The Grand Duchess Escape

Left alone in the bedroom, Asella looked up at the ceiling in silence.

She thought maybe she should have caught him before he left the room, maybe try to say something to him. She kept pondering as regret crept into her heart.

“To think that you wouldn’t even fulfill your responsibilities.”

Calix Benvito was right.

Although it was Philip who had pushed for this marriage, it was she who had signed and said the marriage vows. The circumstances of the situation and whatever threats she had received before were now quite simply not his concern, to put it calmly. And indeed, the responsibility was completely put on her.

However, why did she feel such sadness making its way to her heart?

Her lips were pursed tightly. If she had not done so, she would have burst into tears right away. She blinked away the few droplets of tears that formed under her eyes.

‘At the end of it, it’s all my fault, isn’t it?’

Tomorrow the word would spread around the castle that the Grand Duke and his wife didn’t even have a proper wedding night. And she was certain that he would never come to find her ever again.

She had to win his heart back. Before things could get any worse or reach a point beyond which there was no way to recover.

‘What am I going to do?’

Asella thought, biting her lip nervously.

She should go see him tomorrow at the crack of dawn. But then it may be inconvenient if she went too early, then around lunchtime? Still, going before his meal might be a bad idea… People were usually more sensitive when they were hungry.. so she should see him after his meal, but he might be busy later…

‘I should go and see him… ‘

But… to begin with, would he actually be willing to see her?

He might refuse to even see her face and if he refused, she would have to wait outside his door until he came out. If she managed to see him that way, she’ll apologize for today, and then…

Asella paused at the thought that suddenly struck her.

Would he be willing to give her another chance?

The image of the man who had unleashed his cold anger with all his might came back to her mind. The voice that had condemned her was still fresh in her ears. It was by no means an easy emotion to resolve.

“Still… I have to do something nonetheless.”

Anything…

She had an important person to protect.

Asella prayed. Please let his anger ease a little during this long night. May she find the courage to face him again tomorrow.

“For Mariel’s sake.”

She squeezed her eyes shut against the emotions that were rising inside her.

But it was no use. The pillow was soaked by the fine stream of water that ran down her cheek and to her ear.

A hushed sob wound its way around the quiet room.

* * *

The next morning, Margo came to the Grand Duchess’s room.

It wasn’t a very early hour of the day. After having received a message from Ryzen that the Grand Duke had begun attending to his duties, it was only right that she should be tending to the lady of the house at this time, and there was also some news to inform the Grand Duchess for the day.

“Your Highness, it’s Margo.”

“Come in.”

Asella’s voice was as calm and composed as ever, but somehow the tone seemed different from yesterday’s. 

“Everyone wait here.”

Feeling somewhat uneasy, Margo decided to be a little cautious. She reasoned that it would be difficult to show the traces of the first night since their new hostess was the type that didn’t like having maids tend her even for bathing.

“Your Highness?”

Margo cautiously entered the bedroom and paused.

On the morning of her first night, she saw the woman sitting quietly by her bedside, her dress in immaculate condition, and the bed looking far too neat to be used by anyone.

What these figures meant was so obvious.

Margo was taken aback for a moment but quickly collected her composure.

The first thing that came to her mind was the maids waiting outside the door to be called in. Although every servant of the Benvito household received a thorough education on being careful with their mouths, as usual, there were always some exceptions. 

However, Margo began to tend to Asella by herself, as if nothing was wrong.

Asella expressed her appreciation for the consideration Margo had shown for her in a nonchalant manner.

But since she had yet to eat breakfast, Margo wondered if she should break the news to her. It was only a matter of time before she would find out anyway.

After a short hesitation, Margo opened her mouth.

“Your Highness, you know that Lady Mariel’s tutor was supposed to come here today, right?”

“Yes, is there a problem?”

Asella inquired, trying to keep her composure. But Margo noticed that the slender woman in front of her was slightly trembling. Just… What on earth had happened last night between the Grand Duke and his wife?

“I received word that he could not come because of a sudden emergency.”

Asella’s heart sank.

She couldn’t quite remember the words that followed. Her mind went blank when she heard that the scheduled tutoring session had been called off at the last minute. Her heart began to pound madly with anxiety.

After a moment of silence, Asella opened her lips and barely managed to spit out these words.

“Where is His Excellency at the moment?”

* * *

Thanks to the luxurious carpets covering the floor, there was no sound at all, even though two people were walking.

“This way, Your Highness.”

Margo turned around the corner first. As they walked down the dazzlingly glamorous corridor, Asella clutched her hand as if in prayer.

The high-ceilinged corridor was lined wall to wall with extravagant tapestries and famous paintings. The sparkling ornaments placed at each side where the pillars stood were so extravagant that one had to be careful even when looking at them.

After a short walk, a finely carved oak door appeared. The servants bowed their heads in gratitude when they spotted her.

“This is His Excellency’s office.”

The large door that went all the way to the ceiling was quite intimidating.

“I will wait for you until you come out.”

Asella was about to refuse, but then she saw the look on Margo’s face and was about to say something but stopped when she noticed the concern that oozed from her seemingly blunt face.

Margo glanced at the attendant who stood before the door to announce her visit.

“Your Excellency, Her Highness has arrived.”

And a brief silence drifted through the hallway.