Chapter 12

“Well, calling it dog fur is a bit much…”

Bleria glanced at the jewelry box and picked out an item, handing it to the maid. The maid trembled, unable to take it.

“Ah, my lady, this is too much for me.”

“If you’ve done something worth praise, you should be rewarded. If you don’t accept it, neither can the others. Is that what you want?“

“But still…“

“Your youngest sibling is unwell, isn’t he?”

At those words, the maid froze. Her wide eyes slowly returned to their standard size as her head dropped low. After a moment, she spoke in a subdued voice.

“…Thank you, my lady. I’ll work even harder from now on.“

“There’s no need for that,“ Bleria said as she closed the jewelry box.

“Now, could you all leave? I need to rest.”

The servants promptly exited the toilette room. Left alone, Bleria turned to face the mirror again.

Her hair still displeased her. It was a lifelong trauma that would never fade. But at the moment, that was the least of her concerns.

Marrying Gopher?

She still felt dazed.

Over the past five years, she had been through much. She had come to understand how ridiculous Gopher’s words had been and slowly began to distrust him.

The way he measured her, the constant tests, and… other things.

‘I was sure it would all fall apart, but now there’s a date set.’

Bleria stood up and paced around the room, trying to calm herself.

‘I can’t believe it until the ceremony is over. Don’t expect anything. It could still be called off at any moment…’

Foolish thoughts!

He would’ve done so long ago if he were going to back out. This was real. Bleria was genuinely going to marry Gopher. She would become his wife. A shiver ran down her spine.

She placed a hand over her thudding heart and took shallow breaths, trying to steady herself. Eventually, another thought crept in.

‘Am I being too harsh on Gopher? Maybe I should trust him more. Just a little, even a tiny bit…’

“Haah.”

Her thoughts spun endlessly. Just because one maid mentioned her wedding, she acted like a giddy child.

She needed to visit Duke Heaven’s study soon. She couldn’t let others see her emotions in turmoil.

Bleria closed her eyes, forcing herself to calm down. This time, it worked. She opened her eyes, feeling more composed.

The mirror reflected her face. Despite the storm raging inside, her expression was as impassive as ever. She silently thanked the mask she wore and left the toilette room.

On her way to the Duke’s study, hushed voices reached her ears. The maids cleaning one of the rooms were deep in conversation.

“Is the young lady always like that? She never shows any expression, not even more than the young master. It’s impossible to tell what she likes or dislikes.“

“How can people be so different, even wearing the same clothes?”

Not long ago, she had heard a maid moved to tears by gratitude, but a few steps away, she was now hearing insults. It had been a while since she’d heard such blatant gossip. Bleria peered through the door crack.

“You don’t get it. That’s just how nobles are. The young lady is just better at hiding her emotions than most.“

“Still, I don’t understand why they must hide their feelings. Living like that, they’d forget what their own emotions are. If I were a noble, I wouldn’t do that. I’d be honest and not so pretentious—“

“May, stop it. I know you’re at that age where you want to stand out, but if it were me, I’d be more careful.“

“Why? It’s not like I’m wrong.”

Their voices grew louder as if they were unaware the door was open. It was getting difficult to ignore.

Bleria turned on her heel, abandoning her path to the study, and approached the doorway.

“Please, Daisy.“

“Hold on. Actually, the young lady wasn’t always like this. She changed after meeting the All-night gentleman.“

“Really? But they seem so close.“

“Close? You clearly haven’t heard the latest rumors.”

Just as Bleria reached for the doorknob, her hand froze.

“They say he’s been seeing another woman.”

She almost laughed.

Of all the things she had worried about regarding Gopher, infidelity had never crossed her mind. Did he even have desires beyond obligation?

Still, she didn’t open the door immediately. The specificity of their gossip intrigued her. Even if it was nonsense, it was worth verifying.

As she was about to resume listening, another hand abruptly reached out and turned the knob before she could.

“H-Huh?“

“What’s so entertaining that you’re gossiping so loudly?”

Golden hair swayed as someone stepped ahead of Bleria.

“Ah, My Lady?“

“Don’t you remember being thrown out en masse a few years ago? Leaving the door wide open, bold as ever.”

The once-boisterous voices fell silent, now too low to discern. From the tone, it seemed they were apologizing.

“Yes, yes, you should be sorry. Now, what were your names again?“

“…”

“May, Daisy, Verbena. Got it. I’ll inform the head maid—go get your scolding.”

