Epilogue, Chapter 3
To avoid drawing people’s attention, Damian and Rowena changed into the sort of clothes commoners wore, and of those attending them, they brought along only the single most trustworthy person to serve as guard as well. They were within the duke’s domain, where it was safe, and the market was crowded with people, so there was little chance of anything dangerous happening.
“Mom! Look at this!”
Damian, who had been awkwardly changing how he addressed her in front of Killian, called Rowena by the familiar name once more. Smiling softly, Rowena looked in the direction her son was pointing.
Inside a small enclosure, baby rabbits were huddled together. Damian squeezed his way in among the crouching children and stared at the rabbits as though enchanted.
“You’re taking two home, so choose carefully.”
“Okay!”
At Rowena’s words, Damian nodded with a determined face and observed each rabbit with the utmost concentration. She thought he would choose quickly, but even after nearly thirty minutes had passed and most of the children had gotten up, Damian remained in the same position. In the end, the attendant who had been secretly following behind them approached and spoke.
“I have a feeling this may take some time. Madam, would you care to sit on that bench? I’ll buy something to drink.”
“Would you? Thank you.”
“Not at all.”
The guard gave a light bow and went off to buy drinks. Rowena sat on a bench not far from Damian. The bustling market was full of all sorts of people: a young child holding the hand of a much older brother, young lovers, mischievous children darting between people, and couples carrying babies in their arms.
As Rowena observed the passersby with interest, three women who appeared to be friends sat down beside her. Rowena pulled her hat lower, concealing her face more thoroughly. Then, as she continued watching Damian, a certain conversation struck her ears like lightning.
“Did you hear that story? The one about His Highness getting married.”
“What? That’s ridiculous. What an absurd rumor.”
“I thought so too, but one of my cousins delivers groceries to the duke’s residence, you see? And while carrying the food in, she saw the back of some woman she’d never seen before.”
“What? Really?”
“She said the woman was dressed very luxuriously. Even from far away, that much was clear.”
Without realizing it, Rowena gripped the hem of her dress tightly. It had been a ceremony carried out in secret, without anyone knowing. On top of that, all the servants of the duke’s residence were trustworthy people who had sworn loyalty over two or three generations.
But there was no such thing as an eternal secret. The position of duchess was one of the highest in the kingdom, and it could not remain vacant forever.
The two of them simply needed some time. Killian’s eyesight had not yet recovered, and she was still gradually learning the immense responsibilities of being duchess.
“She must be a relative or something.”
After a brief silence, another woman, who had been quietly listening to the two, joined in.
“Common sense says so, doesn’t it? Not every woman at the duke’s residence is going to be the duchess. Well, she could be a woman he’s secretly seeing.”
“Th-that’s true. There hasn’t been any news of a woman for years, so it just felt strange.”
“Let’s talk about something else. I don’t want to be dragged off for lese-majesty.”
As if they had never been whispering, the three women changed the subject at those words. Just as Rowena was feeling relieved, she saw the attendant who had gone to buy drinks approaching.
* * *
In the carriage on the way back, Damian was hugging the little rabbit tightly as though cradling a treasure.
“Are you happy because you picked a rabbit you like?”
“Yeah!”
“I told you to choose two. Why did you choose only one?”
“Only this one caught my eye.”
The rabbit in Damian’s arms was the smallest and weakest among the more than ten rabbits. While the other rabbits were playing here and there with their siblings, it had been alone in a corner, trembling.
A worry flashed through Rowena’s mind—what if something happened to it? Damian was more composed and mature than other children his age, but he was still a child. He was too small and innocent to accept the death of a pet he cherished and loved.
Her worry continued until the next day. In response to Rowena’s concern, Killian offered a short and simple solution.
“We’ll prepare an identical one, just in case.”
“He might notice. Damian is very clever.”
“Then we’ll search the entire country and find one exactly the same.”
If anyone else had said it, it would have been a joke, but the moment it left his mouth, it became fact. While Rowena was left speechless, Killian, having fastened all the buttons on his cuffs, glanced back at her and added,
“Even if we bring in a capable veterinarian, it’s impossible to revive a dead animal.”
“……”
“That’s true.”
Every word was right, but his merciless attitude left her feeling strangely subdued. Noticing Rowena’s expression, Jenok quietly stepped in.
“The young master is taking good care of it, so I’m sure nothing will happen.”
“Mr. Jenok.”
Instead of thanking him aloud, Rowena gave a slight bow. Jenok responded with a smile and opened the door.
