Chapter 1 (Part 2)

The bedroom of the Seidon Ducal couple, filled with only the finest goods selected from across the continent beyond the Empire. Yet the most outstanding beauty in that room was none other than the owner of all those furnishings.

Tenus Seidon.

His silver hair shimmered brightly in the sunlight streaming through the large glass window. Sellakia narrowed her eyes as if looking at something dazzling.

His face, sculpted in near-perfect proportions, was both pleasing to the eye and disturbing to the mind. It had been that way since she first saw him.

Looking into his deep blue eyes, reminiscent of the deep sea, brought back unpleasant memories that made her stomach churn. Sellakia clenched her skirt tightly, staring intently at the one at the top of the Duke’s family.

“Didn’t you bring me here because you needed a woman to play the role of your wife? You promised in the carriage that once the succession was complete, you’d send me back.”

“Did I?”

“You clearly nodded when I said I’d leave once you got everything you wanted…”

Ah. Sellakia couldn’t continue and bit her lower lip in frustration. It was a belated realization.

In the carriage, Tenus had simply stared at her from across, without responding. It was she who had misinterpreted his silence as tacit agreement.

“Jumping to conclusions isn’t a good habit, Sellakia.”

Tenus spoke in a gentle voice, as if imparting a lesson to a child. His cold eyes, with a faint hint of a smile, seemed to mock her.

“Didn’t you personally sign the marriage certificate? You are the mistress of the Seidon estate and my one and only wife. That fact will never change.”

He added, as if putting a period on the sentence.

“Even in death.”

Sellakia was utterly bewildered by this unexpected reaction.

Why on earth?

To Tenus Seidon, Sellakia Lensch was merely a tool for inheriting the dukedom. She couldn’t comprehend the man declaring he wouldn’t let her go, with eyes that didn’t hide their disdainful gleam.

“But I don’t remember marrying you. I told you, I lost my memory.”

“Just because you don’t remember doesn’t mean our marriage never happened, Madame.”

The word “Madame,” which she heard for the first time, particularly grated on her ears. No matter how pleasing the voice, it couldn’t alleviate the discomfort the word brought.

Ultimately, Sellakia moved in frustration. The action of pulling out the chair opposite Tenus was somewhat irritable, reflecting her unpleasant mood.

“Are you sure I’m even the Duchess? I might just be someone who looks like her.”

Tenus looked at her indifferently. His face suggested it wasn’t even worth responding to.

Sellakia almost blushed at that moment but stubbornly didn’t avert her gaze.

“Didn’t you only see the person on the wedding day? You stayed at the academy continuously after the wedding, didn’t you? Leaving the Duchess alone in the Ducal residence.”

There was indeed an effect from her deliberate mockery. A faint change appeared on Tenus’s previously indifferent face. He raised one eyebrow.

“How do you know that? You said you don’t remember.”

“I lost my memory, not my hearing. No matter how remote the place, rumors have a way of getting in.”

“With those sharp ears of yours, didn’t you hear about the search for a woman matching your description?”

“Well, I might have heard it by tomorrow. It’s a place where any news trickles in slowly.”

Sellakia, who had been responding slyly, suddenly realized something and frowned.

“But why have you started speaking so casually? Until we returned to the estate, no, even just outside this door, it wasn’t like that.”

“It’s a habit. I spoke casually to you from the first time I saw you.”

Tenus’s answer was smooth, as if he were confessing the truth. A peculiar light flickered in Sellakia’s eyes.

She seemed as though she had something to say, her lips moving slightly, but she ultimately chose silence. Instead, she relaxed her previously rigid posture. Her back leaned deeply into the chair’s backrest.

Watching her sprawl out comfortably, Tenus let out a dry laugh.

“You look quite at ease, Madame.”

“Why shouldn’t I be?”

The abrupt end of her question cracked the composed expression on Tenus’s face. Sellakia spoke with a slight sense of satisfaction.

“I’m the Duchess, aren’t I? Even if I wasn’t before, there’s no reason I can’t be now.”

“…You’ve lost your mind.

“I told you, I’ve lost my memory.”

Sellakia flashed a bright smile. Tenus could say nothing in response.

In the past, when she lived cautiously, she wouldn’t have dared to imagine such audacity.

When one has nothing, or when one is prepared to give up everything, they can be completely free from fear. Coincidentally, Sellakia fell into both categories.

