#068. My Opinion Probably Doesn’t Matter Anymore
It wasn’t just vague hints — I was basically being told not to meet Princess Starte at all. I opened my eyes a little wider.
“Do you mean it would be better for me to completely withdraw from this matter?”
The Grand Duke sighed deeply, then, looking genuinely reluctant to speak, slowly began.
“It seems this is about to escalate into a family dispute. So it’s better for you not to get involved.”
Ah, so it really has gotten that serious. I rubbed my throbbing forehead. I should have just ended it quickly and parted ways.
It was only natural.
Although Princess Starte’s homeland, the Kingdom of Dalrin, was a bit far away, there was no way the Baron Melek family and the Count Mastera family would just stand by while this emotional conflict dragged on.
If the matter lingered and rumors spread, intervention was inevitable.
“Truly… I’m sorry.”
That was all I could say.
If only I hadn’t foolishly decided to act as a bridge between the peace envoy and the empire’s nobles.
If only I hadn’t thought it would be better if everyone had an equal chance.
If only I had let them remain inside the imperial palace as they originally had.
If only I had quietly accepted the fortune given to me without stirring things up.
The Grand Duke stopped the chain of self-reproach.
“Well, it’s not your fault. Princess Starte is technically free to do as she pleases. The real problem lies with Mastera’s heir, who played around with the princess despite having a fiancée.”
I blinked at his unexpected judgment.
“That’s surprising. I thought Your Grace believed Lady Melek was the one being stubborn.”
“Hmm, I do think so.”
The Grand Duke pulled the cup closer, took a sip of tea, then whispered with a sigh.
“But that doesn’t mean I’m siding with Mastera’s heir.”
I realized I’d never actually heard the Grand Duke’s thoughts on these three people. More precisely, I’d avoided going deep into that topic—fearing that delving too much into a divisive issue might spark a real dispute.
“Then, Your Grace, what would you consider the ideal resolution to this?”
“The best would be for them to break off the original engagement, and for Mastera’s heir and Princess Starte to become formally betrothed. That would also strengthen diplomatic ties with the Kingdom of Dalrin.”
“But doesn’t Lady Melek oppose breaking off the engagement?”
If she truly intended that, she would have ended things by now. Still, the Grand Duke didn’t seem interested in Lady Melek’s wishes.
“Technically, the engagement wasn’t made with Lady Melek’s true consent anyway. It’s an unwanted engagement that will just be broken despite her wishes.”
“That seems… unfair. Lady Melek hasn’t done anything wrong.”
I knew this matter was no longer in our hands. No matter what conclusion we thought best, or who we thought at fault, it wouldn’t matter anymore.
But precisely because of that, I was even more curious about the Grand Duke’s opinion. Now, no matter what he thought, I had no reason to change my stance or bow my head.
“This is also for Lady Melek’s sake.”
The Grand Duke tilted the teapot and poured another cup of tea.
“Would you trust Mastera’s heir? A man who, even though engaged, was caught seeing another woman, was warned by me personally, yet still failed to end the affair, dragging it out until it became a family issue?”
Of course, I wouldn’t trust him either. But—
“Yet Lady Melek knew this and decided not to break off the engagement. Shouldn’t we respect that decision?”
I thought it foolish to make decisions based on emotion. In public matters, I ignored emotional opinions and pushed my own.
But in private matters, I respected others’ feelings.
Even if I thought there was a better path, or that they were making a foolish choice, that foolishness was still their will.
Everyone should at least have the freedom to ruin their own life.
“It’s hard to make rational judgments at that age anyway. Once the head of the family has decision-making power, it’ll go toward breaking the engagement. After all, the Mastera and Melek families arranged this engagement as an exchange of money and prestige. Now that Mastera’s heir caused this trouble, he’s no longer a good match.”
The Grand Duke’s words were perfectly reasonable. The Melek Baron family built their wealth through business and sought to elevate their status, while the fallen Count Mastera family only wanted money to rebuild their house.
Thus, it made sense that the suitable match was Lady Melek and Mastera’s heir—it didn’t have to be a partner from the opposite family.
“Lady Melek might feel abandoned now and hurt, but in the long run, it’s better to get appropriate compensation and break the engagement. It’s fortunate it hasn’t reached marriage yet.”
From Melek’s perspective, it’s better to look for a worthy heir from another family rather than risk Mastera’s heir cheating again after marriage.
And the Mastera family has no grounds to oppose breaking the engagement since their child caused the problem.
Ignoring Lady Melek’s wishes, breaking the engagement is the right choice for both families. I judged this logically.
“You look unconvinced.”
Indeed, I wasn’t.
After all, wasn’t Lady Melek the one least at fault? The head of her family arranged a wrong engagement partner, Mastera’s heir was unfaithful, and Princess Starte was involved with him.
Lady Melek only did as told, yet the situation worsened and even her choices were taken away.
“Do you still think it’s unfair?”
But I also realized continuing this conversation was pointless.
I’d heard the Grand Duke’s true thoughts. I understood how he felt about this matter. So I had gained all I could from this talk.
“My opinion probably doesn’t matter anymore.”
Normally, this would be the point where he’d argue that he’d handle it somehow. But this time, he simply nodded.
“Well, that’s true. My opinion doesn’t matter anymore either.”
After all, if this involved foreign countries, it was no longer a matter for a fifteen-year-old Grand Duke to settle.
For the Grand Duke to agree so readily now, after always saying he’d help, must mean that when he said that before, he meant he’d help only if I asked.
Feeling the sincerity in his words for the first time, I smiled a little. Ironically, only now that my opinion no longer carried weight did I come to believe him.
“So, will the Empress Dowager take charge of this matter?”
“Probably. Whether she will handle it personally or appoint someone suitable is up to her.”
I truly felt how much this issue had snowballed.
If only the princess had heeded my advice, or Lady Melek had listened to the Grand Duke’s suggestion, it wouldn’t have escalated this far.
“This is complicated.”
“It is.”
The Grand Duke gave a tired smile. After all, despite being a reincarnated soul, he was still in the body of a fifteen-year-old.
Just as I felt limits even with the abilities and memories of Ebaekryun, the Grand Duke surely had his own limits.
Thinking so, I felt a little tender toward him.
“But at least there’s still time before I enter the academy…”
When I first came to this empire, my only goal was simple: to live a peaceful life. I wanted just enough power to protect the children under my care.
But after dealing with the emperor and catching the empress’s attention, my goals kept shifting.
Despite trying to hide my talents, word spread that I had a sharp mind.
So then—
“If there’s anything I can help with, please don’t hesitate to ask.”
Since my original goal was already ruined, and I was now bound to the Grand Duke’s fate, was there any point in keeping my talents hidden?
If I was going to be with him anyway, maybe I could try using my abilities a little—for his sake too.
“I’ll help wherever I can.”
That’s why I thought it might be okay to use my abilities not just for Tula, but also for the Grand Duke.
The Grand Duke chuckled and said it wasn’t something I needed to worry about. He probably assumed I had no interest in politics and cared only about my studies, so he was being considerate.
But if I put my mind to it, there was nothing I couldn’t do.
First, Panya would find out who my “enemies” were, and other connections could provide me with up-to-date information about the social scene, if not direct political news, which could be useful in other ways.
So, after a long time, I accepted an invitation to a tea party sent by an imperial child. For the Grand Duke’s sake.
