A New Friend
Even after the dance with Illid ended, the founding festival carried on.
My jaw ached from the endless conversations with nobles I hadn’t seen in ages. Most of them were flatterers eager to curry favor with me, the future crown princess. Still, handling even those kinds of people was part of my duty, so I kept my smile firmly in place until the very end.
“Rose. Rose, where are you?”
After so much fake pleasantries, I found myself craving the company of a real friend. I wandered through the crowd searching for her. I had accepted every drink the nobles offered, and my steps had grown a little unsteady, but my mind remained clear.
“Oh! Duchess Regentera! Lady Wintera, over here!”
A voice called out to me from a distance, mixing up my titles in a way that made me smile. Through the northern vassals, I spotted Rose—thoroughly drunk and waving wildly.
“What have you been doing over here? I’ve been looking everywhere.”
“Duchess Wintera Ishtel, ma’am! Do you know what I found?”
Rose clapped her hands in excitement, calling me whatever she pleased.
“Ta-da! Allow me to introduce my brand-new friend to Her Grace!”
As Rose slid aside with a dramatic flourish, a sturdy figure appeared behind her. The thick fur cloak draped over the shoulders made me assume it was a man at first, but a closer look revealed a young woman with a fresh, youthful face.
“Do you recognize this young lady, Your Grace?”
“I’m afraid not. This is my first time meeting her.”
“This is Lady Telia of the North!”
“It is an honor to meet you, Duchess Regentera! I am Shuri Telia, assigned to the Northern Vassal Corps!”
Shuri’s thunderous voice nearly knocked me off my feet. She had bolted upright from her chair and snapped into a crisp, perfectly angled salute. Her military bearing was impeccable—exactly what one would expect from a daughter of a northern general’s household.
“Ah, yes. Lady Telia. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
I hid my startled expression and returned the greeting. Rose giggled, then arranged for the three of us to sit facing one another.
Seen up close, Shuri Telia was the complete opposite of what I had imagined.
When I pictured her, I had envisioned a tragic heroine robbed of her fiancé—pale and gaunt from three months of seclusion, eyes burning with bitter resentment.
Instead, she was the exact reverse. Broad shoulders, a powerfully muscled bronze frame, and a height that exceeded even my own. The eyes gazing at me held no venom whatsoever; if anything, they reminded me of a frightened rabbit.
As expected of a general’s cherished daughter.
I barely resisted the urge to reach out and squeeze her impressive biceps. This was my first time meeting a woman from the North, and her radiant health and vitality struck me as both fascinating and admirable.
But at that exact moment—
“Uwaaaaaang!”
Shuri suddenly let out an enormous wail.
The second earth-shaking roar made my shoulders jump. Rose quickly clapped both hands over her ears. Only the northern vassals remained completely unfazed.
“W-why are you crying all of a sudden?”
I rarely stuttered, yet I couldn’t help it now. My words only made Shuri sob even louder.
“Because you are too beautiful, Your Grace.”
“Pardon…?”
“You are so beautiful that tears won’t stop flowing!”
Was she drunk? I leaned in and sniffed, but there was no trace of alcohol. Somehow that made it even more alarming.
“Sir Telia. Where is Aron Telia right now?”
If this continued, Shuri might actually rupture our eardrums. I scanned the area, hoping to summon her older brother so I could make a swift exit. Without warning, she seized both of my hands.
“Duchess, the truth is… I still have feelings for Archduke Hellion. That’s why I came to the capital.”
Shuri sniffled, her nose bright red.
“My brother kept sending letters. He said Archduke Hellion is completely enchanted by Duchess Regentera, so I should stop clinging to the past and find someone new.”
“Aigoo, aigoo!”
Rose rested her chin on the table and clicked her tongue in sympathy.
“But it’s not that simple. My heart won’t let go so easily… So, just as my brother suggested, I decided to try shock therapy.”
“Shock therapy…?”
“Yes. He told me that meeting you in person would help me give up on the Archduke, even if only a little.”
“I see…”
“That’s why I wanted to meet you so badly. I was dying to know what kind of person could make that cold-hearted Archduke Hellion fall so completely.”
“That’s… certainly an unusual approach.”
Thinking of Aron Telia—the most sociable of all the northern vassals—I could roughly guess what had happened. It seemed he had lied to his sister in hopes of helping her move on. The thought was both pitiful and slightly guilt-inducing, so I lowered myself fully back into my seat.
“But now that I’ve met you face to face, I think I really can let go.”
Shuri’s voice had grown calmer, as though she had regained some composure.
