Why. Why on earth was Daniela here?
And why was she cradled in the Grand Duke's arms?
He understood none of it.
But one thing was certain: the situation was far from pleasant.
"The reason my subordinate drew his sword is precisely because he cannot abide the discourtesy unfolding before him. Your Highness."
"Ha! How dare a subject of the Empire presume to judge what is discourteous?"
The man clicked his tongue, visibly disgusted by the Crown Prince's petulant display.
Everyone was watching.
While no one moved to intervene, the Grand Duke surveyed the room.
"Your Highness. Judgment belongs to those who are worthy of it. When Your Highness takes pleasure in a woman's tears, did it never occur to you that propriety had already sunk to its lowest depths?"
The Grand Duke studied Daniela's face where she lay nestled against him.
Not wanting to show her tear-streaked cheeks, she pressed her face deeper into his chest.
Leo stood behind them, eyes sharp and watchful. The other guards could not easily approach.
"How utterly pathetic and foolish this must appear."
"What did you say? Guards — tear this man's mouth apart!"
One or two guards finally began to advance.
But they could not close the distance easily.
Leo drew his sword in an instant and stepped forward to meet the nearest guard. He gave the man a light tap on the chest and pushed him back. It was barely a shove, yet the guard stumbled several paces.
"Your Highness. Allow me to share what I learned in the North."
The Grand Duke gestured for Leo to bring him the sword. Leo offered it with both hands, holding the blade until the Grand Duke had a firm grip.
"You said to tear my mouth apart? Then do it yourself. Your Highness. Take up that noble sword and come at me."
The Grand Duke raised the sword in one hand and pointed it at the Crown Prince. It was an unmistakable provocation — yet the Crown Prince did not move.
His lips trembled. He seized Kartina's hand. The Grand Duke let out a short, contemptuous laugh.
"If you cannot manage even that, then sit quietly and smile. Along with that girl from House de Bosch."
"You — you are no different yourself!"
He did not answer. The Grand Duke began to withdraw.
To call it a withdrawal was generous — the weight pressing down on the banquet hall had not lifted in the slightest.
The Grand Duke gathered Daniela fully into his arms.
Leo fell in behind him, watching their backs as he followed. The Grand Duke's parting words were brief.
"The North does not forget kindness, nor does it forget enemies. Those who have slighted Wintergard will receive what is owed to them."
As the banquet hall doors closed, the Marquess of Barth watched his daughter and the Grand Duke.
He felt no need to step inside. A new calculation had begun.
"Where is Daniela's room?"
"This way, Your Grace."
The maids led them slowly down the corridor. The door stood open.
Leo waited until he confirmed that the two of us had entered together, then drew the door shut behind us.
No one would be permitted inside now. That included the Marquess of Barth.
In the quiet of the room,
there were only the two of us.
"Are you all right?"
I tried to set Daniela down, but she did not easily leave my arms. I settled carefully onto the edge of the bed.
Daniela sat down beside me. She seemed determined not to let me see her face.
"Daniela. Are you all right?"
Apparently not. She kept rubbing her face against my coat. Quite like a child.
Just a few hours ago she had made no effort to hide her reluctance. There must have been a reason for that, I had thought.
But I hoped she could leave all of it behind, now.
"Look at me."
A laugh escaped me before I could stop it. Her short hair kept finding its way into her mouth. Her eyes were swollen red, twice their usual size.
She had cried so thoroughly that any pretense of composure was simply beyond her now.
"Was it very hard?"
Daniela nodded. I had nothing more to say, so I said nothing.
I sat in silence and listened to the noise growing louder outside. Leo would handle it.
"You held on, though. Well done."
"I had a feeling it would come to this."
"So that's why you didn't want to come."
Daniela pulled away from me. She sat properly on the edge of the bed. The tracks of her tears were still plain on her face. Her dress was torn beyond recognition — nothing remained of its former splendor.
"Look at me."
Daniela finally looked at me directly.
She ducked her head, as though embarrassed, but even that was fine with me. I thought, of course, that my own whim had brought this about.
"I didn't think you'd be subjected to that kind of humiliation in there."
"No. It's my fault."
"It isn't your fault. It's mine."