“It is almost time for your appointment.”
“I’ll be back.”
Turning around, Killian lightly kissed Rowena on the forehead. It was a ritual repeated whenever he left the duke’s residence. At first, it had made her bashful and awkward enough to stiffen, but after it happened again and again, it had become a natural part of their routine.
“Have a safe trip.”
After straightening her husband’s clothes, Rowena saw Killian off to the entrance hall.
“Madam.”
After confirming that the carriage had crossed the drawbridge, Rowena turned at the sound calling her. The butler stood there holding a bundle of documents. When their eyes met, Rowena smiled faintly.
“It’s time for my lesson, then.”
There was no end to what she had to do as duchess. Though the experienced butler took care of minor matters for her, the larger affairs of the castle household and exchanges with other influential families fell entirely to Rowena.
Rowena’s duties as duchess began with reading and memorizing the kingdom’s entire almanac of high-ranking nobles.
It was true that Killian had used the influence and power he had built up to obtain the queen’s approval of their marriage, even if half by force, but the people Rowena would personally face and deal with in the future were the other high-ranking nobles. If she was later to establish her position as duchess in society, it was essential that she understand them.
“That should be enough for today. You’ve worked hard, madam.”
“Not at all. I still have so much to learn. Thank you for helping me, Butler.”
“Not at all. You are following along very well.”
The butler organized the documents and smiled warmly at Rowena, who was both a humble student and a kind mistress.
Though it sounded like a courtesy, the praise was true. The densely packed noble almanac was the sort of thing most people would barely memorize a page or two of in a day, yet Rowena was memorizing five pages a day. In addition, she was learning one by one, without much difficulty, the matters of running the castle household, which she had briefly taken on before. At this rate, in a year she would be capable of managing the entire household.
“Shall I have dinner prepared?”
“That’s all right. More importantly, what is Damian doing? His lessons should be over by now.”
“Ah, he went out briefly with Lord Jeremy.”
“Not to the lake, by any chance……”
“No. I sent an attendant with them, so you may rest assured.”
Since it was the trustworthy butler saying so, she nodded, but something still felt suspicious. Given her uncle’s personality—once he decided on something, he rarely backed down—there was no way he would give up easily, even if Killian had opposed him.
“They said they were going to buy rabbit feed. A servant could have been sent to purchase it, but he wished to see and choose it himself……”
“……I see.”
“Then I shall take my leave.”
In the end, Rowena nodded reluctantly and opened the glass door to the balcony overlooking the lake. When she stepped outside, the cool air clung to her skin as softly as satin. The duke’s residence, which had once felt like a prison, had now become a beautiful and comfortable home. It was a castle that stood tall in the same place, even as countless years passed and innumerable people changed. Like the duchesses before her who had married into this castle, borne children, raised those children, and closed their eyes here, she too would one day fall into peaceful eternal rest in this place.
She had closed her eyes, lost in thought, when an urgent knock startled her awake. Rowena turned around and had barely answered for the person to come in when the door flew open.
“Madam!”
The one who had knocked was the young page who ran her small errands. He was the second son of a trusted vassal, and because he was clever and diligent, he was also a good conversation partner for Damian.
“What is it?”
“I think you need to go out now. Quickly!”
“What?”
The page, drenched in sweat, stamped his feet with a pale face.
“Right now!”
* * *
The place she arrived at after following the page was a small forest within the duke’s residence. It was private land where outsiders were forbidden to enter, and the trees grew so densely that the forest was dark even at sunset. The deeper they went, the more Rowena broke into a cold sweat from an inexplicable anxiety.
At last, just as she could bear it no longer and was about to speak,
“Just how far……”
“Look over there!”
The page suddenly came to a halt and pointed somewhere. Rowena’s eyes trembled as she whipped her head in that direction.
“This is……”
Before her lay a space decorated like a fairy’s wedding venue. Amid lavishly blooming pale purple wisteria arched over like a passageway, guest seats had been placed on either side of a long red carpet. At the very front, she could see the officiant’s podium. Behind that podium stood a familiar face.
“……Uncle?”
And that was not all. Seated in the guest seats on both sides, arranged with wide spaces between them, were people she recognized. Loren, the countess, Cedric, Harriet, and even Harriet’s husband.
“Everyone……”
They were all faces she was delighted to see. She had thought she might never see them again, and now that they were gathered together, tears suddenly welled up.
As Rowena stood there, at a loss in the situation laid before her like a gift, a low voice called her from behind.
“Rowena.”