In the end, I had no choice but to tell the truth. Of course, I spoke with the fatal truth concealed.

“That, I don’t know either.”

“…You don’t know?”

“Yeah……. how my soul’s color somehow…… changed.”

Finishing speaking, I awkwardly laughed, and Rodri stared at me intently. This boy is only 15 years old, yet his eyes are sharper than most adults. If underestimated due to his youth, it feels like he might uncover all secrets.

“…May I speak my thoughts, Your Grace the Duchess?”

Rodri, who had been silent for a few minutes, casually asked. I tried not to show my tension and nodded. What the lad Rodri will say……. My heart beats at a rapid pace.

“I thought…… perhaps the Duchess’s soul has changed. That is, it might be an entirely different being.”

That, precisely. Although my eyelids slightly trembled in embarrassment, it wouldn’t have shown. I invested my whole heart in controlling my expression. An expression of disbelief, as if to ask what he meant. It was most appropriate in this situation.

“Of course, it’s only my thoughts……. I’m not seeking an answer from the Duchess.”

“Uhhuh, I see.”

“Anyway, the ‘you’ who is before my eyes now―.”

A tender smile like a small daisy flower blossomed on Rodri’s face.

“You saved me. That grace, I will never forget, not until I die. No, even in death…….”

“…….”

This kid tends to be overly serious. Maybe it’s his originally serious nature. I waved my hand to restrain Rodri.

“You don’t need to have such a heavy heart. Helping you was a matter of course for me.”

“But…… it was the first time for me. That someone reached out to me in such a way, like you, Your Grace…….”

Rodri’s eyes sparkled, moistened. Looking into those eyes, somehow, a thought crossed my mind. Even if he found out my true identity, this kid would still be on my side.

‘Certainly…… his feelings for me are more than mere goodwill.’

I could easily name that emotion. It was ‘loyalty.’

‘What do you mean by showing loyalty to me instead of to April, when you’re a knight of April, you kid.’

The situation was sighinducing in various ways, but for now, there was no choice but to accept it.

If Rodri’s loyalty originated from his unstable ego and need for recognition, snatching it away recklessly would cause confusion.

‘No choice but to wait for him to grow among good people, in a good environment.’

I silently stroked Rodri’s head. The soft touch was just like down.

(This is a time separator.)

Upon returning to the castle, the expressions of the servant and Anna looking at me were somehow unusual.

‘Has something happened to Grayan?’

A sudden thought had me quickly approaching the two to ask.

“What happened? Both of you look pale…….”

“That, that is…… Madam…….”

The servant, who hesitated to answer at first, exchanged glances with Anna and handed me a scroll of parchment.

‘What’s this……?’

I received it with wide eyes. On the scroll, which couldn’t possibly be a personal letter, was the splendid seal of the Ainstern royal family.

Moreover, it wasn’t just a seal― it was the king’s emblem.

‘Could it be, this…….”

As I looked down at the scroll and suddenly lifted my head, the servant spoke with a voice full of bewilderment.

“It’s an order sent by the King of Ainstern…… about twenty minutes ago.”

(This is a time separator.)

“So, the messenger who brought this scroll is in the waiting room now?”

“Yes……. he insisted on seeing you, being very stubborn…….”

The servant sighed with a face that looked a decade older. The appearance of being greatly disturbed by the sudden situation was evident.

The content of the order from the King of Ainstern was none other than about Grayan and my divorce.

That he, as the king, wanted me and Grayan to divorce, and to complete all procedures within a month― roughly summarizing, it was that sort of content.

‘When you cast me aside as if selling me off, now you want to call me back to Ainstern? What on earth is the reason?’
I didn’t know what the conspiracy was, but naturally, I had no intention of obediently following the king’s command. I didn’t even want to divorce Grayan!

Slam!

I roughly flung open the door. As the door suddenly opened, the person waiting inside looked surprised, eyes wide, turning to look at me.

I lifted my chin arrogantly and glared at my counterpart as I took slow steps. My feelings towards the king’s messenger, Eizel, were nothing but hostility. I did not want to be kind.

“Uhm, cough… Princess Gloria Ainstern, long time no see.”

Anger seemed to clear my head. Although I was burning inside, that fire felt more like cold ice, and my cool, clear reason projected longlost memories like cold water.

I knew Eizel’s face and name. Because Gloria remembered him. That memory, which had sunk deep and then resurfaced, was not of the pleasant kind.

‘Tsk, tsk… Such a lowborn girl claiming to be a princess, and staying in the royal palace, has certainly lowered the dignity of the noble Ainstern royal family.’