After spending a day in the carriage, my whole body felt stiff.

I drank warm milk tea with a dark expression.

“Dark circles under your eyes.”

Nathaniel said so and gently touched the area under my eyes with his fingers.

“Uh, I guess I didn’t sleep well.”

“That’s why it would have been good to stay in another city in the middle.”

Originally, Nathaniel’s plan was to stop in a small town in the middle, take a day off, and then continue the journey.

“But if we stayed there, Bill’s family would be too far away.”

Moreover…

“It’s not because I slept in the carriage.”

Last night, the Duchess of Winter, whose face I couldn’t even remember, appeared in my dreams and tormented me throughout.

Her face was blurry, but she, undoubtedly a beauty, kept talking incessantly.

To the point of being nauseating.

Cecilia Winters, the former Duchess of Winters, also appeared in the original work.

And fitting her role as a mother-in-law, she treated Theresa very harshly.

“I remember cursing the mom as the daughter.”

Even though they had divorced, she forced the woman she introduced to Maximilian.

Cecilia’s goal was clear: to control the Winters Duchy through her and extract money.

Fortunately, Maximilian did not succumb to that woman.

Instead, a river that couldn’t be crossed formed between Theresa and Maximilian.

“Surely we won’t meet, right?”

After the divorce, Cecilia stayed in the hot spring city of Hiera.
There was one reason. She was driven out of her noble family, and after spending what little money she had left on alimony, the only thing remaining was a decent resort in Hiera.

But even that didn’t last long.

To forget about that!

“You haven’t looked good since yesterday. What’s the reason?”

Nathaniel’s face became serious as he noticed my distress.

“Did I perhaps make a mistake in what I said?”

“Oh, no. It’s not that… Actually, our mother is in Hiera.”

At my words, his face twitched. He must have heard something about Cecilia, the former Duchess, as well.

Due to her glamorous history, Maximilian became cynical, and the neglected Jaina grew up to be stubborn.

“I think I know why you were so surprised.”

“Yes… There were reasons why Father had no interest in that territory, but I forgot.”

Perhaps because it had been a while since I read the original, I had forgotten.

“Have you contacted Mother during this time?”

“I guess?”

Father thoroughly prevented our meeting with Cecilia.

“It must be awkward for them.”

“Well, I hope they don’t run into each other.”

But, as always, my wish didn’t come true.

We finally arrived in Hiera.

Around the time the city entrance came into view, Bill and the others decided to take the shortcut I told them about and wait for us.

“It’s an exotic city.”

“That’s right.”
Nathaniel looked out the window and admired the beautiful scenery. At the top of the towering mountains, perennial snow piled up. Beneath, in the small town, closely packed, charming houses were gathered. The luxuriously decorated carriage drew people’s attention.

‘Mother can’t help but know.’

Well, there was no way it wouldn’t be a topic when the Crown Prince and Princess visited.

Finally, the carriage arrived at the Winter’s Duchy estate. A two-story building with white walls and a red tiled roof came into view.

“We’ve arrived.”

Upon the coachman’s words, I opened the door and stepped outside. The fresh air filled my lungs, and the worries that had filled my mind until a moment ago seemed to vanish.

That feeling lasted until I heard the unfamiliar, high-pitched voice.

“Jenny!”

I turned around with a stiff expression. Cecilia Winter’s, once known as the flower of high society, was still beautiful. Her platinum blonde hair, and the cool, green eyes, were just as I remembered.

“Oh, it’s been a while. Mother.”

She approached and firmly grabbed my hand. Startled by the sudden contact, I tried to step back, but she stubbornly clung to me.

“How have you been all this time? You can’t imagine how much I’ve missed seeing you.”

“Oh, yes…”

Thinking about her attempt in the original work to introduce me to Maximilian, I could guess why she wanted to see me.

“But, is this the Crown Prince?”
Cecilia’s gaze turned toward Nathaniel standing next to me. Her sticky gaze examined him from top to bottom. It was unlikely that something like that would happen, but still, the uncomfortable feeling was inevitable.

“Yes, that’s right. Nathaniel, this is my mother, Lady Demeter.”

“Pleasure to meet you, Lady Demeter.”

Both Nathaniel and I addressed her by her pre-marriage name. Cecilia’s beautiful face twitched. Despite being expelled from the Winter’s Duchy, here she ruled like a duchess.

So, she might not have been called by such a name before.

“It’s an honor to meet you, Crown Prince.”

But the other party was a Crown Prince. It was difficult to express that dissatisfaction freely.

After bowing and rising, she glanced at me.

“How long do you plan to keep me standing here, huh? Let’s go inside, have a pleasant conversation, shall we?”