8. Persona

Upon Duke Ashford's arrival at the mansion, he immediately looked for his daughter.

"Where is Eleanor?" he asked his butler.

"Lady Eleanor is in the garden, My Lord. Shall I call her for you?"

"No, I'll go there myself."

Henry, Duke Ashford's butler, nodded.

As he walked toward the garden, he spotted his daughter from a distance. Eleanor was wearing a simple purple dress, but its simplicity couldn't diminish her beauty.

In his eyes, Eleanor still appeared as his little girl, despite being 18 years old. He still wanted to protect her and see her grow. But fate had other plans, as outsiders (the Emperor) easily decided her destiny.

Duke Ashford slowly approached Eleanor, and his daughter turned with a gentle smile.

"Father."

'Whenever I came home before she fell ill, Eleanor always ran to me and hugged me.'

'Well, it seems my little girl is growing up.' Duke Ashford thought sadly.

"Ellie, what were you doing outside? The weather has been quite cold these past few days. Even if you're just going to the garden, wear a thick coat. You need to take care of your health, my dear."

Upon hearing Duke Ashford's worried remarks, Ellie's heart warmed. Although she still felt somewhat awkward, she was starting to get used to his protective nature.

"Yes Father, don't worry. Did you just come back from the palace?"

Duke Ashford's face turned sour as his daughter reminded him of the unpleasant conversation at the palace.

"Father has both good and bad news, Ellie."

"What news, Father?"

Duke Ashford sighed heavily.

"The good news is that your engagement with the Crown Prince has been canceled by the Emperor."

Duke Ashford awaited Eleanor's reaction.

'Maybe this news is good for me, but it might be bad for Eleanor.'

However, Eleanor's response surprised him; it was as if she had anticipated it, as her facial expression remained unchanged.

Duke Ashford was worried that Eleanor might be too shocked, so he cautiously asked, "Ellie, are you alright?"

"Yes, Father, I'm fine," she replied with a smile.

"Then what's the bad news, Father?"

"Ah... The Emperor has arranged for you to be betrothed again, but this time to Grand Duke Cassius Caspian, his nephew."

".....!"

'Cassius Caspian? He's one of the people I must avoid because he plans to stage a coup! If I get involved with him, both I and my father will be killed!'

She felt a great wave of anxiety surging within her.

'Why is fate so unfair?! I managed to avoid the lion's den only to end up in the jaws of a crocodile!'

Duke Ashford observed his daughter's face turn pale as snow upon hearing the name of the Grand Duke.

'Why does she seem scared of Grand Duke? Or perhaps she hates him? But how could that be, given that she has never met or interacted with Grand Duke? The rumors out there about him are generally positive, except for his cold demeanor.'

'Only one possibility remains, Eleanor still harbors feelings for the Crown Prince, though not as strong as before.'

Duke Ashford took a moment to draw his conclusion.

In contrast to Duke Ashford's thoughts, what occupied Ellie's mind was, why the Emperor arranged for her to marry Cassius.

In the novel, what the Emperor needed was the military forces of the Ashford Duchy to use as he pleased.

'What had changed? Why did the Emperor give Cassius such an advantage?'

Suddenly, she recalled rumors about herself circulating in high society.

'Aha. The Emperor wants to sow discord between the Ashford Duchy and the Caspian Grandduchy. There's no way that someone like Cassius, who is handsome, gallant, and noble, would accept being betrothed to an ugly-looking stalker.'

'Even if Cassius were to accept, the Emperor hopes that the marriage between Eleanor and Cassius would not go well.'

'And if Cassius were to take concubines or have other lovers during the marriage, it would be a great insult to the Ashford Duchy, and Eleanor's father would hate Cassius to death for hurting his daughter.'

If the Emperor couldn't have the Ashford family's force, then he was better off destroying them this way.

The plan would work if Cassius is a man who prioritizes appearances or if Eleanor's looks are indeed ugly.

'I don't know if my first assumption is true or not, but I know for certain that the latter assumption is false. The Emperor dares to bet that his nephew will treat me poorly.'

