After standing blank for a long time, Dooha came to her senses at Layla’s voice calling her.
“Are you listening to me?”
“Oh, what did you say?”
“You have to choose a dress to wear to the dinner you’re attending tonight. The maid brought a few dresses to the dressing room.”
“Oh, that’s right.”
Only then did Dooha remember what the most important thing that was going to happen today was.
Dinner with Sir Nate, the Duke’s uncle.
Nate. He was said to be the head of the conservative aristocratic faction within the Empire.
She had to prepare herself and properly dress up.
“Okay, let’s go.”
“Yes, Madam.”
Dooha cleared her confused mind for a while and left the room with a confident stride.
She couldn’t afford to think about anything else now.
***
Even the sun knew that today was a special day, having set earlier than usual.
When the promised time came, Dooha went out while being served by her maids.
The dark navy purple satin dress complimented her chest and faded towards the hem of the skirt, the color almost a grey at the ends.
She also had a mysterious aura to her look, having added small jewels that made the ends resemble the Milky Way, otherwise, it would have looked dull.
With her rich silver hair raised high, the bottom of her dress made her look like a mystical lakeside fairy.
It was only for dinner, but she dressed up perfectly just in case she was caught up in trouble with anyone because she came from Bashal.
Meanwhile, Dooha found Leonhart waiting for her in front of the door and stopped breathing for a while.
‘I knew right away that you had a handsome face, but…’
She looked at her husband’s figure without realizing it.
She always saw him in clothes or his armor, but it felt strange to see him dressed in such an outfit.
She thought it wouldn’t look good on him because he was tall and muscular, but that was a big miscalculation.
The dark blue outfit that had been embroidered with gold thread fit his whole body snugly, highlighting his excellent body, and the bright blonde hair, which was half styled up, was shining softly under the moonlight.
Indeed, he had a satisfactory appearance that one could tell just by looking at it.
Leonhart, who was having a conversation with the servant, felt the presence of Dooha and turned his head.
As soon as he saw Dooha, he opened his mouth slightly, surprised with the same reason that she had. Having lost his words for a while, he slowly moved his lips.
“…I almost didn’t recognize you.”
“You have a knack for making compliments sound very rude.”
“As long as the listener understood it as a compliment.”
Leonhart twisted up one corner of his mouth.
“Do you have anything else to say to me?”
“Do you have something to say?”
“If there was something to give, then there should also be something to receive.”
At what he said, Dooha paused for a moment and spoke with an indifferent face.
“There weren’t any lies in the saying ‘the clothes are wings’.”
“I don’t think my wife is very good at compliments either.”
“It wasn’t a compliment, it was objective appreciation.”
“You’re not being honest.”
Leonhart smiled and held out one arm to her.
“Let’s go now.”
“Okay.”
On the day of the promised banquet, the Duke and the Duchess headed to Lord Nate’s private residence located in the outer castle.
***
Unlike the inner fortress where the Duke’s residence was located, the outer castle of Esbaden had an impressive structure with red bricks and a domed roof.
It seemed to strongly insist from the outside that this place was out of the realm of the Duke.
Dooha carefully looked around with her hand on the Duke’s arm.
She recalled the mayor’s explanation of the power structure of the duchy she had heard before departure.
“There are three groups, called the ‘Pillars’, in the Duchy of Esbaden.
The first pillar is the group of knights directly under the rule of the ducal family and led by the duke. The second pillar, the ‘Kreuz’, is a senior council of experienced vassals.
The third pillar, the ‘White Pagoda’, is a group of wizards that operates under the command of the tower owner, not the Duke.”
People called these three groups ‘The Three Pillars’ for the way they supported the Duke of Esbaden.
“And Sir Nate, the Duke’s uncle, is the head of Kreuz.”
Contrary to the initial purpose of the establishment, which was to help the Duke revive the territory, the Kreuz had long been a force of the retainers who kept the Duke in check.
And at the center of it was ‘Nate von Esbaden’, the Duke’s uncle.
“If you are not welcomed by him, don’t mind it.”
“Why?”
“He hates the Duke, but not only that, he also hates the Kingdom of Bashal very much.”
Upon entering the lobby, Dooha slowly raised her head.
A well-dressed old gentleman looked down at them over the stairs on the second floor.
His gray hair, which had grown to his shoulders, was neatly swept back, perhaps even oiled, and his faded green eyes glistened like those of a snake.
As soon as he saw the Duchess, he slowly came down the stairs.
“Welcome, Leon. It’s been a while since I saw your face. I’m sorry that I couldn’t attend the wedding.”
He called the Duke a friendly nickname and turned to Dooha.
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“Oh no, I didn’t introduce myself to my niece-in-law.”
Cold green eyes, which did not contain any favoritism, stretched long.