Chapter 36

The next day, Eleonora was being beautifully dressed by the maids, Lila and Larisa.

The dress had been delivered from the castle early that morning. It was a dress that allowed for some adjustments, with no need for a corset, and it had a seam just below the bust. Eleonora liked it very much because it was comfortable.

"This dress really suits you! It looks like fairies are flying around you!"

"You shine like a goddess from a myth!"

As the maids praised her with giggles, Eleonora became worried about their health.

(They must have eaten some poisonous mushrooms. Maybe it’s a kind of mushroom I don’t know about?)

"…Thank you for the compliments. You mustn’t eat anything you don’t understand."

Moved by Eleonora’s concern, the two maids, who had misunderstood, responded gratefully.

"Since the mistresses are gone and Lady Eleonora is being kind to us, we might be harassed by other servants. We will be very careful!"

(That’s not it. But there might be harassment. I shouldn’t give special treatment to certain servants. But I like these two kind maids. What will happen to these girls when I go to the castle? The future of this duchy is dark. And yet, I don’t have the authority to move servants around as I please.)

While Eleonora was thinking about the future, the preparations were completed. To avoid surprising the two maids, she quietly put a corner mouse into a small basket and headed for the castle.

"…I’m going now."

Smiling at the two, Eleonora got into the carriage. As she looked at the cottage she had lived in and the fields she had tended from inside the carriage, she felt a bit sentimental, but the thought of being with Alexei soon lifted her spirits.

(I’m so happy. We can be together again.)

The scenery visible from the carriage was vivid in her eyes. The thought of meeting Alexei made her heart race.

At the same time, Alexei was fidgeting in the castle, waiting for Eleonora.

"Your Majesty, please calm down. Today is just the engagement ceremony at the cathedral. You only need to submit the pledge."

Sergei said this with a mix of exasperation and happiness.

"Eleonora’s room can be in my room for now, right?"

"No way! What are you saying? We have prepared a room befitting a royal. Please respect Lady Eleonora’s honor."

"Sergei, what do you mean by honor? Whose honor? If Eleonora is fine with it, there’s no problem."

"No way!"

At that moment, a servant came to announce Eleonora’s arrival. Unable to contain his eagerness, Alexei opened the door himself.

"Eleonora! I missed you."

Eleonora, who hadn’t expected Alexei to open the door, was surprised for a moment but then smiled.

"…Your Majesty, I missed you too."

Alexei, delighted by her words, hugged her, but Sergei cleared his throat and loudly began to remind them of the day’s schedule.

(Oh no! There are so many people around, and I’m blushing and looking so embarrassed.)

"…Your Majesty, as the Prime Minister said, today is the engagement ceremony, right?"

Eleonora said this, lifting her face from Alexei’s chest. Alexei sighed and loosened his embrace.

"Let’s go now. Let’s get it over with, Eleonora."

When she nodded, Alexei and the others immediately headed for the cathedral located in the eastern part of the capital. They completed the engagement ceremony at a historically unprecedented speed.

"Now Eleonora is my fiancée. The pledge is valid."

"…What exactly is written in the pledge?"

In response to Eleonora’s question, Sergei silently handed her a copy. The pledge had legal binding power, and Eleonora’s eyes widened as she read its contents.

(What! I’m the head of the Purpureus duchy? What about the fathers?)

Sergei answered her unspoken question.

"The former Duke of Purpureus will be given a new territory. The former duchess and her daughter are also expected to live there."

"…Thank you for your consideration."

(Thank goodness they won’t be executed! And they can still be lords, even if it’s just in name. I’m worried about the people, but I’m sure the Prime Minister will take care of it.)

In reality, the territory given to them was an uninhabited island with no residents.

Later, when Eleonora learned about this, she and Alexei visited the island on a griffin. There, her former family, along with the servants who had neglected her, were working hard to live a self-sufficient life. Here, being a lord was just a title, and the former servants did not serve them. Even those who were once part of Eleonora’s family had to work.

When her stepmother Anna and half-sister Sophia saw Eleonora on the griffin, they screamed and threw pebbles at her.

"Eleonora! If it weren’t for you!"

"Come down here!"

Unfortunately, the distance was too great for the pebbles to reach, so nothing happened. However, when Alexei, who was also on the griffin, suggested killing them all, Eleonora shook her head vigorously and said no.

(They’re tanned and look healthier. They’re more wild than beasts.)

As for the former duke, he was trying to advise the two but was being hit in return.

"Seeing such a thing will corrupt Eleonora’s eyes. Let’s go, Eleonora."

Nodding at Alexei’s words, Eleonora and the others left.