Chapter 143
The Royster Palace
It was a bright morning without a single cloud in the sky.
Russell Cowr, a knight Royster was proud of, stood at the very front of the procession, feeling extremely nervous.
He had slept barely two hours. Rubbing his heavy eyelids, he waited for his superior to arrive.
It was rare for him to lose sleep—he was known to fall asleep the moment his head hit a pillow. But this time, the reason was entirely because of his superior.
More specifically, because of the woman his superior was completely in love with.
Having worked beside Karsian for a long time, Russell knew better than anyone how crazy his master was about Eleanor Astria.
Because of that, he knew exactly what kind of disaster would happen once yesterday’s “incident” reached Karsian’s ears.
Even though Russell had never insulted her with his own mouth, that wasn’t an excuse.
The mistakes of a knight under Karsian were considered Karsian’s mistakes.
Because of that, Russell waited for Karsian’s summons in a half-despairing state.
But contrary to his expectation that Karsian would call him even before dinner, the night passed, dawn came, and still Karsian didn’t call for him.
It was fortunate, but the anxiety didn’t go away.
The timing had only been delayed—the situation hadn’t changed.
“Let’s depart.”
But strangely, even when Karsian gave the order to depart, he didn’t mention yesterday’s incident at all.
Russell glanced at Karsian standing beside him with confused relief.
Oddly, Karsian looked even more tired than someone who slept only two hours, yet he seemed to be in an oddly good mood.
His expression was the usual calm one, but since Russell had watched him for years, he noticed the tiny upward curl at the corner of his lips.
How can Eleanor even look beautiful when she’s just waking up?
Of course, the reason for his good mood was Eleanor.
He had seen Eleanor waking up in the morning sunlight with his own eyes.
That alone made him forget his exhaustion from staying awake all night.
Russell, who didn’t know any of this, only kept tilting his head in confusion.
Did he really not hear about it yet?
It was strange. From last night to this morning, there were so many chances for Eleanor to mention it.
There was no way she hadn’t told him.
But if she had told him, there was no way Karsian would be this calm.
By now, Russell’s head should already be half chopped off.
Just as that thought crossed his mind, Karsian, who had been riding his horse at a steady pace, suddenly spoke.
“Russell.”
“Y-yes, sir!”
Russell flinched in shock and stuttered.
The tone Karsian used when calling his name felt unusually serious, and tension washed over him.
So he did hear everything.
Of course he did. There’s no way he hadn’t by now.
Now it’s finally time for me to die.
Honestly, it might be better this way. Waiting in fear was harder. Just get it over with.
Chaotic thoughts swirled in Russell’s head.
Just as he finished writing a farewell letter in his imagination, Karsian continued.
“Once we arrive in Royster and finish settling in, bring Seth and Adrian to greet Eleanor formally.”
…It was completely unrelated to what he expected.
“We’ll be seeing her often from now on, so it’ll be more convenient to introduce them right away. Also, between you and Seth, I’ll let her choose whom she prefers to be her escort.”
Russell blinked like an idiot.
If Eleanor had told Karsian even a little of yesterday’s story, there was no way he would allow Russell to be her escort.
This meant… Eleanor Astria really hadn’t told him anything.
“Russell?”
When Russell didn’t respond and just stared blankly, Karsian frowned slightly and lowered his voice.
Snapping out of his thoughts, Russell quickly nodded.
“Yes, sir. I’ll keep the escort matter in mind.”
Speaking firmly, he cast a quick glance toward the carriage behind them.
He couldn’t see Eleanor’s face from here, but he could briefly picture her calm expression.
Maybe she was a much better person than he originally thought.
That thought alone made his steps toward the grand duchy feel much lighter.
***
Unlike yesterday, when heavy rain had made the roads terrible, today the weather stayed clear and the breeze was pleasant.
The well-fed horses raced along familiar paths.
Before the sun reached its highest point, Karsian’s group entered the capital.
“The Grand Duke has returned!”
“Waaaah! Your Grace!”
As the flag symbolizing the Grand Duchy fluttered, the residents of the inner city stopped what they were doing and rushed out to welcome the procession.
It was a grand reception—almost like greeting a victorious general.
“Wow… my lady, look over there!”
From the moment the carriage entered the city gates, Hilda stuck her head out the window, looking around excitedly.
It was her first time seeing Royster’s inner city, and her voice was full of excitement.
Eleanor sat politely for the sake of her public image, but she was just as full of curiosity.
The air entering through the window even felt different.
Because it had been nighttime when they arrived, she hadn’t felt it, but now she realized the climate here was much warmer than Juvenile.
Even though winter was near, it wasn’t that cold.
In fact, wearing clothes tailored in Cardiff made her feel a little warm.
