“Then I will take my leave now.”
The maid, having confirmed that Dale’s color had returned, excused herself first, and Dale was just about to step away as well.
“Dale.”
“Your Highness the Grand Duke.”
Dale let out a deep sigh as he looked at Winston’s appearance, which somehow looked as though he had stayed up all night again.
“You stayed in the office all night again, didn’t you.”
“For a while, there’s no helping it.”
This was all a problem stemming from the aftermath of the war. Dale was not incapable of understanding Winston’s feelings either, but it pained his heart that while the other war heroes were busy playing in the capital with homecoming ceremonies and whatnot, only Winston was holed up here buried under a pile of work.
“In a little while, the snow will prevent you from even going to the capital……”
“And if I go and can’t return, what then? Are you trying to send me off?”
“I say it out of regret. His Majesty is also being too much.”
“How about soothing your regret with the fact that Libien’s territory has grown, Dale.”
“It’s precisely because of that, that my stomach churns even more.”
Winston let out a small laugh and shook his head. It was a joke in its own way, but since his workload had also increased because of the subjugated territories, he had only ended up turning Dale’s stomach inside out even more.
“But why did you come all the way down here. You could have called for me.”
“It seemed like it was time for the newspaper to arrive. Well, how was it—did yesterday’s matter stir up some rumors?”
Winston looked at the newspaper in Dale’s hand and gave a light chin gesture. Dale cleared his throat softly and turned to Winston. Judging by his expression, he looked exactly like a person who had hoped for an article like this. Dale handed the newspaper to Winston and asked.
“As expected, you did it on purpose, didn’t you.”
“Well, I needed at least a means to keep a guest from doing anything foolish.”
Whatever the reason, when meeting in a public place, wouldn’t she have come prepared for this much? In truth, he had been thinking it did not matter what rumors arose, but if there was a miscalculation, it was that he had not expected her to present something even greater than this article.
“Miss Russell will welcome a romantic rumor of this degree as well. She is a person who came here for that purpose from the start, after all.”
Winston, having roughly skimmed the article, grew curious about what would happen if he actually married Olivia in this situation, as if there were something between them. Would she consider it preparation for facing hostility, or would he be called a fool who fell for the greatest femme fatale of the age?
Either way was not a very pleasant situation, so Winston gave up on continuing that train of thought. That even his own marriage had ended up on the scales was, for him, quite an irritating matter.
“By the way, I should give Miss Russell a heads-up as well.”
“What do you mean?”
“Now that an article like this has been published, there will be an uproar inside and outside the Grand Duke’s residence. I heard she is a young lady full of curiosity, but I should tell her to refrain from going in and out of the residence……”
“Your Highness the Grand Duke!”
Just then, the very person suited for that task was walking toward them on her own two feet. The problem was that she was pale as a sheet.
“Huff, huff. Young Lady, the Young Lady is not in her room!”
At Marilyn’s report that she had discovered Olivia and Masha’s absence while bringing water to drink in the morning, Winston and Dale let out small sighs.
* * *
“Is it really alright for us to come out like this?”
“What would be the problem.”
At Olivia’s words, Masha kept doubting whether this was really alright. Where would there be a master who would be pleased to hear that someone had gone sightseeing in their house without a word? And at this hour before dawn, no less! But Olivia, undeterred, clung tightly to Masha’s arm and grinned.
“He told me to postpone the sightseeing to next time, so I’m just following his wishes.”
“No matter how I look at it, ‘next time’ did not seem to mean the very next day.”
“Masha, we are in a situation where it would not be strange if we were thrown out at any moment.”
“I know that, but still.”
“I absolutely must go to the sunrise spot that travelogue author mentioned.”
“Wouldn’t it have been better to watch it from inside the residence?”
Olivia and Masha wrapped their scarves tightly over their heads, but that alone was not enough to overcome the cold. Seeing Masha shivering, Olivia pointed to the spire rising tall in the distance.
“Do those words still come out even after seeing that tower over there?”
“The view would probably be amazing. But can we really go without permission?”
“I clearly received a definite answer that I could go anywhere.”
“Really?”
“Masha, it’s true, so if you ask one more time, I’ll leave you and go alone.”
