At my cheerful response, the Grand Duchess’s face went completely blank. A moment later, she let out a sharp snort.
“The role of a wife? You?”
Her expression was the definition of disbelief. It was a natural reaction, considering that ever since I’d married into this family, I had done nothing but cause trouble, never once looking after Archid. If anything, the look in her eyes suggested she’d prefer it if I just stayed quiet and did nothing at all.
*Well, whether I’m telling the truth or not, you’ll find out soon enough.*
I shrugged and replied smoothly, “Of course, Mother.”
“……And just what do you intend to do? Do you even know what the ‘role of a wife’ entails before you start spouting such nonsense?”
“That is…”
Just as I was about to open my mouth, there was a knock, and someone entered without waiting for permission.
It was Archid. My eyes widened at his sudden appearance.
*What is he doing here at this hour?*
Archid spared me a brief glance before speaking politely to Elena.
“I apologize for the sudden intrusion.”
“I don’t recall giving you permission to enter,” the Grand Duchess said, her irritation practically radiating off her in waves.
Archid looked so much like the Grand Duke that he could be called a ‘mini-me.’ However, unlike the Grand Duke, Archid was a devoted, one-woman man at heart—though the aura he projected was remarkably similar to his father’s. Perhaps that was why the Grand Duchess didn’t particularly care for him.
Archid subtly stepped in front of me, partially blocking her view. “I heard my wife had been summoned.”
“Am I not even allowed to call for my own daughter-in-law?”
“She has not fully recovered yet. She needs rest.”
He took my hand firmly and pulled me behind him, almost as if he were trying to protect me. The Grand Duchess stared intently at our joined hands.
I was equally stunned that Archid had come to rescue me.
*You really didn’t have to…*
Watching him stand up for me, I felt the corners of my mouth twitching upward. This feeling of being protected? It was the absolute best.
The Grand Duchess’s brow furrowed, making no effort to hide her displeasure. “To hear you tell it, one would think I was planning to eat the girl alive.”
“That was not my intention.”
“Fine. I’ve asked everything I wanted to ask anyway, so leave.”
The Grand Duchess waved her hand dismissively—a gesture that said she’d already gotten what she wanted.
“Let’s go,” Archid said, leading me away. I stood there blankly for a second before a thought suddenly struck me.
“Wait a moment.”
“……?”
Leaving Archid behind, I scurried back over to the Grand Duchess. She looked at me with a haughty, standoffish expression. “I told you to leave.”
“Mother, your ear for a second…”
As I leaned in close, she flinched. Ignoring her reaction, I leaned in and whispered into her ear, using the most adorable, childlike tone I could muster.
“Mother, I hope you have sweet dreams. It would be even better if you dreamed of Roena.”
“……”
The Grand Duchess stared at me, looking utterly bewildered. She seemed shell-shocked by my sudden attempt at intimacy. Regardless, I planted a quick peck on her cheek—*mwah!*—whispered one last thing, and gave her a bright, sunny farewell.
“Goodnight, Mother!”
“You—you, what on earth just—!”
Blushing furiously from the ambush kiss, the Grand Duchess recoiled. Behind me, Archid’s eyes were as round as a startled rabbit’s.
I just beamed at them both.
In truth, the Grand Duchess loved children. More than anyone, she had desperately wanted a child of her own, but she suffered from a health condition. It was said that if she were to give birth, it could cost her her life.
Consequently, she had hidden that fact and lived her life by drawing a firm line between herself and the Grand Duke. Her decision to overlook the Duke’s philandering and accept his illegitimate son, Archid, was all because of that hidden pain.
*If the original Roena had been a bit more affectionate, she might have actually been loved by the Grand Duchess.*
Unfortunately, after Archid was brought to the Grand Duchy at the age of thirteen, he had lived a subdued life, far from the vibrancy of a normal child. He lived like a ghost, really. Since he was the product of the Duke’s infidelity, he had spent his life holding his breath, terrified of incurring the Grand Duchess’s wrath.
To make matters worse, his wife Roena had such a foul personality that the Grand Duchess had eventually washed her hands of the couple entirely.
*But everything is going to be different now.*
I squeezed my hands into small fists. I had already been through the wringer in my previous life. Ever since I gained independence from my foster parents, I had survived on my own.
*The survival instincts of someone raised on the bread of others’ charity don’t just disappear.*
For the sake of Archid’s future, I could perform this kind of flattery with my eyes closed.
“I’m really leaving now, Mother.”
I clasped my small hands together and gave a polite, deep bow. Then, I hurried over to Archid and snatched his hand. I heard the Grand Duchess let out a hollow laugh behind us, but I didn’t pay it any mind.
“Let’s go, Lord Archid.”
“……”
With a dazed expression, Archid gave the Grand Duchess a silent nod and stepped out of the room. He looked like a man who had just seen a ghost.
Eventually, we reached the lobby in front of the bedrooms. I had walked as slowly as possible because I wanted to spend more time with him, but unfortunately, no magic occurred to stretch the hallway like taffy.
