#052. Do You Need Love?
“Huh…?”
The two of them widened their eyes simultaneously, clearly not expecting what I had just said.
“I said to break it. Lady Electra, can you or can’t you break this with one of the tools you have?”
“Well, yes, I can… but I heard jade has to be carefully chipped away from the outside.”
“But Prince Latro said he doesn’t think this is jade, right? Then if it breaks and turns out to be jade, its value might drop—but that would be Prince Latro’s problem, wouldn’t it? Right, Your Highness?”
“Well, that’s true, but if the mineral inside gets damaged—”
“Lady Electra, you’re a mineral expert, and you said the contents inside are jade. If it’s not jade, it’s useless to you anyway. So if it turns out not to be jade, you’ll just have to accept the loss as well, right?”
With every word making sense, the two fell silent. Right—if they both insisted the other should have it, they couldn’t really complain if one decided to break it open.
“Please break it, Lady Electra.”
At my firm instruction, Lady Electra hesitated before picking up the stone she had dropped earlier. Ah. So that’s why she had been fiddling with it all this time—they fought over it.
As expected of someone majoring in mineralogy, her technique was swift.
I had no idea how she managed to split that stone with those slender arms, but she used some tool I didn’t understand—tightened a few screws, adjusted a blade—and the stone cut apart cleanly, like tofu.
The cross-section revealed a shimmering, mysterious color.
“It’s jade.”
I stated simply. Even Lady Electra, who had insisted it was jade, didn’t seem entirely pleased—but that wasn’t my concern.
I waited a bit, but since the two weren’t exchanging any words, I had to raise my voice again.
Sitting here reminded me of mediating childish squabbles between bureaucrats in the Imperial Assembly, and the memory made me feel rather pathetic.
What crime had I committed in my past life that even now, in this one, I was stuck scolding fully grown adults?
“Prince Latro, please apologize and express your thanks to the lady.”
“…I was wrong. I apologize for doubting your judgment. And… thank you for the generous gift.”
Maybe it was because I was involved, or maybe it was because I had threatened to move the lab—either way, Prince Latro behaved with his usual composure and grace.
Perhaps because of that, Lady Electra also responded with her usual kindness.
“No, I’m the one who should apologize for raising my voice so easily. …And thank you again for the albite you gave me earlier. Thanks to that, I was able to proceed with my 51st heavy metal removal experiment.”
Once the situation had been smoothed over, they began to converse more gently with each other. Seeing this rare moment of calm between the two, I quietly left the lab.
“…I still don’t get it.”
I could tell they weren’t truly on bad terms like people assumed. But is that love? I still didn’t understand.
To me, love meant restraint and devotion. It meant hiding one’s feelings, swallowing them in silence. Not even letting your shadow be seen by the passing wind.
“Ah… so that’s it.”
I suddenly realized why I couldn’t understand what Thula had so easily accepted as obvious.
It was because the kind of love I’d experienced my whole life wasn’t normal. For me, love always meant secrecy and concealment.
So the reason I couldn’t understand Electra and Latro’s quarrelsome, abrasive dynamic wasn’t because of any lack of comprehension.
It’s because I couldn’t emotionally grasp what most people referred to as love.
I only accepted it intellectually—because everyone said love was about cherishing and caring for one another.
So observation wasn’t what I needed.
“…Looks like I’ll have to ask the Grand Duke directly.”
Whether the Grand Duke was teasing Lady Martina out of affection or not—I had no way of guessing. The only way to confirm was to ask him outright.
Even if he lied, I wouldn’t be able to tell. But still, it was the only path left to me.
Because, truly, I knew no other kind of love than the one I had known before.
Luckily, the next day was my scheduled tea time with the Grand Duke. To steer the topic toward Lady Martina, I deliberately wore the bracelet I had promised to debut at the tea party with her.
“Hm? What’s this—accessories? That’s rare. Though I must say, it suits your hair color well.”
