I Opened The Birdcage Door

Chapter 17

***

A few days later. I sat in my office and opened the socialite newsletter in front of me. In the most conspicuous place on the first page, the following large letters were engraved:

[The emperor declared his abdication at his birthday banquet]

[Prince Usher asked Duchess Aileen Lowell to dance]

There was even a small part on the bottom that described the dance.

The situation of that day was clearly summarized and known through the typeface.

Sophie, who was looking at me with worried eyes, asked.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes? Yes, I’m okay.”

I smiled and put down the newsletter.

It was not empty words, I was really fine.

“It was all expected when I accepted Usher’s dance request that day. And that doesn’t even affect Usher’s marriage.”

The Crown Prince only asked for a dance once. It could have been a matter of gossip for a while, but it was certain that it would not have much effect on the Prince’s marriage as a result. That was because the events of the day were only published in social media, not newspapers.

Usher knew it too, so he must have come to me that day and asked for help.

I asked Sophie, putting the newsletter aside.

“By the way, didn’t you say you have something to report? What is it?”

“Ah yes. Recently, we received a request from the Knight Order for more staff.”

“More staff?”

“Yes, it seems that Count Rishkan and Baron Harman have recently been stripped of their positions as vassals, and many of their knights have also left.”

Count Rishikan and Baron Harman were vassals who tried to oppose me, and they were caught and condemned after I became Duke.

It has been a long time since they were deprived of their positions and expelled, but only now they requested support for the workforce.

It seemed that the knight commander must have endured quite a lot.

“Yes. If they need it, we have to do it.”

Things like that happen, too. Replenishment of manpower should be done upon request. Above all else, it was very important for the security of the duchy.

However, I did not intend to hire vassals in the field where my power had not yet been fully stabilized.

Bring in the mercenaries, or…

After thinking about it, I said to Sophie.

“Sophie, can you arrange tea time with the Crown Prince?”

***

The next day, I sat down with Usher at a tea table in the Duke’s garden.

“I only sent an invitation for tea time to the Imperial Palace yesterday. You came so quickly.”

“Who is calling? Of course I should come right away. I’m sorry I couldn’t come yesterday.”

Usher answered with a smile. He looked very happy. In fact, Usher and I often had tea time. He regularly visited me after I divorced Sebastian.

When I asked the reason one day, the answer came back, “I thought you would be lonely.”

But it was the first time I had invited Usher like this.

He seemed to be very pleased.

Soon after, the maids poured tea for us. After all the maids had left, Usher took a sip of tea and spoke.

“Did you have a good time? On the day of my father’s birthday party. I wanted to see you off, but you left quietly.”

“Oh. I didn’t want to make the banquet hall noisy for nothing.”

I answered with a smile. After dancing with Usher, everyone’s eyes were on Usher and me. If he had even sent me off, the scandal with Usher and I would have grown in size.

Of course, right after reuniting with Sebastian, I was confused and quietly left the banquet hall without saying goodbye.

“That day……Thank you, Aileen. You quickly noticed that I was in an awkward situation.”

“Your Highness had such eyes to ask for help, and anyone would have recognized it.”

“Oh. Was it too obvious?”

Usher scratched his silver hair in embarrassment. I laughed softly.

“But it was a fun experience for me too. I don’t have very good feelings for Daphne.”

It was childish to say it like that, but it felt good. Daphne was glaring at me from the corner as she didn’t like me and Usher to be together.

The look on her face was quite pleasing to me.

How much did it annoy her? A greedy person like Daphne.

Thinking of her again, I smiled happily involuntarily. The mood between I and Usher wasn’t too bad, knowing that the events of the day wouldn’t have a big impact.

“Oh right. I found a teacher to teach you to dance.”

“… Ah. What?”

“I told you that day. If you learn to dance a little more, you will do well. I will send her here regularly, so if it’s okay with you, try learning it.”

I looked at Usher blankly and smiled in amazement.

“… thank you. I was still going to learn to dance, but you are already ahead of me.”

I was trying to learn to dance. I also wanted to have a hobby where I would use my legs to commemorate that my legs were no longer hurt, and in case I would have to regularly attend banquets in the future.

