46 - Change
Grand Duchess Darelene continued staring at her daughter for a few moments after the little "victory dance" ended.
Mariana was still frozen where she stood. Barefoot. Nightgown slightly crooked. Hair looking like a small storm had passed through it. And her arms were still half-raised in what could only be described as a triumphant pose. Darelene slowly blinked.
Then she sighed. "Mariana."
"... yes, Mother."
Her daughter lowered her arms as if they suddenly weighed ten kilograms each. Darelene leaned back in her chair and folded her hands neatly on the desk.
"My dear." Her voice was calm. But there was a certain tone in it that immediately made Mariana straighten like a soldier awaiting inspection. "Have you perhaps forgotten something this morning?"
Mariana blinked. "... forgotten?"
Darelene gestured vaguely at her.
Mariana looked down at herself. Bare feet. Nightgown. Loose hair. Her brain stopped. "... oh."
Darelene raised an eyebrow. "Yes."
"Oh." Mariana awkwardly tugged the hem of her nightgown downward as if that would somehow fix the situation.
Darelene exhaled slowly. "My daughter."
"Yes, Mother?"
"You are the Grand Princess of Forebros."
"... yes."
"You should not be running through the estate halls dressed only in a nightgown."
"... yes."
"Nor should you be entering my study barefoot."
"... yes."
"And you most certainly should not be performing celebratory dances in such attire."
Mariana slowly nodded. "... yes."
There was a short silence.
Then Darelene added dryly, "Especially when half the household staff has now witnessed it."
Mariana's soul briefly left her body. "... they saw?"
Darelene gave her a look. "My dear child, you ran across the main corridor."
Mariana covered her face with both hands. "... I'm going to die."
Darelene sighed again, though there was a faint hint of amusement in her eyes. "Please return to your chambers."
"Yes, Mother."
"Dress properly."
"Yes, Mother."
"And next time..." Darelene's voice softened slightly. "... remember your propriety."
Mariana lowered her hands and nodded obediently. "... yes, Mother."
With considerably less enthusiasm than when she had entered the room, Mariana turned and began walking toward the door. Her earlier excitement had now been replaced with embarrassment. As she reached the door, she paused. "... Mother?"
Darelene looked up from the letters on her desk. "Yes?"
Mariana hesitated. "... thank you for telling me the news."
Darelene smiled faintly. "You're welcome."
Mariana nodded once and quietly left the room. The door closed softly behind her.
---
The study fell silent.
Only the faint scratching of a quill and the distant sounds of servants moving through the estate could be heard. Darelene sat still for a long moment. Then she slowly leaned back in her chair. Her gaze drifted toward the closed door.
"... how strange."
A small smile touched her lips.
Her daughter's behavior recently had been... unusual. Strange. Careless. Childish. And yet, oddly endearing. Darelene closed her eyes briefly. Memories began to surface. There had been a time when Mariana behaved exactly like that.
Long ago. Before politics. Before court society. Before expectations. Before whispers of power and ambition began circling around the Vernon household.
Back then, Mariana had been a small girl running through the estate gardens with grass stains on her dress. Laughing loudly.
Chasing butterflies. Climbing trees despite the protests of her tutors. Darelene remembered a particular afternoon. Mariana had been perhaps six years old.
She had run into this very study covered in mud after falling into the garden pond. Her hair had been a complete disaster. Her shoes had been lost somewhere in the garden.
And she had proudly announced that she had "defeated a frog in honorable combat." Darelene had nearly fainted from shock. But Mariana had only laughed. That bright, carefree laugh.
Darelene's expression softened.
That child had been fearless. Careless. Full of energy.
Then the years passed.
Lessons became stricter. Court etiquette became more demanding. Nobles began watching her more closely. The daughter of the Grand Duke of Forebros could not behave like a wild child forever.
Slowly, Mariana changed. Her laughter became quieter. Her posture became perfect. Her words became sharper. By the time she reached adolescence, the cheerful girl who once climbed trees had turned into a proud and formidable young lady.
Beautiful. Elegant. And sometimes... cruel. Darelene sighed quietly. Court politics had shaped her daughter into something harder. Something colder.
Mariana had begun competing with other noble ladies. Arguing fiercely in social gatherings. Speaking with a biting confidence that made many nobles uneasy. The name "Vernon Princess" had become both admired and feared in the capital.
But recently-
Darelene opened her eyes slowly.
Her daughter had changed again. She was clumsy. Forgetful. Excitable. Just like this morning. Running through the halls in a nightgown. Celebrating news with an absurd dance.
Darelene let out a soft chuckle. "... it reminds me of when she was little."
The childish carelessness. The honest emotions. The lack of political calculation. It was all strangely familiar.
For a moment, Darelene wondered if perhaps the stress of recent events had simply shaken something loose in Mariana's personality. Or perhaps, she had simply relaxed.
After all, the Crown Prince leaving the northern territory was certainly good news. Darelene's gaze drifted toward the window where sunlight poured into the room.
Somewhere in the estate, her daughter was likely rushing around her bedroom now. Probably panicking while the maids tried to fix her hair and dress.
The image made Darelene smile again. "... how lively."
She had not seen Mariana behave this freely in many years.
And strangely, Darelene found that she didn't mind it. Not at all. If anything, it felt as though a small part of the child she once knew had returned.
Her distant gaze softened. "... perhaps..." She murmured quietly. "... this change is not such a bad thing."
Outside the window, the gardens of the Vernon estate shimmered under the bright morning sun.
And somewhere inside the manor, the Grand Princess of Forebros was being firmly instructed by three maids to stop moving while they tried to dress her properly.