“…!”

The Duke continued to speak towards Liriette, whose eyes were shining.

“I will leave the knights behind, so if you want to return to the castle anytime, come back. It’s good to work hard, but you don’t have to endure the pain. Whatever it is.”

“Yes, I will.”

The Duke’s face softened a little at the courageous reply.

That’s how Liriette’s future was decided.

That evening, the Duke prepared to leave the mansion with the knights. He asked the knights standing behind Liriette with a cool face.

“Always put Liriette’s safety first.”

It was a short statement, but the meaning behind it was clear.

If you don’t protect Liriette properly, you will die by my hand.

Villaim and the knights, who understood the meaning, answered with a loud voice, “Yes!”

The Duke lowered his head and looked at Liriette with a completely different look than before.

“Be good.”

“Yes. Please return carefully too, Duke.”

He stroked Liriette’s small head with a large hand. She smiled and looked at him.

Liriette went out to the front of the mansion and watched the Duke leave.

After the Duke’s figure had completely disappeared, Liriette placed her hands on her chest.

‘Strange. I’ve only been separated from the Duke for a few days…’

Regret. Anxiety. loneliness. All sorts of bad feelings ran through her.

But soon, Liriette gave strength to her eyes. She had no time to be intoxicated by these feelings.

She turned her body and headed for the inner chamber of the mansion.

In the large, luxurious room, Olivia sat with her back straight.

She was as beautiful as a painting, yet Liriette felt a sense of intimidation, as if a tiger was sitting on it.

But instead of being frightened, she gave strength to her eyes and put her hands together.

“I’m sorry to have kept you waiting, Madam Olivia.”

Olivia looked at her with a piercing gaze and said.

“Unlike earlier, when you greeted awkwardly and wanted to be cute, you greet politely.”

“Because earlier I was simply saying hello to Grandma, and now I’m standing in front of you to be a lady worthy of the Duchess of Windsor-Ice. I must be lacking in many things, but I want to be taught a lot.”

Although she spewed out adult-like words, Liriette was frightened.

Her big eyes showed tension that she couldn’t hide, and her small hands were trembling.

However, that was enough.

To gauge Liriette’s chances of becoming the child of the Duke of Windsor-Ice.

‘At least this kid didn’t cry in front of me and said what she had to say clearly.’

It was difficult even for an adult to do.

The corners of Olivia’s lips rose slightly.

***

Olivia taught Liriette herself without calling a tutor.

In fact, it was more of a training than an education for her.

Olivia was sitting in her chair. Beneath her fierce eyes was tiny Liriette.

Liriette, who had been wearing a long dress since early morning, held the hem of her skirt in her hands and bowed her head.

“Greetings, Madam Olivia. I’m Liriette von Windsor-Ice.”

“…”

Since she had been taught noble manners by the High Priest, Liriette’s greeting was quite good.

However, in Olivia’s eyes, she wasn’t full of spirituality.

She said, raising her perfectly trim eyebrows.

“Even if the person in front of you is higher than you, you don’t have to bow that far. Keep your back straighter and never avert your gaze. You’re a Windsor-Ice.”

Never belittle anyone.

Be strong at all times.

That was what Olivia valued most. And also an extremely difficult part for Liriette.

“Greetings, Madam Olivia. I’m Liriette von Windsor Ice.”

Liriette bent her back less than before and gave her light blue eyes a lot of energy. She raised her voice even more.

But…

“You seem like a squirrel meeting a wildcat, paying attention to when it will be eaten.”

Olivia’s reaction was brutal. Liriette felt like crying a little.

But Liriette continued to greet her several times without marking it.

After that, the training continued.

How to walk, how to talk, how to drink tea, how to eat…

There were countless things that the Princess of Windsor-Ice had to get used to.

It wasn’t until the sun went down did Olivia say.

“Today, we will end here.”

Liriette was in a state of extreme tension. She had to learn many things nonstop from morning to evening, and she was reaching her limit.

Her face was pale and her legs trembled.

Even so, Liriette grabbed one side of her skirt and smiled at her.