Masha had no intention of sending Olivia alone even in her dreams, so she gave up asking further.
“Agh, it’s not that I’m doubting you, it’s just that you’re a guest, so.”
She should have secretly given Marilyn a heads-up. If she had, she could have borrowed a thick coat at least. While Masha was thinking such thoughts, they had already reached the vicinity of the residence’s tall wall.
“Besides, look at your clothes. The sun hasn’t even risen yet, so it’s even colder—will this scarf be enough?”
“It is a bit cold. There isn’t anything thicker among what we brought, though.”
“We’ll have to look into a dressmaker first. The things I brought as outing clothes are at the level where I could use them as indoor clothes.”
Masha walked a little closer to Olivia. No matter how sturdy her Young Lady might be, even she did not know if Olivia could endure this kind of cold. Fortunately, so far it seemed she was so absorbed in the sunrise that she could not even think of the cold.
“Let’s go to that tower first and then think.”
“Huh, I thought it was right in front of us, but it’s outside the residence? What if the guards are standing watch?”
“Entering is one thing, but going out is no problem at all.”
Olivia reassured Masha not to worry, and the two guards standing watch at the closed gate glanced at the two, gave a light nod, and opened the door. Masha thought that perhaps the two, unable to properly examine their attire in the still-dark hour, had mistaken them for maids.
“It really is. It’s been a long time since I moved around at dawn like this, so I forgot for a moment.”
“Let’s hurry, at this rate the sun will rise.”
The tower was outside the residence, but located not very far. As the day gradually brightened, Olivia hurried her steps. It was then, as they moved while fighting the biting wind, that three figures grabbed the two by the shoulders and spun them around.
“Hey, you ladies……!”
Startled, Olivia and Masha shook off their hands and backed away. Having never imagined such a threat on a path where servants usually came and went, the two could not hide their bewilderment.
“We just want to ask one thing. Why has the former Duchess come here? Huh?”
“Our newsletter pays a fee too. Come on, just tell us.”
The distance of a couple of steps narrowed again in an instant, and the men first reached for Masha, who stood blocking Olivia’s front. As the two pulled Masha away, the remaining one grabbed Olivia and thrust his face in, pressing her for an answer.
“Let go of her! Masha!”
“Young Lady!”
“Young Lady? What Young Lady? Aren’t you both maids?”
At Masha’s outcry, the men pulled down their scarves. When Olivia’s face was finally revealed, the man who recognized her shouted.
“This, this is the Duchess!”
“……If you know, then let go of this hand and step back. I will be lenient about the rudeness you have committed.”
There were no weapons in their hands, at most a notebook and a pen nib. Olivia spoke calmly. They did not look like truly nasty men, but their purpose was clear. They would not intend to harm her, so if they would not let her go easily, she could simply give them a few words and be done with it.
“Heh heh, an exclusive interview, exclusive! Excuse me, madam. No, now that you’re a maid—or rather, as you said, we should call you Young Lady again.”
“Interview, what interview! Let go of this hand, I said! Don’t touch the Young Lady!”
“Ah, seriously, this tiny girl is so loud. At this rate the guards will come running. Shut her up!”
Olivia, held fast and unable to match the man’s strength, struggled as she watched Masha being dragged away.
“Masha!”
“Excuse me, we don’t want anything good to come from harming a noble either, so just answer the questions quickly!”
The man gripping Olivia’s shoulder roughly threatened her, but Olivia did not budge and instead bit his hand as if she meant to break her teeth.
“Aagh!”
The man, writhing in pain, shoved Olivia hard. Olivia, who had suddenly struck a tree beside her, collapsed to the ground.
“Young Lady!”
The men holding Masha, realizing the gravity of the situation, immediately let go. As Masha ran to Olivia, the flustered man slowly backed away. If she was seriously hurt, his career as a journalist was over.
“N-no, why did she fall? I’m the one who got bitten! I didn’t mean for this to happen, ugh!”
It was then. The head of the man trying to flee spun to the side under a powerful force. There was the sound of something breaking, so it was no ordinary matter. Olivia, in Masha’s arms, blankly stared at the long shadow that had instantly knocked down the three men.
“……Your Highness the Grand Duke.”
