“Could you give me some space?”
Elena placed a hand against Damian’s shoulder, firmly pushing back to re-establish a dignified distance. Damian retreated easily, a playful smirk dancing on his lips.
“My summoning of Lady Lorke and the young couple had absolutely nothing to do with each other,” he countered.
*So, that’s the game you’re playing?*
Elena let a cold smile touch her lips. “I heard the Young Duchess intruded upon the Young Duke’s lessons.”
She was certain of her facts, having received a subtle tip from Roena’s maid shortly after the girl had left. The fact that Roena hadn’t mentioned it herself meant the Grand Duke had likely sworn her to secrecy.
*I thought she was just a child, but she’s quite the clever one.*
Since the tip came from Roena’s maid, Roena must have orchestrated it. Elena found it immensely entertaining that her daughter-in-law had technically kept her promise to the Duke while simultaneously providing Elena with the necessary clues. It was enough to make Elena reconsider her past impression of the girl as merely a foul-tempered brat.
Damian gave an exaggerated shrug. “My, my. You even knew about that?”
“Stop feigning ignorance. If you wanted to hide it from me, you shouldn’t have summoned them to the study so openly.”
“Well, I simply assumed the Grand Duchess was indifferent to my affairs.”
“Hmph.” Elena let out a mocking snort.
Suddenly, she recalled Roena’s audacious kiss on her cheek from earlier. While pretending to be affectionate, the girl had whispered some rather wicked advice:
*‘Why don’t you ask Father yourself? He’s a total attention seeker, so if Mother gives him the attention he’s been craving, he’ll spill everything.’*
To call her own father-in-law an “attention seeker” with such a bright, smiling face—Elena wasn’t entirely sure what the slang meant, but she could tell it wasn’t a compliment.
Still, it was enough of a hook to drag Elena’s heavy footsteps all the way to the Duke’s bedroom. She had become genuinely curious about his reaction.
*Tsk. Kids these days just make up words as they go. They seem to enjoy it when adults can’t keep up.*
Elena dismissed it as mere youth slang, but her face showed more amusement than annoyance. Just as Roena predicted, the moment she showed the Duke a shred of interest, he began to nibble at the bait. He looked like he was on the verge of spilling everything if she coaxed him just a little more.
After a moment, Elena turned her gaze back to Damian, intent on pressing him further.
However—
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
Elena’s face crumpled the moment she saw Damian’s expression. He had been wearing a dazed, almost stupid look, but at her words, his brow furrowed.
“Why did you just laugh?” Damian asked stiffly.
“Now I’m not even allowed to laugh? Good heavens.” Elena’s amusement vanished, replaced by a chilly edge.
Damian closed the distance again, leaning one arm against the wall beside her. “I asked why you laughed, Wife.”
“Drop the ‘Wife’ act; it doesn’t suit you,” Elena snapped, pushing against his shoulder once more. This time, he didn’t budge.
*Acting like a child.*
Since Damian refused to move, Elena stepped in even closer. She leaned in until their lips were inches apart, causing Damian to recoil in genuine shock.
“Wha—What on earth—!”
“Oh, I just thought since you kept crowding me, you were dying for a kiss.”
“It’s not like that, I—!”
Damian’s face turned bright red, and he found himself uncharacteristically speechless.
Regardless of his state, Elena stepped back and shifted her weight onto one leg, looking unimpressed. It was hilarious to see a man who saw so many women flinch at the mere suggestion of a kiss.
“I know,” Elena said, her face turning cold. “You hate the thought of touching me as much as I hate touching you.”
“……”
“No one in the Empire would believe it. That we are, in fact, complete strangers who never even shared a wedding night.”
Elena began to circle Damian mockingly. Damian offered no defense, maintaining a heavy silence.
Elena raised her hand, hovering it just above his shoulder. “If you don’t want to be kissed, then start talking. Tell me what happened in the study.”
She gave his shoulder a playful, mocking tap.
—
“Are you back?”
I greeted Hanna warmly as she slipped back into the room.
“Yes, Little Mistress.”
“How did Mother react?”
“She didn’t seem displeased. But she’s so hard to read—I wonder if she understood correctly?”
“Well…”
Just as I was trailing off, Vivian, another maid, burst into the room.
“My Lady! Her Grace the Grand Duchess just entered the Grand Duke’s bedroom!”
“Shh! Vivian, do you want the whole castle to hear? And it’s ‘Little Mistress.’ How long has it been since she was married?” Shuri, who was standing nearby, scolded her.
Vivian pouted but I turned to her, my eyes sparkling. “Did she really go in? Truly?”
“I’m telling you, she did! It’s a miracle, considering they never set foot in each other’s rooms.”
Vivian’s voice was lower now, but still excited.
