When Estelle returned to their room yesterday, Nikolaidis didn't say a single word to her. He only gave his wife an unnatural smile before going to bed first.
She found his behavior strange and thought something must have happened while she was out with the twins. However, she didn't bother asking him.
It's better if this keeps up. It won't be difficult to avoid Nikolaidis if he's already the one distancing himself from me. Though, I would be lying if I said I was happy about this.
Tonight, they'll be dining with the Emperor and will return to the Blanchard Dukedom right after breakfast tomorrow. Estelle hasn't been looking forward to the private banquet. Her senses tell her it won't be a pleasant dinner.
To ease her anxiety, she agreed to go shopping with the twins today. She feels guilty, again, for leaving the Duke alone but she has no other option. This is for my sake and yours, Nikolaidis.
Rendon is keeping her company as she waits for the Princesses in the main foyer of the castle. The aide is wearing another colorful outfit today and is talking nonstop about some Capital fashion trend that Estelle didn't really understand. She just gave him occasional nods while she pretended to be interested.
"Pink silk and pearl- oh, greetings your Imperial Highness!" Rendon suddenly says.
Estelle looks to where Rendon was facing and sees Crown Princess Yulya walking towards them with servants following behind. The Princess is carrying a child. Oh my gosh, is that the main character of this novel?! Prince Klavin!
The Duchess immediately bows to the Princess and greets her, "how do you do, your Imperial Highness?"
"I'm well, Duchess. Are you waiting for the twins?"
"Yes, they're taking me shopping today." Estelle couldn't stop herself from staring at the young royal in his mother's arms.
Are you telling me this kid will grow up and kill Nikolaidis one day? But he's so cute! I love babies especially those with chubby wittle cheekies like him! He has the same white hair and ruby-red eyes as Prince Henrik. He'll surely grow up to be handsome too.
"I haven't introduced you yet to my son. This is Prince Klavin," Princess Yulya smiles as she caresses the baby's cheeks.
"Hi there cutie, I'm Duchess Estelle. Nice to meet you!"
Klavin looks at Estelle and smiles at her. I think my heart is going to melt! I want to pinch his cheeks so bad!
"Estelle!"
The Duchess turns and waves at Mitch and Tisha who are practically running towards her. I want to cancel our shopping trip and babysit Prince Klavin instead. Nobody told me the male lead was this cute!
"So you've met our precious nephew," Mitch says to her.
"He's absolutely adorable!" Estelle replies.
"Of course, he did take after his Auntie Tisha! Right, Klaviny-pie?" Tisha plays with the baby's hand.
"Princess Athisha, you should get going. I think the duchess has been waiting for you twins for quite some time," Princess Yulya says.
"Right! We're sorry for running a bit late, I had some trouble with my dress," Tisha apologizes.
"No worries, I didn't wait for long," Estelle reassures her.
"It's because Tisha is so clumsy! Let's go now. We have a lot of things to buy," Mitch jumps between Estelle and Tisha. She links her arms between them, an action that made Estelle feel a strong sense of déjà vu.
"See you at dinner, ladies." Princess Yulya helps Prince Klavin wave his tiny arm at the three women.
~•~ ~•~ ~~•••~~ ~•~ ~•~
"I was thinking of buying new hats at Madame Aliette's," Tisha says as they exit from the restaurant where they just had lunch at.
"Me too. How about you Estelle? What else would you like to buy?" Mitch asks.
"I don't need any more hats but I do want to get some souvenirs since I'm going home tomorrow."
I want to bring something for Abenant, my two other personal maids, and for Dr. Ludovic. Or maybe I should just buy souvenirs for all the servants at Blanchard Castle? Money isn't an issue anyway since I'm a Duchess.
"There's a trendy souvenir shop right beside Madame Aliette's," Tisha says.
"That's perfect, how about we meet up after we buy what we need?" Estelle suggests.
"Sounds good! They're only a block away," Mitch points to a row of buildings ahead.
"It's too bad you're going to leave already, Estelle. Your visit is too short!" Tisha pouts as they walk to the next block.
"Why don't you stay for a few more days?" Mitch asks.
"I don't want to burden the Imperial Family," Estelle gives them a sheepish look.
"You're not a burden!" Tisha protests.
