Captain! Where is the Battlefield?

  Aaron frowned at Rosalie’s unexpected response.

 

  “Did you eat something wrong?”

 

  “Knight Commander Aaron.”

 

  As she called his name, her eyes and expression began to change.

 

  “Wh—What’s the matter?”

 

  Her intense expression made Aaron stammer. He stumbled over his words, feeling like he was a lower-ranking knight who met a superior knight whom he dared not look in the eye.

 

  “Is your loyalty to the Dukedom still unwavering?”

 

  At Rosalie’s question, Aaron’s momentary anger caused him to raise his voice.

 

  “Ha! What an obvious question to ask! My family has served the dukedom for generations!”

 

  “Very well.”

 

  Having heard his response, Rosalie turned and left the training ground. Aaron felt a strange sense of surprise as her always stooped head was held high.

 

  From then on, Rosalie visited the first training grounds without fail for a week. She didn’t seem to have any particular reason for being there.

 

  She only watched the Knights train for about two hours.

 

  “Why do you keep on coming here?”

 

  Aaron, who had tried to ignore her for a week, finally approached Rosalie as if surrendering.

 

  “I am interested in the training of the Knights.”

 

  Aaron let out a small chuckle at Rosalie’s indifferent response.

 

  “What do you think about it?”

 

  “Well, the training is terrible.”

 

  Aaron scowled at Rosalie’s blunt assessment.

 

  ‘You seem like you’ve been reading some chivalric novels that noble ladies read somewhere, and you’re trying to mimic the way they speak. But it’s useless.”

 

  Rosalie glanced at him reproachfully. Aaron flinched under her formidable gaze. 

 

  The atmosphere and glare that radiated from her showed a stronger presence than a well-trained knight.

 

  “With such a state of mind and attitude, these guys can’t kill or win against anyone. Don’t you know that, Commander?”

 

  Aaron was speechless. Certainly, when his father was the Commander of the Knights, the active Knights acted like toothless tigers, but now, the new knights were busy wasting time lazily.

 

  Five years without a Lord to serve was enough to change the Knights’ mentalities, and Aaron knew that better than anyone else. However, he couldn’t do anything.

 

  “What can we do when the new Duchess doesn’t even care if the Knights’ support is cut off?”

 

  Aaron criticized Rosalie while struggling to swallow the bitter taste in his mouth. Despite his fierce criticism, Rosalie’s expression remained unchanged.

 

  “What if I return the Knights’ support?” 

 

  Aaron said in a low voice, looking at Rosalie.

 

  “Do you think you can do that?”

 

  “If I solve the problem, I will be involved in the training of the Knights as the Duchess.”

 

  “If you can, that would be great.”

 

  Rosalie turned at Aaron’s reply and left the training grounds. He watched her back as she left the training grounds until she was out of sight.

 

  Upon returning to her room, Rosalie called Emma, who was cleaning.

 

  “Emma, is the current butler the person Bella brought in?”

 

  “Yes, what’s the matter?”

 

  “I’m going to fire him.”

 

  At the short answer, Emma’s expression became thoughtful. The current butler was Bella’s closest confidant, and no one could touch him easily.

 

  “If Bella finds out, we’ll be in trouble!”

 

  “I am the Duchess.”

 

  Despite Emma’s worried attitude, Rosalie did not even blink an eye. Her attitude was confident and assertive.

 

  “But… if she says something to the Duchess…”

 

  Emma worriedly murmured while fidgeting with her fingers, but Rosalie paid no attention to her and picked up a pen to write a name on the paper.

 

  “Emma, I have a favor to ask you.”

  ⊱⊱⊱────── {.⋅ ✧✧✧ ⋅.} ──────⊰⊰⊰

 

 
  Three days later, Rosalie headed towards the Duke’s office. Despite being unused for a long time, the office was spotless as if the servants had cleaned it every day.

 

  “Bring him in.”

 

  “Yes, ⁽¹⁾Your Grace.”

 

  Emma nodded and left the office, immediately returning with a middle-aged man in his fifties. It was Dolan Dryden, the former butler of the Dukedom of Judeheart who was dismissed by Bella three years ago.

 

  He was also a loyal servant who had served the Duke’s family for generations but was dismissed by Bella for refusing to obey her orders.

 

  “…Duchess.”

 

  Dolan placed his hand on his chest and respectfully lowered his head.

 

  “I will assume that your presence here means that you have intentions of working for the Duke’s estate again.”

 

  Dolan raised his bowed head and swallowed hard. After being unceremoniously dismissed from the Duke’s service, he had barely managed to survive in a remote village on the outskirts of the Duke’s territory.

 

  A few days ago, Emma had shown up at his doorstep and told him that if he had any intentions of working for the Duchess’s estate again, he should come to see the Duchess.

 

  Dolan hadn’t believed her when she’d blurted out that the Duchess had changed. But when he saw Rosalie in person, he realized that Emma’s words were true.

 

  “You have really changed.”

 

  Rosalie smiled faintly as Dolan spoke in a stunned tone.

 

  “It’s time for a change. I’ll ask you once again. Will you work for the Duchy’s estate?”

 

  Dolan kneeled down on one knee. Due to his lifetime of service as a butler, Dolan knew it instinctively. 

 

  She would bring the Dukedom back to its former glory.

 

  “Yes. Please let me work.”