As expected of the observant Grand Duke, he quickly noticed the bracelet.
“It’s a friendship bracelet I matched with Lady Martina. We agreed to wear it at the tea party together.”
As he held my wrist and inspected the bracelet, the Grand Duke let out a soft chuckle.
“A friendship bracelet? Lady Martina is full of charming antics.”
So the Grand Duke thinks of Lady Martina as cute. That’s useful to know.
While I tucked that away in my mind, he gently rubbed the bracelet between his fingers and asked,
“Should I match one with you too?”
I wasn’t sure if he was trying to tease me or simply wanted to see Lady Martina sulk.
But if I were to match a friendship bracelet with the Grand Duke, I’d probably prioritize that over the one from Lady Martina. Meaning I’d stop wearing hers.
That was probably the point of his joke. I responded calmly,
“I happen to have two arms, so I suppose that wouldn’t be a bad idea.”
It was my polite way of saying: I don’t care if this turns into a love triangle—just leave me out of it.
“Hahaha!”
The Grand Duke didn’t seem the slightest bit offended by my remark, so I decided to go straight to the point.
“Your Grace.”
“I permit you to speak.”
“If you do have feelings for Lady Martina, I hope you’ll tell me honestly. I’m willing to help.”
At that, a brief twitch crossed the Grand Duke’s face.
“Princess Blanche.”
“Please, go ahead.”
“Take this as a request or an order, whichever you prefer—but I’d really appreciate it if you refrained from unnecessary speculation.”
It’s not unnecessary, though.
The Grand Duke may not know it, but Lady Martina thinks something is going on between him and me.
She’s even said she would turn him down if he liked her, to remain loyal to me.
So if things continue like this, the odds of anything progressing between them are slim. Unless, of course, the Grand Duke isn’t interested in her at all—in which case, it doesn’t matter. But if he does like her, this needs to be fixed now.
“It’s not unnecessary. Aren’t discussions about the future Grand Duchess already underway?”
If the Grand Duke were just an ordinary boy and Lady Martina an ordinary girl, this wouldn’t be so urgent.
In normal noble households, unless it’s a betrothal from the womb, engagements happen in the mid-teens and marriage in the early twenties.
But the Grand Duke is the Grand Duke. The competition for his future wife would already be fierce.
“…Since you brought it up, I’ll answer honestly. You know you’re currently the most likely candidate, right?”
The Grand Duke rubbed his brow as if he were tired. Not that I should say this, but he had a very adult-like gesture—it was hard to believe he wasn’t hiding his real age.
“Yes, I’m aware. That’s why I’m asking.”
As he said, the people around us were already pairing us up.
Now that I’m entangled with the royal family, whether or not I become Grand Duchess isn’t something I can decide alone. So I didn’t particularly mind being considered the top choice. But if he liked someone else, that changed things.
If he had someone in mind, I needed to know before I was chosen as his fiancée. If he changed his mind afterward, it would be messy.
And I would be left looking like the one who got dumped.
“If there is someone you like, I’ll help you be with her. Please, just tell me honestly.”
“…Haa.”
The Grand Duke lowered his hand from his nose and tapped the table lightly.
“Is it because I haven’t given you a jewel? Do you not realize that I currently favor you the most as my future duchess?”
I had a feeling he’d say that—but hearing it out loud was still something else.
I didn’t know whether to sigh in relief or frustration.
“But it’s not because you love me that you want me as your duchess, is it?”
He probably preferred me because I seemed like I’d make the most capable duchess. But even if I weren’t his wife, I could still help him—I could support the person he did choose.
If he had someone he truly wanted as a partner, I’d rather he picked her.
If I had to choose between being a duchess out of obligation and freely supporting one, I’d much prefer the latter.
The Grand Duke looked at me quietly and asked,
“Do you need it?”
I shook my head. Perhaps taking that as a refusal, he asked again,
“No, tell me. I said I’d give you anything you needed. Do you… need love?”