Seeing his daughter's distress, Duke Ashford says, "But don't worry, Ellie. Your father will do everything possible to prevent your marriage to Grand Duke Cassius. I will find a way to protect you."

"How, Father? Are you going to use your privilege to refuse the Emperor's order? That will only make us enemies of the Emperor. And I'm sure you're aware that the Emperor has hidden motives behind this arranged marriage."

"Father knows that the Emperor is not likely to have good intentions towards Grand Duke. But I still can't know what the Emperor's true intentions are in marrying you with Grand Duke."

"Doesn't Father know the rumors out there about me? The Emperor is trying to sow discord between us and Caspian Grandduchy. If we refuse, then the Emperor will find another way to get rid of us. Father, he wants to see his enemies destroy each other while he reaps the benefits."

Duke Ashford only then realized what his daughter meant, as he didn't pay much attention to the rumors about her appearance. To him, his daughter was beautiful enough.

And the Emperor used his daughter to create conflict between him and the Grand Duke.

"... How dare that greedy bastard use my daughter to launch his political schemes!"

'What if, in fact, the rumors are true? Eleanor's life would be ruined. There's no way Cassius would treat Eleanor well if she is truly ugly.'

She was slightly surprised to hear her father curse at the Emperor. Her opinion of Duke Ashford was that, although he loved his daughter very much, he was also fiercely loyal to the royal family.

'When Someone cares for me, it doesn't feel bad at all. Even though the attention isn't directed towards me, but towards Eleanor.'

Instantly, Ellie's face dimmed. Duke Ashford, in panic, quickly corrected himself.

"Ahem... I apologize for speaking harshly in front of you, Ellie," he said with an awkward smile.

"Father, you don't need to worry about me. As you know, the rumors outside are false. And the Emperor's plan this time will not succeed," she replied with a smile.

Duke Ashford looked at his daughter with a complex gaze. His daughter was not like this before. He was quite surprised to see Eleanor being sensitive to politics.

"Every day, I am becoming more proud of you, my little girl is growing up."

On one hand, he was happy that his daughter was no longer dependent on the Crown Prince, but on the other hand, he was sad to see Eleanor about to become someone else's wife.

Ellie didn't answer and just smiled.

They chatted for a while and had tea, and her father mentioned that he had some work to attend to and left the greenhouse.

Ellie continued her thoughts, which she hadn't had a chance to think about while talking with her father.

"If I have to get involved with Cassius, then I must think about what steps to take."

"So far, the characters in the novel didn't match anyone I had encountered in this world."

"Lucas was portrayed as a handsome and intelligent prince, but in reality, he was naive, spoiled, and... well, he was quite handsome."

"Then Eleanor was portrayed as a girl with a terrifying face, but in reality, it was the opposite."

"I can't judge people based on the novel I read, as there might be many differences between this world and the novel. The only thing that has been consistent with the novel's content is the chain of events that will happen in the future. Except for the event where Eleanor is supposed to marry Cassius."

"Maybe this is the 'butterfly effect' that occurred because I decided to stop pursuing Lucas."

'Wait, in the first place, the novel was called "Persona", wasn't it? When I arrived here, I think I understood why the novel had that name. '

She became more curious about the author of the novel because it seemed like the author knew what he wrote and what existed in this world were very different.

But that contemplation was another matter. The most important thing now was how she would handle her marriage with Cassius.

"If Cassius is really planning a coup as it's written in the novel, then I have no choice but to leave him before I and my family get involved. As far as I know, nobles who attempt a coup will be hanged, along with their entire family."

"I couldn't let that happen."

But if Cassius had no intention of staging a coup, and it was just the Emperor's fabrication, then she would ally with Cassius to defend herself against the Emperor's cunning plan.

"I have to make a plan to be prepared."

With that thought in mind, Ellie stood up and asked her two servants to dress her up as a commoner.

"It looks like I have to go out for the first time from the Duchy to execute my plan."