It was time to return to our respective rooms. Pushing down my lingering regret, I offered a quick bow of farewell and prepared to head to my chamber. It was then that he spoke.
“Wife.”
Archid called out to me just as I was about to enter. When I turned around, his expression was uncharacteristically stiff.
“Yes?”
“That… did anything happen earlier?” Archid asked tentatively, his lips twitching as if he were hesitant to speak.
“What do you mean by ‘anything’?”
“Whenever you were summoned by Mother in the past, you always returned in a towering rage.”
“Ah.”
A small gasp escaped me as I recalled a scene from the original novel. It was the day Roena had returned after being severely berated by the Grand Duchess.
> {“Wife, are you alright?”
> “Do I look alright to you?”
> “……”
> “This is all your fault. My life turned into a disaster the moment I met you.”
> “Did Mother scold you harshly? I can go in your stead—”
> *Crash!*
> “Don’t you dare touch me, you piece of trash!”
> “Wife…”
> “Don’t even call me that! It’s not like I ever wanted to marry an illegitimate bastard like you.”}
When Archid had tried to comfort her, Roena had exploded with fury. She only walked away after spitting out words that cut like knives.
He was likely bewildered because I, who usually reacted that way, was being so quiet today.
*Come to think of it, he really gathered his courage for me. To come and stand up for me.*
For someone who found the Grand Duchess particularly difficult to deal with, simply showing up there must have required immense bravery. I felt a surge of affection for his thoughtfulness, so I gave him a soft, reassuring smile.
“Nothing happened.”
“Truly?”
“Of course. If something had happened, I wouldn’t have given Mother a goodnight kiss.”
“Ah…”
Archid winced at the mention of the ‘goodnight kiss.’ It seemed he had only just processed the reality of what he’d seen. He had been in a daze because of it until just a second ago. He fumbled with the back of his hair, looking uncertain.
Thinking he was hesitant because he didn’t know how to end the conversation, I said my goodbyes first.
“Thank you for coming. You were worried about me, weren’t you?”
“……”
“It’s late. Have sweet dreams, Lord Archid.”
“Ah.”
As I turned to go into my room, a soft sound escaped him, as if he still had something left to say.
“Yes?”
When I tilted my head in confusion, he quickly brushed it off.
“It’s nothing. As long as nothing happened, that’s fine. Well then.”
Archid gave a short nod and ducked into his room.
Left alone, I shrugged at his somewhat underwhelming reaction.
—
Late that night, the Grand Duchess visited the Grand Duke’s private bedchamber.
“To what do I owe the pleasure of the Grand Duchess’s visit?”
Damian looked at Elena with a crooked smile. It was because she had been the one to open the door to his bedroom first.
There were two doors between Damian’s and Elena’s bedrooms. The difference between them was that one was always locked.
Naturally, the locked one was on Elena’s side. It was exceedingly rare for her to open that door and enter his room. Usually, when she did, it was to pick a fight. Thus, Damian found it quite intriguing that she had graced him with her presence through that door with a smile on her face.
He was curious to see what she would do to grate on his nerves this time.
“Is this a place I’m forbidden from entering?”
“Hardly,” Damian replied with a chuckle, denying her sharp retort.
Elena clicked her tongue, clearly displeased by his slick laughter. She leaned casually against the doorframe and got straight to the point.
“I heard you cleared out the guest annex. Have you finally grown tired of the Lorke girl?”
Damian’s lip twitched at her sarcastic tone. He had expected her to bring up Lady Lorke the moment she walked in. It was only this morning that he had ordered the quarters frequently used by Lady Lorke to be cleared out.
But was that really something so upsetting that she would seek him out in his bedroom?
*I didn’t think she cared about my love life.*
Damian observed Elena’s face closely. Her cheeks were slightly more flushed than usual, which caught his eye. However, it didn’t look like she was particularly happy about his mistress being kicked out. If anything, she looked… amused.
*Then why? Why are her cheeks so red?*
Damian watched her through narrowed eyes as she repeatedly touched her cheek, and then answered, “Yes. Bestia will not be coming to Hadelus Castle anymore.”
“And why is that?”
“……Since when were you so interested in my private affairs?”
“You misunderstand. I am deeply interested in every move the Grand Duke makes.”
*As long as it involves your misfortune, of course.*
Elena kept the last part to herself and smiled brightly. Damian’s eyebrow twitched at her cheerful expression.
“Is that so? I had no idea the Grand Duchess took such an interest in my business.”
“Well, now you know.”
Elena replied flippantly with a coy smile. Damian watched her for a long moment before responding slowly.
“I simply… grew tired of her.”
“Then why did you cut her off right in front of the young couple?”
When she asked the question with a coaxing tone, Damian let out a short laugh. He rose from his seat and approached her.
Elena made no move to avoid him, meeting his gaze boldly with a look that seemed to say, *Go ahead, let’s hear your excuse.*
Soon, they were close enough that there was barely enough space for another person to stand between them. Damian looked down at Elena, who had her chin tilted up to meet his eyes, and spoke softly.
“Do you really want to know? Why I did it?”
