Before leaving the shopping district, I stopped by a bookstore with Vivi and bought some books. Naturally, they were all related to romance. From romance guides to various novels.
They say you shouldn’t learn love from books, but I couldn’t afford to be picky if I wanted to rehabilitate Ian somehow.
After all, I needed to turn him into a man who wouldn’t be an embarrassment to Diana.
‘Honestly, if he wants to be worthy of Diana, forget a used car — even a Benz would be lacking; he needs a Rolls-Royce.’
With that thought in mind, I had intended to only buy a few books at first, but before I knew it, a mountain of them had piled up at the checkout counter.
Once again, I couldn’t carry them all, so I arranged for the rest to be delivered and brought only a few books to read immediately back home.
As I entered the main building, leaving Vivi behind to take care of the remaining tasks, I happened to run into Ian, who was crossing the lobby and heading upstairs at almost the same time as me.
“……”
“……”
If we were a normal couple, we might have exchanged greetings, but Ian and I merely locked eyes without saying a word. We weren’t exactly on speaking terms, after all.
In the end, it was Ian who broke the silence first.
“You’re just now coming home?”
“Yes, as you can see, I had some errands.”
“It’s quite late.”
Only then did I check the clock hanging in the lobby. It was almost midnight.
“Yes, it is.”
“I take it whatever you were doing was important enough to skip breakfast and come back at nearly midnight.”
“Hmm?”
At his question, which seemed to carry a hidden edge, I tilted my head before finally catching on.
Oh, right. I totally ditched breakfast with Ian today.
‘Oh, so it *did* bother him?’
Suppressing the smirk that threatened to appear on my lips, I smiled calmly.
“Yes, it was.”
“……”
His eyes narrowed. He wore a strangely sour expression.
‘Wow, what an unpleasant face.’
Most people might have started treading lightly at this point, but his mood had no effect on me whatsoever.
‘He’s the one who suggested we avoid each other outside of breakfast anyway. If I’m not even showing up for breakfast now, shouldn’t that be a win-win?’
My musings were cut short by Ian’s low voice.
“I don’t know what you were busy with until this hour, but…”
He silently scanned me from head to toe.
“Whatever you’re planning, keep in mind that you’re still the Grand Duchess. So, I expect you to continue fulfilling the ‘duties of a Grand Duchess.’ Breakfast is the only time we can discuss the management of the duchy, so I’d appreciate it if…”
“I don’t want to.”
I cut him off, shrugging as I smiled brightly.
“…Pardon?”
“Why should I?”
As I brazenly asked back, Ian’s face filled with disbelief.
Who’s the one who should be making that face right now?
“You see, Your Grace hasn’t shown much interest in me, have you? You’ve paid me so little attention that my reputation is in shambles. So why should I be the only one upholding all these duties and promises?”
His mouth opened in surprise as I continued, still smiling sweetly.
“Since we’re on the topic, while you were ignoring me, I’ve been diligently carrying out all the ‘duties of a Grand Duchess.’”
Even when Ian never spared her a glance, Eloise had never once neglected her work.
The fact that the duchy had been running smoothly for two years spoke volumes.
She had done her job, even while being called nothing more than a puppet, a ghost, or a piece of furniture in the Grand Duke’s estate.
“But the more I think about it, the more it feels like I’m the one getting the short end of the stick.”
“……”
“So, I’ve decided to return the favor by treating you the same way you’ve treated me.”
I gave him a mischievous smile, my eyes gleaming with amusement.
“Judging by how lonely you seemed this morning without me, it seems you missed my presence, but from now on, I plan to mirror your behavior exactly.”
The drill instructor can be an angel or a devil, depending on your attitude, buddy.
“So if you want something from me, you better show me some effort first. At the very least, try. Or, well… you could just keep eating alone. It’d be pretty funny if you had to come all the way to my office to get the financial reports for the duchy.”
After all, it would be you in trouble for not receiving the reports, not me.
“……”
“Give and take. Simple, right?”
I shrugged, looking him straight in the eye as he tried to form words. Finally, he clamped his mouth shut.
“……”
After a moment of staring at me with a cold gaze, Ian abruptly turned on his heel.
“…Go to bed.”
A cold breeze practically followed him as he stormed away.
‘Well, well. He’s really putting on a show now, isn’t he?’
People should have some self-awareness.
Scoffing quietly, I discreetly raised my middle finger in the direction he had gone.
‘May you trip and fall flat on your face, you annoying Ian.’
❖ ❖ ❖
Early morning.
“Yawn…”
I closed the book I was reading and stretched.
After the earlier spat with Ian, I was so heated that I nearly gave up on rehabilitating him.
But for my beloved Diana, I couldn’t afford to throw in the towel just yet.
In the end, I started reading the books I had brought home, and now I had already finished three of them.
I lightly tapped one of the books that lay sprawled on the bed.
“As expected, no help at all.”
The books I had picked were all sweet as if soaked in sugar.
“There’s no way Ian could ever do this.”
That was the problem—they were too perfect.
The men in these stories were all like knights in shining armor, completely out of Ian’s league.
‘This kind of thing is just something you’re born with.’
It was obvious that shoving this in Ian’s face would be utterly useless.
‘Maybe force-feeding is the only option after all…’
Back in the day, I had plenty of complaints about the rigid and uniform education system in Korea, but in reality, when dealing with hopeless cases, nothing worked better than force-feeding knowledge.
Anyway, my role was to turn that cold-blooded brute into a decent human being before Diana returned.
“Ugh, my shoulders ache.”
After sitting in one position reading for so long, my shoulders ached as if they were cramped.
“And whose fault is it that I’m going through this ordeal, huh?”
Just thinking about what happened earlier in the lobby made my blood boil again.
“No, no. Calm down.”
There was no point in getting worked up.
I sighed and glanced out the window, murmuring to myself,
“Instead of this, maybe I should take a walk.”
I definitely needed to clear my head.
I quickly grabbed the shawl draped over the armchair and headed downstairs.
It was nearly 2 AM, so the garden was utterly silent except for a few guards standing night watch.
I pulled the shawl tightly around me and walked slowly along the central path.
Intricately carved statues, a small fountain, and well-maintained ornamental trees lined the way.
The serene beauty of the estate filled me with a sudden sense of calm.
“I always wanted to do something like this.”
Taking a nighttime stroll through such a grand estate.
After all, in two years, I’d have to hand this mansion over to Diana, so I might as well enjoy it to the fullest while I still could.
Eventually, I wandered deeper into the garden and let out an awestruck sigh.
“Wow…”
Even though it was dark, thousands of blooming roses filled my vision.
“So beautiful.”
I veered off the path and wandered through the flowers, marveling at them.
“Achoo!”
A light night breeze stirred, tickling my nose.
“Ugh, it’s still a bit chilly at night.”
I sniffled and wiped away the small tears that had slipped out with my sleeve.
“Maybe I shouldn’t have dressed so lightly.”
With just a thin indoor outfit and a shawl, the cold crept in with every gust of wind.
“Achoo! Sniff… Guess I can’t stay out long.”
I had hoped to take my time and enjoy the view.
“Well, it can’t be helped. It’s late anyway…”
I would have to settle for this much tonight and head back to my room.
With a hint of regret, I quickly made my way back to the bedroom.
❖ ❖ ❖
In the office on the second floor,
Ian Cloud quietly removed his glasses and gazed out the window.
He watched as Eloise, wiping away tears in the middle of the rose garden, hurried back toward the main building as if fleeing.
A slight frown creased his brow.
‘…Was she crying?’
♧♧♧
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Luv this, so funny 😊