“Thank you for teaching me so much, Madam Olivia.”

This greeting was also learned from Olivia.

But this time, Olivia’s brow was furrowed.

If she was a Windsor-Ice, even when she said thanks, she had to cover herself with an icy aura.

Yet Liriette seemed to find it very difficult.

‘Even though she said that, it’s still soft like pudding.’

One good thing though, is that Liriette’s eyes don’t show any emotions such as ‘It’s hard’ or ‘I don’t want to do it’.

So instead of sternly scolding her, Olivia said with a solemn face.

“Now go and rest.”

Liriette staggered her body the moment she left the room.

‘When I was at the temple, I prayed from dawn, worked all day, or was punished, so I thought I could do well in the class, but I didn’t.’

She had to pay attention to her breathing, to the blinking of her eyes, to the movement of each of her fingers, in order for her to learn the manners of a lady.

Liriette felt a terrible tiredness she had never felt before.

‘It’s hard.’

She wanted to go to her own room right away and lay down on her bed.

Yet sadly she couldn’t. Because she still had work to do.

“Follow me.”

The place where the maids took Liriette to was a huge and beautiful bathroom.

Liriette liked to wash her body in warm water. But she couldn’t enjoy a comfortable bath at all here.

It was because of the bathing attendants that she received from four maids.

‘It’s awkward and embarrassing.’

However, she couldn’t say she didn’t like it, like in Windsor-Ice Castle.

Olivia said, this was also something a noblewoman had to get used to.

The maids undressed Liriette with their deft touch, then took her little hand and escorted her to the bathtub.

Rose petals floated on top of the warm bath water.

The maids lathered Liriette all over her body with soap in a soft lather, and lubricated her silver hair with a generous amount of soft oil.

Entrusting her body to the maids, Liriet thought with her apple-like red face.

‘They’re definitely talented, I’m in a really good mood.’

Still, she didn’t feel comfortable seeing as many as four people struggling to wash her alone.

So on the first day of the bath, Liriette thanked the maids.

The maids jumped up as if they had been told something they should never have heard.

[A honorable noble lady shouldn’t greet maids like us privately.]

Liriette wanted to apologize for the serious reaction, and she never said such a thing again.

Although she greeted hard inwardly.

‘Thank you again today.’

Whether or not they knew Liriette’s feelings, the maids finished her bath with the utmost sincerity.

Liriette, who entered her room wearing a fluttering white nightgown, looked in the mirror.

She had only been treated for a few days, and the changes she could see were enormous.

Her silver hair was more shiny, and her round face was as smooth and white as a beaten egg.

‘I must have become a beautiful lady.’

Yet her shy thoughts vanished the moment Olivia entered her room.

Olivia, perfectly maintained, from her hair to her fingernails, her undisturbed eyes, looked down at Liriette with a fierce gaze.

Liriette tensed up and swallowed her saliva, but she didn’t avoid Olivia’s gaze and raised the corner of her lips.

It was an aristocratic smile that had been practiced countless times.

“Why did you come to my room late at night?”

Olivia answered Liriette’s elegant question.

“I have work tomorrow, so I’m leaving the mansion, you don’t have to come.”

“…”

“That doesn’t mean you should rest like a pig that has nothing to do. I’ll give you a book to read while I’m gone, read it. I’ll come back and check to see if you’ve read the book, so don’t think about doing anything else.”

“Yes, I will.”

Olivia nodded at Liriette’s quick reply and left the room.

“We’re going to leave as well. Call me whenever you need.”

The maids, who had served on Liriette the whole time, bowed deeply to her and then disappeared.

Only then did Liriette, who was alone, say, ‘Haaaah’, and slumped onto the bed with a sound like a deflated balloon.

Liriette, who was lying on her bed, sniffed and muttered.

“I’m glad I can sleep alone now.”

Until a few days ago, one of the maids was attached to the sleeping Liriette.

She was there to correct if Liriette slept unsightly like her snoring, drooling, or tossing over her body.

Fortunately, Liriette didn’t have any nasty sleeping habits.

Confirming this, Madam Olivia let the maid out of her room.