Chapter 47
After reading the letter, Floria frowned slightly in surprise.
“Is this all?”
The letter from her mother contained neither a greeting nor any inquiry about her well-being.
Even the standard polite phrases typically included in correspondence were absent.
“Is there a back page?”
She turned it over just in case,but it was merely a single thin sheet of paper.
A faint sense of disappointment briefly crossed Floria’s mind,but she shook her head.
The idea of her mother sending a kind letter felt like a dream.
Though she had seen her mother write letters to others many times,she had never received one herself.
“But… Mother is coming to the Principality of Sief.”
Her mother had always described the Principality of Sief as a barren,uncultured land of barbarians.
She had feared this place so much that she sent the younger and less prepared Floria here instead of her cherished older sister, Helia.
“And yet, she’s coming here now.
With Sister Helia, no less.”
Perhaps she’s coming out of concern.
Even if I’m the less favored daughter,sending me far away might have weighed on her heart.
A small smile formed on Floria’s lips.
The next morning,Floria looked at Aidan,who sat across from her at breakfast.
He had been staying at the castle for the past few days.
The fatigue that had once marked his face had lifted,revealing his radiant appearance in the sunlight.
Should I invite Mother?
Though she had been in the Principality of Sief for quite some time and was addressed as “Your Grace,” she still couldn’t fully grasp the reality of her marriage or her role as the Grand Duchess.
For someone like Floria,who had never lived freely,this was perhaps natural.
She hesitated,quietly staring into the tea that the attendant had poured into her cup.
The pink-hued tea shimmered.
Noticing Floria’s prolonged gaze at her teacup,Aidan raised one corner of his mouth.
“That tea isn’t sour.”
“…Pardon?”
“The juice I sent last time was sour,but this tea isn’t.
It’s actually sweet.”
“Ah…”
He seemed to have misunderstood her hesitation as concern over the tea’s taste.
“No, it wasn’t because of the sourness.”
As soon as she finished speaking, she lifted the teacup and took a sip.
As he said, the fragrant floral aroma and subtle sweetness touched her tongue.
The warm liquid soothed her, and Floria began to speak.
“It’s delicious.
But I have something to ask.”
She felt a sense of urgency.
“What is it?”
Aidan paused his meal.
“Mother… Mother wishes to visit from Altomole.
With my sister.
I was wondering if I could invite them.”
Floria’s lips were dry with tension as she spoke.
“Would that be alright?”
At her words, Aidan set down his knife and wiped his mouth with a napkin.
The smile that had lazily formed on his lips subtly twisted.
“Why are you asking me?”
If not the Grand Duke who governs the Principality of Sieff, then who else should she ask?
“Floria, you are the Grand Duchess.
You can do whatever you wish. Naturally…”
His gaze fell upon the tablecloth and tableware brought from Altomole.
“You must miss your mother.”
She couldn’t answer that.
For the first time, Floria realized that she had never once missed her mother.
Even though she had been so afraid when coming here, not once had she thought about returning to Altomole.
Even now, with her mother coming, she found herself thinking that way.
I’m such an unfilial daughter.
As Floria bit her lip, Aidan, who had been quietly watching her, spoke again.
“I’m fine with it, so do as you wish.”
“…Really?”
He nodded. Then, Aidan glanced at the head attendant.
“Make sure to prepare a proper reception.”
The head attendant bowed.
“If you need anything, ask the head attendant or the head maid.”
Floria only realized how daunting the Grand Duke’s words, “prepare a proper reception,” were after her mother and sister arrived.
She hadn’t noticed it on her wedding day due to nerves, but the decorations set up in the plaza in front of the castle to welcome them were dazzling.
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