The moment she heard she could see Hemian, Laura’s eyes sparkled brightly.

“Oh my, would that really be alright?”

“Of course. I’m sure seeing you would lift Hemian’s spirits as well.”

“Then I should go see the Count immediately!”

Laura’s face quickly brightened once more into her usual lovely smile.

Without hesitation, Eveline gave her the name of the hotel where her son was staying.

‘If Laura and Hemian were to have a child together, nothing could secure things more completely than that.’

At the end of that thought, Eveline slowly spoke.

“To be honest… I have a concern of my own as well.”

“Oh my, Your Grace? Has something bad happened?”

Laura clasped both of Eveline’s hands with a worried expression.

Though a sly smile curled secretly inside Eveline’s mind, outwardly she sighed heavily and lowered her brows as though carrying a terrible sorrow.

“The truth is, my daughter-in-law’s health has been poor, so she was sent away to recuperate. But these days, I can barely sleep at night worrying that the Roswell family line may truly come to an end at this rate.”

“Oh heavens…”

“I wish someone like you could help us, Miss Laura…”

At those words, Laura’s cheeks flushed bright red.

‘How adorable. Is she already imagining having Hemian’s child?’

Eveline thought with satisfaction.

With innocent determination shining on her face, Laura tightened her hold around Eveline’s hands.

“I want to help however I can. A noble family with such a long history as the Roswell house cannot be allowed to lose its heir.”

“My goodness, Miss Laura. Thank you so much.”

After that, Laura added several more kind words about hoping the Grand Duchess would regain her strength soon.

Eveline answered appropriately while sinking deep into thought.

If Laura became pregnant with Hemian’s child, the marriage arrangement with the Blanche family would become even more secure.

‘That truly would be perfect.’

For some reason, she had a feeling things were finally going to work out.

***

Signing the contract did not take long.

Entering the reception room of the ducal estate once more, Ophelia found herself facing the man waiting for her again.

Cedric Winches.

As always, he sat there looking utterly flawless, without the slightest imperfection.

“Miss, we’re truly fine. Please quit the ghostwriting job. Even if you stop working, you’re more than welcome to stay comfortably at our house.”

Mrs. Bovary and Clarice had both tried to stop her, but Ophelia could not bring herself to accept that kindness forever.

In fact, the more carefully she reviewed the contract, the more she realized the duke’s offer was not a punishment, but an opportunity.

Of course, she was nervous because she had never worked as a ‘secretary’ before.

But during her years as Countess Roswell, she had managed countless family correspondences.

Surely she could handle this much.

And besides, she could not remain indebted to Mrs. Bovary’s household indefinitely.

The circumstances surrounding the offer were admittedly overwhelming, but objectively speaking, it was a very good opportunity.

More than anything—

If she continued working at the ghostwriting shop, nobles could appear at any time and recognize her face without warning.

And if that continued happening, word would inevitably reach Hemian sooner or later.

Approaching Cedric, Ophelia held out the signed contract.

Thankfully, their second meeting was not quite as nerve-racking as the first.

Still, she kept feeling as though she had known him from long ago.

‘That can’t possibly be true.’

There was no chance she and the Duke of Winches could have crossed paths even by coincidence.

Cedric rarely appeared in society at all, while Ophelia had spent her entire life confined to the Dauer territory and the Roswell estate.

Unable to understand why she kept having such strange thoughts, Ophelia quickly pushed them away.

Cedric’s gaze rested on the contract laid before him.

Not even a single brow twitched, as though he had naturally expected Ophelia to sign it.

“Good.”

Those were the first words he spoke after the brief silence.

“How should I address you from now on? Lady Roswell? Or would Miss Dauer be preferable?”

“…Please call me Miss Dauer.”

“As stated in the contract, the agreement will initially last for one year. That should be enough time for the scandal in society to die down. By then, my sister’s situation will have reached some sort of conclusion as well, whether she breaks off the engagement or marries.”

“……”

“Would you be able to move in immediately?”

At his question, Ophelia slowly lifted her gaze from the floor.

“Immediately?”

“Do you have a great deal of luggage to bring?”

She did not.

In fact, when she came to this city, all she had brought with her was a small handbag containing a little travel money, a map, and a handkerchief.

Ophelia shook her head.

“I don’t have much luggage. But…”

“That’s good, then. Protecting your identity is the most important thing right now, so move into the estate starting tonight. I’ll send a carriage for you.”

“Isn’t that a little too sudden—”

“Do you say that knowing how quickly rumors spread in high society?”

The firmness in his voice left her no room to think.

Ophelia quietly closed her mouth.

Because when it came to society and rumors, she understood them better than anyone.

When the announcement of Ophelia and Hemian’s marriage had first spread, countless rumors had circulated among the nobility.

“Good heavens, didn’t both the Dauers die? The Roswell family is practically doing charity work.”

“She really trapped herself a good man.”

Some of those rumors had contained truth.

Others had been outright lies.

At the very least, Ophelia’s love for Hemian had been genuine.

But within malicious gossip, something like that had never mattered.

In those rumors, Ophelia was nothing more than a scheming woman who had seduced a wealthy young count far above her station.

And because it was true that Hemian and the Roswell family had rescued her during the darkest period of her life, Ophelia had chosen not to dwell on those rumors any further.

As long as Hemian loved her, she believed she could endure anything.

But thinking back on it now…

Her former husband had never once tried to correct those rumors.

If anything, he had only grown more arrogant because of them.

The unpleasant memories that surfaced so suddenly made her lower her eyes.

“…I’ll do as you say, Your Grace.”

As though he had expected that answer all along, Cedric spoke calmly.

“I’ll teach you your duties as a secretary little by little from now on.”

“Yes.”

“Then.”

As though he had said everything necessary, the Duke of Winches rose from his seat once again without the slightest hesitation and left the room.

Once more, Ophelia was left alone in the vast reception room.

Watching his tall figure disappear into the distance, she tried to organize the rapidly changing state of her life.

‘Things aren’t turning out badly.’

It was true that after leaving the Roswell estate, she had no idea how she was supposed to survive.

At the very least, because she had loved reading and studying since childhood, she had considered finding work as a tutor or governess.

But there had been no guarantee life would unfold according to hope.

Thinking that way made her feel strangely fortunate to now be standing inside the safe, impenetrable fortress that was the Winches ducal family.

Ophelia slowly looked around before taking a deep breath.

The room had already been enormous, yet now that he had left, it somehow felt even larger.

Afternoon sunlight streamed through the luxurious curtains, illuminating the dust floating gently through the air.

It was a peaceful sight.

‘Even so… the Winches ducal estate…’

The only ducal house in the empire.

A family infamous for being deeply closed off from the outside world.

Still unable to fully grasp reality, Ophelia slowly surveyed her surroundings.

Everything around her was decorated with delicate and expensive furnishings.

At the very center of the reception room hung a crimson banner embroidered with the family crest.

Ophelia could not take her eyes off it.

The emblem of the Winches family, a lion standing triumphantly over a serpent, had once symbolized heroism to her as a child.

There had been a time long ago when the Dauer family suffered terribly.

A time when her naturally frail mother had fallen gravely ill.

The cost of medicine had been so overwhelming that during one winter, they could barely even pay the servants their wages.

Even the goods produced from their tiny territory would not sell properly, leaving her father sighing over the account books every single day.