I Will Disappear, Grand Duke

So after returning to the villa, Julia quietly reviewed her future plans. Originally, she had planned to return to the Holy Land, but it was still at war with demons there.

After all, she had nowhere else to go right now.

"What should I do now? Where should I go?”

At the back of the villa, where the stable was, Julia looked at the white horse and thought. As she stared at the horse endlessly with complicated eyes, the horse held out its snout, as if it understood her. Finally, Julia slowly reached out.

She patted the white hair, and the horse looked pleasantly pleased.

The big horse, which seemed to be three times her size, behaved as if it were a small dog.

Julia suddenly realized that she hadn't let the horse loose in the stable since the last time she rode with Fernan.

Distressed, she undid the ring on the small wooden door and opened it. As if the horse had been waiting, it walked out with ease.

With the reins in her hands, Julia walked the horse toward the plains.

She thought that the horse would be happier in the open plains than confined in a stable.

“Should I give it a name?”

Julia thought absentmindedly as she looked at the horse that was standing still and grazing.

She didn’t know if it was right to give the horse a name… but she thought it would be nice if it had a name.

"Laura.”

Julia mumbled, and before she knew it, a long shadow formed behind her.

Startled by the shadowy vision, Julia turned around.

How long has he been watching her? Fernan approached with a calm manner.

With a serious look on her face, she quickly turned her gaze to the horse.

"That's a nice name."

Julia's ears turned slightly red with the embarrassment of being caught talking to herself.

But he didn't even show a hint of a smile, whether he really thought the name was good.

“You didn't look for it for a while, so I thought you didn't like it."

"…Oh, no. I like it."

To his murmur, Julia quietly replied.

In fact, she liked this white horse from the beginning. It was a a mysterious and gentle horse.

She just didn't look for it because she didn't want anything from Fernan.

‘I've already received a lot just by spending time here…’

It was Fernan who conclusively helped her and provided her with food, clothing and shelter when she had nowhere else to go.

So she was too ashamed to reject his things now that she didn't want it.

"I'll teach you how to ride."

Fernan interjected. Then he looked up at her and continued.

"I said I’d teach you often.”

 “Yes.”

Julia's eyes fluttered. Yeah, he definitely said he'd teach her horseback riding.

Actually, she wasn't entirely without a desire to learn. When she was very young, she had seen her half brother, whose face was now a blur, learning to ride.

It brought back memories of her childhood, when she gazed at him through the window and envied him inwardly.

Julia bit her lip as she struggled. Eventually, she gave a positive answer.

“Yes, then… Please teach me.”

A quiet light finally drifted into Fernan’s eyes.

He gently held out his hand. Hesitating a little, Julia gently placed her hand in his.

Since that day, Julia has learned to horseback riding from him almost every day.

She was not accustomed to using her body, so it was difficult for her to improve her skills.

Still, Fernan never once rushed her to do so.

He supported Julia's body as soon as she felt fear. When she began to concentrate, he waited for her silently.

In the meantime, before long, Julia began to ride the horse slowly.

"Oh, ……."

Julia, who had stopped as she'd been taught, hesitantly grabbed the reins.

She was very skilled at straddling a horse and driving it slowly, but she was always blocked by being dismounted. As Julia blinked, staring down the blur, Fernan approached her.

Julia hesitated a little and slowly grabbed his shoulders.

His large hands wrapped around her waist as he eased her off the horse.

"Thank you."

Muttering softly, Julia released her grip on his arm.

Standing close to him, she was quite used to him by now.

Spending time with him like this has become a part of her daily life.

And before she knew it, Julia began to think that this time was peaceful and tranquil.

The original plan to get away from here was still in the back of her mind, but Julia couldn't quite get it out of her mind anymore.

Fernan had been teaching her to ride all morning, and she returned to the villa around afternoon.

As she entered the bedroom, Melissa held out a letter as if she had been waiting for her return.

"Your Grace, here is a letter from Richel."

The other day, Julia began exchanging letters with Gabrielle, who was staying in Richel. When Melisa saw Julia receiving the letter, she smiled softly.

