“Anne and I will serve you without any inconvenience. Anne is about your age, so she’ll be a good conversation partner for you.”

Celia nodded at Mrs. Letten’s words and then asked.

“Where am I going?”

Even where she was now wasn’t particularly uncomfortable. No, rather it was more than she deserved.

From the beginning, the only time she had been to the main building of the Duke’s mansion was when Eugen had summoned her; she had been here all along during Andros’s death and the preparations for the funeral. Celia felt worried about the fact that she was now moving to a different place.

“It’s another annex of the Duke’s mansion. It’s in the back garden, and since it’s a place where others don’t enter, you’ll be able to rest comfortably.”

A place where others couldn’t easily come and go.

That meant they were going to hide her away from others’ eyes.

They must be ashamed of me.

The hastily welcomed Duchess without a proper ceremony. She had already experienced enough gossip from the socialites at the funeral about her being young enough to be her husband’s daughter. So it was understandable that Eugen had pushed her to the most remote part of the Duke’s mansion.

“Ah, I see.”

As she smiled bitterly, Mrs. Letten quickly added.

“The back garden of Hilbert’s ducal mansion is famous for its beauty. Lady Violetta especially loved it. It’s full of beautiful plants, trees, and flowers that you can’t easily see elsewhere. There’s also a pretty pond.”

“Yes, I should be grateful for the Duke’s consideration.”

No matter what the maid said, she knew that she was no different from being exiled within the Duke’s mansion. If anything, it was indeed Eugen’s consideration.

With the rumors about her being rampant now, it could be considered fortunate for her to be able to stay in a quiet place away from others’ gazes.

There were no restrictions saying she couldn’t go out or that she had to be cooped up in her room. Of course. After all, Celia had nowhere else to go.

On the other hand, she felt a bit sad about her situation of having to hide. It seemed like all of this was a disaster she had brought upon herself by promising to marry a man old enough to be her father and bear his child.

If only I had begged from the beginning.

Then they might have given her some hush money and sent her away. But now it was too late.

***

The place she followed Mrs. Letten to, with Anne and her simple luggage, was more beautiful than expected, no, beyond imagination.

The walking path, cultivated with precious trees, plants, and flowers as if it were a fairy forest, caught her eye, and the annex located at its end blended in with the surroundings like a picture. In the moderately sized pond, colorful fish were swimming under the dried water lily leaves, showing off their brilliant fins.

Celia looked around with wide eyes. Even as she did so, she didn’t stop diligently following Mrs. Letten.

“This is the annex where Lady Violetta used to recuperate. It will be good for quietly welcoming the baby.”

“The… baby?”

Celia looked at Mrs. Letten, startled.

“Once your pregnancy is confirmed, you’ll be carrying Hilbert’s precious child. Both the baby and you deserve the best treatment.”

“……”

Celia just listened blankly to Mrs. Letten’s kind words.

“Well then, rest. I’ll let you know when the meal is ready.”

As soon as Mrs. Letten politely spoke and disappeared, Celia collapsed right where she stood.

“Haa.”

A thin breath escaped from her lips as she grasped the black veil covering her sight.

“What on earth did I……”

Celia trembled uncontrollably as she recalled that night again.

No matter how much she tried to forget, she couldn’t.

She had spent the whole night with her dead husband beside her. She couldn’t tell anyone. If she revealed that Andros had been dead before she entered the room, there would be no way to receive the money written in the contract.

The condition for the contract’s fulfillment was to bear Andros’s child. But if they knew that nothing had happened on the wedding night, then she wouldn’t be able to receive the money.

She came to this mansion with a certain resolve. She couldn’t let that go to waste.

“When I woke up in the morning, the Duke was already dead.”

She made up a blatant lie. She even shed fake tears in front of the maid who looked at her with suspicious eyes. Of course, those tears weren’t entirely fake.

Having spent the entire night next to a corpse, as soon as she met a living person, tears mixed with relief flowed like a dam bursting after heavy rain.

At first, the maid looked at her with doubtful eyes, but soon embraced and comforted her. That’s how Celia was able to become a pitiful widow who lost her husband on her wedding night.

Until she met Andros’s son, Eugen.

“What should I do.”

Celia raised her face that had been buried in her knees. One lie had eventually led to another.

“I’ll prepare separate quarters for you within the mansion, so stay there. Then we’ll be able to know for sure if you’re pregnant.”

At Eugen’s words, she felt as if she was falling off a cliff. All that remained was to be punished by falling into the endless pit of lies she had created.

But I need the money.

She remembered her sister who had held her hand with a sickly face. Poor Sophie. She wanted to save that child, feed her well, and dress her in nice clothes. Remembering the little one who had rubbed her feverish cheek saying she only needed her sister, she simply couldn’t give up.

But how?

No matter how many times she rubbed her face dry and tried to think of a way, nothing came to mind. It was natural.

There was no way she could get pregnant.

Unless there was some divine conception, she couldn’t become pregnant as a virgin.

If 100 days passed like this, they would know she wasn’t pregnant, and eventually, she would have to leave this mansion without receiving a single penny. And if that happened…

“No.”

Celia sprang up from her seat. It wasn’t just about not receiving the money.

The numerous debts Gilmore had incurred in her name. He, who couldn’t handle his gambling debts and alcohol bills that were already overflowing, had borrowed money from here and there in his daughter’s name as soon as her move to the Duke’s mansion was decided. Thinking he could pay it back anyway, he had recklessly borrowed money at high interest rates.

“How could you do this?”

When she shouted angrily, all she got in return was Gilmore’s severe beating.

“You’re a fierce girl, just like your mother. You should be grateful I raised you. What does it matter if you can’t have a child, I have another daughter. She’s younger and fresher, so won’t she bear children well? Or you can make money with that body of yours……”

Watching her father guzzle down alcohol while cackling, Celia gripped the poker tightly in her hand. But she couldn’t bring herself to actually strike her father.

If she were to return home without a penny, then… All that remained was to be sold off to creditors.

“This can’t be……”

Celia paced around the room frantically.

“……”

Suddenly, the scenery of the room came into her anxious view.

The room she was in was full of valuable items.

Porcelain said to be produced by artisans in specific regions, glass vases made with delicate craftsmanship, high-quality carpets on the floor.

Even the embroidered silk shoes she was wearing were quite expensive. For a moment, thoughts of secretly packing valuable items and running away crossed her mind.

“What am I thinking.”

Celia’s legs gave out and she sank back down. Getting caught would be instantaneous. To even think of stealing and running away with items from a Duke’s family. It was impossible unless she had three or four lives.

In the end, was she to spend these 100 days helplessly, unable to do anything?

“No……”

In the end, she gained nothing. The fact that she had to leave this place empty-handed after gambling her life made Celia let out a deep sigh.

***

Celia barely touched the food served and finally put down her fork.

“You’ve hardly eaten anything. Does it not suit your taste?”

“It’s not that……”

Looking at Mrs. Letten who was watching her with worried eyes, Celia swallowed hard.

She wasn’t unaware of how precious the ingredients were and how carefully the dishes served at every meal were prepared.