Chapter 3 – Exploration (Part 1)

“Madam, the Duke is still tied up with matters at the palace…”

“Millie, it’s alright. Everyone knows that Duke Cassius de Grendel, as the Minister of Administration, is the busiest person in the Kingdom of Brunchia. Unless there’s something special, there’s no need to make excuses.”

Millie was very apologetic as she conveyed the news to Elysia, who was going to have dinner alone again due to the Duke’s late return. However, far from being disappointed, Elysia’s seemingly considerate attitude made Millie’s heart ache.

‘She’s trying to act like it’s nothing, but she must be very disappointed.’

Contrary to Millie’s misconception, Elysia was pleased to be able to dine comfortably. Although she wasn’t particularly eloquent, when she thought of the first dinner, Cassius was even more so. She didn’t particularly want to face someone who created such an atmosphere at the dining table that it felt like digestion would be impossible.

Above all, having spent most of her time lazily in her room, she had little appetite and wanted only a light meal for dinner.

Millie headed to the kitchen to prepare a simple meal as per Elysia’s request. The cook and other servants, who had been waiting with high expectations, saw Millie’s slumped shoulders.

“Again today?”

“Yes. Madam said she understood as if it was nothing, but her face was filled with worry.”

Like Millie’s shoulders, the expressions of the others also drooped.

“Madam eats too little.”

“Is that why she’s so delicate? Her complexion is pale too…”

“There are people who are naturally weak. Maybe our Madam is like that, which is why she’s not very active.”

No one imagined that her lack of appetite and pale complexion were due to eating little because she wasn’t moving much and staying indoors.

Elysia wasn’t exactly weak or frail. She had a nicely slender figure, and even a bit of walking could bring a healthy glow to her cheeks, but her lifestyle, which was depleting her stamina, had caused her to lose her healthy appearance.

While she didn’t particularly look sickly, compared to the sturdy build of the descendants of the Ducal house, who inherited martial bloodlines and, as high-ranking nobles, consistently trained in swordsmanship, Elysia appeared relatively frail.

Moreover, since the late Duchess had been absent for a long time, all the women in the mansion were those who worked hard and had solid muscles from living actively. To them, someone like Elysia, an ordinary noble lady, seemed like she could be blown away by the wind.

“If she’s weak and overexerts herself in a new environment, she might fall ill, so we must take special care of her. Many noble ladies are known to be sensitive, so move more quietly than usual and try not to be seen.”

Grace, the head maid, earnestly instructed everyone.

Millie, holding the tray of food prepared by the chef, looked even more depressed. Unable to bear her expression, Grace scolded her.

“Madam doesn’t show it, so how can you, a mere maid, have such a gloomy face? You need to manage your expressions better.”

“Mother, I feel like Madam still finds me difficult to approach. I appreciate her consistent courtesy, but it feels like the distance will never close.”

As Millie said, Elysia treated the servants of the Ducal estate with respect and did not speak down to them. This was different from the Serenze house, where she had familiarity with the servants she had known since childhood and a free atmosphere in the household.

Additionally, she had a vague understanding that high-ranking nobles never treated their subordinates with undue familiarity in order to maintain their own dignity. Thus, she felt she had to behave like the lady of the Grendel Ducal house.

Those who hoped the new Madam would transform the Ducal estate into a cheerful and friendly atmosphere were inevitably disappointed by her distant demeanor. However, if that was her nature, they had to adapt to it.

“If she received thorough education as a noble, that might be the case. But the servants must not show any displeasure. Now, take the food before it gets cold.”

At Grace’s urging, Millie moved her feet.

Those who had been filled with expectations that the estate would transform once the Duke brought a mistress now abandoned those dreams. They were now only anxious that if they breathed too heavily, Madam might collapse.

Due to everyone’s excessive consideration, Elysia had become an extreme recluse, a state she hadn’t even dreamed of at the Serenze house. If there had been no duties as a mistress, Elysia might have lived comfortably in her room for the rest of her life, never seeing her husband’s face.

