Chapter 21
“I felt that if I endured any longer, I might have vomited on His Grace’s face…”
“Oh my goodness…”
Rita’s frustration was evident as she pounded her chest as if trying to make a hole in it.
“I know how desperately you’re waiting for a grandchild, Mother. So…”
“So?”
“I requested that His Grace spend three nights with me every month.”
“Are you saying that the Duke accepted your request?”
“Yes, Mother.”
Rita’s face twisted grotesquely for a moment. While the prospect of holding her grandchild sooner was certainly appealing, she was also concerned that her son might grow distant from her, bewitched by his wife.
“Mother, aren’t you pleased?”
“P-Pleased? Yes… very pleased.”
“I will work together with His Grace to make sure you can hold a grandchild in your arms as soon as possible.”
“…Good, that’s commendable.”
With the issue of the wedding night settled, Rita would surely bring up another matter. This time, it would be about the whereabouts of the wedding gifts.
“I heard a rumor that you donated all the wedding gifts to the temple yesterday. Is that true?”
“…No, Mother.”
“I knew it wasn’t true! Of course, it had to be a false rumor. How could a daughter-in-law donate the wedding gifts to the temple without permission? It’s unthinkable…”
As Rita sighed in relief, I replied in a clear, loud voice.
“I only donated the pink diamonds from the wedding gifts to the temple.”
“What? What do you mean by that?”
“I judged that pink diamonds were not suitable as wedding gifts, so I donated them all to the temple.”
“On what authority do you dare?!”
Rita was so agitated that she looked as if she might grab the back of her neck and collapse at any moment. The more she lost her composure, the more calmly I responded.
“The High Priest officiated the ceremony himself and recognized me as the Duchess of Edmond, so aren’t the wedding gifts mine?”
“How could they possibly be yours?”
“Since they’re wedding gifts, they’re not solely mine, of course. That’s why I sought His Grace’s permission before making the donation.”
“What?!”
Rita was so taken aback that she could only open and close her mouth without uttering a word. It seemed she was too shocked to think of anything else to say.
“You don’t need to worry; I kept the wedding rings.”
“This is unbelievable. Do you even understand what kind of gemstones those were…?”
As Rita slumped into the sofa as if she were melting away, I supported her and helped her sit down. Thanks to that, I had the luxury of sitting next to her as well.
I knew that no matter what I said now, Rita wouldn’t really hear it. However, I still proceeded to report everything she needed to know.
“Viscount Burke left for Courtney a short while ago. He apologizes for leaving without saying goodbye to you and asked me to convey his regrets. Of course, he had received permission from His Grace to leave without bidding farewell.”
“……”
“I also instructed the servants, through the butler, to address you as the Dowager Duchess from now on. His Grace also agreed that it would be appropriate to adjust the titles in this way.”
“……”
Even if Rita later claimed she hadn’t heard any of this, Susan and Stella, who were undoubtedly eavesdropping from the next room like little mice, would serve as witnesses.
“From now on, as the Duchess of Edmond, I will take responsibility for managing the estate and the servants. I will do my utmost to ensure that I don’t bring any disgrace upon His Grace.”
“Are you saying that you, a mere viscount’s daughter, intend to act as the Duchess? What do you know about managing an estate or its servants…?”
“It’s so pleasant to see the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law having such a friendly conversation.”
Without knocking, Stefan entered Rita’s bedroom and looked down at the two of us sitting side by side before seating himself on the sofa opposite us.
The way he elegantly crossed his long legs as he sat made it clear who the real master of the duchy was. Rita, desperate to turn the situation around, moved to sit next to her son and began to cry out.
“My Lord, this mother of yours has become utterly useless overnight. Are you not going to acknowledge even a bit of the effort I’ve put into managing the Edmond household for the past 25 years?”
Rita was good at masking her reluctance to relinquish the position of Duchess with such seemingly reasonable words. In my previous life, Stefan had sided with her, suggesting I take my time learning the ropes of managing the household before taking over.
But this time, something unexpected happened.
“Mother, you’ve worked hard managing such a large household. Now that you have a daughter-in-law, you should rest.”
“……”
Startled, I widened my eyes and looked at him, while Rita gaped up at him, her mouth agape. Sensing there might be an ulterior motive in his words, Rita reiterated her point.
“We’re talking about managing the Edmond household here. The scale is enormous, almost on par with the royal family. It’s nothing like managing the estate of a mere viscount in the countryside.”
