The Turning Point
The paintings by Pavelu and Alikson were soon taken down from the imperial palace hall and returned to the art gallery.
When someone committed an act the emperor had forbidden, they usually faced severe punishment or dismissal regardless of rank.
Yet His Majesty had generously overlooked Karina’s mistake. He even expressed deep sorrow over the error that had stemmed from her ignorance, and arranged for her to study under the scholars who had once tutored the crown prince.
Karina began receiving private lessons from renowned scholars, covering everything from foundational academics to the liberal arts. Naturally, she still refused to relinquish the management of the palace’s internal affairs that she had seized from me.
In place of the resigned Baroness Turen, His Majesty assigned another noblewoman of keen insight to guide Karina. Thanks to that, she appeared to be managing her various duties fairly well without my assistance.
But why did the Marchioness of Lilche appear at that gathering that day?
The image of the old woman filling Karina’s glass until the wine overflowed still lingered vividly before my eyes. Yet after that day, she had said nothing more to me. The silence felt like the calm before a storm, and it left me even more uneasy.
“Are you feeling unwell, Duchess?”
“Pardon? No, it’s nothing.”
Labi Telia, who had been walking beside me, studied my expression for a moment before turning his gaze forward again. He maintained a precise single step of distance, as if guarding me from any possible threat. His long shadow stretched over me like the boughs of a great tree.
Hellion and the northern vassals had been right. Labi Telia was a knight so exceptional that no one could hope to rival him.
In the recent tournament held to choose my personal guard knight, he had claimed victory with an overwhelming difference in skill, sweeping aside all other competitors. Not a single knight from the central order—or even the finest knight from the South—had managed to lay a finger on him.
Even Julian, the knight commander, had been visibly impressed by his prowess. His own siblings, however, had remained utterly indifferent.
Shuri and Aaron claimed that Labi had only displayed a tenth of his true ability. I had wondered if they were exaggerating, but their solemn expressions made it clear they were telling the truth.
Though he had earned the position through a fair process, Illid clearly disliked having Labi remain at my side. The usually gentle blue eyes that belonged to him would turn icy the moment they fell on Labi. Just as they were doing now.
“Welcome, Ishtel.”
“Thank you for the invitation, Archduke Illid.”
Today, Illid had invited me to the grand residence where the southern vassals were staying. It seemed the earlier visit Hellion had arranged to introduce Labi at the northern estate had been bothering him.
“Will Sir Telia be joining us inside?”
The moment Labi followed me through the mansion gates, Lord Tecella, standing beside Illid, narrowed his eyes.
“Isn’t it an unspoken rule that northern and southern vassals do not enter each other’s residences? Especially not someone from the Telia family.”
“Indeed. Sir Telia should wait in the annex while the Duchess of Wintera comes inside alone.”
The other southern vassals beside Tecella quickly voiced their agreement. Labi gazed down at their faces for a moment, then turned to me.
“Duchess.”
“Yes?”
“Am I a northern vassal, or am I your knight?”
His calm expression suggested he would accept whatever judgment I made.
I had expected some form of territorial dispute the moment Labi became my knight, but I hadn’t anticipated it would begin right at the entrance. The southern vassals’ attitudes were rigid, yet Labi was seeking an answer from me rather than from them.
This is complicated.
Strictly speaking, he was both a northern vassal and my knight. Even though I had only recently come to know him, he still didn’t feel entirely like one of my own people. Still, that was no reason to treat him solely as a northerner.
“Sir Telia is my knight.”
At my answer, the southern vassals’ faces twisted while a faint smile touched Labi’s lips. He bowed at the waist in a gesture of gratitude and lightly kissed the back of my hand.
Illid, who had been watching the exchange intently, schooled his expression and gestured for me to follow.
“Welcome to the southern residence, Duchess. And Sir Telia as well.”
The southern residence was a breathtakingly beautiful place decorated in themes of scarlet and green. Ivy and lush plants adorned every corner, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere.
The people were kind and cheerful. The mood throughout the meal remained harmonious, and the attentive vassals anticipated my every need before I could even ask.
Yet that kindness did not extend to Labi. The southern vassals kept their distance from the reddish-brown-haired northerner, treating him with open wariness.
While they spoke to me without pause, they acted as though Labi did not exist. He, however, seemed more comfortable that way; he simply observed the mansion here and there without showing any particular reaction.
This is rather awkward. I can’t very well step in and tell them to look after Sir Telia as well. But pretending not to notice him feels wrong too.
