Chapter 7 – Progress (Part 3)

While her parents and the Duke were outwardly maintaining full politeness, it seemed like sparks were flying between them.

Lillian placed her hand on Cassius’s arm and entered the mansion, still covering her mouth with her fan, as if she was not pleased. Tobias followed her.

However, Marion didn’t enter the house and was admiring the grandeur of the Ducal residence from outside. Daisy was also scrutinizing the entire building from the entrance to the outer wall as if searching for flaws. When Marion finally spoke, Elysia, anxious about what might come out of her mouth, quickly interjected.

“Marion! Doesn’t the Ducal residence look solemn? It’s because they used alchemically reinforced materials for the exterior. It’s much cozier inside. It’s cold outside, so let’s go in quickly.”

Marion’s eyes sparkled at the mention of alchemical reinforcement.

“Alchemical reinforcement? What kind of functions does it have? Waterproofing? Soundproofing? Is it unbreakable even against physical attacks?”

As soon as her area of interest was mentioned, Marion showed immediate enthusiasm. Elysia was relieved to have diverted her attention and promised to talk about it over tea, gently pushing Marion inside. Marion, filled with anticipation that there might be more interesting things inside the mansion, entered with excitement.

Daisy, who had been following silently, smiled slightly at Elysia. Millie stood nearby, tense.

“Miss, compared to when you were at the Serenze family…”

Daisy looked Elysia up and down.

“You’ve lost weight. It seems you’re living a more regular life here.”

Elysia, who had been tense about what criticism might come, let out a sigh of relief.

“But your skin has become rougher, and your hair and face have lost their luster. Is there no one here to take care of you properly? It seems the servants at the Duke’s residence aren’t used to such tasks since there hasn’t been a woman here for a long time.”

Millie blushed, clenching her hands tightly over her chest. She wanted to say she was serving her Madam well, but it was true that the lack of women in the Ducal residence meant there hadn’t been opportunities to become skilled in such tasks.

Swallowing her frustration, Millie glanced at her Madam to see if she was upset by the maid’s impudent words.

However, Elysia looked not upset but rather delighted.

“Ah, that’s it. I must have become like this because I haven’t heard your straightforward words in a long time, Daisy. If you’re so worried, why don’t you pass on some tips to the maids here later? Oh, wait, that won’t do. If the dignified servants of this mansion hear your verbal beatings, Daisy, they might all be mentally destroyed.”

Daisy smiled at the cheerful Elysia. Whether it could be called a smile was debatable. Pretending to remove something from Elysia’s hair, Daisy leaned in and whispered.

“Miss, it must have been hard living in the Demon King’s castle, right? You don’t have to say you’re glad to see me; I already know. But, is it okay to speak so freely with the Duke watching?”

Elysia finally became aware of Cassius standing with her parents at the entrance, watching her. As she feared, she had let her guard down just moments after meeting the Serenze family.

‘Oh no, I let myself slip…’

Elysia tried to recover by putting on a graceful expression, but she thought she saw Cassius’s mouth twitch slightly. Before she could look closely to confirm, Cassius turned and led the Serenze family into the reception room.

***

Elysia smiled with satisfaction as she looked at the new curtains and tapestries in the reception room, as well as the flowers brightly decorating various spots. There wasn’t enough time to replace everything, like the black marble reception table, the dark brown leather sofas that were almost black, and the surrounding dark furniture. Still, the room had undergone a remarkable transformation compared to before.

“Duke, you seem to like dark colors.”

Elysia stiffened at Lillian’s remark.

Cassius paused as he lifted his tea. He, too, was admiring the drawing room, which had transformed into a completely different image in a short time. However, upon hearing Lillian’s words, he recalled the drawing room of the Serenze family, which he had visited for the marriage proposal.

He remembered it as a space decorated with furniture that created a cozy and bright atmosphere, carpets in soft and warm colors, and plants and flowers that gave a calm ambiance, making it comfortable to stay for hours. Compared to that, this place would naturally seem bleak. Cassius belatedly became conscious of the somber furniture in the reception room.

Aisar, the previous Duke, believed that visitors to the reception room should feel the Duke’s family’s dignity for negotiations to go well afterward. Since no one visited simply to build friendships, the room was used as a place to assert dominance, so its decoration was bound to be different.

“This place was decorated according to the needs of those my father received. At that time, there was no mistress in the Ducal household, so no one other than my father’s guests visited, but Miss Serenze has transformed it well in a short time. As the mistress, I look forward to her wonderfully transforming the Ducal residence.”

“Are you entrusting such tasks to our Elysia?”

Tobias’s voice, as he questioned, was sharp with an edge.

“Yes, I intend to entrust the full authority over the Ducal household to her. She will enjoy the rights of a mistress, without needing separate permission for things like changing the household.”

Tobias couldn’t tell if Cassius was testing Elysia or not. Although Elysia could indeed handle such tasks if she put her mind to it, he was doubtful that his usually lazy daughter would take on such responsibilities. As Tobias, Lillian, and even Marion looked at her with worried expressions, Elysia, noticing their concerns, explained.

“I’m not doing everything by myself. A financial expert is overseeing the overall finances, and the head butler is handling most of the major tasks as he always has. Even with full authority delegated to me, the most I’ve done so far is choose curtain colors.”

Cassius noticed that the Serenze family was concerned about Elysia being overburdened with work.

“As you heard, most tasks in the Ducal residence are carried out with the help of experts. There will be no overworking or anything like that. It’s simply about exercising appropriate rights as the mistress of the Ducal household.”

With the Duke’s explanation, the Serenze family visibly relaxed.

After an awkward conversation, Elysia was waiting for the Duke to excuse himself, saying they’d meet again at lunch, so she could finally greet her family properly.

However, Cassius showed no intention of leaving his seat.

‘Why isn’t he leaving? I want to be comfortable with my family, so why is he staying put? Doesn’t he have work? No, there’s no way a Duke wouldn’t have work. That means… Is he monitoring us right now?’

Elysia’s family shared the same wish for the Duke to leave. They wanted to spend some cozy time with just the family, but with Cassius lingering, it felt like sitting on pins and needles. Moreover, Cassius wasn’t particularly sociable, leading the conversation in a friendly manner.

Unable to bear it any longer, Lillian tried to probe.

“Duke, you must be very busy, so thank you for making time for us. You said you’d join us for lunch as well, right? Won’t we be disturbing your work? You don’t have to stay with us on purpose.”

“No, there is nothing more important than being with the family of my future wife for the first time. Even if His Majesty were to visit, I would choose to spend this time with you.”

The Duke’s firm response left the Serenze family with awkward expressions. With him invoking His Majesty as if driven by some sense of duty to stay, they couldn’t say anything more.