#6

Several hours had passed since the dawn bell had rung, but most nobles showed no sign of wanting to return to their rooms to rest. As each raised their glasses, the atmosphere of the banquet only grew more festive.

The premium wine stockpiled for the Victory Festival was abundant and overflowing. They literally intended to hold out in the banquet hall until they collapsed from exhaustion. Though the alcohol wouldn’t run out during the festival, the ten days would pass quickly.

The seemingly endless banquet caused Diez some concern. Could she possibly have to endure here until daybreak? She didn’t have the confidence. Her physical strength, after being confined to a small bedroom in the Duke’s mansion for years, would certainly not hold up.

But that wasn’t the only reason. Diez’s body had lost its tolerance for the tight-waisted dress and stiff leather shoes. Her chest felt constricted and her feet hurt to the point where she wondered how she had endured this in the past.

She struggled to maintain her composure while glancing sideways at the ladies nearby. They looked completely at ease, as if they had been born as one with their dresses, which seemed remarkable to her.

Is it because they’re nobles?

Unlike me, they must have been educated to get used to this from a very young age.

Diez’s childhood was certainly different from what noble ladies would have experienced. Thanks to the dense forest surrounding the mansion her father had purchased, she had spent her time running freely around the private property like a young foal.

When her father began forming connections with nobles and gradually building his influence among them, Diez also had to learn how to behave like a proper lady.

Though the perfectly fitted dress had been unbearably uncomfortable, the young Diez had endured it. Just wearing a pretty dress like the noble girls made her heart flutter and gave her a sense of pride.

‘I really knew nothing back then.’

The days of attaching meaning to beautiful dresses had long passed. Diez suppressed her desire to return to her room immediately and throw everything off.

I shouldn’t be thinking like this already.

She couldn’t go back to being the person who lived curled up in a small bedroom. From now on, she needed to get used to all of this again.

‘I wonder when Jürgen is planning to leave the banquet hall.’

Momentarily left alone, she glanced toward where Jürgen was. It had already been about ten minutes since he, who had been guarding her side, had moved away to exchange greetings with businessmen.

Perhaps because Jürgen wasn’t watching, she felt less tense. But her body seemed to feel even more tired than when he was beside her.

In the now heated banquet hall where it was difficult to find someone who wasn’t drunk, Jürgen alone maintained his senses. Having not taken even a single drop of alcohol, he neither flushed red nor burst into meaningless laughter like the others.

The cold and composed Duke who seemed like he would never be shaken for even a moment was a familiar image not only to others but to Diez as well. Once, she had thought this was all there was to Jürgen.

It wasn’t unreasonable that she had found stability in him, who resembled a calm and deep lake like a glass mirror. Not knowing that he could transform into a dangerous being the moment ripples formed. Not knowing that the lake could swallow her whole in an instant……

The man who had sat her on the bed and sexually humiliated her didn’t feel like the same person as the Duke before her eyes. Sometimes she wondered if she was confusing a vivid dream with reality.

But it had definitely happened.

Was he truly serious when he said he would lock me in the mansion and violate me until I died?

In fact, it was still hard to accept. Could it be that the kind Duke I knew was all an illusion? But how?

Even now, secretly observing Jürgen again, she felt the same.

Perhaps he deliberately said those things to frighten me?

Her mind was so complicated that Diez didn’t even notice someone approaching her. Only after a stranger’s voice came from close by did she belatedly turn her head.

“Miss Schleicher. Right?”

An unfamiliar noble youth was addressing Diez. His gaze was persistent, suggesting he hadn’t approached merely to exchange greetings.

“Excuse me, but who are you……”

“Dietrich Steiner. This is the first time I’m greeting you like this. I’ve been wanting to meet you.”

He lifted Diez’s right hand and kissed the back of it. Contrary to her expectation that he would release it soon, she felt him gripping her hand more firmly.

“I was concerned seeing you standing alone. If you don’t mind, I’d like to escort you to our table.”

“I’m fine.”

