Trigger Warning: Self-Harm and Suicide Content
This content contains discussions related to self-harm and suicide, which may be distressing or triggering to some individuals. If you or someone you know is struggling with these issues, please seek help and support from a mental health professional or a helpline in your country. Your well-being is essential, and there is help available.Remember, you are not alone.
Now Christa has become, so to speak, a new trainee who has just entered a training center. She doesn’t even know when to eat or go to the bathroom. She’s truly just like a child.
A newbie needs extensive and peripheral training to become a senior. At first glance, a soldier learns steel-like patience through this repetitive training, which seems to be fruitless at first.
The army is just a place where you have to endure. You can resolve most of your problems if you endure the situation with patience. In the real world, however, there were many things to pay attention to, unlike in the military where everything was resolved if you just endured..
Bravery is ignorance. She really didn’t know anything. She thought about the scandal she committed in front of the nobles. How ridiculous does it look? The more she thought about it, the more painful it was. She wasn’t ashamed that her honor had been tarnished. The pain she felt stemmed from the thought that Ragnar’s reputation had fallen to the bottom because of her.
She didn’t want to be a flaw in Ragnar even if they were bound by a contract.At least she wanted to be a decent fiancé.
There were not many ways for Christa to repay Ragnar for what she had received. He was the most powerful Lord of the North, possessing the largest territory in the empire.So whatever Christa gives him is bound to be shabby..
She was receiving regular monthly allowances in the name of being a duchess-to-be. She has nowhere to use it, so she’s just saving it. Isn’t it absurd to buy something with this allowance? It was strange to buy a gift with the money she received from him.
She doesn’t even know what Ragnar needs.What does a man with everything need? Christa’s poor imagination is beyond measure.
So Christa wanted to at least show the face of a proud Duchess in front of others.
*
Andrei had to meet Christa once again. His idea became more earnest after the meeting with the crown prince. The crown prince promised to give him more money if he got something new. He can’t miss this opportunity.
But it wasn’t easy.That’s because that girl refused to contact him after that day. It was not that Christa refused, but that the Duke rejected him.
“So what did you decide to do?”
Eva pours tea from the kettle. The heads of Palmaril, who met after a long time, put their heads together and thought hard.
“It seems that the Crown Prince is interested in her.”
Sebastian looked simply perplexed.
“I don’t understand the taste of high-ranking people for the life of me!”
Is that what high-ranking aristocrats like? Andrei didn’t understand either.
“But the marriage with the Duke of Argonod was proceeding smoothly. Come to think of it, what happened to Count Pasquier?
Eva asked, laying refreshments on the table. Sebastian picked up the lemon fritters.
“I don’t care about that old man anymore.”
Now they are no longer interested in low-level aristocrats like Count Pasquier.Now that the crown prince has shown his interest.
“I heard that the wedding will be held after they return to the North, but we should meet at all costs before Christa goes to the North. I wish we could put off the marriage. At least until we find out how the Crown Prince is coming out…….”
All they needed now was time to grab and coax Christa as much as they could.
“But how?”
“First of all, I need to have a means to call her out…….”
Then Eva came up with a clever idea.
“I have Anita’s ring.”
It reminded her of the ring that Anita, Eva’s older sister and Christa’s birth mother, wore during her lifetime.
Palmaril’s financial situation was not so good, so it was a ring with low-grade glass beads on polished copper at most.Originally, cheap pomegranate stones were embedded, but it has been a long time since they sold those as soon as Anita died.
Eva hurriedly took out the ring, which she had tucked into the corner of her jewel box. In fact, it is something she should have handed over Christa as an adult.
She promised to give it back to Christa when she got married, as if she was guilty of extorting a cheap ring. It was customary to inherit wedding wares from generation to generation.
“Why don’t you call her in the name of giving her the ring because she’s getting married?”
“That’s a good idea, Andrei. Tell the Crown Prince that. If we do well, we can really connect with the imperial family.”
Sebastian didn’t know how to hide his excitement.
“Then I will send a letter to the duchy myself tomorrow. Do you think she’ll ignore my sister’s ring when I say I’ll return it?”
Eva Palmaril sent a maid to the duchy at dawn.
“It’s a very important matter, so I have to deliver this letter to her.Otherwise I can’t go back.”
Since the maid was stubbornly holding out, the letter was eventually handed over to Mervin Ferride, teh chief of staff of the Duke, through the hands of several servants.
“I’ll hand it over to her myself.”
The maid returned only after he came out and promised to deliver the letter.
