The Barschuen Scandal

On the third day since she started staying in the capital, 

Ertia stared blankly at the raindrops tapping on the window.

Despite the promise to have a meal together after her arrival, she hadn’t seen the Archduke even once.

“I’m sorry. He’s been busy catching up on work… Yesterday, he left early after just sleeping a little.”

Even when they were together, it didn’t feel like they were together.

This was the response she got when she asked the butler about the Archduke’s whereabouts.

She understood that he was busy, but it wasn’t as if she would be staying here long—couldn’t he at least pay a bit more attention to her?

Of course, even though he didn’t love her the way she loved him, they were still married.

Her feelings of dissatisfaction, disappointment, and sadness kept building up, unable to be resolved as usual.

It might be becoming harder for her to bear this all alone.

She knew she shouldn’t feel this way, but her heart refused to listen to reason today. “Be still.”

Fortunately, before her emotions could spiral further, Johanna entered the room noisily.

The maid, who initially seemed tense, soon started chatting cheerfully.

“The lady has received an invitation!”

Johanna smiled brightly as she handed the invitation to Ertia. And it was a rare occasion when Ertia felt a bit excited.

It was an invitation from Count Gebir. Somehow, her brother always seemed to save her when she was feeling down.

Ertia swallowed a laugh and filled her empty heart with the anticipation of seeing her brother.

It didn’t take long to get ready.

She quickly boarded the carriage, and in less than an hour, she arrived in front of Count Gebir’s mansion.

A man with the same pale blonde hair as hers, Maximilian, was waiting in front of the mansion’s grand entrance.

“Welcome, Ertia! It’s been a while!”

“Maximilian!”

As soon as she got off the carriage and heard the familiar language of Anquetria, Ertia felt tears well up in her eyes and quickly turned her head.

Why am I like this these days? Really.

Not wanting to show tears in front of her family after so long, Ertia quickly wiped her eyes and ran to her brother.

The sound of Anquetria’s language felt strangely unfamiliar.

The maid, who had been waiting behind with an umbrella, called out in surprise, but in that moment, there was no one to criticize Ertia for not acting like the ‘Empire’s lady.’

“Haha, Ertia, how have you been? You seem even prettier since I last saw you. Come inside.”

The Anquetria-style greeting, which she hadn’t done in three years, naturally flowed as they hugged tightly and lightly touched cheeks.

Ertia was guided to a cozy room inside the neat mansion.

She didn’t want to include others in this long-awaited meeting with her family, so she asked the maid to wait elsewhere in the mansion.

Only she and Maximilian were in the drawing room.

The face of her brother, whom she hadn’t seen in three years, was just as she remembered.

A solid build, a slightly cold appearance, but always with a kind smile.

As she sat across from him, Ertia studied his face for a long time before finally smiling with relief.

Due to his status as the crown prince, Maximilian had been granted noble status in the Empire but couldn’t leave the capital.

In a way, it was the same for her—she couldn’t go to the capital and had to stay at the Archduke’s estate.

She worried that Maximilian might have had a hard time like she did.

But his face looked well, and Ertia felt reassured, thinking her worries were unfounded.

“How have you been, Ertia?”

As a servant brought out fragrant tea, Maximilian asked her the question that made Ertia pause for a moment.

“…Yes. I’ve been well.”

“That’s good. I was a bit worried.”

Although it was just a fleeting moment, for some reason, Ertia suddenly felt her throat tighten.

Fortunately, Maximilian didn’t seem to notice. It felt like her body was protesting, asking why she was lying.

But still, Ertia pressed her lips together tightly.

Isn’t this still a better life than what a fallen princess might have expected?

Despite being a fallen princess, she had managed to stand beside the one she loved. For someone like her, this was a pretty good life.

“Is the Archduke treating you well? He mostly stays in the capital, but it seems you’re always at the Archduke’s estate…”

For a moment, Maximilian’s casual remark almost brought Ertia to tears. Was she going mad?

Ertia hesitantly touched her face, thinking she had actually cried.

“…No, it’s fine.”

“If you ever have a hard time, you should tell me, okay? At least while you’re in the capital, come visit whenever you want.”

Although Ertia managed to deny it, Maximilian seemed to notice something in her demeanor, narrowing his eyes and speaking kindly. It was such a tender thing to say.

Ertia thought she must have lost her mind. Hearing such kind words after so long made her want to cry again.

Deciding she needed to change the subject, Ertia quickly looked around.

She had been so focused on Maximilian that she hadn’t properly taken in the mansion or the room they were in.

“…Oh my.”

And then she truly noticed something, causing her to gasp as she stood up.

“Hmm?”

Maximilian made a puzzled sound, but Ertia circled around the sofa and picked up a long sword sheath lying on a table.

“Oh, a sword.”

In the Empire, it was rare to see a real sword.

It made sense—the Empire had been the first to adopt firearms when they were introduced.

There were no knights in the Empire, and those who handled weapons were all part of the military. Even they didn’t use old-fashioned weapons like swords often.

Unlike in Anquetria, where every family had knights, training grounds were common, and swords could be seen everywhere—where carrying a sword, whether man or woman, was a matter of honor.

Even though swords were considered outdated, Ertia had grown up in a place where they were common.

When she first moved to the Archduke’s estate after marrying, Ertia had a sword, but the Grand Lady had taken it away, calling it barbaric for a lady, and she hadn’t seen it since.

The Archduke seemed to have one, but she couldn’t just take his, could she?

Swish.

The heavy, sharp-edged sword slid out of its sheath.

“…Is there a training ground in the capital?”

Ertia asked with a trembling voice.

“Oh, I built one in my mansion.”

Ertia’s eyes widened. She had never seen anything like that in an Empire mansion.

“A training ground? Is that allowed?”

“Of course, it’s my mansion. There’s no rule against having one.”

Maximilian grinned as if he were playing a prank, just like when they were children.

Right, this was Maximilian’s house, so he could build such a place if he wanted to, unlike Ertia.

“Yes, I meant to give this to you when you arrived.”

Ertia, who had been fiddling with the sword for a while, looked up.

Maximilian was just taking something out of a drawer.

“…Oh.”

What Maximilian brought out was a small bookmark, not particularly special. It was a lavender flower, dried and braided together.

But it was special to Ertia.

“How…?”

“It was stuck between some clothes. It’s yours, right?”

This time, she really couldn’t hold back. Ertia’s blue eyes filled with tears.

—Ertia

—Hahaha!

Marie, Ertia’s personal maid and best friend, who often rolled around in the castle’s training grounds with her, and Jane, who had started the path of a knight and proudly showed off her bulging muscles.

They were all easygoing and cheerful, and despite not having any crafting skills, they had once gone hunting together, found a pretty flower, and made bookmarks by hand. They even added decorations and split them among the three.

—Run, Ertia!

—Live… live happily, for our sake.

Her friends, who died protecting her, always said foolish things to the end.

Those days would never return.

Tears streamed down Ertia’s cheeks.

“Don’t cry.”

Maximilian pulled her into a tight hug, as if he understood her sorrow.

…Live happily.

In the silence, the words of her irreplaceable friend echoed once more in Ertia’s mind.

Live… live happily.

Ertia buried her face in Maximilian’s chest.

And she suddenly realized.

She wasn’t happy here.