Married To A Savage Duke

Rosaline didn’t seem to have a lively personality, and she didn’t look like she slept a lot in the morning either. The more she knew, the more she realized she had nothing in common with Cherryl. Rosaline said she didn’t have a dedicated servant to accompany her in this journey. It was very suspicious for a woman born in the royal family to only have two escorts when she visited Carlsvik. Still, Cherryl didn’t want to miss the opportunity of watching Rosaline’s movements through the maid.

“Did she ask for anything else?””

“She asked for hot tea after breakfast. The princess didn’t say anything much when I helped her with her bath and breakfast, and she hadn’t come out of the bedroom yet. Mrs. Bailey even came over and asked her if she would  like tour the inside of the castle or the nearby town, and she said she was fine.”

“Well…”

She could have turned down Mrs. Bailey’s offer, for she had promised to have tea with Cherryl at daybreak. Whatever her intention was, Cherryl was certain that the princess was waiting for her There was no doubt about it. Cherryl recalled Rosaline, who had remained calm all the time. If it hadn’t been for that situation that caused the misunderstanding, she would have favored the princess a little bit.

Rosaline was a woman of considerable influence from the war between Cade and the previous Duke of Blkanov. Among the works known to Cherryl, the royal family provided the military with enough supplies to support the Duke, who had been at war with Cade for more than a decade. However, as the endless fighting wiped out the state coffers, the Viate family suffered financial difficulties and began to draw and use bonds from other countries’ top to cover the cost. The government bonds grew out of control. Since they were now on the defensive, the emperor eventually married Rosaline off to someone her superior,  a man who was over fifty, in exchange for writing off huge debts. There was no war in this world when the plot development had changed. The princess can now work in this empire without having to go to another country. She could also choose to cling to Cade. Cherryl, who was almost sold to the bald count, felt a subtle empathy toward Rosaline because it didn’t feel like anyone else’s business. However, she couldn’t be generous with the princess’ suspicious behavior. She didn’t think it was going to be of much help to trace back her memories.Cherryl rose slowly from her seat. Even though she woke up after sleeping for a few hours, her body was still tired because of the aftermath at dawn. Lucy, who noticed Cherryl’s condition, asked. “Should I put the water in your bathtub first?”

“Yes.”

Cherryl, who was about to refuse naturally, watched her.  She took a long bath last night before bed, so she planned to just wash her face in the morning.

It reminded her of the long physical contact she had to accept until dawn.

“No. I should take a bath even if it takes time.”

After washing her toes with hot water, her head was now a bit organized. As soon as the bath was ready, Cherryl took off her pajamas. She wanted to bathe in the fragrant water for a long time, but she couldn’t quite relax since another person was waiting for her. Cherryl contacted the kitchen servants in advance and asked them to prepare the refreshments in the dining hall. The banquet hall was too large of a place to spend time alone with the princess and the drawing room felt too irritating just thinking about it so she didn’t want to go there. As the refreshments were readied, Cherryl simply groomed herself. The dress she wore had a design that wasn’t much different from ordinary clothes but she chose it because of its bright color. She decided to put some effort into grooming her hair. Lily, who came to help with decorating her hair, sprinkled rose water on her hair before she started combing and smoothing Cherryl’s hair.

“It’s done,”Lily exclaimed after putting gel on them for the finishing touch.

The braids at the top of both of her ears, crossing from the back of her head, appeared sleek and elegant in Cherryl’s eyes. She also liked the long hair curling over her shoulders. Cherryl, who was staring at her reflection, suddenly leaned her forehead against the mirror out of disappointment. She didn’t want to look like she was self-conscious of the princess just because she decided to decorate her hair elaborately. Unfortunately, it was the truth. She felt very self-conscious by her presence in Carlsvik. Even if she heard Cade’s explanation that he had no affection for the woman, she felt so awkward and unhappy that she didn’t want to care about Rosaline at all. She felt strange for the first time in her life.

“Do you want me to put a jewel pin on it?”

When Lily showed a hairpin with jewels the size of grapes, Cherryl shook her head.

“I’d better not. But thank you for the suggestion. I like it very much.”

“You’re welcome, my lady. But if you allow me to put a fancy pin in the middle, it’ll look perfect. You’re going to see Her Majesty, after all. Not anyone else.”

Lily didn’t give up and raised the hairpin at Cherryl’s head. That she had to stop the maid in half desperation.

“It’s all right! I think this is enough.”

She could barely dissuade her maid, who didn’t give up with a frighteningly excited face, that she didn’t even notice someone knocking outside the door. Lily, who ran quickly, opened the door, exchanged a few words, and returned to her.

“The refreshments are ready, My Lady. As you said, I sent someone to invite Her Majesty to the breakfast room.”

“Thank you. I’m going to have to go down.”

After seeing Lily put back the large jeweled pin with regret, Cherryl swept away her chest. She finally looked into the mirror, checked herself, and got up from her seat. Coming out of the bedroom with Lily, Cherryl descended into the hall on the first floor. At that moment, her eyes met with Cade, who had just opened the door of the main castle.