Silvark's sudden proposal made Basille let out a small laugh.
“Weren’t you just in agony, Your Majesty?”
“But now that you say you’re fine, I feel fine too. Besides, Adrian is married now.”
The voice that had been filled with guilt over pushing the Grand Duke into a hopeless marriage had now completely cleared.
His tone, though polite and dry, wasn’t exactly one of a man begging for acceptance. Still, Basille liked that voice.
A man who had become emperor at the absurdly young age of thirteen, forced to live without showing emotion—
The voice of Emperor Silvark was his best attempt at expressing himself.
Compared to before, and to the last season, he had opened up far more.
But Basille looked forward to the next season, and all the days they would share after that. So for now, this was enough.
“What do you say, Basille?”
His voice, warm and resonant, made Basille laugh again as she whispered,
“I will.”
“Thank you, Basille.”
The emperor's voice was more tender than ever—
Just like the day last spring when he had pulled Basille out of hell.
“This is a disaster.”
The voice that rang through the drawing room of the Grand Duke’s residence was so faint, it was hard to believe it came from the stern head maid.
It even trembled slightly, as though dampened with moisture.
But no one laughed or looked surprised.
The situation was dire.
There was serious tension between the Grand Duke and his new consort.
Everyone had known it wouldn’t be easy—this was, after all, a union decreed by imperial command.
But no one had expected them to start arguing the moment they arrived.
“This is really bad. What do we do?”
And it wasn’t just a typical quarrel.
The Grand Duke had unleashed a storm of words.
The Grand Duchess had looked pale, on the verge of tears.
“Ah… it’s truly dreadful,”
The head maid’s mournful tone deepened the shadows on everyone’s faces.
A month ago, when the emperor summoned the Grand Duke to the capital to greet his bride, no one had believed it would work.
Because this was Adrian van Preses.
The man who had inherited the power of the most powerful dragon in history.
That power came with a cost: a severe lack of emotion.
Unlike other heirs, he never sought a partner even after reaching adulthood.
“It doesn’t matter.”
He had brushed off his retainers’ concerns, saying it was absurd to mourn the absence of something he’d never needed.
And there was nothing anyone could do when he refused.
Not even the emperor, who begged more than he commanded when it came to Adrian.
He had even hosted countless gatherings under the pretense of banquets to help him find a partner—
But not once had any of them produced results.
Just when everyone thought the Grand Duke's line would end—
The emperor brought a bride.
He granted her immunity, an enormous dowry, and even an estate.
“Even if she was brought in with money…”
The head maid murmured sadly.
They had been briefly disappointed she wasn’t a true destined partner.
But those who served the Grand Duke knew Adrian van Preses better than anyone.
Among all the ‘
Blessed
,’ he had the faintest grasp of emotion.
There was no chance of a duchess unless it was through extraordinary means.
So this was their only chance to preserve the lineage.
“We have to make it work.”
Everyone’s resolve ignited instantly.
They had been so excited to hear the long-awaited lady was arriving.
But then the Grand Duke stepped out of the carriage alone, leaving his bride behind!
“…Does he not know what an escort is?”
After a long silence, it was the knight commander who finally spoke.
Agatha, the head pastry chef and technically not part of the knighthood, clicked her tongue.
“Seriously? That’s what you’re going with?”
“Yeah… That was definitely wrong, wasn’t it?”
“The Grand Duke isn’t stupid.”
She gave the commander a look of withering disdain, and he turned red to the tips of his ears.
“Now, now, let’s all calm down. What’s done is done,”
Trying to ease the tension, the butler, who had been silent until now, spoke in a soft voice.
“There was never any reason to think this would be easy.”
“That’s true, but I didn’t expect it to be
this
bad,”
The head maid couldn’t shake her gloom.
Who would’ve thought the Grand Duke wouldn’t even escort the duchess properly?
They were all too stunned by the unexpected turn of events to think straight.
“Let’s calm down and remember why we’re here. Things may have started off poorly, but if we just sit back now, it’ll be a disaster.”
“Her Grace looked utterly crushed…”
“Exactly. That’s why we need to pull together.”
The duchy, located in the harsh northern lands, endured more than half the year in winter.
Coming from the warm south, Her Grace could very well flee in shock from the biting cold.
They had scrubbed, polished, hidden, and heated every inch of the fortress…
And then the Grand Duke ruined everything himself.
“So… what
can
we do?”
If they knew that, they wouldn’t be sitting here worrying.
Just as the room fell into another tense silence—
Ding-a-ling-a-ling!
The silver bell tied to the wall cord rang out urgently.
“The bell! Her Grace!”
The head maid leapt to her feet like a spring, lifting her skirts and dashing off.
Honk!
Ione blew her nose loudly.
After resting all day in a warm room, her runny nose was worse than ever.
Clearly, she had caught a cold.
Every sniffle reminded her that she wasn’t the heroine of this story.
“Heroines don’t get runny noses! It ruins the image.”
What, would it help if I coughed delicately like some tragic lead?
Nope—of course not. The universe made sure I ended up sniffling like an idiot.
“Ugh… cursed side character syndrome.”
She tried to speak cheerfully, but her mood sank again.
She had promised herself she’d stay low profile—
“Hyuoo…”
If anything, she should’ve tried to win his favor.
Instead, she’d gotten on the Grand Duke’s bad side.
It felt like being tossed into deep water, bound hand and foot.
Overwhelmed didn’t even begin to cover it.
Sure, she’d always been someone who could fake a smile,
But that day had been different.
Adrian had seen through her.
He had warned her, cold and sharp.
“This is really bad,”
Ione sighed heavily.
Adrian was known for his lack of emotion. But it made perfect sense that he would be angry at someone trying to deceive a blessed one.
The moment she stepped onto the original plotline, the whole world had turned hostile.
She’d thought she was ready, but the reality was far harsher than imagined.
Even knowing the story didn’t prepare her for
this
.
“No—how could I be ready? I didn’t know the pressure would be
this
intense. I thought I handled things okay, but then boom—I’m dragged off, totally unprepared, and he sees right through me. Of course I’m scared, right?”
She said it aloud just to hear something comforting.
Since her transmigration, Ione had often been struck by how
alone
she was.
Moments like this—fighting a silent battle no one else could understand,
Having to act in ways she couldn’t explain to anyone.
It was a deeply isolating feeling.
After all, who could she tell that this world was a novel and she was a transmigrator?
So eventually, Ione stopped hesitating to comfort herself.
“Choi Ione, you’re okay.”
She referred to herself as Choi Ione—both Ione and not.
Was there a better way to describe someone who was both Choi Eun-young and
Ione?
Choi Ione
.
Just saying her unfamiliar name helped still the storm in her heart.
And it reminded her of what she needed to do.
Adrian had misunderstood her, so she had to explain—
No, it was more like a pitiful excuse than an explanation, but still.
“Hm…”
Ione let out another small sigh.
She’d been lucky yesterday.
The Grand Duke’s aide had interrupted just in time, dragging Adrian away to deal with urgent matters.
Despite her fears, he hadn’t summoned her again all night.
That bought her some time.
Her frozen limbs had thawed, and the fear in her chest had eased.
Honestly, she wanted to wait until her nose stopped running.
But delaying any longer wouldn’t help.
“I have to go see him.”
With firm resolve, Ione yanked the bell cord by her bedside.
She pulled hard, determined.
“…Huh?”
She had pulled the bell cord with full confidence, but no one came.
Maybe it was the wrong cord?
She tried every cord in the room