Chapter 75

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Translator: Harry Potta
Chapter: 75
Chapter Title: A Song for the Grand Duchess
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Aileen cautiously watched his expression as she offered a quiet rebuttal.
“How can a person be friends with a cow?”

Cesare chuckled at her perfectly rational counterargument. He led her along, continuing the leisurely conversation.
“It’s possible. The Baron can take this opportunity to prove it.”

She walked on, exchanging idle chatter with Cesare. As they did, the topic of her father naturally faded away.
Aileen mentioned that she needed someone to manage the brick house. Cesare readily agreed to find someone, then added a word.
“We'll stop by on our way out of the palace today.”

Normally, she would have been delighted by his suggestion. She would have been happy to pick up the things she hadn't been able to bring from the brick house…
But Aileen just kept her lips pressed tightly together. When she didn't respond, Cesare paused and looked at her. His steady gaze pressed her for an answer.
“…Today.”

*How should I say this?* Aileen hesitated for a long while before finally managing to form a plausible question.
“Could we perhaps go another day?”

Cesare’s eyes curved mischievously as he asked.
“Why is that?”

He asked as if he didn't already know the reason—the very man who had thoroughly tormented her all morning. Aileen had no choice but to answer with a blush.
“I... I'd like to go to bed early. I'm a little tired. If that's all right with you, Your Excellency. The brick house isn't going to run away, so we can visit it later…”
“It's not as if you can only sleep in the grand ducal bedroom.”

Aileen understood his meaning instantly. Unsure how to react, she looked up at Cesare with wavering eyes before dropping her head. Her reddened ears were surely on full display, but this time, she didn't even think to pretend to fix her hair to cover them.
“Then… I'll sleep at the brick house.”

Cesare took Aileen's hand. He smiled without a word and quickened his pace. Aileen, her face beet red, followed him.
Walking side by side, they soon arrived at the main palace where the Emperor resided. The thought of meeting His Majesty the Emperor made her heart, which had just begun to relax, tense up all over again.
Upon entering the Emperor's palace, Aileen was led to the official audience chamber, a different route than before. There, Leone was already waiting for the Grand Duke and Duchess of Erzet.
“The guests of honor have arrived.”

Leone greeted Cesare and Aileen with a burst of laughter. Cesare glanced at the tea and snacks prepared on the table and gave a short reply.
“We're a little late.”
“You couldn't help it. I thought you might not show up until sunset. Did the people let you go easily?”
“Of course not. We just took a path with fewer people.”

For some reason, Leone found Cesare's blunt reply immensely amusing and laughed for a good while. He then turned to Aileen, his face wreathed in a smile.
Cesare took the Emperor's friendly demeanor in stride, but Aileen could not. She greeted Leone stiffly, like a broken wind-up doll.
“I greet you, Imperator.”

Leone gave a satisfied smile as he watched Aileen's formal greeting. He showered her with praise.
“With your hair cut and glasses gone, you certainly look much more like a Grand Duchess. You should have gone about like this sooner.”

Cesare's eyes narrowed slightly. Aileen, unsure what to say, simply bowed her head and murmured a small, "Thank you." She still felt incredibly awkward whenever people complimented her appearance.
“Since the wedding, the nobles of the capital talk of nothing but you. Every newspaper and magazine in Traon, even the tabloids, is busy singing the praises of the Grand Duchess's beauty.”

She'd been told Leone was at the wedding, but she honestly couldn't remember. It wasn't just Leone; she'd forgotten every single guest who had attended that day. She had been far too nervous. The only memory that remained of the wedding was how handsome Cesare had looked in his uniform.
“Brother.”

Leone seemed to want to chat more with Aileen, but Cesare cut the conversation short. With a nod of understanding, Leone said, "Ah," and summoned an attendant. The attendant brought a document on a golden tray.
Leone took the document and placed the marriage certificate in front of Aileen. It was a document stating that the Emperor of the Traon Empire certified that Aileen had become the Grand Duchess of Erzet and had taken the Erzet name.
The hand holding the fountain pen trembled slightly. Taking a deep breath, Aileen pressed her full lips together and wrote her signature at the very bottom of the document. The sharp nib of the pen scratched softly against the paper.
[Aileen Elorde Kal Erzet]

Aileen set down the pen and stared at the signature for a moment with unfamiliar eyes. The name 'Kal Erzet' attached to her own felt strange.
It had sounded so wonderful after Cesare's name, but appended to her own softly rounded name, it felt completely out of place, no matter how she looked at it.
*‘Still, it can't be helped.’*

Even if everyone thought it didn't suit her, Aileen was now, in name and in reality, the Grand Duchess of Erzet. Not even the powerful Duke Parvellini, nor Leone, the Emperor of the Traon Empire, could deny that she was the Grand Duchess.
Except for one person. Cesare.
*‘But if I work hard, it will be all right.’*

Then she could continue to stay by his side as the Grand Duchess. Aileen renewed her resolve. Just as she was reaffirming her determination, Leone nodded at Cesare, who was checking the document.
“Leaving already?”
“We should.”
“Why don't you play a piece on the piano before you go?”

Aileen's eyes widened at the mention of the piano. It felt like an eternity since she had seen Cesare play.
He had played the piano himself during her dance lessons, but she hadn't seen him play since. She hadn't heard the sound of a piano even once during her stay at the grand ducal estate.
Aileen stole a glance, a very subtle glance, at Cesare. She tried her best not to look too hopeful, peeking at him from the corner of her eye as if by chance.
But, as expected, Cesare saw right through her. The moment she looked, her eyes met his red ones. The instant their gazes locked, the thought in her mind slipped past her lips.
“The piano…”

The words, once spoken, could not be taken back. As Aileen struggled to find what to say next, Cesare set down the document and replied lightly.
“If my wife desires it.”

Leone looked slightly surprised at the easy agreement, then smiled, his brows furrowing as if in defeat.
“It seems I'll get to hear a rare performance, thanks to the Grand Duchess.”

The main palace had a separate room with a magnificent grand piano. The black piano, set in a room where bright sunlight streamed through large windows, was a picture in itself.
Cesare, still in his uniform, sat down before it. The bench seemed to be adjusted for him, as he didn't change its height, only tapping a few keys on the piano.
After pressing the keys as if to check the tuning, Cesare looked back at Aileen. Aileen, who had been staring at him, mesmerized, finally came to her senses.
His eyes seemed to ask if there was a piece she wanted to hear, but Aileen, who had been too busy trying to survive, had not lived a cultured life like other nobles. The only piano pieces she knew were the practice songs from her dance lessons.
Leone, standing beside her, suggested a piece on her behalf.
“That piece you played for me before was good. How about that one?”

Aileen was curious about the piece as well. She quickly sent Cesare an eager look, but he didn't begin playing right away.
Then, he suddenly began to play. It was the short piece he had played for her during her dance lessons. Only after playing that brief tune did he begin the piece Leone had requested.
It was a piece Aileen had never heard before. It began lightly, but as it progressed, it grew faster and more complex. Cesare's long fingers pressed the keys with precision, continuing the performance. His hands, which wielded guns and swords, glided over the piano with an unbelievable delicacy.
She watched his profile as he played with downcast eyes, completely captivated. She was utterly absorbed in Cesare's performance.
“Cesare has been good at everything since he was a child. Though I never knew he was this good at the piano.”

Aileen, who had been focused entirely on Cesare, turned at the gentle voice that wove through the melody. A pair of blue eyes, the complete opposite of Cesare's, met hers directly. Leone smiled warmly and said.
“A truly perfect younger brother, isn't he?”