By the time they circled the whole place, it was well past the scheduled hour.
“Would you like to return?”
“No… If I ride now, I think I will get motion sickness.”
Anne, who was about to get into the carriage, found herself out of breath and sat down on a bench next to a tea table where she could relax while admiring the view of the river. She kept running out of breath at the slightest movement now.
“Angroanne, it must be difficult, so try drinking this.”
The Grand Duke instructed the attendant to put a cool drink with ice in front of her. Receiving it with an expressionless face, Anne slowly poured the drink into her mouth.
Even as she walked, the baby continued to kick, perhaps noticing that it was a festival. Anne was startled every time. She should have gotten used to it, but the sudden vibration was difficult to adapt to.
In case she was cold, the Grand Duke placed the shawl he had received from the maid over Anne’s lap. As he crept up to her stomach, he looked like he was dying to put a finger on her belly.
Anne ignored it and brought the drink to her mouth.
Anne sent her gaze to the flower field, feeling sentimental. It was calm and serene. Abelsis flowers fell like snowflakes in the wild wind.
As she silently looked at the wide field in silence, the flowers looked remarkably like snow crystals. It was close to the snow-covered hills she looked down from the cliffs when she first came to the north.
“You’re not going to leave those flowers alone? Just letting it grow because it looks good would be dangerous. It’s pretty, but it’s poisonous.”
“There is no poison in that flower. It’s made from seeds without the poisonous element, so don’t worry.”
“… You improved the breed?”
“Because it could happen to anyone. It could be harmful to our child, so I have to make sure of it.”
The Grand Duke, who referred to the child as ‘our child,’ turned his head to her with a serious expression.
Anne looked into his red eyes, which she had been ignoring all along. A mixture of regret and deep worry filled his eyes. At the same time, it seemed to enter and dig into her complicated brain.
Trying to calm her frustration, Anne repeatedly brought the glass to her mouth and moistened her lips, while the Grand Duke opened his parched lips several times before closing his mouth.
Anne knew all about it, but he still wanted to make a sincere apology. In conclusion, Anne left him because of his own imprudence.
“Your Grace, it will be starting soon.”
But it was cut off by Ashton approaching them. Then, just remembering it, the Grand Duke put his hand inside his jacket and took out a thin piece of paper.
“Oh, the theater troupe sent us tickets too… What do you want to do?”
He took out a ticket and fidgeted with it. Anne also knew that the theater troupe had come today. The Grand Duke couldn’t help but look at her.
The play was also what Anne often went to see with the noble ladies when she was in the capital. It was uncomfortable sitting here pretending nothing happened, so she thought it would be better to watch something.
“Let’s go and see it. They invited us anyway.”
The Grand Duke’s expression immediately brightened.
They were not far away from the theater troupe. Since it was outdoors, the large tent built in the innermost area stood out. It was a tent, but they were not poorly built like barracks.
The theater troupe was famous enough to be talked about by nobles even in the empire, and the interior was nicely decorated with a variety of assortment. It was huge enough to accommodate hundreds of people. Upon entering, the chairs and stage were perfectly set up like the interior of a building.
When they entered, a man who was said to be in charge of the troupe greeted them and guided them to their seats.
“I greet the Honorable Grand Duke and Grand Duchess. It is a great honor to be performing in the North.”
The head of the troupe bowed to the Grand Duke and Anne with a face full of excitement. He guided them to the VIP table, saying that he had paid special attention to them since it was their first time in the North.
Perhaps there was a separate seat for the nobles, but she could see a place with smooth leather-padded chairs placed on a high level above the economy class seats where they could sit comfortably. The head of the trouple added with a proud expression that it was a seat specially prepared for the pregnant Grand Duchess.
In the meantime, some familiar nobles who had already arrived greeted them according to their manners.
“The Grand Duke and the Grand Duchess also came to see the play.”
“I couldn’t hold back my curiosity when I heard that the actors’ skills were excellent. Enjoy watching, both of you.”
Anne replied with a smile on behalf of her blunt husband.
Since then, the head of the troupe said that he put his heart and soul into today’s play and explained what genre it was.
Want to read more chapters and support us? Please consider becoming a patron to read up to 4 chapters in advance!
