And the lady’s mission was to marry him and bring in funds. Nothing more. It would be nice if she could bear children and wield influence, but that was a secondary benefit.

Diego didn’t think the Duke was cold-hearted or calculating. His values weren’t much different from him. People were assets, and if there was a way to utilize them, you did so to the fullest. In some ways, Diego could be considered even more inhuman than the Duke.

Diego was someone who would willingly throw even himself onto the chessboard. If all people were assets, then he himself was an asset too. Accepting Duke Barea’s marriage proposal was in that same vein.

“This works out well for us.”

If the Duke had been even a little bit human. If he had even a shred of conscience left, he wouldn’t have thought to arrange a substitute for the lady. It worked out well, and they were lucky.

“……Yes, I suppose so.”

Ribeta answered politely. Emotionally, she didn’t agree with Diego’s words, but logically, Diego was right. Thanks to the Duke’s indifference toward the lady, she wouldn’t have to try hard to imitate Lady Barea while staying at the ducal residence. For Ribeta, who already felt burdened by being a substitute, this was a good thing.

She didn’t ask how long she’d have to stay at the ducal residence. Diego would try to get her out of the ducal residence as quickly as possible.

“Let’s stop here for today. I’ll need to work on it a few more times. Even magic ink has its limits.”

“How many times will it take?”

“Shouldn’t I be the one asking that question? Not you, who just lies there still.”

“I……! Ah…… Never mind. I apologize.”

Ribeta swallowed her words and stood up. She had her own sorrows and hardships, but she didn’t particularly want to tell Diego about them and receive his understanding.

Ribeta’s face was slightly flushed as she straightened her appearance. When she draped her shawl and put on the ring, she transformed into a perfect Illeshia Barea and bowed to Diego. Diego sat loosely on the sofa, taking in her every movement. Under his gaze that clung heavily to her entire body, Ribeta felt the heat she’d worked to suppress rising again.

“I’m sorry for the late hour. Please rest well.”

“It was a delightful tryst, Illeshia. May I look forward to tomorrow as well?”

“……”

“Be careful not to get caught on your way back.”

Diego, who had quickly donned his fiancé’s mask, whispered affectionately. Ribeta left Diego’s studio with a barely audible sigh.

Her shoulder, where the brush and his hand had touched, burned and tingled. She desperately wanted the cold wind, but since she couldn’t go outside, Ribeta soothed the constantly rising heat by drinking cold water.

※※※

A few days later, Ribeta boarded a carriage heading to the ducal residence. However, the person staring intently at her from across wasn’t Diego or Luca, but Duke Barea’s closest confidant, Count Caylerd.

Sharp gazes like blades poured from his already large, bulging eyes. The malice in his gaze made her skin prickle.

Ribeta, who had suffered all kinds of mistreatment from Melissa and other people of the Count Razey household, was unfazed, but she deliberately pretended to be frightened and lowered her head.

The carriage that had been racing through suffocating silence stopped. Count Caylerd got out first, surveyed the surroundings, then said coldly:

“Get out now.”

Ribeta obediently followed him. The narrow, dark path behind the mansion was a servant’s route. There was nothing good about being seen by people.

If rumors spread that the lady about to be married had run away and been caught again, the ducal family’s honor would be tarnished. The Duke, who wanted to control Diego at will, wouldn’t tolerate even the slightest flaw.

Count Caylerd shoved Ribeta into Duke Barea’s study.

Ribeta had tried to prostrate herself on the floor and beg for forgiveness following Diego’s advice. But the Duke approached first. And before she could do anything, Ribeta’s head snapped to the side.

“You’re useless.”

First her cheek burned. Then came the throbbing pain. The Duke had struck her cheek. Hard enough to split the inside of her mouth and cause injury.

Ribeta quickly assessed the situation. Violence from superiors was familiar. And the taste of blood in her mouth and the stinging pain served as a reminder to her body and mind, which had grown accustomed to the peace at Diego’s secret residence.

There were probably several reasons Count Ruperto had chosen her, but the biggest reason was that she knew her place well. She didn’t get greedy, didn’t covet things above her station.

Ribeta knew that fact well. She also knew how she should conduct herself in this moment.

Ribeta bowed her head deeply.

“I’m sorry……”

There was only one way to receive less beating from a master who was furious to the core. Stay quiet and still like a corpse.

Begging for forgiveness or making excuses only stoked the master’s anger and excitement. They didn’t beat slaves because the slaves had actually done something wrong.

They wanted to see slaves writhing in pain and begging their master to spare their lives. They wanted to feel the certainty and pleasure of holding absolute dominance.

Ribeta had been conditioned by the physical and mental violence Melissa wielded. Though the person had changed from Melissa to Duke Barea, the essence of the relationship hadn’t changed much. So if she apologized, Duke Barea would only become more excited.

Sure enough, Duke Barea reacted exactly as Ribeta had expected.

“Who gave you permission to open your mouth.”

She was struck on the already-hit cheek once more, harder this time. Ribeta staggered and fell to the floor. The Duke’s strength was much greater than she’d thought.

Since Melissa mainly used whips, being struck directly with a hand had been rare, but she could feel that the Duke’s emotions were quite heightened.

If she provoked him further, she might get seriously hurt. It would be troublesome if she couldn’t move, so Ribeta maintained a respectful attitude and kept her mouth shut.

“This is the problem with those of lowly birth. No matter how clearly you explain things, they act on their own at crucial moments and try to ruin everything.”

The Duke shook his head as he looked down at Ribeta. It wasn’t something you’d say to a daughter. Ribeta was unfazed, but if the real Illeshia Barea had heard such words in this place, she would surely have been hurt.

‘I can see why Lady Barea ran away.’

“At least it’s extremely fortunate I found her before that vulgar bastard did.”

Duke Barea, emphasizing ‘vulgar bastard,’ put his pipe in his mouth. He lit it, inhaled deeply, then exhaled, and murky smoke rose. Ribeta buried her head and held her breath, feeling like she might cough from the acrid smoke.

“You weren’t caught by him, were you?”

“……No. That was my first time going out. I ran out of money.”

“You can’t even hide properly. How utterly pathetic.”

The Duke tapped his pipe against the ashtray and set it down. There was no sign whatsoever that he suspected Ribeta. Just as Diego had said.

“Duke Barea doesn’t treat the lady born from a commoner woman as a fellow human being. We just need to exploit that.”

“You’ll be meeting that bastard soon, so prepare yourself. He’s cunning, so don’t say anything unnecessary in front of him. You’re too stupid to know what you might let slip, but he isn’t.”

Ribeta just nodded without answering. The gaze of Duke Barea looking at her with a smile was the very gaze one would give an insect. He kicked her leg with his foot. Being kicked in the shinbone with a hard shoe tip hurt terribly.

“There’s the option of breaking them so you never get such insolent ideas again…… but then he might notice. I’ll be merciful and leave you be for now. Be grateful.”

“……”

“I trust you understand now? If you understand, you may leave.”

“……I’ll take your words to heart. Thank you.”

The Duke smiled with satisfaction for the first time since entering the study. He could clearly see that Illeshia, who had even run away from home, was now thoroughly frightened and cowed.

For the time being, she wouldn’t even think of leaving on her own, and even if she decided to, she couldn’t leave since he’d assigned surveillance.

All that remained now was to marry that stupid wench to Diego Ruperto and get his hands on that bastard’s fortune, which was said to be overflowing.