7

Duke Henrick dropped the papers he was holding, stunned by Butler David's revelation. "Divorce?" he repeated, his voice barely a whisper.

"Your Grace?" Evander, who had also been taken aback by the news, watched as Duke Henrick suddenly stood up and snatched the letter from David's hand. As he read about the house prepared for Veronica, as mentioned by Marquis Cosimo, his face darkened. Without warning, he began tearing the letter into pieces. "So she was planning on leaving me? Forcing me to marry her first, then leave me? Unforgivable."

"Summon the Duchess!" he ordered sharply.

"Right away, Your Grace," Butler David responded quickly, rushing out of the Duke's office. Evander stood silently at the side, acutely aware of Duke Henrick's visible fury.

Moments later, Butler David returned, his anxiety evident. "Where is she?" Duke Henrick demanded.

"It appears the Duchess has gone to Baerth Castle, Your Grace," Butler David replied, wincing as he awaited the Duke's reaction.

Duke Henrick closed his eyes briefly, clearly frustrated. "Go get my horse, Evander," he commanded.

Evander opened his mouth to respond but hesitated when he met the Duke's fierce glare."I understand, Your Grace," he said, nodding quickly.

Without another word, the Duke abandoned his work and set out to find Veronica, determined to confront her at Baerth Castle.

Duke Henrick spurred his horse into a gallop, pushing it faster than usual. In no time, he arrived at the palace, causing quite a stir. It was well-known that the Duke rarely visited the palace unless summoned by the Emperor. But today, he didn't bother with the Emperor's residence and went straight to Baerth Castle, where Veronica had gone.

Upon arriving at the castle, he dismounted quickly, handing his horse to the guards. Normally, what the Duke was doing would be considered rude, but no one dared to challenge the war hero. His aura alone, thick with tension and unspoken command, warned everyone to stay out of his way. The servants in Baerth Castle, uncertain of what was happening, reluctantly escorted him inside.

As he moved through the halls, to his surprise, he encountered the Emperor. "Quite a surprise to see you here, Henrick," the Emperor commented, his tone light. Duke Henrick only shot him a cold glance in response.

"Are you here to see the Empress?" the Emperor continued, but before Henrick could respond, the Emperor smirked. "Is what I want to ask, but obviously, you are here for the Duchess," he said, pointing toward Veronica, who was playing with Princess Alicia in the distance. "She's over there."

Duke Henrick's eyes darkened further. Every muscle in his body tensed as he looked at Veronica, feeling a mix of confusion, anger, and hurt. His mind raced with thoughts of what she might be planning, the divorce, the letter, and now, seeing her so carefree and innocent with the Princess.

---

After walking outside, I decided to visit Empress Adelaide since the Emperor had mentioned her condition had worsened. There wasn't much for me to do here, so I figured it would be better to go there.

I had Lucy help me change clothes and asked her to prepare my carriage. They understood the situation since I was only heading to Baerth Castle. Once I was ready, I set off without bothering to ask for permission—I'm not a child.

In no time, I arrived at Baerth Castle. Since I often visit the Empress, they were already prepared. What surprised me, however, was that it was the Empress's personal maid who greeted me. Her face clearly showed concern.

"Greetings to the Duchess of Audovera," she greeted me.

"How is Her Majesty?" I asked, though I already had a feeling about the answer.

"She is getting worse, Your Grace," Dana's voice held sadness, a clear reflection of her worry."Is it okay to see her?"

"Of course, Your Grace," she said, guiding me to the Empress's room. As we entered, the scent of herbal remedies filled the air, a sign of the treatment the Empress was receiving.

"Your Majesty, Duchess Veronica Audovera is here," Dana announced, and I could hear the soft coughs of Empress Adelaide.

"Veronica?" Her voice was weak, but it made my heart ache as I immediately approached her bedside.

It felt like I hadn't seen her in just a few days, but she had lost so much weight. I noticed the handkerchief she held had blood on it. Had it really gotten this bad?

"Your Majesty..." I held her hand tightly, but it was so cold.

"Veronica, my dearest friend... I don't think I'll be able to visit your new house," she said, and my tears fell freely.

"Please don't say that, Your Majesty," I managed to say, forcing a smile through my tears.

"I would love to talk with you, but... I'm feeling kind of tired."

"Of course, Your Majesty... Dana, please don't leave Her Majesty, okay?" I said to Dana, who was also trying to hold back tears.

"Yes, Duchess," she replied softly.

"Veronica... please take care of Alicia for me," those were the last words I heard from Adelaide before I had to leave her room.

As I walked out, Dana handed me a handkerchief. I quickly took it and composed myself, wiping away the tears before facing the world outside.