Mervin tried to open the letter and check the contents, but recalled the maid’s request and decided to find Christa himself.
“Now even a letter messenger…….”
It was also his task to deliver letters to the soon-to-be Duchess.She had just finished breakfast.
“Oh, Chief of Staff.”
Christa stood up reflexively. While walking half way out and reaching out to salute, she suddenly realized that this was not the army, but the Duke’s house.
She stood upright, smoothing the hem of the dress with her awkwardly stretched hands.It was Mervin, her boss for a long time. When Christa gets married, their status will be reversed, as the Duchess-to-be and the chief of staff of the family. There was a bit of ambiguity regarding who was at the top and bottom.
Besides, Christa doesn’t seem to be able to treat him like a subordinate.
“You don’t have to treat me like that.”
“What?”
Christa, who didn’t understand what it was like, asked again. Mervin shook his head quickly while trying to add an explanation.
Come to think of it, he heard from someone that she no longer does her morning training.
“You must have finally decided to learn about the Duchy as a hostess.”
“Well, what…….”
She still had a habit of stretching her tongue, but he didn’t point it out. Instead, he decided to compliment her.
“Morning training.That’s a good idea. Your status and position will change now, so you’d better avoid acting like you used to before. Also, please refrain from calling me by military-style names here.”
“I, I’m sorry.”
“It’s not something the lady should apologize for.More than that, I’m here to deliver this today.”
The letter Mervin handed over was stamped with the pattern of Palmaril. The message contained that they wanted to hand over her birth mother’s heirloom, so she should make sure to come home by this afternoon.
There was something that came to mind when she heard that it was an heirloom. It was her mother’s ring. She said she’ll inherit it when it was time for her to get married, so she couldn’t help it. Christa decided to go out after a long time.
“Are you going out?”
Annette asked.
“Do you want me to prepare an overcoat for you?”
Hilda quickly picked out her clothes.
“Yes, wait…….”
Christa hesitated to say she was returning home for a while.
“I need something for a moment, so I’ll go downtown.”
She wondered if she looked awkward.Hilda and Annette respond with an unwavering grin, as they are unaware of the situation.She didn’t want to cause unnecessary concern for her ladies-in-waiting who knew her unique family history.
“I’ll be right back.”
Trigger Warning: Self-Harm and Suicide Content
This content contains discussions related to self-harm and suicide, which may be distressing or triggering to some individuals. If you or someone you know is struggling with these issues, please seek help and support from a mental health professional or a helpline in your country. Your well-being is essential, and there is help available.Remember, you are not alone.
Now Christa has become, so to speak, a new trainee who has just entered a training center. She doesn’t even know when to eat or go to the bathroom. She’s truly just like a child.
A newbie needs extensive and peripheral training to become a senior. At first glance, a soldier learns steel-like patience through this repetitive training, which seems to be fruitless at first.
The army is just a place where you have to endure. You can resolve most of your problems if you endure the situation with patience. In the real world, however, there were many things to pay attention to, unlike in the military where everything was resolved if you just endured..
Bravery is ignorance. She really didn’t know anything. She thought about the scandal she committed in front of the nobles. How ridiculous does it look? The more she thought about it, the more painful it was. She wasn’t ashamed that her honor had been tarnished. The pain she felt stemmed from the thought that Ragnar’s reputation had fallen to the bottom because of her.
She didn’t want to be a flaw in Ragnar even if they were bound by a contract.At least she wanted to be a decent fiancé.
There were not many ways for Christa to repay Ragnar for what she had received. He was the most powerful Lord of the North, possessing the largest territory in the empire.So whatever Christa gives him is bound to be shabby..
She was receiving regular monthly allowances in the name of being a duchess-to-be. She has nowhere to use it, so she’s just saving it. Isn’t it absurd to buy something with this allowance? It was strange to buy a gift with the money she received from him.
She doesn’t even know what Ragnar needs.What does a man with everything need? Christa’s poor imagination is beyond measure.
So Christa wanted to at least show the face of a proud Duchess in front of others.
*
Andrei had to meet Christa once again. His idea became more earnest after the meeting with the crown prince. The crown prince promised to give him more money if he got something new. He can’t miss this opportunity.
But it wasn’t easy.That’s because that girl refused to contact him after that day. It was not that Christa refused, but that the Duke rejected him.
“So what did you decide to do?”
Eva pours tea from the kettle. The heads of Palmaril, who met after a long time, put their heads together and thought hard.
“It seems that the Crown Prince is interested in her.”