“Do you know? Your complexion has been better than before.”

Julia's face has been sporting a brighter complexion lately. It was different from the first time when she was anxious as if she was going to run away somewhere right away.

Turning to look at Melissa, Julia tilted her head.

"…Do I look like that?"

“Yes, you've had very little fever lately and you've been sleeping very well.”

Melissa added, and Julia lowered her eyelids.

True to Melissa’s words, she hadn't been feeling sick lately, though she didn't know why.

Julia, who closed her lips tightly with a trembling heart, soon opened the envelope.

While she was reading the letter, Melissa placed the flowers in a vase on the table.

Julia read the letter smoothly, and stopped her gaze at the last line of the postscript. 

[If you have any trouble, contact the temple. Cedric is waiting to hear from you.]

Julia looked into the void for a moment with a serious look on her face.

She had already sent a letter to the temple as well.

At that time, she wrote in the letter that she would contact them again in the near future.

She had hoped to get their help on her way to the Holy Land after she had taken the opportunity to flee.

But now her plans had gone awry and she couldn't continue any further.

"Look,Your Grace. Spring is really coming to an end already."

At that moment, Melissa, who was standing by the window, looked back at Julia with an excited expression.

Melissa pointed through the window. Julia got up from her seat and walked up to her.

The greener forest appeared in her field of vision.

Where the splendor of spring had passed, the signs of summer were gradually approaching.

"…The seasons have already changed three times, haven't they?"

Julia murmured absentmindedly. She didn't think that time had passed so quickly.

The first time she came here was in winter, then spring passed, and now summer is here. Julia tried to guess how long she would be able to stay here, a definite answer still eluded her.

****

So while facing the end of spring, there was much happening in the Empire. First, there was a conflict with the Geranian Kingdom, with whom they had an alliance agreement. 

This was due to the fact that the distribution of responsibility between the two countries was not smooth in dealing with the demons who periodically invaded the frontier. 

The confrontation between the two countries was antagonistic due to the fact that armed force was once used in that process. The other reason was that there was a debate about national marriage in order to overhaul the agreement for the reasons mentioned above. 

National marriage was usually done on the basis of each country's royal family or founding merit. Fernan was also at the center of the discussion. He was also superficially unmarried because the Grand Duchess was absent.

“Your Highness, can you bring Grand Duchess to the castle now?”

Lloyd cautiously asked Fernan, who was reading the letter. Lloyd was likewise in favor of the national marriage, but as of now there was no chance that Fernan would accept it at all.

He was the one who acted like a lunatic and finally brought Julia here, saying he was looking for his wife who had run away from him.

And before they knew it, three months had passed since Julia had stayed here.

So now it was best to inform people of Julia's return and show them that the Grand Duchess was alive and well.

"Only the presence of Grand Duchess would give you a good reason to refuse the national marriage.”

In fact, this national marriage was not a very bad option for Fernan.

The Grand Duchy was the northern territory of the Empire. And the Kingdom of Geranian, which bordered the western part of the Empire.

If he allied with Geranian kingdom, he could easily check on the capital, the heart of the Empire. The emperor would no longer be able to do anything about Fernan.

Therefore, Fernan’s aides were actively in favor of this national marriage. As a result, his desk is now full of letters from them.

Fernan was in the middle of reading each letter in turn when he put it down. He didn't need to read more because they all contained the same information.

Lloyd opened his mouth again.

"It's been a long time… I'm sure Grand Duchess will accept Your Highness now.”

Fernan made a subtle expression at the words.

Julia certainly didn’t reject him like the first time. She still didn't smile at him as usual, but it was still different from when she was just gloomy.

But Fernan didn't think Julia accepted him that much. There was still a distance between them.

There was no way that solid gap could be crossed no matter how close he got to her. She would feel forced to do her duty and try to run away again. 

“I can refuse the national marriage. I don’t need a reason to do so.”

Fernan wasn't going to bring Julia into his political life just because he needed a reason for his refusal. Right now, he was just content to have her in his sight.