Was it already time for this? If there's one thing I wish I could change in this novel, it would be the Empress's death. I've done everything I could to help her, but things never really go the way you want them to.

I guess it's time to go. As I was about to leave, I bumped into Princess Alicia and her maid.

"Greetings, Your Highness Princess Alicia," I greeted, smiling as she beamed back at me.

"I also greet the Duchess of Audovera, Duchess Veronica."

"Oh? That was a perfect greeting, Princess," I clapped my hands in approval.

"Hehehe... I practiced well," she giggled, clearly proud.

"So, where is the princess headed?"

"I came to visit Mother and deliver her favorite flower," she said, showing me the flower she was holding. I glanced at her personal maid, Cara, who seemed a bit more reserved.

"That is so kind of you, Princess. However, Her Majesty is currently asleep. How about you give this lovely flower to Cara, and she will personally deliver it to Her Majesty? What do you think?"

"I guess since I heard Mother needs a lot of sleep," Alicia replied, handing me the flower. "Deliver it later," I told Cara, who nodded.

"Then, Duchess, can we go play again?"

"Of course! How can I refuse such a cute request from this cute princess?" I smiled and gently lifted Princess Alicia, making my way towards the garden. She was only three years old, and I'm not sure if she understood how bad her mother's condition was.

"Duchess, can we do that twirl again?" As soon as we were outside, she asked excitedly.The twirl she was talking about was when I spun her around while holding her. She seemed to enjoy it, but I was getting dizzy from all the spinning.

"Weeee!" I spun her, pretending to fly her around. Luckily, she was light enough that I could keep up with her. Thanks to my past memories as a kindergarten teacher, I knew how to handle kids.

"Do the twirl again, Duchess," she giggled.

"Alicia?" We both looked up when we heard someone call.

"Father!" Alicia immediately ran to the Emperor.

"Are you okay?" I blinked, feeling a bit dizzy from the twirling. My vision blurred for a moment, and I leaned in closer to the person who had spoken to me. But as my vision cleared and I realized who it was, I quickly stepped back.

"Duke? What are you doing here?" I was completely caught off guard by his presence.

"Did you have fun playing with the Duchess?" I heard the Emperor ask Alicia.

"Yes, Father. Playing with the Duchess is always fun," Alicia responded happily. "But who are you with, Father?" she asked, clearly curious since she hadn't met Duke Henrick before, given that the war had been happening when she was born.

"Ah! This is Duke Henrick Audovera, Princess," the Emperor introduced him.

"I greet Her Royal Highness Princess Alicia Louise Oriviel," Duke Henrick said, bowing to Alicia."Ah! The war hero!" I nodded along with what Alicia said. "The Duchess's husband!" But then, I froze mid-nod when I heard Alicia's next question. "So, when are you and the Duchess going to have a daughter? I want to play with the Duchess' daughter." What in the world was this kid asking?!

"Pfft--" The Emperor couldn't hold back his laughter, most likely because he had taught her to ask that.

"Ha... ha... ha..." I forced out a laugh, feeling awkward. Kids these days are scary. I quickly glanced at my wrist, pretending to check the time. "Oh, look at the time. I think we should get going now," I said, even though I didn't have a watch. Let's just go with the excuse.

After bidding goodbye to the mischievous father and daughter duo, I was finally about to leave when I remembered that I was actually with Duke Henrick. What was he doing here?

"Ah... Duke—"

"Duchess Veronica, it's great to see you here," I was about to ask him when a voice called out to me from behind.

"Ah! Good day, Marquis Staffon," I greeted him.

"Oh, you're with the Duke. Fancy meeting you, Duke Audovera," Marquis Staffon greeted Duke Henrick, who was still wearing his poker face. "It's good that I ran into you, Duchess. I've been meaning to talk with you about this month's crops," he suddenly said, and my eyes widened. I almost forgot about it.

"I'll send you a letter when it's a good time to discuss it, Marquis," I quickly replied. Duke Henrick didn't know about these matters yet.

"Of course, Duchess. Then, I bid you both goodbye," the Marquis said before leaving. Thankfully, he was kind. Now, I just had to figure out how to explain this to the Duke.

"We're going to have a serious talk when we get home," he said, his voice serious. Just as we were about to leave, the carriage I had arrived in pulled up. He opened the door for me and offered his hand.

I had no choice but to accept. He helped me into the carriage, but I was puzzled when he didn't get in himself. "I brought my horse. See you at home, Veronica," he said, closing the carriage door behind me. Then, without another word, he mounted his horse and rode off ahead.

Why was he here again?!