“It seems the Duke is busy, and you don’t have anyone else to talk to, do you? I’m saying this carefully, but joining me would be good for you as well, Miss Schleicher. Some unsavory fellows have been eyeing you, and it doesn’t look good at all.”

Though he was trying to persuade Diez with plausible words, Dietrich was just another stranger to her. If other men were truly targeting her, she could directly ask Jürgen for help.

With that thought, Diez was about to refuse, but as if anticipating her reaction, Dietrich wrapped one arm around her waist and forcibly made her walk.

“What are you doing!”

“What are you thinking, miss? You surely understand what it means for a young lady to be abandoned alone in a corner.”

“Let me go. I need to go to the Duke.”

“I’m sorry, but the Duke doesn’t seem to have any interest in you.”

He finally dragged Diez to the table and seated her. At his table, two or three men who appeared to be friends were sitting and drinking.

The gaze that clung to her as soon as she sat down felt ominous. After mentioning unsavory men, it seemed clear that their group was no different.

“Miss Schleicher, pleased to meet you.”

“Don’t be so tense. We really just invited you to join us because we were concerned about you being alone.”

“You have no right to treat me so rudely.”

Diez said in a trembling but clear voice.

“I’ll let it go this time, so please let me leave now.”

“Let it go, you say?”

The men surrounding Diez exchanged glances and began snickering among themselves.

“Miss Schleicher, your judgment is still as slow as before.”

“……What did you say?”

“Are we so insignificant that we have to listen to this from a woman who’s not even good enough to be a mistress?”

It was obvious she had tumbled into a situation as dangerous as being thrown into a lion’s den. Diez regretted belatedly. She should not have allowed herself to be dragged by that man, even if it meant causing a commotion.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the other nobles showed no intention of helping Diez. She had no choice but to escape from here on her own somehow.

“I apologize, but I have no intention of sitting with you. Please excuse me.”

As Diez tried to stand up, a man in a gray vest forcibly pulled her back down.

“I wasn’t going to say this, but you’re really acting expensive. Are you saying you won’t deal with anyone unless they’re as great as the Duke?”

“Don’t be so sensitive when we’ve just met. Come on, what have we done? It’s not like we’re asking to f*ck you, we just want to chat a bit.”

Such vulgar expressions poured out shamelessly from the noble’s mouth. Had they been dealing with another noble lady, they wouldn’t have dared to even think of uttering such words.

Despite her being the woman Jürgen had brought as his partner, they showed no fear at all. They seemed firmly convinced there would be no consequences for disrespecting Diez.

To them, Diez was just a pr*stitute sold for money. It was humiliating enough to make her whole body tremble, but the fact that it wasn’t completely wrong pierced Diez’s heart painfully.

She could somewhat understand where the men’s confidence came from. Toying a bit with a woman who wasn’t even good enough to be a mistress couldn’t possibly be considered a challenge to the Klaus ducal family.

“But seeing that the Duke brought you here, you must have succeeded in winning his favor somewhat.”

“Tell us. You’re sharing a room with the Duke, right?”

The implication of those words was clear. In the past, she would have slapped his face without hesitation. No, even if she did so right now, nothing would go wrong.

In fact, slapping their faces was exactly what Diez should have done. But she simply couldn’t move her arm. Her entire body was frozen as if bound by invisible restraints.

Under the late Duke, she had been conditioned to submission for too long. No matter how humiliating the experience, she couldn’t lift a finger. Because she would be beaten. Because she would be whipped until she bled.

Her body remembered this fact more than her mind did. Though she knew this was a completely different situation, she couldn’t escape the fear ingrained in her body over five years in just one day.

“It’s obvious you came together to be his bedmate. Can’t you see?”

“With such a stiff body, you’ll have a hard time satisfying the Duke.”

“……You’re drunk. Please stop, all of you.”

“That’s what I’m saying. Here.”

He pushed a glass in front of Diez. It wasn’t one he had just poured, but one that had already been prepared.

“Drink it. It will definitely help you. After all, the better you look to the Duke, the better for you, right?”