Even if they acknowledged me, what could I really help with? Should I proofread documents for typos? As I was lost in such thoughts, Phillip suddenly grabbed my hand and fell to his knees with a thud.

“Duchess, please, could you take over the household management like before?”

‘Oh my goodness.’

Lately, it seems like a lot of people are kneeling in front of me. Before I could even process the shock, Phillip pleaded with a desperate and solemn voice.

“Even if it’s just until the divorce is finalized, please! I have to manage national affairs, but with council meetings happening every day, I barely have time to eat or go to the bathroom! On top of that, I’m also responsible for overseeing the Keppel family’s internal affairs, and it’s killing me. Unlike other tasks, I can’t delegate Keppel family matters to the staff. Please save me, Duchess. I’m begging you!”

Um…

“You had already established the Keppel family’s internal management, so I could just continue what you had started. But this man, I mean, His Grace, conquered the Bailey family’s lands as a reward for his efforts, and now I have to manage those territories too. It’s killing me! The records and documents are a mess, and the stewards are utterly incompetent! I can’t teach them everything, and even when I do, they don’t understand a thing. It’s driving me insane. Ugh.”

Phillip wiped his tears with one hand. I hesitated, unable to give an immediate answer. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to help, but I wasn’t sure if it was appropriate for me to do so.

Managing the estates isn’t the responsibility of the lady of the house, but of the lord. Even when I was handling it before, there was quite a bit of backlash because it was technically an overreach. As the divorce progresses, it’s inevitable that rumors will spread, no matter how much we try to contain it. That’s why I had distanced myself from managing the estates and even household affairs. With my mother-in-law gone, Ian and the butler are likely handling the lady’s duties themselves.

“Enough.”

I flinched at Ian’s cold voice. He pulled Phillip away from me by the collar and said,

“Don’t rely on Liv. We have to manage on our own now.”

“Why do you keep saying ‘we’? I’m quitting. Don’t try to stop me!”

“Then go ahead. I’m sure your wife would be delighted. I bet your mother would be thrilled too.”

Ian’s nanny is Phillip’s mother. When Ian mentioned his wife and mother, Phillip’s face turned a dark shade. He must have been deeply troubled inside as well. It was undoubtedly a pitiful scene, but I couldn’t help but suppress a laugh, covering my mouth with one hand.

‘Dependence,’ huh… Ian had thanked me a few times before, but hearing that he had actually relied on me felt different. It made me realize that the three years I worked so hard weren’t entirely meaningless. Just as I was starting to feel emotional, Phillip suddenly exploded in anger.

“That’s why I kept telling you to treat her well! If you had listened to me, it wouldn’t have come to this! You have no siblings to share the burden with, and when you marry a competent wife, you should be grateful and cherish her!

Isn’t it too much for His Majesty to be so harsh, knowing how things are in this family? Tell him to stop depending on the Keppel family! It’s been ages since you threatened to resign as prime minister, but he keeps dragging it out. If it weren’t for the Emperor, I would…!”

Stop it, you idiot! This is the official residence! I anxiously glanced at the door, terrified that someone might overhear. Phillip was seething like an enraged bull, clearly overwhelmed by pent-up frustration. Ian, who had been so confident earlier, looked utterly deflated, unable to respond to Phillip’s reprimands. It seemed I was the only one who could intervene. Afraid that Phillip might start yelling again, I quickly spoke up.

“I’ll help.”

“…”

“Just until the divorce is finalized. It’s a busy time.”

Ian’s expression darkened as he looked at me in surprise. He began to speak in a calm voice, trying to persuade me.

“Liv, you don’t have to. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to anymore. This was my responsibility from the start, and I can handle it.”

“I know. But…”

I understood that Ian wanted me to put down the burden and rest. But how could I explain this feeling? I glanced back and forth between the two men, waiting for my answer and decided to share the easiest emotion to explain.

“To be honest, I didn’t do it reluctantly. I found it enjoyable and fulfilling in its own way.”

It wasn’t just that, of course. Managing the Keppel family was almost like running a major corporation. When Ian rescued Celia and nearly died, the thought of losing everything filled me with so much emptiness and anger that I was beside myself. Even though my mind understood that it was never truly mine to begin with, my heart couldn’t accept it. The memory made me smile a little.

“You know, Ian? At first, I was terrified. When the estate managers came and asked me to stamp documents in your place, I had no idea what to do. You just told me to sign them, and your mother said to handle it myself… I was so scared that if I stamped the wrong thing, it would lead to disaster. I thought, ‘Is this what being a daughter-in-law is all about?’”