“Wasn’t it you who chose this daughter-in-law? I trust you brought her in believing she had the qualities and dignity required to be the Duchess.”
“At the very least, you should give her enough time to learn our family traditions, shouldn’t you? To pass on all the knowledge I’ve accumulated, it would take three—no, five years at the very least.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle at Rita’s absurd logic. But Stefan remained as serious as ever.
“Who taught you, Mother? You did everything on your own, didn’t you? You know well that the quickest way to learn is by facing challenges head-on.”
So that’s what it was. Upon closer listening, it was clear Stefan intended to put me in a difficult position.
But Rita wouldn’t hear it that way. All she could feel was a sense of loss and deprivation at the thought of having to hand over the position of Duchess to her daughter-in-law.
It seemed she decided to change tactics.
“My Lord, how could you donate all the wedding gifts to the temple without consulting this mother of yours?”
“We kept the most important wedding rings.”
“I spent two long years gathering those pink diamonds, intending to pass them down through the generations. Did my dedication mean so little to you?”
At this, Stefan’s eyebrows twitched harshly.
“Did you not know that pink diamonds are extracted at the cost of laborers’ blood? Knowing full well that the High Priest would officiate the ceremony, you still chose to prepare pink diamonds as wedding gifts. That was clearly your mistake, Mother.”
“My Lord…”
“The High Priest was already deeply offended by the extravagance and luxury of the wedding. The only way to appease him was by donating the wedding gifts.”
“……”
I quietly observed Stefan’s expression, keeping my mouth firmly shut.
‘What’s this? Looks like I get to pick up all the crumbs falling from this conversation.’
I decided to discreetly withdraw from the conversation. It was clear that neither mother nor son had any interest in me at this point.
“I plan to conduct my work from the duchy for the time being.”
“…Have the plans for the voyage not been finalized?”
“I’ve left the management of the Bayton Guild to others for too long, so I intend to sort things out myself. So, don’t worry about who comes and goes from the duchy.”
Rita’s eyes flashed with realization at his words.
“My Lord, isn’t that different from what was agreed upon? You promised me that I wouldn’t have to see that person again.”
“Then I suppose you’ll have to close your eyes for a while, Mother.”
“Duke Edmond, are you trying to make a joke out of this?”
This time, Stefan’s fiery red eyes flared up, though the flames in them didn’t spill out.
‘Who could this person be? If he’s coming to the duchy for work, it’s likely to be that aide… Is it really true that Finn Brighton is Stefan’s male lover?’
As I pieced together my thoughts and looked at him, he took a deep breath, trying to suppress the flames within him.
“Mother, do you want me to wander abroad again? If I leave this time, who knows how many years it will be before I return?”
“……”
“It doesn’t matter to me. It’s not I who’s waiting for the Edmond family’s heir, but you, Mother.”
“……”
“Don’t meddle with my people any longer.”
“……”
Stefan, who constantly wandered abroad in my previous life, was going to stay at the duchy for the time being? Did this mean he intended to cooperate in having a child? Was I included in the category of “his people”?
Whatever the reason, my eyes must have sparkled with a sense of anticipation because Stefan, who had been focusing on Rita, now turned his gaze toward me.
“Everything seems to be settled, so let’s leave now.”
“Pardon?”
“Mother likely needs more rest, so let’s give her some space.”
“Together?”
I kept asking foolish questions, and Stefan smiled brightly at me—a smile so warm and friendly that anyone would have mistaken him for a loving husband.
He even offered me his hand as he stood up from the sofa. Rita’s face turned black with anger at the sight.
Stefan, holding my hand affectionately, turned back to Rita as if he had just remembered something.
“During the three days we spend together, we’ll have breakfast separately in the couple’s bedroom. So, Mother, feel free to adjust your meal times as you see fit.”
Following Stefan’s lead, I gave a small nod of my head as a gesture of respect.
It seemed that Rita was so overwhelmed by Stefan’s relentless barrage that she remained frozen on the sofa until we left the room.
As soon as the door to Rita’s bedroom closed, a loud noise came from inside.
“Mother, are you alright?”
“How could Brother act like that?”
It seemed the little mice who had been eavesdropping in the next room had rushed out to take Rita’s side. Soon after, Rita’s wailing followed.
“My role ends here.”
Not understanding what he meant, I looked up at Stefan.
The warm and protective husband who had just been fiercely debating with his mother to defend his wife had completely vanished.
