# 109
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“No, is it true that we met each other....?”
For a moment, I thought we had made eye contact and avoided it by surprise, but I wasn't sure if that was true.
Maybe I was unintentionally looking away, or maybe I was looking into the room next to mine….
It was unfortunate that I attracted attention by pulling the curtains when I should have stayed still.
I blamed it on my quick reflexes and cautiously looked out the window through the curtains.
Lucio had mounted his horse as if he had completed preparations for departure.
As I watched the carriage quietly drive away without anyone saying goodbye, I realized that it had been a long time since I had seen Lucio.
Since he returned from the academy to the Duke's residence, we haven't seen each other properly, except when he went to return the key to the library.
I would sometimes see him over breakfast, but other than that, it was hard to see him because he was always in his office.
These days will continue in the future.
Lucio will become busier, and I will leave the Duchy as soon as I am more or less ready.
Of course, it's not like we wouldn't see each other again because of Diana, but this distance was still comfortable.
“It kind of reminds me of the old days.”
In the past, I used to watch Lucio from afar like this to monitor the movements of the nobles.
But mentally, I feel like we're a lot closer now than then.
'Maybe because I learned another of his hidden secrets.'
Honestly, I don't care who becomes emperor in the future, but I trusted Lucio's vision.
Moreover, I didn't have a good feeling towards Serbin, the princess I met last time, so I thought Nicholas was better.
He could probably take care of it on his own, but wouldn't Nicholas be able to be made Emperor easily if he used Daryl's influence enough?
“Now that I think about it...”
Before, I was proud of Terencium as the best, so I didn't think about it separately, but it seemed that the Marquis de Diabelle would not have entrusted the order to Terencium alone.
“He must have gone looking for Daryl.”
Lucio might have already made the first move, considering his friendship with his friend Ascarte.
But the truth is that I did not find anything...
“I think what the master said is true.”
A sigh escaped my mouth.
It would be great if you could help Ascarte and the Marquis find the missing princess they so desperately want to meet.
Even though I knew there was no answer, I seriously wondered if there was any way.
I didn't know at the time.
I never thought I would soon find the answer to something I thought was beyond my abilities.
* * *
“Wow, it's snow!”
A lot of snow accumulated overnight.
Diana looked excited when she saw her eyes and ran outside with her arms raised.
“Don't run, miss! Please, you might fall.”
"Are you well !"
“You too, miss. Isn’t it cold?”
“It's not cold! Compared to the Duchy, this is nothing!”
I burst out laughing when I saw Diana cocking her chin as if to show off.
However, for Diana, who had lived in the Duchy of Elade her entire life, this level of cold might not be such a big deal.
“And because my brother bought me something!”
Diana added at that time with pride, and without realizing it, I looked at the child from head to toe.
While with Lucio recently, Diana received a cute hat that covered her ears, a scarf, gloves, and fur boots.
From that day on, I wore these clothes whenever I went out, as if I liked what my brother had bought me.
“Is Noona okay?”
“I'm warm too.”
I smiled shyly and played with my ears with my gloved hand.
Lucio may have done the math, but in any case, the fur earmuffs, scarf, gloves and boots that Diana gave me as a gift warmed my heart.
Diana seemed satisfied with my answer and smiled brightly, then began to focus on touching her eyes again.
While I was looking at this with joy, a cold snowflake fell on my cheek.
I raised my head, wiped my cheeks, and looked up at the snow-covered sky.
“I was really afraid of the snow.”
Now that I wear these warm clothes, I'm not afraid of pure white snow, but in the past, I really hated winter.
Since I wore thin, tattered clothes all year round, not to mention fur clothes, my hands were always red and frozen as they were exposed to the cold that seemed to freeze my internal organs, and my toes throbbed even if I stood even for a moment.
So I had to move them constantly.
Suddenly, I felt fear creeping over me, so I shrugged briefly and spoke to Diana.
“Miss, please leave now.”
If I go to the Marquis' house, I'll order warm hot chocolate topped with whipped cream and marshmallows to warm me up.
The Marquis, who came to nurse me, grumbled and wanted to eat so much, but he pretended not to win, and gave me the food, and it was so good that I couldn't help but laugh.