“That’s not what I meant…”

“I know that now. You and your mother really just meant for me to put my seal on it. But at the time, I thought I was… being tested in a way. So I worked hard, writing letters to seek opinions from various people and carefully reviewing whether the decisions were truly in the best interest of the estate’s wellbeing and development before giving my approval.”

If I had been an ordinary noblewoman, I might have just stamped the documents as instructed and sent them back without a second thought. But I had grown up learning estate management from my father, who always taught me that it was my duty to support my husband by overseeing domestic affairs and managing the people of the estate.

I didn’t realize until long after my marriage that this wasn’t the standard education for daughters of noble families.

Looking back, I think my father hoped I would marry Benjamin and eventually govern our estate. That’s probably why he sent Benjamin away for studies and kept me close, teaching me everything.

If Benjamin lacked knowledge of estate management, it would have given me more control. Though he was my cousin, and I never thought of it that way, marriages between cousins weren’t uncommon in Cadia.

“There was never any kind of test.”

Ian’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts, and I flinched. For a moment, it almost seemed as if he was about to cry. What’s wrong with me? Am I traumatized or something? I keep thinking about the other day when Ian broke down in tears in front of me. He’s not someone who cries just anywhere…

I forced a smile and responded.

“Right. You didn’t have any expectations of me back then. I was just going through the motions, struggling on my own. But once I realized that I was actually doing quite well, it became something that kept me going.”

“Liv…”

At first, Ian thought I was doing something unnecessary and left me to my own devices. But after a year, he acknowledged my efforts. It was around the time when the estate managers, who had initially complained about the changes I was making, finally stopped grumbling.

One morning, as I entered the study early to get started on my work, I was shocked to see Ian’s back turned towards me.

“The estate managers suggested that I grant you full authority over the estate.”

Ian pushed a small box across the desk toward me. I approached it as if under a spell and opened it. Inside was a ring with the family’s seal.

“Thank you. And… I’ll be counting on you from now on.”

Oh, I was more excited then than when I received my wedding ring. I was so moved that I fled the room in tears. Fortunately, Ian started acting cold again afterward; otherwise, I might have fallen in love with him. I chuckled softly as I spoke.

“I’m truly grateful to everyone in the Keppel family. It was because they recognized me that I was able to endure. So I’ll help. Not for your sake, but for theirs.”

Managing the household didn’t change much. Since Ian had continued the work I started, I quickly adapted as if I had only been away for a year. The real problem was the Bailey family’s territory.

***

“It’s a mess.”

Vanon, who was helping me organize the documents, flinched but soon regained his composure as the chief butler of the Keppel family and said,

“It’s because the Bailey family’s retainers, anticipating their downfall, manipulated the ledgers to embezzle property. Although we’ve sent people to investigate, identifying and punishing those involved is a priority, so the assessment has been delayed.”

“The discrepancies in the numbers are concerning, but the reporting system is even more chaotic.”

The situation was that the estate managers did the work, reported it to the city hall, and then relayed the information to the mayor, who would then convey it to us. This issue stemmed from the remnants of feudalism, despite the fact that feudalism had been abolished and much of estate management still relied on the lord.

The late emperor abolished the feudal system and introduced a centralized system. Still, since not all lords were purged, the local administration’s key positions were filled with the lords’ retainers. In cases like this, where the lord was purged but the retainers remained, problems arose when a new lord took over.

“This mayor was also a retainer of the Bailey family, right?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“On the surface, he seems cooperative, but I have a feeling he’s subtly obstructing us.”

As I read through the documents, I tapped my fingernails on the desk. It wasn’t that the mayor was particularly loyal to the Bailey family—after all, he was an elected official, not an appointee. The city council was mostly made up of retainers who had lived in the territory for generations, so to secure reelection, the mayor had to side with them.

“There’s no solution until we replenish the city council with our people. For now, it’s best to watch and wait.”

“I agree. At this point, we need their cooperation, so we should maintain a friendly attitude.”

I sighed as I stamped the documents that still left me with doubts. The people involved in the conspiracy were all on trial, and the ones left were too insignificant to have had any real power. It was impossible to completely replace everyone, so we had to win them over and lead them.

“Tell the estate managers that from now on, all information is to be reported to me directly. I’ll compile everything before reporting it to the mayor.”

TL NOTE: Visit dusk blossoms for more advanced chapters and stories