***

For about two weeks, Elysia lived a languid life without change, but today, she woke up earlier than usual and meticulously groomed herself. Today was the first time she was going out since coming to the Ducal estate. The purpose of the outing was none other than the negotiation of the marriage contract.

Watching Millie, who was visibly excited about dressing her up, Elysia couldn’t help but reflect on her life.

Elysia quietly accepted Millie’s hands as she arranged her hair, contemplating. She had briefly wondered about the Duke, who seemed to be always working and whom she hadn’t seen since the first dinner.

‘After proposing so aggressively and practically kidnapping me here, why hasn’t he shown his face even once? At this rate, it wouldn’t matter if I were here or at the Serenze house, would it?’

Even if he didn’t show his face, Elysia had expected that Cassius would instruct the butler or secretary to ensure she thoroughly learned her duties as the mistress of the Ducal house. However, rather than doing so, it was strange that no one interfered with her life at all.

Until a few days ago, Elysia had been considering asking if there was anything she should do, feeling uneasy about lazily lounging around in a place that didn’t feel like her home. However, she quickly changed her mind.

‘It might be a battle of nerves. Or perhaps he’s testing me.’

It would be more troublesome to be caught trying to do this and that unnecessarily. Thinking that they would instruct her if it was truly necessary, Elysia concluded she would continue to live comfortably as she had been. There was no guarantee that this engagement would last forever. In hindsight, it might be a luxury to worry about such things.

As she finished dressing and left her room, Elysia belatedly realized that Cassius might have deliberately left her alone because they hadn’t yet drafted the marriage contract. From today, her life at the Ducal estate might change, so she needed to be on her toes.

The negotiation was to take place not at the Ducal estate or the Serenze house, but at a third neutral location, the office of a lawyer who would finalize the legal certification of the agreement. Knowing that her father, who would see her for the first time in a while, would scrutinize her condition with hawk-like eyes and report everything back to the Serenze house, Elysia meticulously groomed herself to appear even more vibrant and bright than usual.

Cassius, who had gone to the Administrative Palace for work, returned to the mansion to pick up Elysia and was waiting in front of the carriage. Upon seeing Elysia, he offered his arm without any particular greeting to help her into the carriage. Elysia, having nothing particular to say, simply nodded in greeting and boarded the carriage. Following her, Cassius’s secretary, Aaron, carrying the prepared documents, joined them in the carriage.

Although the three of them were in the same carriage now, at the negotiation table, Elysia and her father would sit on one side, with the Duke and Aaron on the opposite side.

The carriage arrived in front of a building in the city center, where the offices were concentrated. Until the carriage came to a complete stop, no one spoke. Elysia, who had disembarked, silently accepted the Duke’s escort and ascended to the second floor. A clerk, recognizing Aaron and Cassius, immediately led them to the reception room used by nobles for negotiations.

As the door opened, Tobias, who had arrived earlier and was seated, came into view. Overcome with joy, Elysia wanted to rush over and embrace her father. It was an action she wouldn’t have imagined doing when she was at the Serenze house. Elysia was usually an indifferent daughter who didn’t express affection well.

“You’re late.”

Tobias said in a cold voice to the party entering the office.

‘Oh! What was I just about to do? I almost did something I’ve never done before.’

Elysia snapped back to her senses at Tobias’s chilly tone. It hadn’t been long since she went to the Ducal estate, and if she acted out of character, her father would surely suspect her lifestyle even more.

Thinking it was fortunate that she hadn’t acted impulsively, Elysia, recalling what her father had just said, looked at the clock in the office, wondering if they were late.

The clock showed the exact time they had agreed to meet. They had arrived precisely on time, so they couldn’t be considered late. Cassius and Aaron, seemingly thinking the same, did not answer immediately and looked at Tobias.

“You didn’t consider giving this father and daughter, meeting after a long time, a moment to exchange greetings. Since you’re a busy man, you could have sent my daughter ahead.”