Wearing a different outfit and mingling through the celebration, chatting with other guests, was already a physically and mentally demanding task. Especially dealing with the zeal of Elly and Arnold among the guests required more than just stamina.

“Congratulations on your marriage, dear! What would you like as a wedding gift? There’s an island owned by a duke in the south; should I give that? Or would you prefer money? Just say the word!”

“Congratulations on your marriage, oh dear! This feels like a dream to me!”

One person seemed ready to recite the list of Ertman’s properties, and another, who had cried so much yesterday, was still pouring tears and runny nose without showing any signs of fatigue.

Moreover, dealing with a particular individual who stood out among them made it even more challenging for them.

“Ugh, tsk! Why did you come here, Valter?”

“I am today’s groom.”

“Noisy! There are ten more guys who can replace the groom. Why are you so important? Go and get me a drink or something. I feel nauseous just looking at your face.”

Arnold relentlessly criticized Valter whenever he appeared at the edge of his vision.

“I allowed the marriage after seeing Odette, but my opposition to this marriage has not changed.”

“You must be careful. If you neglect Odette even a little, no! If Odette falls and injures her knee, I’ll immediately separate you from her!”

“Then I’ll have to carry Odette around all day. Fine.”

And despite Arnold’s forced pressure, Valter, without changing his expression, responded comfortably.

“Huh, carrying her around all day…?”

Thanks to that, Odette, who was beside him, became the target of Arnold’s criticism.

Moreover, Elly, next to Odette, pressed Valter in a somewhat different way. Regardless of what she said, their points were the same.

“Listen well, Your Highness. If Lady Odette can’t wear off-shoulder dresses at the next gathering because of the Duke, I will take her and go on a month-long journey with Your Highness. Do you understand?”
In particular, what eventually changed the design of the wedding dress was Elly’s enthusiastic support, resembling the ignition of a red light. Elly, slightly intoxicated, delivered a lengthy speech about how revealing Odette’s shoulder line could make her stand out more.

Odette was surprised once to learn that Elly valued her shoulder line so much, and twice to discover that Valter, who would normally find such conversations annoying, was nodding along to the story for some reason.

“Our point is, it’s not just about the shoulder line; it’s about how fair the skin is and how well-defined the collarbone is!”

“Indeed, you’re right.”

“That’s right! Thin necklaces, and even stringed pearl necklaces, all go well. Last time, I wore a bolero and hung the necklace over it, and the pathos became even more vivid.”

“S-stop! Elly, please stop! Valter, what are you positively affirming again?”

And Odette was on the verge of losing her composure due to the incessant praise in front of her.

Finally, after sending the overly drunk Elly back to her family’s embrace, Odette could barely regain her senses, and fortunately or unfortunately, around that time, the wedding was reaching its final stages.

“Odette, let’s stop here now. We’ll be waiting at the mansion.”

“Oh, right….”

Odette followed Valter’s escort, absentmindedly glancing back at the venue.

For some reason, she felt like she was missing something.

‘Hmm….’

Odette tried to think a little more, but due to exhaustion, her thoughts didn’t smoothly connect.

Moreover, the fact that there were too many things she could guess also influenced her.

She had almost missed attending the wedding last night due to Blake’s interference, and she even vaguely met Louis just a while ago.

Having experienced such incidents, it wouldn’t be strange if she felt uncomfortable with something more uncertain.

‘Maybe it’s just my imagination.’

Thinking that, Odette boarded the carriage.

Truly, it was a tumultuous wedding in many ways.

When they returned to Ertman after the wedding, the sun was already leaning toward the western horizon.

Perhaps that’s why Odette was a little surprised to find the road to Ertman, which had become quite familiar, felt somewhat unfamiliar.

So, as she gazed out the carriage window, she muttered without realizing it.

“…Now Ertman truly feels like my home.”

“Wasn’t it your home until now?”

“But until now, it always felt more like being a guest.”

The first reason she felt this way was because of Russell’s words when he opened the carriage door.

Dismount, madam. Congratulations on your wedding.

Of course, Russell was merely using the appropriate title.

Madam.

For Odette, who had always been addressed as “Your Highness” until now, it was indeed a strange title.
She felt like she had truly shed the status of a captive princess, now she could go outside and be addressed not as “Princess Fourth” but as “Lady of Ertman, the Duchess.” It was a natural and expected change, yet the feeling, palpable on her skin, was unfamiliar. Odette smiled and fixed her gaze on the sunset through the carriage window. The evening glow sparkled like evening dew on her yellow golden carriage.

“I mean it, Valter. Since I was young, I dreamed of a very ordinary life. Life in the palace was honestly difficult.”

“…In what way?”

“The fact that there was no one to trust. For example, Elly was a maid I met when I was ten, but it took ten years for me to truly trust her.”

It wasn’t because Elly wasn’t a trustworthy person. Odette simply feared giving affection to someone.

“I spent my early years in the Hwangbi Palace, and during that time, the personnel in charge of me were constantly changing. Sometimes for a month, sometimes for six months. Whenever they thought I might become attached, a new person came.”

She knows why Katarina Hwangbi did that. She was cautious of Odette forming too close a relationship with someone in the palace.

Children like her are prone to sympathy, and sympathy easily turns into favor. Katarina didn’t want Odette to unnecessarily get close to palace people and form a power base.

“I was truly a child back then.”

Even for such a young child, Katarina was unyielding, not giving any opportunity.

“Well, even after going to my palace, not much has changed. My maids are all people from Hwangbi, or those who have been demoted. Or they were from prestigious families but couldn’t reach the level of the Hwangbi.”

Elly was the last category, and Lady Inaya, who was Odette’s governess, fell into the demoted category.

So, except for Elly, everyone left as soon as the situation improved.

That’s why Odette couldn’t help but be afraid to give affection before trusting someone, and that’s how her dream was unknowingly established.

To leave the palace and live an ordinary life.

“If you want to trust, trust. If you want to like, like. I wanted to live like that.”