Chapter 33
“I Told You, You Don’t Need to Ask for Permission”
Kardin, who had been subtly watching her, widened his eyes.
“Really?”
“Yes.”
He hadn’t expected to find something she wanted so quickly.
Looking at her as if watching a child grow rapidly in a single day, Kardin felt both delight and pride as he asked,
“So, what does our princess want? Go ahead and tell me.”
“Well, um…”
Despite how confidently she had started speaking, Anette’s lips only trembled without forming words.
She even averted her gaze slightly from Kardin, as if her earlier confidence had vanished.
The reason was simple.
She knew that her seemingly simple request—“I want to have meals together when we go to the Grand Duchy”—was essentially the same as asking Kardin to remove his mask.
Kardin had told her not to even seek permission and to do whatever she wanted, but in Anette’s mind, this was still not something she could casually ask for.
Being confident that she could look at his face without being surprised and react normally was purely her own matter.
What truly mattered was Kardin’s will.
She couldn’t ask to see a face that he never showed even to his closest family—his mother or siblings—despite having met him just yesterday.
Perhaps even saying such a thing could hurt him, so she was even more reluctant to mention it carelessly.
After much hesitation, Anette finally spoke to Kardin.
“I want to properly learn etiquette.”
Fortunately, changing the topic was not difficult. It was something she had already intended to ask him.
“Etiquette?”
“Yes. We were supposed to receive education at the Imperial Palace before the royal marriage anyway. Of course, because of my current condition, formal training is difficult, but… I think it would be good to learn as much as possible in advance.”
Though born into royalty, Anette had never received proper education.
She had learned letters and basic etiquette from her nanny, Sara, but she had been too young at the time to be confident in her abilities.
“Hmm…”
At Anette’s words, Kardin’s gaze slightly darkened.
On one hand, he felt relieved that she had found something she wanted to do and learn. On the other hand, he wasn’t sure whether this was truly her own desire or something driven by obligation.
However, Kardin soon shook his head.
This was only the beginning. In time, she would likely begin to express her true desires more openly.
At least she hadn’t hurt herself out of neglect like yesterday, so he thought he should be satisfied for now.
Just then—
“Oh, and also… would it be possible for me to visit the library?”
A slightly hesitant yet excited voice echoed in his ears.
Lowering her gaze, Anette tapped her toes against the ground and explained as if making excuses.
“Well, it’s not anything else in particular. I did receive a brief explanation in Hayworth, but I still don’t know much about the Alkan Empire or the Hartzente Grand Duchy. I think it would be better to study by reading books…”
Then she lifted her gaze cautiously.
“If avoiding the eyes of people using the imperial library is necessary, I don’t mind going at night. If you tell me the restricted areas in advance, I won’t go anywhere near them…”
“I told you, you don’t need to ask for permission.”
At Kardin’s words, Anette blinked.
“The library, or anywhere else, is fine. Wherever you want to go.”
“R-really?”
“Of course. And it doesn’t even have to be books about the Empire or the Grand Duchy. You can read whatever you like.”
At Kardin’s response, Anette felt slightly dazed.
She had expected him to agree, but she hadn’t expected such a generous reply.
But her surprise lasted only briefly.
At the mention that she could read freely, her expression brightened.
In truth, even after becoming the captain of the Royal Knights, Anette had never been able to move freely around the palace.
It wasn’t that she was under strict confinement like before, but the reactions of courtiers and officials who became visibly uneasy at the sight of her, as well as the gazes of nobles visiting the palace, made her conscious enough that she limited herself to the Knight Order building and her detached residence.
She had never been particularly upset about such circumstances, but there was one regret she had—books.
Born a royal, she had only barely learned to read and count through Sara, without any proper education.
Fortunately, there were abandoned books in the detached palace, which she read repeatedly until she had memorized them completely, but she always felt a sense of thirst for more.
Looking back, the fact that she had been able to become the captain of the knights at all seemed like a miracle.
Without tirelessly reading and trying to understand the reports and documents that had already been written, it would have been impossible.
‘Ah, and Franz helped too.’
After she had impulsively requested the king to allow her to go on monster subjugations, Franz had visited her several times.
Though he couldn’t change her stubborn mind, he eventually gifted her a sword from somewhere.
