I stared at the object in front of me.
Could that possibly be...?
"Cuckoo! Cuckoo!"
A moment later, the familiar birdcall was followed by a creaking sound as the clockwork mechanism began to turn. Then a beautiful melody played, and carved wooden figures emerged to dance.
I found myself gazing at the enormous clock, utterly mesmerized.
"Now, I don't want you to misunderstand. I certainly wasn't trying to save you, and I didn't embrace you because I wanted to—"
"Your Grace, that..."
Too captivated by the clock to pay attention, I barely heard a word he said. Before he could finish, I reached out and pointed at the grandfather clock.
He frowned slightly and followed my finger with his gaze.
"That... clock?"
"It certainly looks expensive."
I broke into a delighted smile.
At last, I'd found a solution.
A little while later, the atmosphere in the Grand Duke's office was as tense as though we were holding a meeting to discuss a major military operation.
"Your Highness, we cannot sell that clock."
"It's only a clock, no matter how valuable it is. We're on the verge of bankruptcy. Keeping something like that around as a decoration is an extravagance we can't afford."
"But His Grace received it in recognition of his achievements during joint military exercises with the Kingdom of Grace..."
Victor and the other soldiers of the 107th Regiment voiced their objections with dejected expressions.
Albert, the butler, sided with them.
"It certainly is an item of the highest quality. Even among the Empire's nobility, such clocks are extremely difficult to obtain."
It was just a clock. Couldn't anyone buy one if they had enough money?
I tilted my head.
Noticing my confusion, Albert explained.
"They're manufactured exclusively by the Clockmakers' Guild of the Kingdom of Grace, which strictly controls the number sold."
"Does that mean no one in the Empire can make clocks like this?"
"The designs and mechanisms are far too complicated. The guild also keeps a very close watch on the clockmakers who know the designs, making certain they cannot leave the country."
Now I understood.
The Aria Empire was fairly advanced in art and the humanities, but its culture tended to look down on engineers and scientists.
Even the Imperial Army still relied primarily on swords rather than guns or cannons.
I rubbed my chin thoughtfully.
"Has the guild ever made its designs public?"
"They do show the blueprints to prospective buyers, but only very briefly, so they can inspect what they're purchasing. I hear they're strictly forbidden from bringing paper or pens, to prevent them from copying anything."
"Oh, really?"
At that moment, an extraordinary idea occurred to me.
Perhaps there was a way to solve the residence's financial troubles all at once.
I carefully suppressed the smile creeping across my face.
"I've decided. We should sell the clock after all."
"What?"
Victor and Albert turned toward the Grand Duke, clearly hoping he would object to my proposal.
But the Grand Duke merely muttered in a resigned, indifferent voice.
"...Do as you please."
"Wonderful. In that case, we'd make more money selling new clocks than used ones, wouldn't we?"
Everyone stared at me in astonishment.
After a moment, the Grand Duke narrowed his eyes slightly, apparently trying to work out what I meant.
"Are you suggesting we become intermediaries in the clock trade? That's impossible. Only those authorized by the Imperial Family are permitted to trade with foreign countries. Besides, I doubt the Clockmakers' Guild would supply us with that many clocks."
"No, that's not what I mean."
I smiled brightly at the bewildered faces surrounding me.
"I'm saying that House Richard is going into the clockmaking business."
******
Over the next few days, the Grand Duke's residence was bustling with preparations for a visit to the Kingdom of Grace.
Officially, the purpose of the trip was a belated honeymoon for the Grand Duke and his wife.
Of course, our real objective was for me to get a look at the clock blueprints the Kingdom of Grace guarded so jealously—and bring them back inside my head.
Even if the Clockmakers' Guild discovered what I'd done, what grounds would they have to object? I wouldn't be physically stealing their blueprints.
And if I claimed the designs had come straight out of my own head, that wouldn't exactly be a lie.
The problem was that we didn't have enough money for the journey to the Kingdom of Grace.
Even with the smallest possible entourage, crossing an international border would require a considerable sum.
And, naturally, it was Grand Duke Richard who stepped forward to secure the necessary funds.
"I'm going to subjugate the barbarians who have invaded the Principality of Caprice."
"Subjugate... barbarians?"
My eyes widened.
Wasn't that essentially the same as going off to war?
"Yes. The principality has placed a bounty on the barbarian leader. The reward should be more than enough to cover our travel expenses to the Kingdom of Grace."
"You can't!"
I sprang out of my chair with a shrill cry before I could stop myself.
As I've emphasized many times, the single most important factor in the entire process of finding the real murderer and recovering the Grand Duke's fortune was Grand Duke Richard staying alive.
"But a military campaign... That's dangerous! What if you go there and get hurt?"
Something flickered in his eyes before his expression returned to indifference.
