Edith couldn’t help but giggle at his voice. The almost monotone voice sounded genuinely curious about why she was laughing.

She remembered a senior who was like that—preferring to probe ‘why’ rather than engaging in light chatter. Even though that senior wasn’t particularly sociable, which made most of her peers uncomfortable around him, she strangely liked him.

“Well, talking with the Duke reminded me of someone I used to know. Someone from the past.”

“In what way do you find that person and me similar?”

“Um… like how you just asked that question?”

Edith playfully responded. Recalling a close old acquaintance made her cheerful, and she continued to smile, which caught the Duke’s attention.

“You seem to be in a good mood.”

“We were really close. Probably the closest, I’d guess?”

That must have been the case. No, definitely, she felt confident about it. However, the Duke’s expression seemed slightly odd as he listened. Despite appearing expressionless, there was something almost like a frown, making Edith curious.

Then, he asked.

“…You were close to someone similar to me?”

“Yes, of course! I liked them a lot. We couldn’t meet much because we lived far apart, though.”

They had been very close until that senior went abroad for further studies. After that, they still kept in touch through messaging. To Edith, who was born the eldest, it felt like she had gained an older sister.

“Do you still keep in touch with this person?”

“Not really. It’s difficult because of certain circumstances.”

Because we’re not in the same world…

Edith swallowed back the rest of her thoughts.

Was it because they had enjoyed their conversation? Walking through the long corridor didn’t feel tedious at all.

Their seats were on the second-floor balcony, directly overlooking the stage and audience. Edith quickly realized these were among the best seats in the theater. She was hit anew by the fact that this young, handsome man, Duke Devion, was truly a Duke. It might sound funny, but it was true.

A Duke!

For her, a commoner who had never imagined her life as a Duchess, everything that was happening felt incredibly surreal.

“Then, there’s nothing to worry about for now.”

“Pardon?”

Edith was puzzled by his seemingly out-of-the-blue remark when, suddenly, a commotion reached her ears.

“What is this insolence? No seats available?”

“Well, that’s… I’m terribly sorry, Grand Duchess Valencia, but the top floor seats are already fully booked…”

A sharp voice echoed through the hall, drawing everyone’s attention. Edith, who looked down, saw an angry noblewoman and a little girl enter.

“So, you’re saying that Vivi and I should watch the play from these insignificant, lower seats? Are you insulting Grand Duchy Valencia?”

“That’s not what I meant…”

Although the exact issue was unclear, there seemed to be a dispute over seating. Edith’s gaze drifted away from the irate noblewoman and froze when she saw the young girl standing beside her.

[ ♥ Precious Children Treasure Box ♥ ]
NEW!

Name: ??? || Age: ?? years old
Likeability: 0/100 || Stress: 100/100 [Danger]
Concentration: 99/100 [Caution] || Sensitivity: 110/100 [Danger]
Depression: 100/100 [Danger] || Desire Satisfaction: 5/100 [Caution]

Trilling!

A semi-transparent skill window popped up before her eyes with a sound. Seeing it filled with numerous red warning texts.

Edith was speechless at the sight.

…Oh, God.

Faced with the child’s status window, she felt an urge to seek God despite her lack of faith. Sensitivity, stress, depression—all were near or beyond maximum!

‘This is too severe!’

This was the first time. Having had this ability for over a decade, she had never seen a child in such a critical condition.

“Do you have any connection with Grand Duchess Valencia?”

Startled by the alarming figures, Edith quickly turned her head when the Duke spoke, noticing her intense gaze.

“No! It’s my first time seeing her. I was just looking down to see what was happening.”

“I see.”

Despite the fact that the commotion was hard to ignore, the Duke seemed largely uninterested. It seemed he wouldn’t have even glanced if Edith hadn’t shown interest.

“Duke, do you know who the girl standing next to Grand Duchess Valencia is? I was wondering if she might be her daughter.”

“Are you referring to Lady Valencia, Vivianne Valencia? She is the sole daughter of Grand Duke Valencia and the Emperor’s niece. I believe she turns eleven this year.”

The Duke’s gaze followed Edith’s to the girl. His factual information, almost like reading a dictionary, left her silent. Somehow, she felt that she could get a precise answer to any question from the Duke.

“If she’s the Emperor’s niece… so, she’s royalty then?”

No wonder the attitude was extraordinary, it wasn’t an ordinary lineage. The Grand Duchess exuded the aura of a chaebol, reminiscent of those Edith had seen in the news.

‘It seems the same everywhere in this aspect!’

Watching the unfortunate staff member being harassed reminded Edith of her own past experiences with difficult customers during her part-time jobs. Was there anything more challenging than dealing with difficult people?

She silently commiserate with him.

“The Lady is indeed royalty.”

“Pardon?”

“The Lady is royalty, but the Grand Duchess is not.”

Taken aback by the unexpected explanation, Edith blinked. It was puzzling to hear that about the Grand Duchess, who bore the Lady.

Typically, marrying into royalty would naturally include one in the royal family.

“The Grand Duchess is a count’s daughter. She married the Grand Duke. Their marriage faced much opposition. Had it not been the Grand Duke’s second marriage, it might have been more difficult.”

Noticing her confusion, the Duke added this explanation. Edith then understood his point at that.

Traditionally, there was a clear distinction in status between royalty and nobility within the empire. That was why the empire’s royalty often married foreign royalty.

Within the empire, suitable marriage candidates typically come from families with royal lineage in their distant ancestry or from related noble families, leading to engagements generally with families of at least a marquis or higher rank.

Grand Duchess Valencia came from a county. From beginning to end, she was only a ‘nobility,’ never within the boundary of ‘royalty.’

“The Lady is the Grand Duke’s daughter but also the daughter of the Grand Duchess, who comes from a noble family. She cannot inherit the Grand Duke’s title and privileges.”

There were many restrictions even after the couple successfully married. One of those restrictions was the issue of inheritance rights, which the Duke mentioned.

Edith’s gaze lingered on the mother and daughter of the Valencia Ducal family. It felt surreal to encounter such a scenario in real life, although she might have read about similar situations in history books.

“There are rumors that the Grand Duke cares so much for the Lady that he wishes to pass on his title to his daughter, but that won’t be easy. There’s little precedent.”

“Are you also disrespecting me?”

While Edith was absorbing the explanation, the Grand Duchess, who had been growing increasingly irritable, finally exploded in anger. Unable to understand why the Duchess felt ‘disrespected,’ she now grasped the context.

The Grand Duchess seemed to suffer from a sort of inferiority complex regarding her status.

Name: Vivianne Valencia || Age: 11
Stress: 130/100 [!!DANGER!!]

[ Immediate action is needed for the precious child. ]

The skill window updated with new information, flashing ominously like a warning of impending doom, prompting Edith to stand up abruptly.

“Mother, there seems to have been a misunderstanding.”

The Lady, who had been standing silently like a doll beside her increasingly agitated mother, finally spoke up for the first time.

__