“At Least It’s Not Bad Enough to Curse Out Loud”
Morning.
Annette, who always woke before dawn, was startled by the warm sunlight on her face and yanked the curtain cord.
As if she’d been waiting for Annette to wake up, Serena burst into the room.
“Princess, you’re awake?”
“I’m sorry. I overslept, didn’t I? I couldn’t sleep well last night…”
Although it was still earlier than the usual waking time for noble ladies or high-born women, Annette apologized without knowing that. Serena quickly waved her hand.
“It’s still early. It’s just…”
Serena trailed off as if teasing a surprise, and Annette tilted her head, sensing something was coming.
Finally, Serena could no longer hold it in and beamed.
“Your Highness, the Grand Duke has arrived at the Imperial Palace this morning!”
“…Huh?”
Who arrived where?
Still half-asleep, Annette doubted her ears.
But seeing Serena so excited, rushing to prepare her for washing and dressing, made it clear this wasn’t a misunderstanding.
“Truly… the Grand Duke of Harzent has come?”
“Yes! It seems he departed the moment he heard the news about you!”
Something feels off…
As the daughter of a baron and a lady-in-waiting to the empress, Serena had never left the imperial capital, so she didn’t find it strange—but Annette had just arrived from the Kingdom of Hayworth a couple of days ago.
Even taking the faster route through the dangerous monster-infested swamps, the trip still took two days. For the Grand Duke’s territory, which bordered the western mountains of Hayworth, it would take at least a day and a half to reach the capital.
Then how could he hear the news just yesterday and already be here today?
As she mulled it over, the idea that he might’ve used magic crossed her mind. But using a precious mage just to meet her seemed excessive.
Still, the undeniable fact was that the Grand Duke had rushed to the capital to see her.
<Your Grace, the Grand Duke will definitely come to the capital the moment he hears the news.>
The Empress’s words came back to her, making her cheeks itch.
Her heart fluttered a bit…
I guess I’m nervous.
She hadn’t expected him to arrive so soon after hearing the news, so she wasn’t mentally prepared.
Her face even felt hot, so Annette dunked her head into a basin of warm water and splashed around.
After drying her face with a fluffy towel—
“What… What is all this?”
Annette was surprised to see the room now filled with unfamiliar clothes.
“These are gifts from Her Majesty the Empress Dowager.”
Oh, so these were the gifts.
For a moment, Annette had wondered if the Grand Duke himself was the Empress Dowager’s gift, and her face turned a bit red from embarrassment.
To hide it, she turned her attention to the dresses, and couldn’t help but gasp at how adorable and pretty they were.
They were similar to the one she’d worn yesterday, but with more detail and flair. And unlike before, they fit her perfectly, as if tailored to her new form.
“Princess, you’re like the spring sunshine!”
“Yes! You’re so beautiful!”
Blushing at the ladies-in-waiting’s enthusiasm, Annette fiddled with the soft fabric of her sleeves.
Even though she knew the compliments were customary, she couldn’t stop the fluttering in her heart. At the same time, she felt a bit of anticipation.
Today, Annette chose from a variety of colors—soft pinks often worn by young noble girls, gentle sky blues and pale greens—and selected a light yellow dress with delicate white lace overlay.
It had gotten the best reactions from the attendants, and truthfully, she wanted to leave a cheerful first impression on the Grand Duke.
This should be enough to avoid getting cursed out at first sight, right?
Though her heart was slowly warming from the Imperial Family’s generous and sincere hospitality, she still feared a cold reception.
Swallowing nervously, Annette sat in front of the mirror.
“Ah…”
A quiet gasp escaped her lips.
The reflection in the mirror—praised so much by the maids—looked better than she expected.
Her round, delicate features gave off a harmless charm today. She didn’t look like some cursed monster at all.
But…
Is this really okay…?
No matter how dressed up she was, the fact remained—her appearance was that of a child.
She couldn’t predict how the Grand Duke would react upon seeing his fiancée transformed into a little girl.
“Um…”
“Yes, Princess?”
