MHHC Chapter 58

At the sudden question, Adelheid froze. She barely managed to turn her head to look at him, and found Valentin gazing at her quietly.

It was as if the face that always wore pretended composure had shed a layer.

The bare expression revealed beneath held not a single shred of ease—it looked desperately hungry.

When would she come to love him? Well, being close to Valentin did bring her a deep sense of comfort and intimacy.

Like a fish cherishes the sea, like a bird rejoices in the wind. A new affection rising from deep within her body naturally turned toward him.

She knew nothing of love between men and women, but could this be love?

Unlike her cautious self, he was always confident, always constant.

If he were human—whose heart could change dozens of times a day—it would be hard to believe, but he was not human.

He had lived through eternity, endured it.

Perhaps what might be mere amusement to him could span her entire lifetime.

Most of all, to pour out such intimate, blind affection so generously.

It was something even her parents had never done, something even Greta had found burdensome.

How could she dare refuse Valentin? The man who had so easily fulfilled what she'd yearned for all her life.

Right now.

Someone seemed to whisper inside her head.

Embrace him right now. And tell him you love him.

That impulse was so intense she nearly surrendered to it without resistance.

Indeed, unable to overcome the surging emotion, she took one step toward him.

Valentin looked down at her quietly, his expression unreadable.

He didn't retreat, nor did he take those few steps forward to grasp her.

"Valentin, I…"

Adelheid opened her mouth, filled with fervent courage.

But the next moment, what rose in her mind was Greta's face, twisted with cold mockery.

'Men are always the same. They act like they'll give you the world, but once they've had a woman, they turn colder than the north wind.'

She hesitated for a moment. Greta's voice grew louder and louder.

'So you must never trust a man, miss. They know how to desire women, but not how to cherish and love them.'

The heart that had melted soft now grew a tender shell again. Soon it hardened, embedded like thorns.

It felt like waking from a hazy dream. How could she have thought, even briefly, that it would be fine to give him everything?

Sometimes her own emotions felt foreign. Like a snowball just before triggering an avalanche.

Her feelings toward him seemed that sudden, growing far too quickly.

She looked at Valentin, still waiting for her answer.

She tried to smile to lighten the awkward atmosphere, but it didn't work well. She barely managed to open her parched mouth.

"Perhaps…"

"……."

"J-just…… if you wait a little…"

Even at this answer squeezed out with difficulty, Valentin smiled broadly.

"All right. You promised."

"Honestly, who on earth tied the laces like this……."

"I don't think this can be saved, can it?"

Adelheid flushed under Margaret's exasperated gaze.

It felt unfair receiving such looks for something she hadn't even done, but Valentin had already left the room long ago.

Margaret clicked her tongue as she carefully tried to untangle the laces, then frowned.

"The ones broken in the middle really can't be fixed. I'll have to carefully cut them out with scissors."

"Won't that be too noticeable?"

"The fabric color is dark, and the material is velvet, so it'll be hard to notice unless someone looks closely. If I tie the remaining laces well, it should be fine even with one missing."

Adelheid let out a sigh of relief.

Though there were prepared dresses for today, she didn't want to ignore Valentin's gift.

"Don't worry too much, Your Grace."

A maid who had approached set tea on the nearby table as she spoke.

"I'll braid your hair beautifully and let it hang down. That will cover everything. You're not actually going hunting today, are you?"

"No. I don't think so."

"Your hair is long and the texture is good—normally you could just let it hang loose, but since it's a hunt festival."

The maid smiled reassuringly. Then she took up a comb and skillfully brushed through the hair.

She quickly braided the thickly sectioned hair, intricately weaving it with ribbon.

The wisps by her ears were curled into waves with a heated iron and left to hang.

"For the evening banquet, you can undo this and tie up just half lightly—it'll be lovely."

"Thank you."

"Not at all."

The maid smiled pleasantly and strode over to join the maids organizing the boxes.

They were Valentin's gifts that servants had stacked around midday.

Handkerchiefs and gloves, and several pairs of shoes that fit her small feet perfectly.

