Asella was with Mariel at the time when Zeke was making the ridiculous rounds on the training grounds for his fooling around and Ryzen for the crime of having him as a best friend.

Asella’s reddened eyes had settled down enough to be adequately hidden by her makeup, thanks to Margo’s tender care and ice packs.

“Mariel, weren’t you scared last night?”

“I wasn’t scared at all because I slept hugging a teddy bear! I even saw Goddess Hernia in my dream!”

She was worried that she might have heard the noises last night, but fortunately, Mariel seemed to have slept soundly. With a relieved heart, Asella now had to relay the news of the tutor to Mariel too.

“His Excellency has promised to find you a new teacher to help you. We’ll have a splendid teacher soon, so let’s just wait a little longer.”

“Yes! I’ll be fine, so don’t worry too much, Sister.”

Mariel nodded. Her attitude showed no signs of disappointment but rather a confident attitude.

‘She wanted to attend the academy so badly…’

Asella patted Mariel’s head, feeling sorry for her sister, who was anxious but didn’t show any signs of distress on her face because of how little time was left before the entrance exam. The child’s soft hair wrapped snugly around her hand.

“Ah!”

Mariel, who had been silently enjoying Asella’s touch, suddenly clapped her hands as if she had remembered something.

“Sister, did you get to go to the garden by any chance?”

“No, but what about it?”

“They have flowers blooming all over the garden, and they told me it’s very pretty. They even said they have a glass greenhouse in a sunny part of the castle!”

Mariel exclaimed as her eyes glistened with excitement.

“We should go there too!”

Asella wore an awkward smile.

She had no idea if she could walk around the castle without permission. Furthermore, she was afraid of how Calix, who was upset with her, might react, as she didn’t want to upset him further.

“I asked the maid earlier, and she said if I wanted to go, I should just tell her to go with me!”

Asella turned to look at Margo. The woman nodded her head in affirmation and answered.

“Yes. I heard the flowers in the greenhouse are in full bloom since the weather has been warm recently. It would be nice to enjoy a cup of tea while admiring the view of the blooming flowers.”

“But I have not yet obtained His Excellency’s permission.”

“I was instructed to be ready to take a walk whenever you wish, Your Highness.”

But Asella did not feel comfortable making the decision. She might have done so if it had been yesterday afternoon, but now she had a change of heart. Margo, reading her expression, added.

“Your Highness is the Grand Duchess and hostess of the Benvito family. Apart from a very few spaces used only by the Grand Duke, there is nowhere you cannot go to in this castle.”

A tiny flutter ran through her blue eyes. What was Margo talking about? Hostess? The word didn’t fit her situation at all.

‘How come…’

Asella remembered the cruel and merciless Lord of the Benvito family, her husband. The man who had assassinated her mother, Adele, would one day kill her and Mariel too.

‘I thought he would be harsh and cruel to me.’

She was prepared to the extent that she might be locked in a room and have her comings and goings controlled or her activities restricted.

The thought that she might be beaten if she made any mistake also came to her mind.

Frankly, it was not as if husbands using violence against their spouses was an uncommon practice among the nobility.

“Sister! Sister! What are you thinking about so deeply like that?!”

Mariel’s lively voice broke through Asella’s thoughts.

“…It’s nothing.”

“Can’t we go? I wanted to take a walk earlier, but I held back until now from going so we can go together! Let’s go, hmm?”

Mariel kept urging her tirelessly. She tried to coax her out, but a child’s stubbornness was truly amazing. Eventually, Asella agreed to follow along with Mariel.

“Instead, it’s only until sunset, okay?”

“Yeah, okay!”

Mariel’s blue eyes sparkled brightly. Asella smiled at her sister’s bright smile. Her aching heart seemed to settle down, even if only by a little bit.