She didn’t care if she was deemed ignorant and expelled from the mansion immediately. In fact, she didn’t entirely lack the desire for it to happen.

In the Pangaea Empire, there were only five noble families with a rank of Marquis or higher, making them extremely rare. Therefore, their heirs had to marry to inherit the title. It was an archaic law to ensure the family line continued.

The only reason Tenus had gone to the trouble of finding Sellakia in a remote village was because of this. However, for the same reason, he didn’t need to insist on her. As the heir to one of only two ducal houses in the empire, he had more than enough power to replace a wife he didn’t like.

A glimmer of hope arose in her heart that had been pounding with anxiety. Sellakia lifted her chin a little higher to appear more arrogant.

However, Tenus, who quickly erased any sign of confusion, didn’t seem inclined to show mercy by expelling her. He rested his chin on the armrest and wore a satisfied smile.

“Good.”

It was the first smile she had seen since meeting him early that morning.

“Your spirit as the Duchess is impeccable. Much better than when you couldn’t even meet my eyes properly.”

“…What?”

“I’ll organize some documents that might help you regain your memory.”

As if intending to conclude the conversation, Tenus rose from his seat.

Sellakia, who still hadn’t clearly stated her desires, hurriedly stood up to follow him.

“Wait. I still…”

“Come to think of it.”

Tenus, who was striding towards the door, suddenly stopped.

“I have a gift for you.”

“A gift?”

“Not something I prepared myself, though.”

Tenus, with a face as bitter as if he had swallowed seawater, hesitated as if reluctant to continue.

“Go to the reception room.”

If it was the reception room, it meant someone had come to see her.

Sellakia had no idea who it could be. There was no one likely to visit her.

Before opening the door, Tenus cast one last glance at Sellakia.

“For the time being, don’t accept the service of any servants. I’ll assign someone trustworthy soon.”

Without waiting for Sellakia’s reply, he swiftly disappeared. There was no hint of hesitation in his departing figure, having said only what he intended.

Alone in the room, Sellakia let out a sigh.

“That’s the one thing I did wish for.”

* * *

Sellakia found an appropriate dress in the dressing room attached to the bedroom and changed. Her shoulders felt heavy, as if laden with wet laundry.

Since Tenus had barged into the cabin early that morning, Sellakia hadn’t had a moment’s rest. It was a half-day’s journey by carriage from the remote place she had stayed to this ducal residence.

She felt as if fatigue had seeped into her bones. Her body was weary, and her mind, kept taut with tension, seemed about to snap at any moment.

“Ugh. Ma, Ma…”

“Ah, ah, hello…”

Every servant she encountered trembled as if they had seen a ghost upon seeing her, adding to her fatigue.

Being treated like a ghost was nothing new. However, she was usually a ghost with a faint presence, not a frightening one causing terror.

“You’re working hard.”

Nonetheless, Sellakia forced a bright smile. She didn’t forget to glance over them. Her effort was in vain as none left a particular impression.

“Are you going to the reception room? I’ll bring you some tea.”

“There’s no need. Don’t mind this place and go about your duties.”

The hesitant maid nodded and quickly withdrew.

After ensuring no one else was around, Sellakia grasped the doorknob of the reception room.

Though it was impossible, if someone had come from the Lensch Viscountcy…

Taking a deep breath, Sellakia opened the door to the reception room. A familiar face came into view. For a moment, her tension dissipated, and she nearly stumbled clumsily. Sellakia let out a weak laugh at her own foolishness.

It was a sneer directed at herself for not abandoning ridiculous hopes. Thinking that someone might have been sent from the Lensch Viscount family was as absurd as the notion of her dying and coming back to life.

“Sellakia!”

The man, nervously shaking his leg, turned his head at the sound. Upon spotting Sellakia standing awkwardly at the door, he jumped up.

Unlike usual, the man’s actions were somewhat clumsy. His reddish-brown hair was disheveled as he rushed towards her, and his hands, hesitantly tracing her cheeks as if to confirm her existence, were unlike the always neat young master of the Earl’s house.

“Where on earth have you been and what have you been doing?”

Moreover, his handsome face was a mess. It was twisted with a mix of joy, passion, and relief.

Though not a pleasant sight, it was still the most positive reaction from anyone Sellakia had met that day.

He had indeed been a gift. To the exhausted Sellakia, the man was truly a gift.

“Do you know me?”