“Someone as beautiful as you… How could someone like me possibly compare…”
“What are you talking about? Lady Telia, you are incredibly charming!”
I scolded her gently. It saddened me to see such a vibrant young woman belittling herself over the pain of a broken engagement.
“Look at the capital nobles over there. Every one of them is rail-thin, squeezed into tight dresses, wearing identical makeup. Once everyone’s drunk, you can’t even tell them apart.”
“That’s true…”
“Among all those people, your presence stood out the most. Today, no one else remains in my memory—only you, Lady Telia.”
“Do you really mean that…?”
“I do. So please stop saying such things and hold your head high. If I hear any more of that weak talk, I’ll get genuinely angry, understand?”
“Yes, ma’am…”
Shuri answered in a voice as small as an ant’s and wiped her tears. The way she tried so hard to look brave was utterly adorable; I felt a smile bloom across my face before I could stop it.
“Actually, even before I came to the capital, I heard many rumors about you, Duchess.”
Shuri took a hearty gulp of her drink and continued.
“They said you are not only beautiful but also incredibly intelligent and kind. That you were always the top student at the imperial academy, is that right?”
“Well, that’s true, but… yes, I suppose so.”
“And that you always devote yourself to helping the common people and caring for orphans.”
“Yes… but that is simply what any member of the imperial family should—”
“I admire you so much, Your Grace!”
Shuri’s tear-filled brown eyes sparkled with genuine reverence.
“Could I ever become someone like you?”
“It won’t be easy…”
Rose shook her head while crunching on a cookie. Shuri let out a small, dejected whimper and slumped her shoulders.
“Don’t try to become like me, Shuri. Just become the best version of yourself.”
I placed a gentle hand on her broad shoulder.
“You are already wonderful exactly as you are. Right now you’re in that… awkward position between us. You understand what I mean, don’t you?”
When I delicately alluded to the complicated triangle involving Hellion, Shuri nodded immediately in understanding.
“Yes. Because of that ambiguous relationship, I kept comparing myself to you, and my confidence took a real hit.”
“That’s only natural at your age. But who knows? By the time you reach my age, you might become an even more remarkable person than I am. So believe in yourself and stay true to who you are.”
“Duchess…”
I had only meant to comfort her aching heart, but I wasn’t sure if my words had landed properly. I was about to smooth things over with an awkward laugh when Shuri suddenly threw herself into my arms.
“Coming to the capital was the best decision I ever made! Meeting you was the greatest thing that could have happened!”
She hugged me so fiercely I could hardly breathe. As I gasped for air, Aron Telia appeared out of nowhere and came running in a panic.
“Shuri, let go! Release the Duchess at once!”
Aron tried to pull her away, but Shuri easily held her ground—one-handed, no less.
“Please take good care of Archduke Hellion, Your Grace.”
She spoke with the solemn tone of a parent sending a child off to marriage.
“If he ever gives you trouble… come find me. We’ve known each other a long time, so I understand him well. I will assist you in any way I can.”
I had no idea what sort of help she meant, but I nodded anyway. Only then did Shuri finally release me.
“Duchess Regentera, I’m so sorry! Truly, I apologize!”
Aron Telia was mortified by his sister’s behavior and didn’t know where to look.
“It’s quite all right. Your sister is actually very charming.”
I meant every word. To someone who had imagined a delicate, tragic figure devastated by a broken engagement, Shuri was refreshingly bright and genuinely endearing.
I had always liked honest, proactive people—even if I wasn’t one myself. My closest companions—Molly, Rose, and Baroness Turen—were all women who spoke their true feelings without hesitation.
Shuri seemed to share that same straightforward nature. I found myself liking her immensely.
“Lady Telia, have you danced yet tonight?”
“No, not yet.”
I took her hand and pulled her to her feet.
“Then dance with me.”
Shuri’s face lit up like the sun.
The orchestra had just begun playing a lively tune perfect for group dancing. I led her toward the center of the floor. At first she moved awkwardly, but after watching me and the others around us, she gradually loosened up and soon spun across the stage with boundless energy.
“Puu— Puu—!”
Drunken Rose had somehow commandeered a saxophone from one of the musicians and was now blasting enthusiastic but terrible notes. Both Shuri and I burst into laughter at the awful performance.
Unlike the dances with Hellion and Illid, my heart felt wonderfully light, as if it might float away. I cast aside all thoughts of politics and succession, simply enjoying the company of friends who truly understood me.
“The Duchess and Shuri have become friends! Everyone, applause for this joyous occasion!”
At Aron Telia’s booming declaration, the northern vassals erupted in thunderous applause.