The maids, sniffling, exited the room and ran straight into Bleria. Their eyes widened, and they froze, not even daring to breathe.

Two of them were familiar, but the third was a new face. Bleria tilted her head slightly, her hair slipping down her shoulder.

“You said you couldn’t tell what I like or dislike?“

“I dislike gossip.“

“Ah, s-sorry—“

“I also dislike apologies. They’re just excuses people make after doing something wrong.“

“...”

“But, isn’t that the same for everyone? Whether they show their feelings or not.”

Tears began streaming down the youngest maid’s face. After silence, Bleria gave a slight nod, signaling them to leave.

The three maids bowed deeply and disappeared down the hallway. With their departure, only two figures remained: Bleria and the tall, elegant woman beside her.

The urbane beauty looked down at her. With sharp, defined eyes, her gaze wasn’t soft by any means—but for a fleeting moment, the cold mask melted.

“Why did you just stand there and listen to all that, Bleria?”

Harriet Serenity Heaven—Young Duke Damien’s wife—stood before her.

Her beautiful face was etched with concern. Harriet had always liked Bleria, whether as the child from over a decade ago or as the young woman who had rejoined the estate. Harriet didn’t know that Bleria was an impostor.

Her warm demeanor would sometimes melt Bleria’s heart but also pricked her with guilt.

“I was curious how far they’d go. Thank you for your concern, but what about you, Harriet? You haven’t been looking well lately.“

“Ah, it’s nothing serious, just some indigestion. I’ve been falling asleep before meals lately.“

“A nap?“

“More like hibernation—I’m not a bear, but I feel like one. Always drowsy.”

Harriet yawned as if to prove her point.

Could it be…? Bleria tilted her head slightly.

“What does Amelia say?“

“Obviously, I haven’t seen her yet! Don’t scold me. She’ll nag me into a check-up soon enough, but I’m now swamped with work. It’s just exhaustion.“

‘You really should see her,‘ Bleria thought but didn’t say. She didn’t want to disappoint Harriet, even unintentionally.

“You’ve stopped drinking coffee and alcohol, right? They say it’s bad for people sensitive to winter.“

“Really? That’s the first I’ve heard.“

“...”

“Fine, fine, I’ll do as you say. I’ve already cut back anyway.”

Raising her hands in mock surrender, Harriet grinned, prompting Bleria to narrow her eyes slightly. Despite her feigned annoyance, Bleria didn’t honestly dislike her.

“You know the gossip is nonsense, right? Stuff like this always comes up before a wedding. When I married, they said Damien would shrivel up because I’d drain his energy. Funny, considering Damien looks more like a vampire than I do.”

Harriet was the only one who said things like this to Bleria.

“It’s fine, really. I don’t let it bother me.“

“You’re so sweet. Such a pretty girl.”

Harriet tousled Bleria’s hair like a child, but the touch wasn’t unpleasant. Bleria lowered her gaze calmly.

***

That day, the Duke held a teapot instead of a whip. He personally poured tea into Bleria’s cup. The warm, amber liquid released gentle steam as Bleria blinked drowsily at it.

“Now that the date is set, you must visit the temple soon.”

At his words, Bleria was reminded of something she’d nearly forgotten.

The Heaven family earned its name as a reward for the accomplishments of its founder. During a severe drought in the empire’s early days, she sold half of her estate to provide relief and spearheaded efforts to popularize famine-resistant crops.

Her deeds moved the imperial family so much that they granted her the right of pardon. The temple bestowed the Heaven name and a vial of sacred water, which was revered as a relic.

Though political tensions had since distanced the family from the imperial court, their strong ties to the temple remained. This ensured that Heavens received a special blessing before their weddings: a prophecy.

“To think the day has come for you to receive a prophecy.”

A blessing that could warn of dangers or offer reassurance of impending happiness.

However, its glimpses were often brief and vague, offering little of real value despite their prestige.

Bleria had no expectations.

“I hope it’s a good prophecy.“

“I hope so, too, though… ha-ha… I’ve heard the current prophet is better than the last one.”

The Duke chuckled awkwardly before his expression shifted. Glancing around, he leaned in slightly, a mischievous tone creeping into his voice.

“Mine was awful. The prophet said I should beware of marital strife because Charlotte would throw a teacup at me. The funny thing is, we got along just fine back then.”

Charlotte was the name of the previous Duchess.