“What if they actually spend the night together and… heaven forbid, a baby happens?” Hanna said worriedly.
I shook my head firmly. “They aren’t spending the night. She’ll be out soon.”
“How can you be so sure?”
Hanna, Vivian, and Shuri all stared at me simultaneously.
*How do I know? I read it in a book, obviously. Those two are a strictly professional ‘business couple.’*
I didn’t say that out loud, of course. I just gave them a knowing grin. After all, I was the one who lured the Grand Duchess into the Duke’s bedroom.
Archid only knew that I’d kissed the Grand Duchess; he had no idea I’d whispered in her ear. She might have blushed from the surprise of the kiss, but I knew she’d be turning my whisper over in her mind.
*Thinking about it, my in-laws have such a fascinating relationship.*
Even in the original novel, they were always at odds. They barely spoke, and when they did, they were usually snapping at each other. Yet, when they had a common goal, their teamwork was terrifyingly efficient.
*I suppose that’s how they’ve maintained their ‘business arrangement’ for all these years.*
I brushed aside the thoughts of my in-laws. I had already had Hanna drop a few breadcrumbs for the Grand Duchess; the rest would take care of itself.
From the start, I had no intention of choosing between the Grand Duke and the Grand Duchess.
*My plan is to win over both.*
To stay in the good graces of both, I couldn’t appear to be taking sides. That was why I didn’t tell her directly and instead engineered a situation where she would hear it from the Duke.
*This should be enough. They can handle the rest themselves.*
I let out a wicked little laugh, like someone who had just settled a long-standing debt.
“Oh dear,” Vivian said. “The Little Mistress is doing that strange laugh again.”
“What’s wrong with my laugh?”
“It’s just that lately, you keep laughing with your mouth twitching like this.”
“W-Well, that happens sometimes.”
I recoiled in horror at Vivian’s imitation of my face. Vivian gave a sly grin and muttered, “Regardless, it’s good to see My Lady laughing more.”
“I agree,” Hanna chimed in with a smile. “I like seeing the Little Mistress happy the most.”
“Our Little Mistress has a smile you couldn’t buy with all the gold in the world, that’s for sure,” Shuri added playfully.
“Stop it, all of you. You’re being embarrassing.”
I felt my face heat up at the sudden attention and acted prickly to hide it. Hanna, Vivian, and Shuri were all maids who had followed me from April Castle.
Though I hadn’t known them long, they remained Roena’s most loyal confidantes. They were seasoned enough to handle the original Roena’s volatile temper.
Initially, I was worried they would realize I wasn’t the real Roena, but it was a needless concern. On the contrary, they seemed thrilled, saying it felt like I was returning to my old self. They claimed I had just been going through a strange, early rebellious phase.
Of course, that was by their standards. Perhaps the original Roena hadn’t been born rotten. If her sharp edges were just a failure to adapt to a new environment, I could almost sympathize.
Though, I still couldn’t forgive her for how she treated Archid.
Suddenly feeling mischievous, I spoke up. “If you’re so curious, why don’t you go spy on the bedroom? I bet my lunch the Grand Duchess returns to her own room tonight.”
The three of them blinked at the sudden challenge. After a pause, Hanna asked, “Little Mistress, are you trying to empty our pockets now?”
“Who said anything about money? Let’s bet a flick to the forehead.”
“Oh, come now. How could we possibly flick our Mistress’s forehead?” Shuri protested, looking scandalized.
I gave them my signature “villainous” smile to egg them on. “What, are you scared?”
“The nerve…!” Vivian’s competitive streak flared up.
Shuri snickered and said, “Fine. Since the Little Mistress insists, we have no choice. Don’t go crying later because it hurts, okay?”
“Shuri, you’re the one who might be seeing stars after my flick.”
“Ooh, I’m shivering,” Shuri giggled, not looking intimidated at all.
After the bet was settled, Hanna went to quietly scout the area near the bedrooms. She returned looking dejected.
“The Grand Duchess has returned to her own chambers.”
“Yes!”
I pumped my fist and jumped for joy. Then, with a devious grin, I prepared my fingers for the flick.
“Line up.”
“Little Mistress…” Shuri groaned.
“Oh, come on. How hard could her tiny hand possibly hit?” Vivian said, trying to act tough.
“I’ll go first,” Hanna offered bravely.
“Hehehe.”
There was no such thing as mercy in a bet. With a radiant, sunny smile, I announced:
“Let’s go see the stars, girls.”
The following day, red, nut-sized marks were clearly visible on the foreheads of Hanna, Vivian, and Shuri.
Whenever other servants asked what had happened, they would only offer a cryptic, hollow response: “I saw the stars…”
Indeed.
Their young mistress knew no mercy.
