Chapter 12
In her previous life, Rachel had been so intimidated that she couldn’t properly greet the guests. But this time, she made sure to meet their eyes and memorize their faces one by one. She didn’t forget to shake hands with each of them, making sure to respond in kind. After all, she needed to confirm if their greetings were sincere.
Stefan observed me closely as I did this. Was he hoping that I would be overwhelmed by the grandeur of the ducal mansion and become intimidated?
Just as I was about to tear my eyes away from him, pouting, someone warmly congratulated us.
“Duke Edmond, congratulations on your marriage.”
Stefan didn’t seem very pleased to receive the greeting. Likewise, the person offering the congratulations had a hint of lingering regret in her eyes, unbefitting someone giving well wishes.
“…Thank you, Lady Blanche.”
Aileen Blanche, the only friend of Stefan’s sister, Susan Edmond.
As Stefan turned to greet someone else, Aileen took the opportunity to glance at me. She fiddled with her meticulously styled dark brown hair and flashed her green eyes, similar to Susan’s.
“Congratulations on your marriage, Duchess.”
“…Thank you, Lady Blanche.”
It was surprising that she greeted me, as she had never acknowledged me in my previous life. But I didn’t have time to be more surprised, as Susan suddenly butted in.
“Oh my, Aileen! Isn’t it a bit strange for us to call each other ‘Duchess’ when we’re the same age?”
“Then how should I address her?”
“You’re my friend and our brother’s sister as well, so you should call her sister-in-law.”
I had no memory of Aileen ever referring to Stefan as ‘brother.’ He was the formidable Duke Edmond, a man as cold as ice, and no matter how close she was to his sister, he would never have allowed such a familiar term. So for Aileen to call me sister-in-law was absurd. In the end, Susan must have meant that she wouldn’t allow anyone to address me as the Duchess.
‘Susan, you’re still just as self-centered in this life….’
At one point, Aileen might have dreamed of becoming the Duchess of Edmond, bolstered by her friendship with Susan. However, realizing she couldn’t endure Rita’s capriciousness and Susan’s arrogance for a lifetime, she probably decided to settle for being the loyal companion.
For a brief moment, I envied Aileen for not ending up as the daughter-in-law of the despicable Edmond family.
‘I must meet the expectations of these friends who have reunited in this life.’
I smiled brightly at the two of them, who stood facing me. Then, I suddenly grabbed Susan’s hand and exclaimed in admiration.
“Thank you, Miss.”
“…”
“You’re finally accepting me as your sister-in-law.”
“W-What are you… talking about…?”
Startled by my reaction, Susan stammered and raised her voice, drawing the attention of those around us.
“Since you never showed your face after I arrived at the ducal mansion, I thought it meant you wouldn’t acknowledge me as family.”
“It wasn’t me avoiding you… it was you…”
“You?”
“Ah… No, I mean, because you were seasick…”
“It sounds so lovely to hear you call me sister-in-law. It really feels like we’ve become a true family.”
I embraced Susan tightly, tears welling up in my eyes as if I were moved. From all around, I could hear murmurs.
“Looks like Lady Edmond gave the new Duchess a hard time?”
“Lady Susan is famous for being aloof and haughty.”
“The new Duchess lost both of her parents recently…”
“They’re the same age; wouldn’t it be nice if they got along like friends, or even like sisters? Tsk, tsk…”
With the noblewomen gossiping like this, Susan couldn’t say another word. Instead, the unspoken words she couldn’t voice out loud churned noisily inside her.
‘Rachel, that clueless oaf, surely hasn’t caught on to my plans… But with those women gossiping like this, there’s no way I can push her away now. Ugh, how annoying…’
I barely managed to hold back a smile at her childish frustrations. I had let her have her say, so now it was time to deal with Aileen.
I gently released Susan from my embrace and took Aileen’s hand, whispering softly.
“Lady Blanche, please call me Rachel.”
“B-But…”
Aileen glanced at Susan, utterly flustered. Their plan certainly didn’t account for any retaliation from me.
“I’ll call you Aileen too. We’re not family, so it feels strange to call a friend of the same age ‘sister-in-law.’”
“…”
“For the sake of your social standing, it might be better to call me Duchess in public, don’t you think?”