And upon discovering that she could read, he had also given her books such as bestiaries and military treatises useful for fighting monsters.
However, even Franz likely didn’t know that Anette had always wished to freely browse and read books in a library filled with volumes.
Even while speaking aloud what she had never told anyone before, thinking she had found a good excuse, Anette hadn’t expected her wish to be fulfilled so easily.
Her heart was already racing with excitement.
Seeing her clearly excited expression, Kardin smiled warmly, then suddenly seemed to remember something and asked,
“By the way, setting etiquette aside, why did you suddenly become interested in the Empire and the Grand Duchy?”
“Huh? Well…!”
As if the question were obvious, Anette began to answer, then bit her lip.
Soon, the tips of her ears turned red as she said,
“Because the Alkan Empire is now like my own country. And the Hartzente Grand Duchy is where I’ll be living.”
Above all, after marriage, she would become the Duchess of Hartzente and the rightful mistress of the Grand Duchy.
“So it’s only natural that I want to learn about it.”
Finishing her words while looking down shyly at her toes, Anette looked up at Kardin and paused.
His ears were burning bright red.
He looked as though he had just heard a confession of love.
And that impression was not entirely wrong.
Her words meant that her mindset toward the marriage—something she had originally expected nothing from—had begun to change.
She had already resolved to faithfully live her married life with Kardin as he had asked.
“I’m very happy.”
“I-it’s only natural…”
“I don’t think so. Thank you very much, princess.”
At his firm words, Anette grew shy and fidgeted with her fingers out of sight.
In her mind, this had been nothing but a natural response, and in the end, she had merely expressed things she wanted.
‘And yet, to receive such gratitude for something I’ve never even been thanked for despite risking my life in monster subjugations…’
Anette thought she might grow addicted to the sweet words and praise he gave her.
“Oh, but come to think of it, using the imperial library might be a bit difficult.”
“…Pardon?”
What was this—giving and then taking away?
Seeing Anette’s face fall as if the sky had collapsed, Kardin chuckled.
“We’ll be going to our home now. You can do whatever you want there.”
“Our home…?”
“Yes. My subordinates from the Grand Duchy will arrive by tomorrow morning. So we’ll depart right after lunch.”
“W-wait a moment…”
“There’s a fairly large library in the Grand Castle as well, so you won’t be disappointed. Whether etiquette or dance—anything you want to learn…”
“Just a moment!”
Kardin, who had been speaking enthusiastically about taking her to the Grand Duchy, tilted his head.
“What is it?”
“Um… the ‘our home’ you just mentioned… does that mean the Hartzente Grand Castle?”
Anette’s voice trembled.
Kardin finally realized what had made her hesitate, and he knelt down to meet her eye level.
Brushing her fallen hair behind her ear, he said firmly,
“Yes, the Grand Castle. It’s where you and I will live together from now on. It’s our home.”
“Th-that…”
Until just moments ago, she had thought she would live in the Grand Duchy as its mistress, yet hearing the Grand Duke himself refer to it as “our home” made her feel strangely unsettled.
“We haven’t even married yet.”
She tried to protest lightly, but Kardin smirked.
“We will soon. We’re already engaged.”
Hearing an undeniable statement, Anette closed her mouth.
Feeling a subtle sense of reassurance, she exhaled softly.
“Still, departing tomorrow is sooner than I expected.”
“I told my subordinates to rush here day and night so I could bring you back quickly.”
“C-cough. Then perhaps the knights should rest for a day?”
Anette asked, pretending not to notice his embarrassing remark.
She had not expected to leave for the Grand Duchy so soon and was slightly surprised.
However, Kardin seemed hesitant.
“Well… in that case, we’d have to open the townhouse in the capital… Unless we stop by the palace briefly, it might draw too much attention.”
Although the arrival of the Grand Duchy’s entourage in the capital would inevitably attract attention, Anette, unaware of such matters, simply nodded at his explanation.
“I see.”
“Yes, and above all…”
Kardin trailed off gravely, as though something was wrong.
Anette’s eyes widened.
‘Is it a problem if I stay in the palace?’
Though the Dowager Empress and Charlotte had said it was fine, the palace was a place where countless officials and nobles came and went daily, so keeping secrets might indeed be difficult…
“Princess is just too popular, so it’d be hard to keep you all to myself if you stay here.”