I didn’t expect that Usher would prepare in advance. I exhaled in a small whisper.

“You help me every time…”

This wasn’t the only time Usher helped me.

After I became Duke, he helped me in various ways so that I could adjust well to my position.

It was also Usher who secretly aided in the expulsion of Count Rishikan and Baron Harman, who betrayed me.

“I’m helping because I want to help, so don’t feel too burdened.”

“… then.”

I decided to ask him shamelessly for another favor. I put down the teacup and said,

“In that case, I have to ask you one more time. In fact, that’s why I asked Your Highness for tea time.”

“Oh, that’s right. What is it?”

“You helped me before…. Due to the expulsion of Count Rishikan and Baron Harman, the knights also seem to be suffering from a shortage of manpower. Until the Knight Order is stabilized, I would like you to borrow the personnel of the Imperial Order for a certain period of time.”

I politely added an explanation.

“To find a mercenary, I have to find a mercenary group with at least a certain level of ability, but it takes too much time and the average contract period is long. Of course, I will pay in return for the loan.”

“Oh, I see.”

Usher nodded.

“Don’t worry. The reason the Imperial Knights are always running at a leisurely pace is to leave room for recruiting in this way. Besides, the Duke Lowell is a family with deep ties to the imperial family, so there’s no reason not to lend it.”

He happily continued.

“I’ll take action as soon as I get back to the Imperial Palace. And don’t worry about money…. Let’s have tea time like this often.”

“… thank you.”

I answered with a smile.

Usher Rosien was a very kind person.

Silence passed. Usher watched me sip my tea with my head bowed slightly. Then he put down his teacup abruptly.

Clank. The sound of his teacup touching the table rang out.

“Aileen.”

“Yes?”

“What do you think about becoming the Crown Princess?”

“……What?”

I looked at Usher with wide eyes. He was looking straight at me.

Feeling a little nervous, I grabbed the teacup tightly. A warm feeling was transmitted.

“That’s what my father said. If you want, I can welcome you again.”

“…”

Leaving me unanswered, Usher continued.

“After throwing the surprise speech at his birthday banquet, my father and I had a deep conversation that night. About you.”

“…”

“My feelings are the same. Was it a feeling of communion? My father must have thought so when he looked at me.”

“…Usher.”

I knew what Usher was talking about.

After the death of the Empress, people made various speculations as to why the emperor did not remarry.

But I clearly knew why. The emperor was a great lover. The emperor loved his wife more than anything.

So the Emperor left her vacant position for a long time after Usher’s mother, the Empress, passed away. For one very trivial reason for an imperial family, he didn’t want to put another woman in his beloved wife’s place.

Was it the same with Usher?

When my legs got hurt, I said goodbye to Usher that I wouldn’t be able to become the Crown Princess.

I still vividly remembered Usher’s expression that day.

The expression of losing everything in the world. An expression that seemed to deny the darkness that first spread in his own world.

From that day on, Usher had no intention of making another Crown Princess. Like his faithful father.

“… … I don’t know.”

But I only answered in a slight perplexed voice.

I vaguely thought that Usher might bring up this subject again, but hearing this openly, the amount of surprise that came to me was greater than I expected.

“Actually…… I’m not sure.”

I continued.

“I recently got divorced. It’s only been six months since I took over the Duchy. It is not yet possible to say that I am fully established in the duchy and social world.”

“Yes.”

“And you know that divorce and remarriage are big flaws for nobles. And, the Empress is someone who represents the Empire.”

“Yes.”

Usher simply replied with a smile. He looked relaxed. More than me speaking with my face blushing in embarrassment.

Rather, Usher looked at me with affectionate eyes.

Soon he grabbed my hand. Maybe it was because he had been sitting outdoors for a long time. His hands were cold, but the way he looked at me was as warm as ever.

“Aileen. I’m not asking you to answer me right now. There is still one year left.”

“…”

“In the meantime, I will try harder. So that you will see me again. No, I’ll make it that you can’t live without me.”

Usher smiled warmly. As if I was the only one he saw in this garden.

I sat facing Usher for a while.