The Lady Wants To Rest - Chapter 9
As soon as I finished my sentence, the room was filled with deafening silence. Both the butler and the knight, who had been listening to the conversation from the sidelines, had also stilled the sound of their breathing.
The Grand Duke glared ferociously and narrowed his eyes at me. There was a complicated knot of emotions that passed over his face that could not be expressed accurately with words.
“You… Do you think I would give you permission to leave?”
“You will have to.”
I said.
“The person who allowed the wound to become so infected was no one else but your Royal Highness, the Grand Duke.”
“……!”
The Grand Duke’s eyes trembled.
He pressed his lips together and was unable to let even a word pass through.
‘Tsk.’
I clicked my tongue inwardly to myself.
Though I wasn’t sure of his personal feelings, as a father, the Grand Duke didn’t have any rights to do anything other than sincerely apologize to Rubia.
Of course, the Grand Duke would not apologize.
“Then I shall understand that you’ve given me permission, and withdraw. I shall promptly leave the premises by today.”
After finishing my sentence, I turned around. Just like that, I walked towards the door.
One step, two steps….
As I purposely stepped slowly towards the door, I muttered to myself.
‘Will he grasp hold of me?’
I shook my head inside myself. I didn’t believe he would do so. As expected, the Grand Duke did not even open his mouth as I arrived at the door.
Relief and pity swept over me at the same time.
Relief that I would finally step away from such a broken family, pity for this body’s original owner, Rubia.
‘You truly were a pitiful child.’
The tip of my tongue tasted bitter without reason.
As a result, I politely greeted him with an even more relieved expression. This life, I resolved to live happily for myself and for Rubia.
“Thank you for your care until now. I bid your Royal Highness farewell for the last time. Please be healthy and happy.”
The Grand Duke’s lips trembled at his daughter’s last farewell. But, in the end, he was unable to say anything in response.
***
After Princess Rubia had left, a heavy silence fell upon the Grand Duke’s study.
With his chin propped up, the Grand Duke had on a stony expression. Out of all the times the butler had seen him, he appeared to be at the worst, so he carefully opened his mouth.
“Will you be okay without catching her?”
After a long silence, the Grand Duke opened his mouth.
“She’ll return soon enough anyways.”
The butler nodded his head at the Grand Duke’s words.
There was no way an aristocratic lady with no wealth could live outside of the castle. It was fairly likely that Princess Rubia would be unable to last even a day.
‘But will it really be like that?’
The butler recalled the figure of Princess Rubia he had just seen.
She was different from before. It wasn’t Princess Rubia whose shoulders slouched, head lowered, and eyes filled with fear.
In fact, what he saw was confidence and freedom, unlike all others. Though she was a princess with a small figure, she appeared stronger than anyone else.
‘And… she was beautiful.’
Unbeknownst to him, the butler shook his head.
It wasn’t something that a commoner could ever judge, but her figure filled with confidence was so beautiful that one couldn’t take their eyes off her. Though such reckless confidence often appeared arrogant, for her, it made her beauty shine even more brightly.
If the princess of before had been like a porcelain doll bathed in light, then the princess of today was like a divine fairy.
***
Just then, the Grand Duke spoke.
“Sir Olivier.”
“Yes, your Royal Highness.”
The guard knight bowed his head.
“Watch over Rubia till she returns. It should not take too long.”
“Yes, your Royal Highness.”
As “to watch over” was equivalent “to guard against harm”, the butler let out a sigh of relief.
Sir Olivier asked.
“What should I do if the Princess really decides to leave the Grand Duchy?”
“At that time, bring her back to the castle.”
“I shall obey.”