Because of the tense atmosphere, the food was delicious but the meal itself was far from comfortable. It pained me to see Labi isolated amid the lively table. If only our seats had been closer, I could have drawn him into conversation with a few simple words, but that was impossible under the circumstances.
“We are truly grateful you visited our residence today, Duchess. Please come again someday with His Highness the Archduke Illid.”
The southern vassals escorted me all the way to the front gate, their faces bright as they bid me farewell. I thanked them for the invitation and left the mansion behind.
“How did you find the southern residence? Did it please you, Ishtel?”
“Yes. Everyone was so kind that I truly enjoyed myself.”
Illid smiled with satisfaction at my reply.
“It’s still early. Before returning to the palace, would you like to stop by the market and see a bit of the world? There happens to be a large fair in the square right now.”
“That sounds wonderful. Let’s go.”
Come to think of it, this was the first time I had strolled outside the palace with Illid. A flutter of excitement lightened my steps. The three of us—Illid, myself, and Labi along with three other knights—headed toward the square.
A grand fair had opened beneath the long rows of canvas tents in the square. The marketplace, thick with the sweet scent of seasonal fruits, was so crowded that there was barely room to stand.
“It feels wonderful to see so many people after such a long time.”
Illid nodded at my words.
“Spending every day only with people from the palace can make time feel tedious. The maids and servants all wear the same uniforms and perform the same tasks at the same hours.”
“I feel the same way. It’s systematic and efficient, but the kind of vitality you can only find in a place like this is hard to come by inside the palace walls.”
I took a step closer to Illid’s side. Like the other couples brushing past us, I wanted to link arms with him and hold his hand, but the knights following behind made that impossible. The regret stung more than I expected.
“Ishtel, look over there. They’re selling necklaces with your portrait on them.”
Where Illid pointed stood a large wooden stall. A sign above it listed the prices for lockets featuring my portrait.
“Let’s go take a closer look. I’m curious how prettily they’ve drawn you.”
I led Illid toward the stall.
“Welcome, honored guests! The lockets we brought today feature the Duchess of Wintera! They are reproductions of paintings done by a court artist. Those who prefer a portrait of the Duchess from her childhood may take the ‘Lady Regentera’ version displayed beside it!”
So many customers had already gathered that the stall owner failed to recognize me as the woman in the paintings he was selling. Illid reached for the ‘Duchess of Wintera’ locket, then changed direction and picked up the ‘Lady Regentera’ version instead.
“This is a version of you from your childhood that I’ve never seen.”
The portrait inside the locket depicted me around the age of sixteen. Illid stared at it for a long time before turning to me with a gentle smile.
“It seems even a painting cannot fully capture the real thing.”
At his pleasant compliment, I found myself smiling softly as well.
“The people of the capital must adore you. There are hardly any other portraits here but yours.”
“Well, it’s not entirely like that. Lockets like these have always featured imperial women. Until Princess Alensia left for the Northern Archduchy, her portrait was the most popular. The late empress’s portrait was beloved as well, of course. Now that I am the only woman of comparable status to the imperial family, it seems I’ve taken that place.”
“Even so, being loved by so many people is undoubtedly a joyous thing. Since we’ve found them, I should buy one as a memento.”
Illid carefully examined the lockets on the stall. I had thought he was merely being polite, but he truly selected a teardrop-shaped locket and headed toward the counter.
Then I should choose one as well.
I scanned the necklaces displayed on the stall. I wasn’t looking for one for myself; there was someone I wanted to give a gift.
If Illid has one, Hellion might feel envious.
While choosing a locket for Hellion, a clover-shaped necklace caught my eye. Just as I reached for it, someone else stretched out their hand at the exact same moment.
“Ah!”
Startled, I instinctively pulled my hand back. The person beside me swiftly snatched the locket.
“It’s mine! Don’t touch it!”
A middle-aged woman with streaks of white in her hair glared at me in warning. She clutched the necklace tightly in both hands, her eyes brimming with venom as she stared me down.
“Ah, yes… I can simply choose another one.”
Flustered, I answered quickly.
There was something unsettling about the middle-aged woman. Her expression was venomous, yet her eyes looked strangely hollow and eerie. Her voice, high and sharp like a child’s, made her seem not entirely sound of mind.
“Uh…?”
The woman stared fixedly at my face, then looked at the portrait inside the locket. Suddenly she cried out in a voice filled with disbelief.
“Sierra! It is you, my daughter Sierra!”