Sebastian looked simply perplexed.
“I don’t understand the taste of high-ranking people for the life of me!”
Is that what high-ranking aristocrats like? Andrei didn’t understand either.
“But the marriage with the Duke of Argonod was proceeding smoothly. Come to think of it, what happened to Count Pasquier?
Eva asked, laying refreshments on the table. Sebastian picked up the lemon fritters.
“I don’t care about that old man anymore.”
Now they are no longer interested in low-level aristocrats like Count Pasquier.Now that the crown prince has shown his interest.
“I heard that the wedding will be held after they return to the North, but we should meet at all costs before Christa goes to the North. I wish we could put off the marriage. At least until we find out how the Crown Prince is coming out…….”
All they needed now was time to grab and coax Christa as much as they could.
“But how?”
“First of all, I need to have a means to call her out…….”
Then Eva came up with a clever idea.
“I have Anita’s ring.”
It reminded her of the ring that Anita, Eva’s older sister and Christa’s birth mother, wore during her lifetime.
Palmaril’s financial situation was not so good, so it was a ring with low-grade glass beads on polished copper at most.Originally, cheap pomegranate stones were embedded, but it has been a long time since they sold those as soon as Anita died.
Eva hurriedly took out the ring, which she had tucked into the corner of her jewel box. In fact, it is something she should have handed over Christa as an adult.
She promised to give it back to Christa when she got married, as if she was guilty of extorting a cheap ring. It was customary to inherit wedding wares from generation to generation.
“Why don’t you call her in the name of giving her the ring because she’s getting married?”
“That’s a good idea, Andrei. Tell the Crown Prince that. If we do well, we can really connect with the imperial family.”
Sebastian didn’t know how to hide his excitement.
“Then I will send a letter to the duchy myself tomorrow. Do you think she’ll ignore my sister’s ring when I say I’ll return it?”
Eva Palmaril sent a maid to the duchy at dawn.
“It’s a very important matter, so I have to deliver this letter to her.Otherwise I can’t go back.”
Since the maid was stubbornly holding out, the letter was eventually handed over to Mervin Ferride, teh chief of staff of the Duke, through the hands of several servants.
“I’ll hand it over to her myself.”
The maid returned only after he came out and promised to deliver the letter.
Mervin tried to open the letter and check the contents, but recalled the maid’s request and decided to find Christa himself.
“Now even a letter messenger…….”
It was also his task to deliver letters to the soon-to-be Duchess.She had just finished breakfast.
“Oh, Chief of Staff.”
Christa stood up reflexively. While walking half way out and reaching out to salute, she suddenly realized that this was not the army, but the Duke’s house.
She stood upright, smoothing the hem of the dress with her awkwardly stretched hands.It was Mervin, her boss for a long time. When Christa gets married, their status will be reversed, as the Duchess-to-be and the chief of staff of the family. There was a bit of ambiguity regarding who was at the top and bottom.
Besides, Christa doesn’t seem to be able to treat him like a subordinate.
“You don’t have to treat me like that.”
“What?”
Christa, who didn’t understand what it was like, asked again. Mervin shook his head quickly while trying to add an explanation.
Come to think of it, he heard from someone that she no longer does her morning training.
“You must have finally decided to learn about the Duchy as a hostess.”
“Well, what…….”
She still had a habit of stretching her tongue, but he didn’t point it out. Instead, he decided to compliment her.
“Morning training.That’s a good idea. Your status and position will change now, so you’d better avoid acting like you used to before. Also, please refrain from calling me by military-style names here.”
“I, I’m sorry.”
“It’s not something the lady should apologize for.More than that, I’m here to deliver this today.”
The letter Mervin handed over was stamped with the pattern of Palmaril. The message contained that they wanted to hand over her birth mother’s heirloom, so she should make sure to come home by this afternoon.
There was something that came to mind when she heard that it was an heirloom. It was her mother’s ring. She said she’ll inherit it when it was time for her to get married, so she couldn’t help it. Christa decided to go out after a long time.
“Are you going out?”
Annette asked.
“Do you want me to prepare an overcoat for you?”
Hilda quickly picked out her clothes.
“Yes, wait…….”
Christa hesitated to say she was returning home for a while.
“I need something for a moment, so I’ll go downtown.”
She wondered if she looked awkward.Hilda and Annette respond with an unwavering grin, as they are unaware of the situation.She didn’t want to cause unnecessary concern for her ladies-in-waiting who knew her unique family history.
“I’ll be right back.”