There were many other differences.
The architecture she saw through the window was unlike Cardiff’s.
The buildings were lower but beautiful.
The greenery seemed well maintained, and even the fountains she passed looked big and elegant.
But what stood out the most were the people’s expressions.
A woman arranging bread at her shop, children running down the street, an old man reading a newspaper…
They were ordinary scenes, yet everyone looked more relaxed than people in Cardiff.
Was she just overly happy to be away from that dreadful Cardiff, making everything look nicer?
No—objectively, something here was different.
People moved a bit more slowly, and the conversations she overheard had a noticeably relaxed tone.
It seemed she wasn’t the only one who felt that way.
After sitting back down, Hilda chattered excitedly.
“The weather is so nice, and maybe it’s because the sea is nearby—everyone looks so relaxed! My lady, let’s go see the ocean later! I heard it’s really famous as a vacation spot!”
“Sure. Let’s do that.”
Would she really get to see the sea with her own eyes?
Maybe she could even dip her feet into the water.
The thought made her heart race.
Eleanor took a deep breath, trying not to get too excited.
In her experience, the more she hoped for things, the less likely they came true.
Soon, the carriage slowed to a gentle stop.
With the help of a knight, she stepped down and found the Royster royal palace, Trava Palace, before her.
Trava Palace was smaller than Hyden Palace in Juvenile, but no less grand.
Even though it wasn’t huge, it was much larger than the Astria mansion.
Looking up at the enormous palace, she suddenly realized once again that the man she loved was the ruler of this entire principality.
He had treated her so politely that she had temporarily forgotten that, unlike her with no real background, he was noble and extraordinary.
The realization dimmed her excitement a little.
“Welcome back, Your Grace.”
As they entered the palace, dozens of servants bowed deeply to greet Karsian.
Karsian immediately gestured toward the two standing closest to the front.
“Eleanor. These two are the head maid and the head butler of this palace. If you have any questions or need anything, you may speak to them.”
“Allow me to greet you, my lady. I am Harvey Collins, the head butler. I may be old, but I will serve you with all my sincerity.”
“Head maid Amira Stross. I look forward to serving you, my lady.”
A kind-looking butler and a very strict-looking head maid bowed politely.
Eleanor was honestly taken aback.
She didn’t expect such a formal introduction.
She wasn’t here to become the lady of the palace.
To put it nicely, she was Karsian’s lover.
Realistically, she was closer to a mistress.
Who introduces servants one by one to a mistress?
Still, Eleanor hid her surprise and bowed gracefully.
“I’m Eleanor. Please take care of me during my stay.”
The servants, however, were the ones shocked this time.
The problem was her respectful tone.
The servants of Trava Palace already knew Eleanor’s situation.
They knew her status was unstable, but considering public perception and her relationship with Karsian, they intended to treat her as “Eleanor Astria.”
Naturally, they assumed Eleanor wanted to be addressed that way.
But hearing her respectfully address them?
Considering the head maid and butler were above commoners, it wasn’t entirely wrong—but it wasn’t appropriate either.
And above all, their master found it extremely unpleasant.
“…You have no reason to speak respectfully to them. Please speak comfortably.”
As expected, Karsian’s voice grew sharp.
Russell swallowed hard when he saw Karsian’s eyebrows twitch.
He’s mad.
“This isn’t Cardiff. Speaking formally might be better—”
“No. It is not better in the slightest.”
Karsian cut off her words—something he rarely did.
“You are the most precious person to me, and no one in this palace has the right to speak down to you. Please keep that in mind, Eleanor.”
“…All right. I’ll speak casually from now on.”
Eleanor stepped back—mostly for the sake of the servants’ safety.
It wasn’t the perfectly satisfying answer for Karsian, but he also took a step back and continued.
“The head maid will show you to your room. You must be tired, so we’ll do the full palace tour tomorrow. Please rest. I will finish some urgent matters and come find you.”
“Okay.”
“…I should return before dinner. So unless you’re very hungry…”
Karsian hesitated mid-sentence, his face darkening at the thought of her possibly going hungry if he ran late.
For someone who had gone days without eating, his concern felt adorable.
Eleanor chuckled softly and nodded.
“I’ll wait without eating. Let’s have dinner together.”
His face brightened immediately—it was unbelievably cute how just a few words could change his expression so quickly.
“Yes. I’ll return as soon as possible.”
Karsian answered in a gentle tone completely different from the sharp voice earlier.
The servants of Trava Palace were stunned.
The Grand Duke… could make that face?
The Grand Duke… could speak in that voice?
Whispers spread silently everywhere.
Most of them felt not just surprise but even fear.
Only Russell, who had witnessed this dual personality for years, smiled knowingly at their reactions.