“Oh? Young Archduke!”
When Diana wanted to walk through the snow, they held hands and walked to the entrance of the Marquis' house.
Askart, who seemed to have gone out in a hurry, looked at us and looked agitated.
“Are you already here? I just sent a message to Elad Palace telling you not to come today.”
"Yes? Why?"
I tilted my head.
When we parted yesterday, the Marquis told me to come immediately after lunch to taste his cake.
“Has the Marquis’ condition worsened?”
Now that I thought about it, the atmosphere in the Marquis's mansion seemed a bit chaotic.
Askart came out angrily even though he wasn't there to meet us.
With a frowning expression, Askart spoke urgently.
“It's not like that....I heard that my parents will arrive soon.”
"Yes."
Well, it's been a long time since I heard news of Bianca's passing.
During the meal, the Duke said that the Archduke and his wife would arrive in a day or two.
I was so happy to meet Marquis Diabel that I forgot about it for a moment, but when I heard Askart's words, my heart began to beat.
I felt like I couldn't control my excitement at the thought of meeting Bianca again.
'Besides, I was curious about Archduke Bellus as well!'
I don't know much about him, but isn't he the only great wizard on the continent?
I nodded, barely able to calm my troubled heart.
It is a bit disappointing that we will not be able to check on the Marquis' treatment and enjoy tea time together, but that can be done later.
Archduke Belos and his wife are also close friends of Duke Elad, so they will definitely invite him to the palace.
Even if we can't eat together, we can still enjoy the views.
That was when I quickly turned around to tell the Duchess this news.
A large white carriage was seen entering the Marquis' house with the sound of horses' hooves.
Among them, Bianca, who approaches on horseback from the front, attracts attention.
Bianca quickly opened her eyes wide as if she had discovered me.
When I caught a faint glimpse of joy in her eyes, the corners of my mouth rose unknowingly.
“Little Archduke, it has been a long time since I have seen you.”
Bianca got off the horse, looked away from me, and greeted Ascarte politely.
“Countess Marietta, thank you for coming too.”
Askart nodded with a slightly stern expression.
Then he immediately turned his attention to the carriage behind him.
I could clearly feel Askart tense beside me, and I felt like my body was stiffening without realizing it.
Soon the door of the parked carriage opened.
'And...'
I barely swallowed the exclamation that threatened to explode.
‘They say that there was a poet who sang about the beauty of Prince Belos when he was young...’
I felt like my head went empty for a moment as distinct blonde hair and bright green eyes were revealed by the sunlight shining white due to the snow that had fallen overnight.
Lucio also cloy resembled the Duke, but Archduke Bellus and Ascarte resembled each other as if they had been molded and stamped.
It really seems like Askart will be like this when he grows up.
“Ascart.”
As soon as the door opened, the Archduke came out and called to Ascart in a low, friendly voice, as if he had found his son immediately.
I felt that he was a precious person from his general atmosphere, appearance, and behavior.
For some reason, I felt embarrassed in front of him and wiggled my fingers, and Diana tilted her head and looked at me.
As Diana smiled in embarrassment, the Archduke averted his gaze and extended his hand toward the carriage.
“Miss.”
With a gentle voice, I turned my head.
She missed the Archduchess as much as she missed Archduke Belos.
She was Ascart's mother, but more importantly, she was Duke Elad's childhood friend, so I was curious about her personality type.
And at that moment I couldn't think of anything.
It felt like time had stopped.
The woman who got off the carriage was beautiful.
It made me wonder how people could look like that.
Although she looked very pale, her pure white skin made her look more like a doll.
Her small, delicate features, her hair flowing like a waterfall, and especially her bright, beautiful eyes were like jewels.
Her body, which was ravishingly beautiful yet delicate at the same time, seemed fragile and unstable, as if it could break at any moment.
However, perhaps because of his cold expression, there was a restrained atmosphere.
“Huh...”
But it wasn't just the Archduchess's beauty that made my head spin and I couldn't breathe.
While the entire world was white, all I could see was the face of a woman with flowing light pink hair and dark pink eyes.
It was like...