The noblewomen lingering nearby nodded discreetly. The effect of earning their sympathy in advance.
In an instant, Aileen’s face flushed bright red.
‘Who is she? She’s more cunning than Susan! How many sly foxes are hiding inside this woman?’
It was an expression that perfectly reflected what they thought of me. A clueless oaf, but also an old fox.
Someone signaled to me as I tried to maintain a calm smile.
“Ahem…”
It was Stefan. Shocked by his reappearance, Susan and Aileen quickly hid their flushed faces and hurriedly disappeared.
‘Why are you here? Were you watching to make sure I didn’t devour your sister?’
When I looked up at Stefan with a disapproving gaze, he said something completely unexpected.
“My lady, it’s time to go inside.”
“…Where to?”
“The sun has set, so we should retire to the bedchamber.”
The sunlight that had momentarily turned his face red vanished without a trace. It almost seemed as if the twilight was descending behind him.
‘Why is he rushing when he has no intention of consummating the marriage?’
As I continued to look at him with a puzzled expression, a stranger—an unfamiliar noblewoman—appeared noisily.
“Duke, may I borrow the Duchess for just a moment?”
“….”
Despite being slightly pushed aside by the rather large noblewoman, Stefan stood there, pretending not to understand. The woman, wearing a playful smile, pressed him further.
“Don’t worry, I’ll send the Duchess to the bedchamber on time. You can go ahead and prepare.”
Perhaps it was her friendly tone that convinced him. Stefan let out a shallow sigh and politely excused himself.
“…Then I’ll go on ahead, Marchioness.”
As Stefan turned away with a disgruntled expression, the noblewoman, who had taken her eyes off him, exclaimed enthusiastically.
“Duchess Edmond, congratulations on your marriage.”
“Thank you, madam…”
“Ah, I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Dorothy Cota, the wife of Marquis Cota.”
Dorothy, the Marchioness of Cota, was someone I had no connection with in my previous life.
She must have attended the Duke’s wedding back then, but she likely had no interest in a plain bride like me. Her wide-brimmed hat made her stand out wherever she went, giving the impression that she was very fashion-conscious.
‘I might be able to use this person to unsettle Rita.’
A small smile escaped me. It felt like I had gained an unexpected ally thanks to my new hairstyle.
“It’s an honor to meet you, Marchioness.”
“The honor is mine. Thanks to you, I finally get to see a woman with short hair in this stuffy Merwin Empire…”
When I laughed softly at her description of the empire as stuffy, her deep blue eyes sparkled as she leaned in closer.
“Actually, I came here because I had a question.”
“If it’s something I can answer, I’ll gladly do so, madam.”
“Who’s responsible for your short hair?”
“Are you asking who recommended the style or who actually styled it?”
Excitement bubbled up in her as she playfully but decisively responded.
“Now that you ask, I need to know both.”
“The one who styled it is Joanna, the head maid of the Edmond household.”
“Oh, can you introduce me to her?”
“As you can see, today might be difficult. But whenever you have time, please visit the duchy again.”
“I certainly will.”
The Marchioness, who seemed impatient enough to drive the cool-headed Stefan away, would undoubtedly visit the duchy within three days.
“Then, who recommended the short hair?”
This question wasn’t as easy to answer. I wanted to pique the Marchioness’s curiosity, but I also needed to assess whether the situation was dire enough to mention my deceased mother.
‘Sophia, watch carefully. See how I slowly destroy your daughter.’
Rita must have muttered this at my mother’s funeral.
She hadn’t come to console a friend who had died suddenly but rather to seek revenge.
‘I’m sorry, Mother. I must understand what Rita meant.’
I clenched my fists and spoke with difficulty.
“My mother suggested it to me last night.”
“L-Last night?”
Her face turned pale, and her neck stiffened. It seemed the Marchioness was aware that I had recently lost my parents.
“D-Duchess, could it be that you’ve been seeing things due to grief…?”
“No need to worry, madam, it’s nothing like that.”
“Well, that’s a relief, but…”
“It seems my mother felt regretful. The fact that she couldn’t attend her only daughter’s wedding…”
“So, did you meet her in a dream?”
A strange light flickered in the Marchioness’s blue eyes.