Jewelry, of course, and beautiful lustrous dresses in various colors revealed themselves.

Each time the maids opened a box, they showed it directly to Adelheid before carefully organizing everything.

'Just how much money did he spend…'

"His Majesty bestowed quite a substantial amount of gold this time."

Seeing Adelheid's worried expression, Margaret carefully defended Valentin.

She already knew from the maids' chatter that the Emperor, having extracted hefty war reparations from Valsen, had given the Grand Duke of Ansgar a mountain of gold coins.

Adelheid confirmed the maids had moved away before whispering carefully.

"Won't this just make more people envious?"

"It probably will. Even though it's true that our Grand Duke contributed to ending the war, no one has ever received such favor before. I think that's why the rumors have spread so widely……."

She couldn't hide her discomfort. The Emperor's excessive favor always brought more harm than good.

Moreover, even if Valentin had regained the memories of the Grand Duke of Ansgar, since he wasn't human, it would be difficult for him to perceive all the calculations of seasoned politicians.

Margaret seemed to notice her concern and spoke briskly.

"Your Grace shouldn't think about anything and just focus on recovering. I may have said too much unnecessarily."

"No. I'm the one who pestered you to tell me."

"Of course Your Grace had the right to know about this matter. More importantly, aren't you hungry?"

"I don't feel like it right now. I have no appetite, and I need to leave for the carriage soon anyway."

"Still, it would be good if you ate some fruit. If nothing appeals to you, I'll bring you some dried figs. What do you think?"

Adelheid hesitated a bit. Truth be told, she had no appetite for anything they might bring, and her throat felt scratchy for some reason.

But she was about to refuse when she changed her mind and nodded.

"Then just bring a little."

Today she needed to stand beside Valentin before the nobility. She had to eat something and squeeze out whatever strength she had.

She didn't want to reveal to everyone that such a splendid man's wife was a weak woman without any vigor.

Margaret smiled firmly and stood up.

"Good decision. You have to eat to recover quickly."

Margaret left the room and soon returned carrying a wooden bowl heaped with dried figs and nuts.

Under Margaret's stern gaze, Adelheid had to pick up a handful of figs and eat every last one.

"Your Grace."

Maids holding dresses and jewelry boxes in both hands entered the bedroom and displayed what they'd brought.

"We've selected all the clothing and accessories for you to wear at the hunt festival. Please look and tell us if there's anything else you need to pack."

The hunt festival would last three more days.

The schedule involved pitching numerous tents in the clearing of Schwarzwald Forest, the Emperor's hunting grounds, where they would eat, sleep, hunt, and in the evenings enjoy banquets beneath large tents.

Since packing minimally was common practice, noblewomen typically decided in advance what clothes and jewelry to bring. Having packed Charlotte's wardrobe for hunt festivals before, this custom wasn't completely unfamiliar.

Adelheid awkwardly examined the flamboyant southern-style dresses that Valentin had clearly commissioned anew, then nodded.

"This should be sufficient."

In truth, it was more than sufficient—it was overflowing.

But she couldn't honestly say it felt burdensome in front of the Imperial Palace maids.

"If anything's lacking, we can summon merchants to Schwarzwald. Right, Adele?"

"Grand Duke."

At the suddenly heard voice, the maids startled and bowed deeply at the waist. Valentin now stood at the doorway.

"The carriage is ready. We should hurry."

He crossed the room and extended his hand to her, urging her along.

When they descended the stairs, an impressive carriage she'd never seen before stood in front of the detached palace.

Adelheid looked at the carriage with bewildered eyes.

Not the barely adequate carriage they'd ridden from Ansgar, but a luxurious new carriage with black exterior and silver ornaments.

She asked carefully.

"Did His Majesty gift this as well?"

"That's right."

He answered casually before opening the carriage door.

He supported her arm to help her climb in easily, then sat across from her. Soon the carriage departed.

With only slight exaggeration, it felt as comfortable as riding on clouds.

"Um, Valentin."

"Yes, Adele."

"Have you…… heard the rumors circulating in the Imperial Palace recently?"