Desperately searching for another argument, I continued hesitantly.
"Besides, it would look rather strange for a Grand Duke of the Empire to serve as a mercenary for another country in exchange for money..."
I watched him anxiously.
A short, humorless laugh escaped his lips.
"It wouldn't be particularly strange. As you said yourself, until a few years ago, I was fighting on battlefields much like a mercenary."
"..."
After joining the Imperial Army, Grand Duke Richard had traveled from one battlefield to another.
He had frequently participated in wars between other countries as part of a supporting force.
Indeed, the Emperor had been able to gain considerable diplomatic advantages and strengthen imperial authority largely because Grand Duke Richard had distinguished himself while serving as the commander of allied forces.
Of course, despite risking his life and accumulating countless military achievements, all he'd received for his efforts was the largely meaningless title of Grand Duke.
"In a sense, I've been shedding blood on their behalf in exchange for payment for a very long time. Of course, other people were the ones who collected the rewards."
The more he talked about shedding blood, the more anxious I became.
Until now, he'd survived because he was an indispensable character in the original novel. But from this point onward, his survival might genuinely come down to luck.
Growing increasingly restless, I nervously twisted the frayed cuff of my dress between my fingers.
"There must be another way. We could sell the grandfather clock in the residence, or perhaps I could find something—"
"Why should we? Every time you propose a solution to the residence's problems, you seem determined to leave me out of it."
His voice had grown low.
But I was too preoccupied with persuading him to pay any attention.
"Because you're the most important person to me, Your Grace. We'd be better off dismissing a few soldiers or servants to reduce our expenses."
"What...? Dismissing them?"
The atmosphere around him abruptly turned cold.
But those other people weren't what mattered to me.
"You're much more important than any of them, so—"
"Hah."
A cold, derisive laugh cut me off.
"I'm certain I made myself clear. Our relationship is strictly contractual."
"What does that have to do with...?"
Bewildered by the sudden change of subject, I stared at him.
His expression hardened.
His crimson eyes flashed sharply, as though he were drawing an invisible line between us.
"Wasn't our agreement that personal feelings would have no place in this arrangement?"
"...!"
I flinched at the sudden hostility.
What was I supposed to do if the Grand Duke refused to cooperate again, just as he had before?
A sense of helplessness washed over me, followed by despair.
"I'll say it once more. Interfering in my affairs when you have no right to do so is a breach of our Contract."
With that, he turned his back on me coldly, as though he had nothing more to say.
I called desperately after him as he headed for the door, grasping at the last argument I had left.
"It's not about personal feelings! Whatever our arrangement is, surely I'm allowed to worry about you as your wife!"
He stopped in his tracks.
Without turning around, he answered in a low voice.
"I have no need for the concern of a fake wife."
Then the Grand Duke left the room.
I remained where I was for a long while, staring blankly after him.
"Well, I suppose I am a fake wife..."
His words were perfectly consistent with our Contract. Yet something about the way he'd stated that fact so coldly left me feeling strangely hurt.
I'd never felt hurt by anything a client said or did before, unless it involved a delayed payment.
It's obviously because if he ignores me, goes off to war, and gets injured, my payment might be delayed!
I shook my head sharply, trying to dispel the unfamiliar feeling.
It seemed there was only one thing left for me to do.
I hurried straight to Mrs. Verona's room.
******
After my argument with the Grand Duke, the days passed in an awkward state of uncertainty.
Using his preparations and military training as an excuse, he left before dawn and didn't return until late at night.
We hardly saw each other at all.
And then, at last, the day of his departure arrived.
It was still early morning, before the sun had even risen.
In the garden of the Grand Duke's residence, soldiers, including Victor, were already bustling about with their preparations.
My eyes flew open as though some instinct had awakened me.
Without even taking the time to make myself presentable, I scrambled out of bed and rushed toward the garden.
Leaving without even saying goodbye? That's just unfair!
By the time I reached the garden, the soldiers had already finished preparing to depart.
If Mrs. Verona hadn't discreetly informed me of their departure schedule, I would certainly have missed my chance to see them off.
"Hah... hah... Your Grace!"
I struggled to catch my breath after running so hard.
At the sound of my voice, the Grand Duke turned around.
His eyes flickered.
Apparently, he was surprised that his plan to slip away without my knowledge had failed.
I gave him a small smile.
"I'm sorry. I was awake until quite late last night, so... I'm a little late."
"..."
He didn't answer.
He merely looked down at me, his expression rigid.
It had been some time since I'd last seen him properly, and he looked rather tired.
The preparations for the campaign must have been exhausting.
Slowly, I opened the hand I'd kept tightly clenched while running and held it out toward him.
"There's something I wanted to give you before you left."
"This is..."
The Grand Duke's eyebrows twitched ever so slightly as he looked at the object resting in my palm.