Fernando had cold eyes and only the corners of his mouth were softly curved. Somehow, I felt sly.
"Why did you give me the woman I like so much? She is not drunk by Your Majesty."
It was a light tone as if passing by, but inside the banquet hall, there was a stillness like a thin ice sheet. Everyone looked at Fernan with their bewildered eyes.
He continued talking as if he didn't care.
"If your Majesty wishes, I will withdraw from this marriage even now."
His golden eyes reached the opposite side of Julia.
"What do you think?"
Julia raised her pale face and looked at him. His brain froze for an instant.
he… What are you talking about?
The warmth of his hands disappeared in an instant, and his hands began to tremble. I couldn't quite understand this situation.
I couldn't understand the slightest bit of what he was saying.
"… Grand Duke, it's too much of a joke."
It was the Empress who broke the suffocating silence. Among those who had hardened, she maintained a calm expression.
The emperor, who had a stupid face, licked his lips just then.
"Yeah, that kind of joke doesn't fit the situation. Hopefully, the Archduke didn't mean to despise me... ."
The king's lips trembled. He looked like he couldn't decide whether to get angry or laugh.
Fernando had a nice smile on his face, revealing his gloomy face alone. He did not appear to be the one who threw the bomb at the friendly dinner.
"Could I have had such an impure intention for Your Majesty? You are mistaken."
Julia looked at him blankly. My heart was pounding as if it was about to explode, but my mind was just silent.
"I, majesty. I have something to tell you about the establishment of the building soon, but… ."
Thanks to the urgency of the Crown Prince, the dinner continued in a strange atmosphere.
The Empress spoke to Yulia, who had been silent the whole time, from time to time, and Yulia also returned an appropriate answer.
But when the dinner was over and he left the banquet hall, he had no memory of what he had said.
As she walked to return to her home, Julia caressed her cold hands.
Fernan, who was walking a little earlier, was having a conversation with the Crown Prince.
Her legs trembled, and she stopped for a moment, clutching the hem of her dress and keeping her mouth shut.
Meanwhile, he was getting farther and farther away. He never looked back.
Julia leaned against the wall and quietly lowered her head. The air that seeped into her lungs was too cold.
She stared at the end of the hallway where Fernand had disappeared for a long time. She was the only one left in her empty hallway.
* * *
The next day, Julia slept all morning with no plans.
The maid came to wake her up from time to time and invited her to eat, but she had no desire to eat anything.
However, in the afternoon, there was a tea party held by the Empress, so I was forced to open my eyes.
"Sir, you have a very bad complexion. Is it really okay if I don't call a senator?"
In response to the maid's worrying question, Yulia nodded her head in a sign that it was okay.
Her face, pale without a single blood, looked like an incurable patient. It was not unreasonable for her maid to worry about her age.
During the three days she decided to stay in the capital, Yulia's official schedule was all about tea parties and dinners hosted by the Empress.
After dressing up and changing her dress, she led her exhausted body to the central palace.
And there he met a completely unexpected person.
"Yulia! How could you not have contacted me if you had come to the capital!"
As soon as Julia appeared, Marquis Elodie hugged her and was happy. Julia's face gradually hardened.
There was no way that the Marquis could miss the tea party where the ladies of the capital gather, but she was distracted and overlooked it.
Julia let out a silent sigh and forced her mouth to open.
"… How have you been, mother?"
"How could I have been without you? Without you, the mansion became open, didn't it? You don't know how lonely my father is."
"yes… ."
"Are you really doing well? No pain anywhere?"
The Marquis took hold of Julia's hand and gently caressed her. She looked like a kind mother who looked after her daughter's well-being.
I was once again moved by the double appearance of the Marquis, whom I had not seen in a long time. Yulia answered with a smile that she couldn't get out of.
"Yes, don't worry."
It was the same as giving goosebumps to himself, who responded according to the performance of the Marquis. Julia helped herself helplessly and sat down in front of the tea table.
The gazes of the ladies were burdened. The wife of Archduke Caesar, who is currently the most powerful in the Empire. She was enough to get a lot of attention.
"How long are you going to stay in the capital, Grand Duchess?"
"I plan to stay for three days including today."
"Oh my, I thought you would stay there until the foundation day, but it's a pity. The Archduke is such a busy person, there is nothing he can do about it."
The ladies showed an openly friendly attitude to show Julia well.
I felt a little bit bitter, even though I felt that Fernand's prestige was great.
It's of no use to me to show you well.
Julia half-listened to them and half-listened to them, and had a polite conversation.
Towards the end of the tea party, Yulia got up to go back in a hurry. But her marquise's wife's soft voice called her up.
"Julia, how about stopping by the Marquis before leaving the capital?"
When Julia hesitated and did not answer easily, a meaningful smile appeared on the Marquis's face.
"I heard from Her Majesty that your schedule is still empty except for the dinner party the day after tomorrow?"
"… yes."
When Julia agreed without any hesitation, the Marquis smiled broadly and got up. She said with her arms crossed tenderly to her Julia.
"Come along with the Archduke. Understand?"
"I will go alone. You have a lot of schedule to tell... ."
"Yulia."
The Marquis grabbed Julia's wrist tightly. I felt a familiar repulsion at her strong hand.
"Please bring the Archduke. You can do that."
Yulia kept her mouth shut, evading an answer, and then exhaled a weary sigh.
Anyway, he didn't have the strength to fight the marquise. Because her marquis was a great man she could hold out until she gave Yulia the answer she wanted.
"I'm going to tell you."
"Yeah, I know you're coming, so don't be prepared."
The Marquis, who smiled brightly as if nothing had happened, tapped the back of Julia's hand.
Julia ran out of the drawing room, stroking her flabby forehead. She let out a deep sigh of her own accord.
"Your Majesty has been away for a while. How about going inside and waiting?"
While we were walking around for a while in front of Fernan's bedroom, a servant came and talked to me.
"Do you know when you will be back?"
"I don't know about that. But she left early in the morning, so she will be back soon."
Julia nodded her head. She seemed to have deliberately made it good for her to come to visit us late in the afternoon.
Still, it seemed rude to enter a room without an owner, so I stood still.
Yulia, who suddenly entered the room, stood vaguely in front of the door.
When I got in, I was worried that he might get angry for coming in.
While I was gloomy in thoughts, the servant who opened the door a while ago entered the room with refreshments.
"It's chamomile tea. It has the effect of calming the mind and body. I know it's rude, but... His Majesty Rain looks a little tired."
The servant set the teacup down on the table. His little favor seemed to make him feel a little better in his mud.
"thanks. I will drink."
When Julia smiled softly, the servant blushed, then immediately said hello and disappeared.
As she drank the tea the servant had given her, she looked at the decorations on the wall. Fernan didn't show up until the teacup was emptied.
Yulia suddenly looked out the window. It was early evening, so it was quite dark outside.
when will he come
I thought I was used to sitting still, but somehow today I felt harder than usual.
At the same time, Fernando was in the midst of a meeting in the Crown Prince's waiting room.
The Crown Prince wanted Fernando to take charge of the defense of the entire capital during this founding ceremony.
In other words, while the emperor wandered around the square for the parade, it was said to protect the area.
"I don't know why you're asking me to do this for the Imperial Knights."
Fernando stared at the Crown Prince with an expressionless face. It was just like playing a craft that was clearly visible to the eye.
Their intention was to present a picture of the war hero, Archduke Caesar, stepping out to protect the emperor.
It must have been to build a solid image of the imperial family in that way.