“Couldn’t someone simply ask His Grace the Grand Duke to take off his mask? Is seeing his real face dangerous? Would I collapse like Princess Roselia did?”
Isaiah smiled as though she were worrying over nothing.
“Ah, no. Not exactly. For an ordinary person, it could be dangerous, but…”
That answer alone reduced Anneliese’s desire to see the Grand Duke’s face by ninety percent.
“But you’re different, miss. You needn’t worry. If it’s Lady Anneliese, you’ll be perfectly fine even if you meet my lord’s gaze.”
He said it casually, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.
How can he be so certain?
After saying all those terrifying things just moments ago.
She couldn’t relax until she heard a proper explanation.
“Why would I be okay?”
“There’s a perfectly logical reason. Because Lady Anneliese is…”
Isaiah leaned closer.
She listened quietly as he whispered into her ear.
“Pardon?”
Anneliese’s expression turned strange.
It was a reason she had never once considered.
“That’s ridiculous.”
“Whether you believe it or not is entirely up to you.”
“How would you even know what the First Saint looked like?”
“Ah. Now that I think about it, you’re right. I don’t know what the First Saint looked like.”
What?
Could this man actually be trusted?
Unable to hide her disbelief, Anneliese stared at him.
Seeing her expression, Isaiah merely shrugged.
“I didn’t necessarily mean physical appearance. As for your question... let’s just say Lady Anneliese is special. There are very few people who can see my lord’s true face.”
It was still an infuriatingly vague explanation.
What does that even mean? A face is a face. How can there be a true face and a false one?
It felt as though Isaiah was deliberately withholding information.
Just as Anneliese was about to press him further—
“Ah. It’s time for me to leave.”
Looking regretful, Isaiah rose from his seat.
“So, to summarize, I’ll be fine even if I see his real face?”
“Yes. I guarantee it.”
For some reason, her thoughts felt even more tangled than before.
Anneliese escorted Isaiah to the front door.
“Until we meet again, I wish you peace.”
Bowing gracefully, he lifted her hand and pressed a kiss to the back of it.
He really doesn’t look like a knight at all.
That was her thought as she looked down at his long, impossibly thick eyelashes.
Not long after Isaiah left, the mansion became noisy once again.
The front doors flew open.
Anna Rose burst inside, breathing hard.
“Who was that handsome man, Sister? He just came out of our house! He was incredibly, unbelievably handsome!”
The moment she arrived, she began making a fuss about the gorgeous man she had just seen.
Looking thoroughly accustomed to this behavior, Anneliese pointed toward the far side of the lobby.
“Anna Rose. Your sister’s head already hurts, so go scream over there instead.”
Anna Rose obediently scampered backward.
“Okay! Is this far enough? So who was he? Hurry up and tell me!”
That’s the thing you’re most curious about the moment you arrive?
Anneliese worried about her one and only younger sister.
Honestly. She completely loses her mind whenever she sees a handsome blond man.
She had been exactly the same before the regression.
Wasn’t she the one who had dragged home the Third Prince after finding a beautiful blond man collapsed in the forest?
Though thanks to that, the Third Prince survived and later managed to depose the Crown Prince.
Anneliese sifted through her memories.
Come to think of it, this should be around the time the Third Prince disappears during his overseas tour. It happened after the birthday banquet.
Things might unfold differently in this life.
Still, she wanted to protect Anna Rose’s future love story.
That way Anna Rose will be happy. And I’ll be happy too, with the Empress backing me.
So please become Empress, overthrow that incompetent Crown Prince, and protect me.
And don’t go getting distracted by other men.
Without the slightest trace of guilt, Anneliese completely fabricated Isaiah’s background.
“That man? He’s a peddler. Three wives, twelve children. Tried to lure me into gambling, so I threw him out.”
“Oh.”
Anna Rose’s enthusiasm evaporated instantly.
Despite appearances, this was the girl who would one day become Empress.
Anneliese smiled benevolently.
“Anyway, my lovely Anna Rose. Was the trip tiring? Shall I make you a cup of cocoa?”
“U-Um, Sister...? Why are you looking at me like that? It’s scary. I brought the thing you asked for, okay?”
Completely unaware of what was going on, Anna Rose shivered.
While preparing cocoa for Anna Rose, Anneliese explained everything that had happened.
“Then you could actually become the Grand Duchess!”
“Mm. Even if I become Grand Duchess, I’ll keep the Solaritzen County title, so our family won’t have anything to worry about. Once the contract ends, I’ll give up the title and return to Solaritzen territory.”
Most imperial nobles would have reacted with horror at the idea of marrying the Monster Grand Duke of the North.
But Anna Rose was anything but ordinary.
“Is the Grand Duke handsome?”
You really are impressively consistent.
“Or is he as hideous as the rumors say? What do I do? I’m dying of curiosity!”
Anneliese shrugged.
“I don’t know yet. He was wearing a mask. I only got a brief look at his eyes.”
“Then make sure you get a proper look next time. It’s important, Sister.”
Important to you, maybe...
Still, she was secretly curious herself.
Judging from the glimpse I caught, he didn’t seem ugly at all. If anything, he might actually be handsome.
“Fine. I’ll check and let you know. Now hand it over. The thing I asked you to bring.”
“Oh, right! Here.”
Anna Rose pulled a pouch from her bag and handed it over.
Inside was a small box.
This was Aldeon’s holy relic.
The sisters leaned close together, studying the artifact in Anneliese’s hands.
“Why is everyone making such a fuss over this? It’s just an old little box.”
Anna Rose grumbled.
“Still, they say it contains relics belonging to the First Saint. It has to be special.”
The First Saint...
Anneliese recalled Isaiah’s earlier words.
“Because you resemble Anellarion Solaritzen.”
That had been Isaiah’s answer when she asked why she alone could look at the Grand Duke without suffering any consequences.
So he’s saying I resemble Anellarion Solaritzen? The owner of this relic?
Anellarion’s younger sister had founded House Solaritzen.
That made them distant relatives.
It wasn’t impossible that they shared some resemblance.
Even so, it was difficult to believe.
The First Saint Anellarion belonged to an age so ancient it had long since passed into legend.
The woman who gifted spring and autumn to a continent trapped between endless summer and endless winter.
Long ago, the continent had only known two seasons.
An eternal winter covered the North, while the rest of the world endured an endless summer.
To cool the scorching lands, Anellarion had defeated the monster of the North.
And in return, she was burned alive by the enraged creature.
Yet her sacrifice had not been in vain.
The wounded monster retreated deep into the North.
The region became an even harsher frozen wasteland.
But everywhere beyond the North, spring and autumn were finally born.
In what way do I resemble her? Appearance? Personality? Divine power?
There was no way to know.
And even if I do resemble her, why would that explain why I can safely look at the Grand Duke’s face?
Her thoughts could go no further.
There simply wasn’t enough information.
Aside from a few brief passages in the holy scriptures, almost no records of the First Saint remain.
Perhaps the North preserved knowledge that House Solaritzen did not.
“Big Sister! Sister! What are you thinking about so hard?”
Anna Rose’s voice snapped her back to reality.
“Hm? What were we talking about?”
“You said you’re meeting the Grand Duke at the birthday banquet. The Crown Prince will be there too. Are you sure it’ll be okay? What if he tries something strange?”
Ah. That.
“Don’t worry. I can handle that much. I already bribed one of the Crown Prince’s aides.”
Anneliese calmly took a sip of her tea.
