The Barschuen Scandal

“Ertia.”

Two carriages awaited them as they stepped off the train.

Ertia, lost in melancholy, lifted her head at the Archduke’s call.

The Archduke stared at her for a moment before suddenly striding forward. He leaned in slightly, giving her no time to evade, and claimed her lips.

“Mm-…”

His sensual tongue skillfully parted her lips, gently soothing the stiffness inside her mouth.

A strange sensation emerged as their saliva mixed outside.

Just as she started to feel a bit better, their lips parted suddenly.

Ertia exhaled the breath she had been holding.

She noticed that the coachmen, who had been waiting by the carriages, were now staring at them with wide eyes.

Her face flushed instantly. Embarrassed, Ertia quickly turned her gaze away from them.

“I have to go to the Imperial Palace right away. If you go ahead, the butler will guide you.”

At that moment, the Archduke checked his watch and muttered as if he was in a hurry.

Ertia couldn’t hide her expression for a moment and looked forlorn. It was only then that she understood why there were two carriages.

“We’re not going together?”

“I’ll return as soon as I can. Let’s have a meal together.”

However, the Archduke did not see Ertia’s expression and simply pushed her into the carriage, as if pacifying a child.

The carriage door closed before Ertia could react. It started moving just as quickly.

As she watched the Archduke’s figure recede into the distance, Ertia sighed again.

“Tired. I’m so tired…”

She whispered her feelings aloud, but the words quickly dissipated into the air.

She knew her husband was very busy, but somehow, coming to the capital, she had assumed they would always be together.

Now that she knew he had to return, the relief she had felt suddenly vanished.

And with the Archduke not by her side, she felt a stinging sensation at the tip of her nose and quickly tilted her head back.

She felt deeply sad and disappointed.

Ertia arrived at the townhouse still unable to shake off her gloomy mood.

“Welcome, Your Grace.”

As the Archduke had mentioned, it was the townhouse butler who greeted her.

The servants carried her luggage, and the butler bowed politely.

The atmosphere was much more formal than what she was used to at the Archduke’s estate. Despite her unfamiliarity, the butler showed no signs of discomfort.

“This will be your room. Do you have any other luggage?”

“…No, that’s all. Thank you.”

“You must be tired from the long journey. Please rest comfortably. I will send a maid up shortly.”

It was a kindness she had never experienced before.

The staff at the Archduke’s residence were always so stiff, but Ertia, feeling a bit bewildered, nodded at the butler.

Once the door was firmly closed and she was alone, Ertia looked around the room briefly before collapsing onto the large bed in the center.

The crisp feel of the new bedding enveloped her back.

Exhaustion washed over her.

Knock knock

But before she could even begin to rest, there was a knock at the door. Ertia let out an involuntary groan as she slid off the bed.

When she opened the door, she was met with the sight of a young-looking maid.

The maid, who seemed inexplicably nervous, was trembling as she spoke in a loud voice.

“Greetings, Your Grace!”

“…?”

Blinking in confusion at the maid’s strange behavior, Ertia watched as the maid hesitated, then spoke again.

“When you arrived late, I didn’t get a chance to greet you. My name is Johanna, and I’ve been assigned as your personal maid starting today…!”

The maid, her shoulders tense, blushed brightly as if she was pleased about something.

Personal maid? Did that mean she was to be Ertia’s personal attendant? Was this what the butler meant when he said he would send up a maid?

There hadn’t been such a person at the Archduke’s residence, so maybe things were different at the townhouse.

“…Oh, yes. Come in.”

Still in a daze, Ertia almost forgot the formal tone she was supposed to use with her servants, but she quickly turned her body to make space for the maid.

“Excuse me.”

As if it was such a nerve-wracking task, the maid trembled as she stepped into the room.

“Oh!”

As if she had forgotten something, the maid pulled out an envelope from her bosom. It was a letter on fine paper.

“This… this letter arrived at the townhouse yesterday. The butler asked me to deliver it to you, Your Grace.”

“A letter for me?”

“Y-Yes!”

She had just arrived at the townhouse. Even when staying at the Archduke’s estate, she rarely received any correspondence, so she couldn’t imagine who might have sent a letter here.

Ertia blinked in confusion at the maid, who looked at her with bright, innocent eyes, holding out the letter.

“…Ah.”

However, when Ertia took the letter and checked the sender, her face brightened, and she couldn’t help but exclaim.

Count Maximilian Gebir, her older brother.

When she had heard that she would be coming to the capital, she had sent a letter to him despite being busy packing her few belongings, thinking it would arrive just as she reached the capital. She had completely forgotten about it.

Because of the special status of his previous position as the crown prince of Anquetria, Maximilian had not been able to leave the capital while Ertia was at the Archduke’s estate.

The siblings hadn’t seen each other in three years.

While they occasionally exchanged letters, it wasn’t the same as meeting face to face.

She had almost ended the day in a gloomy mood, but this was a fortunate turn of events. Ertia smiled faintly as she opened the letter.

It was an invitation to visit his estate soon.

“Thank you. What was your name again?”

Ertia, unable to hide her smile, looked at the maid.

The maid, who had been watching her with a nervous expression, suddenly brightened and beamed.

“J-Johanna! Please, feel free to speak to me casually. I’ll do my best to ensure you’re comfortable!”

“Yes, thank you.”

Encouraged to speak casually, Ertia quickly abandoned the formal tone that had never really suited her and smiled.

Yes, she still felt suffocated and pained at the thought of returning to the Archduke’s estate, but at least while she was in the capital, she wouldn’t think about it.

While she was here, she could enjoy a much better life than at the Archduke’s estate.

Ertia decided to push her melancholy aside and focus on her current happiness.

That was how she had lived her life until now and though she wasn’t aware of it, it was how she had ‘endured.’

***

The Imperial Palace, the grandest and most luxurious place where only the most noble of the empire could stay.

“Ah, Ferdi, you’re finally here!”

As Archduke Barschuen, Ferdinand, entered the splendid palace, he straightened his posture at the sight of a flamboyantly dressed man with a sly smile.

The crown prince, with his fluttering blond hair and shining green eyes, was adorned with equally lavish ornaments.

He was an old friend of Ferdinand.

Tracing back a few generations, they were distantly related, and Ferdinand’s sister was passionately involved with the prince’s younger brother, so they were practically family.

The Barschuen and Soleyo royal families had been closely linked since the founding of the empire.

“I told you not to call me that.”

As always, Ferdinand growled fiercely, and the crown prince’s emerald eyes, praised by noble ladies, twinkled mischievously.

“But isn’t our bond too special to address each other so plainly? Ferdinand, did you bring your wife safely?”

The crown prince quickly got to the point, causing Ferdinand to frown deeply.

“As I always say, Leoford,”

Ferdinand, who had no choice but to leave his newlywed, beautiful wife at the Archduke’s estate, growled lowly. His tone was much harsher than before.

The crown prince, Leoford, laughed again, raising his hands as if surrendering.

Ferdinand was always rough, but when it came to his wife, this proud and fierce friend of his acted even more like a beast.

Leoford found it amusing to watch.

It made him curious to meet the woman who was once the princess of Anquetria.

“Come on, you’ve secured your position, and this should be the last time, right? I even swore before God at the church. Besides—”

Leoford dragged out his words, then laughed brightly again.

“You understood and accepted it, didn’t you? There was no other choice.”

Watching his old friend slowly narrow his eyes like a fierce predator, Leoford’s playful smile faded.

His laughter quickly vanished, leaving only a ruler with a cold demeanor.

His now icy green eyes locked onto Ferdinand.

“This will be the last time. It’s time to bring him down.”

Everything was for the empire.