If You Leave Without a Word - Chapter 39
‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾.
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“Madam.”
De Borre approached after finishing her conversation with the Grand Duchess’ maid. Her expression was not particularly pleasant.
“The Grand Duchess would like to see you, Madam.”
“The Grand Duchess wishes to see me?”
It was unexpected news. The maid had been unwilling to back down even after coming to fetch clothes, and now it seemed that the Grand Duchess had requested Lady Kristin through her maid. Agatha looked up, glancing at the waiting maid guarding the entrance.
“Yes, the carriage to take you is prepared outside.”
She was in a quandary. An unexpected request for an unarranged visit was a discourteous act that showed no consideration for the other party.
People often sent invitations through the Marquis’ residence to invite Agatha to their homes. Even so, Agatha had refused such invitations without any hesitation.
It would have been appropriate to show displeasure at the impolite invitation and decline, but this time, the other party was the Grand Duchess. Agatha couldn’t dare to refuse the invitation from the imperial family. But blindly accepting it was not an option either.
In her confusion and hesitation, Agatha slowly stood up after contemplating for a moment.
“I can’t possibly refuse if the Grand Duchess is calling me herself. Liana.”
“Yes, my lady.”
“Make the preparations. Bring Ethan from outside.”
“Yes.”
Due to the nature of the dressing room, Ethan and the other servants were waiting outside, as it was frequent for them to change clothes or adjust hems, revealing their legs.
Liana quickly brought Ethan. He also appeared embarrassed, having briefly heard about the situation. It was partly due to Cain’s order not to visit places other than the designated destination, but meeting Grand Duchess Norfolk itself was also a problem.
It was probably no coincidence that the Grand Duchess’ maid appeared, using an errand as an excuse the moment Agatha visited the dressing room, Whether through Madam de Borre or through other means of communication, the Grand Duchess must have known that Agatha would visit the dressing room and sent the maid at the right moment.
Even if the Grand Duchess sent a polite invitation, if Cain were to refuse Agatha’s weak condition as a reason, there would have been no other way. Thus, it was intentionally staged to create a situation where refusal was not possible. Knowing the Grand Duchess, it would have been enough.
“The carriage for Madam is ready. I will escort you there.”
As Agatha tried to head towards the carriage she arrived in, the Grand Duchess’ maid stopped her.
“There is a separate carriage prepared for you, please use that for your transportation.”
Although Ethan tried to stop her, the maid didn’t back down easily.
“The Grand Duchess has prepared it specially for the Lady. Surely you wouldn’t want to disregard the Grand Duchess’s sincerity.”
When Ethan was about to say something more, Agatha gestured to him. There was no need to create unnecessary fuss. Although it felt a little uncomfortable to change the destination without informing Cain in advance, meeting the Grand Duchess wasn’t particularly dangerous. Agatha thought it would be fine if she went quickly and returned.
“The Grand Duchess has personally prepared the carriage for me, so I will gratefully accept and board it.”
Only then did a satisfied expression appear on the maid’s face.
“Wait. Sir should board another carriage.”
As Ethan tried to board the carriage with Agatha, the maid called him over.
“It is to escort the person who will soon become the Marchioness under the Marquis’ orders. I cannot board another carriage.”
“Are you suggesting that the carriage prepared by the Grand Duchess is dangerous? That’s quite an impertinent remark.”
“It is my duty to protect the Lady.”
“Does it mean that the orders of Marquis Vernat are higher than the words of the Grand Duchess? Should we consider that the knights of the Vernat Order prioritize their master’s orders over those of the imperial family?”
It was a risky statement. Agatha couldn’t understand why the maid was being so confrontational, but she realized that there was nothing to gain from antagonizing her.
“Stop it, Ethan. We cannot go against the Grand Duchess’s words.”
“Yes, my Lady.”
The maid’s actions were puzzling. It felt like she was trying to separate the Lady from her escort knights. However, neither Agatha nor Ethan dared to voice that thought.
The carriage carrying Agatha and the maid departed. Shortly after, the carriage carrying Ethan and Liana, also set off.
Just before boarding the carriage, Ethan instructed his servant to go to the Marquis’ residence and report this situation. There didn’t seem to be any immediate danger in the tea time with the Grand Duchess, but it didn’t hurt to be cautious.
The servant bowed and quickly set off in the opposite direction to fulfill his assigned task.
⚜ ⚜ ⚜
The Grand Duke’s estate was quite far from the palace. Agatha found it odd that it was closer to the outskirts of the capital than the central area. It seemed that the rumors about the strained relationship between the Emperor and Duke Norfolk were indeed true.
In Leden, mansions located closer to the palace were considered to belong to the most prestigious families. Therefore, it was quite unusual for the Duke, whose succession to the throne was ranked high, just below the Emperor and the Crown Prince, to reside so far from the palace.
No matter how much they may have fallen out of favor with the Emperor, the imperial family is still the imperial family. Given the imperial family’s aversion to the household’s affairs being widely known, the Emperor’s pushing the Grand Duke’s residence to the outskirts of the capital was not unusual.
“We are entering the Grand Duke’s residence.”
The Grand Duchess’ maid, who had boarded the carriage with Agatha, announced their arrival.
