your side now, Young Lady.”
“You were selling my stories to obtain information about His Highness the Grand Duke?”
“There has to be give and take, after all.”
At Masha, who hummed proudly, Olivia eventually burst into laughter.
“No wonder the servants’ gazes toward me have been unusually moist these past few days.”
“The story of how you fought to become Acting Duke moves people to tears and beyond.”
“Today it wasn’t that story, though?”
“How could the story of the Duke and that woman be left out when clearing up the rumors about you, Young Lady? One maid who had that romance novel even tore it up right in front of my eyes.”
Good heavens, that novel had spread all the way to Libien. Olivia shook her head in disbelief. As much as Masha had worked so hard, she too should have produced some result, but the fact that even meeting the person in question was this difficult was troubling.
“Masha, you’re doing your part, and I’m like this.”
“You’ve been ill all this time. You’ve only just barely recovered today. Oh, right—why did you come all the way here? You need to get ready to go to the dressmaker!”
As Masha hurried up the stairs telling her to go to her room, Olivia grabbed the railing and stopped dead in her tracks.
“He sent word through Marilyn that he would accompany me to the dressmaker in a few days.”
“……Now, of all times?”
“I know. I simply cannot read his mind.”
It was then, as she took her steps again and was just about to reach the second floor. Winston, who had been leaning against the corridor window frame—how long had he been waiting?—straightened himself upon hearing their voices and gave a light nod.
“I heard you enjoyed exploring.”
“……Your Highness the Grand Duke.”
“Hek, then I’ll be going. Please talk.”
Masha fled as if she had seen a ghost, and Olivia, thinking the time had come, headed to the drawing room with Winston, her face stiff.
“Was the residence worth seeing?”
“Of course. I’ve only managed to look at the first floor, but there are still many places I haven’t been. As an honored guest, there are limits.”
“There seem to be bones in your words.”
“Oh my, it must be your imagination.”
That it was an empty remark was something everyone knew. Winston moved to the sofa, first offering Olivia a seat, then sat down across from her. In the process, Olivia could tell that Winston had come to return her book.
“I thought Your Highness was avoiding me. I must have left a rather poor impression.”
“To some extent, that feeling was there as well.”
Fortunately, he did not seem inclined to make absurd excuses. But that was not exactly something to say so confidently either.
“May I ask the reason?”
“Because if I kept conversing with Miss Russell, I felt I would accept the proposal before I knew it.”
“……”
“I felt I had been dealt a blow in many ways.”
“How funny. To receive such praise from a true businessman.”
There was simply no way to say anything nice. Now even Winston’s posture, sitting with his legs crossed, grated on Olivia’s nerves. Even the fact that it looked more elegant than her own upright posture was unbelievable.
“I needed time to deliberate, and Miss Russell was ill as well.”
“I see.”
“It is also not an empty statement that I was busy. Since Miss Russell arrived, I have not slept in my bedroom.”
“……If you had told me in advance, I would not have rashly thrown out my words either.”
“I know. This attitude of mine was the problem.”
Winston set Olivia’s book, which he had placed to one side, on the table and pushed it toward her.
“I came to return the book.”
“Did you read all of it?”
“Yes. Miss Russell’s impressions were quite striking.”
It had not been intentional, but if he had been given something to think about, it was not a bad harvest. At Olivia’s faint smile, Winston continued.
“To the point where I thought it would have been good if someone like this had been the master of Libien.”
“I am grateful for the words alone. That does not mean I truly came aiming for the Grand Duke’s seat.”
“I hope that was a joke.”
“So, what is the real reason you came to see me?”
Olivia shifted the direction of the conversation at this point. There was no way he had split his time to come find her simply to return a book.
“Is that proposal still unchanged?”
“Of course. If I had intended to change my mind in just a few days, I would not have come all the way here.”
As expected, Winston went straight to the point. And in the direction Olivia had hoped for.
“I am considering the proposal favorably. There is one thing I need to confirm, however.”
“Please, go ahead.”
“How far do you intend to fulfill the role of Grand Duchess?”
“As far as you wish. To whatever extent.”
It was not an answer to be spat out in one breath like this. But she could not miss the opportunity of a moment when she felt this certain. Olivia waited for Winston’s next words, hoping this had been the right answer.
“It seems the time has come for me to abandon my conviction. There are more reasons to protect this land than to wait for love.”
“Then……”
“My deliberation is finished. Miss Russell.”
Winston rose and extended his hand toward Olivia. The hand held at a slight angle made its meaning clear, beyond any need to ask for the back of her hand.
“I will gladly accept the proposal.”
Olivia, carefully taking that hand, felt the light grip tightening and met Winston’s eyes. Somehow, in this moment alone, she felt as though she stood on equal footing with him.