If I had known it would come to this, I would have left her in the North. My thinking had been shallow. There were things I had failed to anticipate.
I hadn't expected the Crown Prince to appear at this gathering. In the novel, there had been only one occasion where our paths were meant to cross — so I had assumed events would simply follow their course. But something unforeseen had happened.
"If I had known, I would have left you in the North."
"No."
"If you had stayed in the North, you would never have had to endure this humiliation."
Perhaps it was my self-reproach. Daniela, of all people, began reassuring me that it was nothing.
But there was one thing I wanted her to understand.
"This is your home. I thought bringing you back would make you happy."
"I am happy. I am."
"Then that's a relief."
I couldn't find more words. My chest felt unsettled. The exchange with the Crown Prince had been a kind of mistake — I had let emotion run ahead of reason. But it had to be done. The reason being —
Well. The reason. That was the sort of thing no one else could know.
"What you said to the Crown Prince — how could you say something like that?"
The tears had stopped. The feeling had settled. Daniela and I had been sitting in silence, and the question came as a way to break through the awkward quiet.
Well. I hadn't given that part much thought.
But one thing was clear: beyond what I had anticipated, the Crown Prince had been thoroughly unimpressive.
What could one expect of a man whose softness had never been tested by a single real fight?
"It's fine. A child throwing a tantrum — that's well within what I can handle."
"But you shouldn't have had to..."
I didn't like the way Daniela's voice shrank into itself. Least of all because the cause of it was a man who amounted to so little.
I was a little more angry.
One could ask, of course — why hadn't she pushed back in that moment?
"I was frightened."
Those were the words I liked least.
"You don't need to worry."
"H-honestly, I'm a woman who's been cast out now. I have nothing left. Who would ever..."
"Stop."
Daniela's rambling continued. Sitting there on the edge of the bed, she seemed to be disappearing before my eyes. She had been better off in the North. Perhaps my own whim had created this.
I disliked that. I had lived as Grand Duke for nearly twenty years, and in truth there was no one who could argue against the Grand Duke's word.
"The North was so good. There was a Grand Duke who welcomed me, and it was bright, and warm."
"I'm glad. I'm glad you found it good."
"That's why I was torn. I — I don't deserve this anymore. And yet you keep telling me to go by Wintergard. Does that even make sense?"
I listened quietly to Daniela's rambling. It was a dilemma.
Her dilemma — why is he being kind to me, why is he doing this for me — those kinds of thoughts. The North she had seen over the past month had been so utterly different from what she knew.
"I — I want to ask you something. Grand Duke."
"Anything."
"Am I — am I truly a Wintergard?"
Wintergard is a surname that only the Grand Duke of the North may bear. There is only ever one Wintergard.
With one single exception. And others knew this as well.
I decided to give the answer I had been turning over since yesterday.
"Truthfully — no. Wintergard is a surname only one person may carry. Not unless I permit it."
"I suppose that's how it would be..."
"For you, I will permit it. If you do not wish to carry the name von Barth, you will be a Wintergard."
"But that's..."
"You don't need to read too much into it. But what is certain is this — you are the only person I have ever permitted to call themselves Wintergard."
Daniela's rambling continued. Sometimes it feels like too much of a burden, and so on. But being called Wintergard is such an honor, and so forth.
So did she dislike it? Or did she want it? There was only one choice either way.
"You don't want it?"
"It's not that I don't want it..."
"I don't want to push you into a corner. But at least while you're in the South — you need to be a Wintergard."
I took Daniela's face in my hands.
"It's because of a mistake I made."
I stood up. A conditional permission.
"If it feels like too much, you don't have to. But in the South — if anything happens — you will always be a Wintergard."
I needed to quiet the commotion outside now. I gave Daniela's hair a light stroke.
The rambling had finally stopped. I told her to rest for a while, then stepped to her door.
Leo's voice was ringing through the corridor. Strange how he only ever stumbled over his words in front of me.
"I say again — unless the Grand Duke gives the order, no one enters."
"This is the command of the Imperial Crown Prince! Stand aside."
"Until the Grand Duke gives his order, no one passes."
I should step out before things turned serious.
"Rest for a moment. Would you like to stay here tonight?"
"N-no. Grand Duke, let's go out together."
"Together?"
"Just — just give me a moment."