 

  Rosalie smiled satisfactorily and took out the Duke’s ring, which had been lying inside the desk drawer for five years. 

 

  Dolan just watched her silently as she slipped the ring into her finger.

  ⊱⊱⊱────── {.⋅ ✧✧✧ ⋅.} ──────⊰⊰⊰

  In the sunniest room of the mansion, Bella threw everything she could get her hands on due to her rage. 

 

  This was because as soon as Dolan returned, Rosalie quickly kicked out the butler, who was her closest aide, without any time to pack.

 

  “Bring Rosalie to me right now! Immediately!”

 

  The maids hurried to Rosalie, but the answer that came back was a refusal. When the maids returned to the room, they whispered to Callie, Bella’s personal maid.

 

  “She said that if you have something to say, come find her in the office yourself…”

 

  At Callie’s slurring voice, Bella brushed her curly auburn hair with an annoyed gesture.

 

  “She seems to be doing useless things, crawling out of her room these days. Now, she’s even pretending to be a Duke, isn’t she?”

 

  Bella sneered and gestured to Callie, who quickly helped her dress up.

 

  “Well, she’s just a cowardly fool. She can’t even look me in the eye properly.”

 

  After she finished dressing up, Bella put on an expensive ruby necklace and stood up. The maids and servants she met in the hallway bowed their heads in silence.

 

  With a satisfied expression at their greetings, Bella arrived at the duke’s office and opened the door confidently without knocking.

 

  “Rosalie!”

 

  Bella’s entrance was imposing, but Rosalie ignored her and continued to organize the documents. Dolan, who had become the butler, brought all the piled-up paperwork to Rosalie, and it was quite thick.

 

  “Rosalie! Can’t you hear me?”

 

  Bella shouted in a shrill voice. 

 

  Rosalie looked at her, frowning at the screeching voice that touched her nerves. 

 

  She resembled a cunning snake who had seduced the former Duke with her stunning beauty, exactly how she had been described in the novel.

 

  Bella’s curly auburn hair, eyes, and white skin, along with her red lips and painted nails exuded an enchanting feeling.

 

  “You changed the butlers as you please.”

 

  Bella said, clicking her tongue, and Rosalie chuckled. Bella frowned at the clearly audible sound.

 

  “How rude, is this how Reileigh taught you to behave?”

 

  Whenever there was an opportunity, Bella always blurted out the name of Rosalie’s deceased mother as a habit. 

 

  The old Rosalie would have easily burst into tears at the mention of her mother’s name, but this Rosalie was different.

 

  ‘My mother told me that if anyone crossed me, I should bite their heads off.’

 

  Yoon-ah’s family had been a military household for three generations. Both her parents as well as her grandparents from both sides were in the military. 

 

  Thanks to that, Yoon-ah had a competitive spirit and the determination to never lose.

 

  When Rosalie didn’t respond, Bella chewed her lip in disapproval.

 

  “I hope you realize that trying to play at being a Duchess is a useless endeavor. If I kick you out again, it’ll be over for you, butler.”

 

  The sharp tone didn’t seem to faze Rosalie at all, and she rose from her chair, making Bella unconsciously flinch.

 

  Rosalie’s gestures, which had always appeared small and cowering, now emanated an undeniable aura of intimidation.

 

  “This is a hierarchical society.”

 

  Rosalie muttered, stepping away from her desk and approaching Bella. Bella took an involuntary step back, intimidated by Rosalie’s formidable gaze for the first time.

 

  “I’ve had enough of the military hierarchy.”

 

  “What are you talking about?!”

 

  Bella said, pushing her chin forward as Rosalie moved closer. Despite Rosalie’s relatively small stature, her momentum did not subside.

 

  “Bella Derit Judeheart.”

 

  “How mannerless—!”

 

  Bella tried to swing her hand towards Rosalie’s cheek, but Rosalie caught her hand. 

 

  Feeling herself struggling, Rosalie decided to start physical training from tomorrow onwards.

 

  “I am Rosalie Judeheart, the seventh Duchess of the Dukedom of Judeheart.”

 

  Bella stumbled back as Rosalie let go of her hand.

 

  She tried to raise her voice as she felt her pride hurt, but she was silenced by the dark khaki eyes of Rosalie, who looked straight at her. 

 

  She felt like helpless prey, unable to mock Rosalie’s words.

 

  “I am the Duchess of Judeheart.”

 

  As Rosalie took a step forward, Bella took a hesitant step back.

 

  “From now on, you will behave yourself. Do you understand?”

 

  Completely overwhelmed by her presence, Bella nodded her head, unable to speak.

 

  “Answer me.”

 

  “Yes… yes.”

 

  Bella stammered, trembling. 

 

  Rosalie pulled a cord on the wall of the office, and a bell rang. Shortly after, knocking was heard, and Dolan came in.

 

  “Take her to her room.”

 

  Dolan respectfully nodded at Rosalie’s command and took Bella with him. There was a small commotion beyond the door, but Rosalie didn’t pay any attention to it.

 

  “Shall I bring you some tea?”

 

  When Dolan returned to the office and asked Rosalie, she nodded and finished organizing the paperwork. She displayed an attitude of unruffled calmness, as if she had just flicked away a pesky bug.

 

  [Collection of Footnotes]

  1) “Your Grace” 

  – It is a title of respect used to address a Duke or Duchess.