"But also, Nikolaidis has to return to the Dukedom. He needs to manage the affairs and everything in Blanchard," Estelle reasons.
"I see, I guess you don't want to be away from your husband," Mitch says with a cheeky grin.
Estelle's face heats up as she mumbles a small yes. Even if I do stay away from Nikolaidis during the entire day, I can't sleep without him beside me. I'm actually relieved he also came with me to this trip.
"We're here! See you later, Estelle!" Tisha says and enters the store.
"I'll help you pick out nightwear after we go shopping here," Mitch winks before following after her sister.
Estelle chuckles as she heads inside the store called Little Trinkets right beside the hat shop. Her knight guards stay outside since the place is small. All kinds of items fill up the redwood shelves in the store. An old lady welcomes her from behind the counter.
The only other customer in the store is a well-dressed woman looking at music boxes. Those look nice and pretty. I think the maids will like them. She approaches the same shelf where the woman was and is surprised to see a familiar face.
"Oh hello, Duchess Estelle Beauvoir-Carvelho," Lady Claire greets with a raised eyebrow.
"Do you still remember me? We met at the tea party just two days ago," she continues.
"Yes, I do remember you Lady Claire," Estelle smiles at her, attempting to be friendly.
"That's good. Have fun shopping..." Claire narrows her eyes, as if she were disgusted.
"Your grace," she belatedly adds then goes to looking at a different corner.
She really must not like me. I'm curious about what happened between Claire and Estelle before I took over her body. Is Claire simply just jealous of Estelle?
"Are you the wife of Sir Nikolaidis?" The old shopkeeper approaches her.
"Yes, ma'am."
"Sir Nikolaidis rescued my son from a group of bandits while he was transporting goods a few years ago. I'm greatly indebted to him."
The old lady bows to Estelle as she continues talking, "please choose anything you like. I'll give you a big discount!"
"Thank you very much," Estelle bows to her in return.
"No, please don't bow to me! I forgot he's no longer just a knight but a Duke now! Forgive my disrespect, your grace..."
"No need to apologize! Then, can I have three of these beautiful music boxes?" Estelle points to the ones right in front of her. My two maids in Blanchard will surely love them and I'll also buy one for Delia.
"Of course, your grace. I'll let you take the third one for free!"
The woman gets the items and goes to the counter. Estelle follows her, feeling thrilled that she's getting a good deal. Although I want to pay for all the music boxes in full, I don't want to reject the old lady. This is just her way to show her gratitude to Nikolaidis.
"I'm so joyful the handsome Duke married such a beautiful lady like your grace. I'll pray that you'll be blessed with many healthy children," the woman says as she wraps up the items.
"Thank you..." Estelle blushes for the second time today.
Suddenly, as Estelle counts the right amount of coins from her purse, someone bumps into her. She falls to the floor but accidentally crashes on one of the snow globes displayed near the counter.
Her knight guards immediately enter the store when they heard a loud noise. She feels a sharp pain on her hand and, upon inspecting, she finds a glass shard penetrating halfway through her skin.
"The Duchess is injured and bleeding, call for the coachman now!" One of the knights order.
"Can you stand up, your grace?" A female knight asks her.
"Yes, I can," Estelle grunts a little as the knight assists her up.
Broken pieces of glass are spread everywhere. Lady Claire stands by the counter in shock. The old woman looks at the scene with her mouth covered by her hands.
"What happened here?" The lady knight demands.
"I-it was an accident! I didn't mean to push the b- I mean the Duchess!" Claire stammers.
"Ma'am, did you see what happened?" The knight directs the question to the shopkeeper.
"No, I was wrapping up the Duchess' goods," the shopkeeper says with tears in her eyes.
"It's because this store is so small and narrow! It's difficult to move around without bumping into someone!" Claire screams.
"I-I'm sorry, my lady..." The woman bows her head, crying.
"It's no one's fault. It was just a mere accident," Estelle tries to control the situation.
She makes eye contact with Claire who's hiding her mouth, a satisfied glint in her violet eyes. Is Lady Claire trying to hide her laughter?!
"The carriage is here. Let's go and get you treated at the castle, your grace."
"I'll pay for the damages in your store, sorry to be a bother," Estelle tells the old lady before she leaves.