Chapter 4 – Suspicion (Part 3)

“Madam has no appointments or plans to go out for the next week.”

Cassius asked Pedro daily if Elysia had any special plans, but according to Pedro, who reported what he heard from Millie, there was no opportunity for the next week.

The Duke grew even more suspicious, wondering what kind of important item she had received that she would stay at the estate without going out to guard it. At this rate, Elysia might somehow send it back to the Serenze family before he could check it.

“Where has Miss Serenze not yet visited?”

“The main library, the west wing, and the training grounds.”

“Have you shown her the carriage house? What about the servants’ quarters?”

“…Do you think she needs to see such places?”

“As the future mistress, she should know the entire estate. She might want to improve rarely used areas or the servants’ quarters, so show her every place thoroughly.”

“Yes, then I’ll divide the visits by day throughout the week…”

“All in one day tomorrow.”

Pedro was startled by the demanding schedule Cassius ordered. The Duke’s estate wasn’t small, and to see all those places in one day would require walking around from early morning until late evening.

“Isn’t that too demanding? Can Madam handle it…?”

Pedro, who rarely voiced objections, trailed off worriedly, but the Duke’s sharp blue eyes indicated he wouldn’t allow any dissent.

“I can test my fiancée’s stamina. A weak person can’t become the mistress.”

The housekeeper swallowed his concern and agreed to follow the Duke’s instructions.

***

The next morning, Elysia, again woken early by Millie at sunrise, started her day. After breakfast, she drank three cups of coffee in succession and began the tour of the estate with the housekeeper. It was almost noon when she finally thought she could rest and was about to head to her room.

“Madam, you must see the west wing now.”

“But I just finished seeing the library.”

Having toured the main library, which was comparable in size to a public library, and listened to the history of various rare first editions and books difficult to find even on distant continents, Elysia was overwhelmed and just wanted to return to her room to rest.

“At this rate, you won’t be able to see the entire estate even after several weeks. So today, we’ll cover all the important parts at once. Unless you have other plans.”

With no other plans, Elysia had no choice but to follow Pedro. Entering the west wing, Elysia had to visit each of the many rooms and listen to Pedro’s endless lectures about them.

The study in the west wing, which Cassius was said to frequent, felt like a small library, but since it was practically his private space, they respected his privacy and only looked from the doorway without entering.

After the study, Elysia toured the large dining hall where the workers ate and even the kitchen. The servants and maids who had lined up so orderly when she first arrived at the estate looked at her with bright eyes as she entered their workspace, which was more overwhelming than she had anticipated.

“Madam, to have you visit each place like this…”

“It seems you’re planning to transform this place dramatically.”

“It’s like a goddess has come to bring light to the Duke’s estate.”

They were probably trying to whisper as quietly as possible to each other, but Elysia heard everything.

‘No… Please don’t have any expectations. I’m not that kind of person.’

Elysia thought there was definitely an ulterior motive behind the housekeeper’s detailed introduction of every corner of the estate. It was to have her listen directly to the wishes of the servants and transform the place with the insight of a new mistress. It was undoubtedly a setup for that.

To Elysia, with each step she took inside the estate, it felt like she was moving further away from her life’s goals.

***

While Elysia was gradually losing her spirit as Pedro introduced her to various parts of the estate, Cassius entered Elysia’s empty room.

According to Pedro, what Seti handed over was wrapped in a cloth and quite bulky. Although it was to find the item Elysia had requested with a secret seal, entering an unoccupied room and rummaging through belongings was not a pleasant task for the Duke either.

If the person suspected of being a spy were someone else, he would have sent Aaron or one of the guard knights, but he chose to handle it himself without informing anyone as a small courtesy to his fiancée.

Cassius thought about where a bulky item could be hidden and first entered the wardrobe connected to the room. The wardrobe was almost like another room, but there was nothing immediately noticeable. The maids had organized the clothes and shoes so that everything was visible at a glance, leaving no gaps where something could be hidden.

One of the bags contained odds and ends, but upon inspection, it only had ordinary wax, writing instruments, and accessories. The rest were either empty or contained only support tools to maintain the shape of the bag’s fabric.

Returning to the bedroom and contemplating between the vanity and the desk, Cassius first opened the desk drawer. Contrary to his expectation that it wouldn’t open due to a keyhole, the drawer opened without resistance. Inside was a large, thick notebook.

[Candidate 1]

Opening the first page, Cassius saw a portrait of himself. Given the size of the notebook and the nature of its contents, it was undoubtedly the item sent by the Serenze family at Elysia’s request. As the Duke slowly flipped through the notebook, his gaze grew increasingly sharp.

He never imagined that such detailed information about himself, from his swordsmanship habits and achievements at the academy to his body measurements and dietary preferences, would be meticulously compiled. It was as if someone had obsessively gathered all details from his childhood to exploit potential weaknesses, like a political adversary.

“For such a long period…”

As he continued to flip through the notebook, he suddenly sensed someone approaching the room. The Duke quickly returned the notebook, closed the drawer, and barely made it to the balcony just before the door opened. He stood in the corner, hiding from view inside the room.

“Madam, if you sit down for a moment, I’ll bring something for the swelling right away.”

“No, if I lie down and rest, I’ll recover soon. I’ll come down by lunchtime, so don’t worry and go about your duties.”

“But if you don’t reduce the swelling, it might hurt more.”

“I’m really okay. I’ve injured my ankle often enough to know my condition well. It’s not severe this time, and resting will heal it. I’ll call if I need anything, so could you let me rest now?”

“Yes, Madam.”

Millie replied with a very regretful voice and left the room.

“Ah… What a situation. I had to pretend to sprain my ankle just to return to my room.”

Cassius stiffened at Elysia’s muttering to herself. It seemed she had already suspected that Pedro’s order to guide her around the estate all day was deliberate.

Collapsing onto the sofa, Elysia decided to take a moment to feel proud of her ingenuity in returning to her room.

Even after seeing the kitchen and the carriage house, no matter how much she hinted, the housekeeper seemed unwilling to give her a break.

In the end, Elysia resorted to her last measure, suddenly pretending to stumble and fall, clutching her ankle.

“Madam!”

As the coachman Seti and the housekeeper turned pale and supported her, Elysia deliberately gave a weak smile.

“It’s okay. I think I just stumbled a bit because my leg gave out. I feel like I’ll get better if I rest in my room…”

Pedro immediately called Millie to escort Elysia to her room.

Elysia performed a convincing act of slightly limping on one leg, neither too much nor too little. As she leaned on Millie and returned to her room, feeling proud of her quick thinking, a sense of suffocation suddenly hit her.

‘Seeing how thoroughly they’re showing me around, it seems they’re planning to entrust me with the duties of the Duke’s estate soon.’

From what she had seen so far, there was a lot for the future mistress to do at the Duke’s estate. It was clear that both the interior and exterior had been maintained without change for many years. The eyes and whispers of the servants were filled with expectations for Elysia. It was an overwhelmingly burdensome situation.

Thinking again about the scope of “both inside and outside,” the garden was also a problem. It was clear that a gardener managed it, but the landscape consisted only of trees pruned into precise squares without any human touch. At night, it seemed eerie.

‘Maybe it’s just a bad first impression. It might look different during the day with the sun shining!’

Yes, attitude is everything.

Thinking that, Elysia decided to get some fresh air and suddenly stood up and headed to the balcony.