“What kind of person… is the Grand Duke of Harzent?”
She had hesitated for so long that only now did it occur to her—it was a very late question to ask.
Since it was a political marriage, she hadn’t had any personal interest in the Grand Duke, not even when she signed the engagement agreement.
But after arriving in the empire and meeting the emperor and his family, her curiosity had started to grow.
“The Grand Duke?”
“What exactly do you want to know?”
The maids, who had been picking out hair ornaments, sparkled with excitement at Annette finally showing interest in her fiancé.
They were ready to talk about how intelligent and capable he was—or how handsome he was beneath his mask—when Annette spoke again.
“I’m curious about his personality.”
The unexpected question made the maids’ eyes shake violently.
“H-His personality?”
“His… personality, Your Highness?”
They tried to hide their panic, but exchanged rapid glances.
What should we say?
…The truth?
Are you insane?!
After a silent exchange, Serena, the most senior maid, forced a smile and spoke.
“Princess, the truth is… we don’t know much about the Grand Duke’s personality either.”
To be exact, they were unsure if his arrogant and self-assured nature—the kind that screamed perfection and rubbed people the wrong way—would show in front of Annette.
“You’ll find out yourself when you meet him today.”
“…That’s true.”
Annette nodded, though the answer wasn’t satisfying.
She’d assumed that, having served the empress for so long, they’d know the Grand Duke well too.
I guess he doesn’t keep people close.
Hopefully, he wasn’t too picky or difficult.
She really hoped the rumors weren’t true—that he wasn’t a war maniac who enjoyed bloodshed.
Her heart thumped out of rhythm with a mix of excitement and anxiety as she closed her eyes.
One thing she knew for sure: she needed to hide these red eyes as much as possible.
Meanwhile, at that very moment…
The Grand Duke of Harzent—known by fearsome nicknames like “war fanatic” and “ruthless butcher”—was, just like Annette, in the middle of dressing up.
“Hmm-hmm-hmm~”
Samuel, his aide, sighed as he watched his lord try on outfit after outfit while humming before a full-length mirror.
“Your Grace, perhaps it’s time to stop…”
“Samuel, do you think this looks okay in the princess’s eyes?”
Cardin asked as he adjusted his slightly crooked cravat.
This had been his routine since arriving in the capital last night—buying out the best men’s formalwear and accessories, then spending the entire morning at the palace getting dressed and asking the same question.
“Yes, you look wonderful,”
Samuel replied mechanically, exhausted.
He winced, imagining the eyebrow likely raised behind Cardin’s mask—but it wasn’t a lie.
Tall, impeccably built, dressed in a luminous silk shirt with a black cravat, vest, and jacket—Cardin wasn’t just handsome; he was flawless.
“Truly elegant,” Samuel added, this time genuinely, giving a thumbs-up.
Cardin glanced at the mirror, assessing his reflection with his usual smug flair, but then frowned slightly.
“Would beige look better than black after all?”
“…Pardon? At this point?”
“This is technically our first official meeting. I should leave a soft impression. What if I scare her?”
Scare her? Who, exactly?
Samuel couldn’t stop the incredulous look spreading on his face.
“She’s the continent’s top swordswoman, Your Grace.”
“Well, she’s a child now. And even if she weren’t, I want to come across as kind and thoughtful.”
Cardin shrugged, and Samuel muttered like he’d heard something absurd.
“Kind and… thoughtful…”
If that’s really what you want, maybe start by taking off that mask.
With a face that could charm anyone regardless of gender, even if he wore blood-splattered armor, people would fall for him. Beige or black wouldn’t matter.
But that was out of the question for now, so Samuel kept his thoughts to himself.
Just as he was about to beg—with tears in his voice—that it was finally time to go and to please stop changing outfits—
“What? It’s already this late?! Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”
Cardin shouted in surprise as he checked the time.
I tried! I really did! But every time I opened my mouth, you kept asking if your outfit was okay!
Samuel’s throat was tight with frustration, but once again, he couldn’t voice it.
Because by then, the Grand Duke had already dashed out of the room.