Kaien tried to resume his halted steps.
Then he heard a familiar voice.
“You’re coming in late.”
“Milady?”
“I have something to tell you.”
On the hall stairs, Philome appeared, dressed in a nightgown with a shawl draped over it.
Kaien blinked for a moment before guiding Philome to his office.
“It’s cozier than I expected.”
Philome commented as she looked around the office, which had only a desk and a sofa with no special decorations or furniture.
Only after seeing Philome drinking tea did Kaien realize he hadn’t asked why she had come to see him.
“What did you want to talk about?”
“Oh, I was hoping to have one of the maids moved to the annex.”
“Is there a problem?”
If there had been a real problem, Sebastian would have informed Kaien.
Philome wrinkled her nose slightly.
“Well, there was no problem, but it could become one. I want to eliminate the possibility by addressing its cause. One of the maids was particularly disrespectful and belittling me.”
“What?”
“Don’t worry, it’s just that one maid. The Duke’s servants are all kind. It seems that the maid may have a liking for the Duke. Even though I’m just a guest, she was quite restrictive towards me. Once it’s revealed that I’m the Duke’s prospective wife…”
“It could cause trouble.”
“Yes, I’m afraid so.”
Relieved, Kaien leaned back comfortably on the sofa.
“I’ll take care of it.”
“Do you believe me?”
Philome, who hadn’t expected much, was a bit surprised when Kaien believed her words.
“Is Milady lying?”
“That’s not it.”
“Then it’s okay.”
He’s incredibly cool. Is he really the regrettable male lead?
Philome muttered quietly at Kaien’s straightforward response.
With this personality, there probably wouldn’t be any need to argue.
“Is that all you wanted to say?”
“Well, I had finished speaking, but something new came to mind. I’ve completed the bride training, but I only have superficial knowledge about the duties of a mistress. Even though it’s a contractual marriage, do I also take on the responsibilities of a mistress?”
Kaien paused for a moment, then nodded.
“You may, if you wish.”
The mistress is the actual owner of the estate.
She manages everything that happens in the manor, makes decisions, and commands the people. Because the mistress’s role is so important, they naturally hold significant power within the estate.
If the mistress, who is perfectly capable, does not work, their position within the estate diminishes, and living a peaceful life becomes difficult.
Kaien had no intention of unnecessarily infringing upon or restricting the rights of his prospective wife.
“I’ll do my best, even though I may be lacking.”
“Is there anything else you need?”
“What about the heir?”
Philome asked about something she’d been curious about since reading the original work.
Just like in the original contract, there was no mention of an heir to what Philome had received.
In the original story, the female lead and male lead fell in love, resolving the issue of the heir. But now that the original story has been altered, this is the most intriguing part.
She didn’t hate him, but the idea of having a child with someone she didn’t love was a little troubling.
“Oh, I forgot about that.”
Kaien responded as if he had just been hit on the back of the head.
“I can handle the issue of the heir myself, so you don’t need to worry about it.”
‘I think I’ve seen this line before.’
In the original work, Nadia misunderstood Kaien because of this line and had an episode where she cried alone, thinking he had a love child.
But the author never resolved that plot point until the very end.
‘Well, I’ll just have to trust that you’ll handle it.’
However, while she trusted Kaien, there was something she wanted to make clear.
“Since it’s a private matter, I won’t pry too deeply. Honestly, from the perspective of a party involved in the contract, it’s a bit strange to say such things, but I hope there won’t be any incidents where the child’s mother comes and causes a scene or publicly reveals her existence.”
Because then it would put her in a difficult position.
Philome nodded internally, then continued.
“Even though it’s a contract, I hope we can still treat each other with courtesy and respect.”
After finishing her statement, Philome rose from her seat.
“You’ve worked hard until late; take care.”
“No, milady, wait….”
Fearing what Kaien might say, she hurriedly left the study.
For the first time in her life, Kaien felt the urge to confide in someone else about his situation.
He hadn’t expected such a misunderstanding. No, he hadn’t even expected someone to hastily draw such conclusions.
As Kaien pondered how to resolve Philome’s misunderstanding about the heir, he suddenly burst into laughter and got up from his seat.
✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧
The very next day, I no longer saw the maid, who had ignored me.
And since that day, I haven’t seen Kaien either.
Sebastian spent busy days familiarizing me with the mansion, and it took me three days to complete my tour.
On the fourth day of my stay at the duchy, Sebastian introduced me in front of all the servants.
He introduced me as the prospective Duchess and Kaien’s fiancée.
And at lunchtime, an unexpected guest arrived.
“….Duke?”
I paused as I saw Kaien in the dining room.
Kaien was dressed a bit more casually than usual. With his cravat undone, the unbuttoned collar and rolled-up sleeves were visible. It was only now that I truly felt he was the master of this mansion.
Confirming my arrival, Kaien handed the documents he had been looking at to Gio.
“You look like you’ve seen a ghost, milady.”
“Madonna told me you wouldn’t be able to come today.”
Madonna was the head maid and Kaien’s nanny, someone who had worked at the manor almost as long as Sebastian.
She had been visiting me for two days to inform me about the mistress’s duties.
“It’s the day Milady formally greets the servants for the first time. Won’t it be inappropriate if I’m not there?”
“That’s true.”
Indeed, in the original work, Kaien acted similarly toward Nadia.
When Nadia greeted the servants for the first time, she couldn’t stand the stares that seemed to ignore her, so she fled the room.
She later crossed paths with Kaien and explained the situation, receiving apologies from the servants.
“We’ll have the engagement ceremony next week.”
“Another engagement ceremony?”
“Well, the previous one wasn’t proper, was it?”
Kaien narrowed his eyes slightly.
“I’m not going to be so casual about it.”
I nodded in agreement at his firm words.
“And the wedding will be in spring next year. I wanted to hurry with the wedding, but I thought it would be better to wait until the weather was nicer. Is that okay?”
“Yeah. Sounds good.”
As we sat down, dishes started to arrive one by one.
The aroma alone was enticing enough to make my mouth water.
The dishes prepared by the Duke’s kitchen staff were all delicious. If I had to pick one thing I was most satisfied with at the Duke’s estate, it would be the meals.
“We’ll be visiting His Majesty in two days, so keep that in mind.”
“……Will we also be greeting other members of the imperial family?”
“Unless we run into them, there is no need for that.”
Ah, that’s a relief.
For a moment, a shiver ran down my spine, so I shuddered.
“Also, I’d like to go out for a bit.”
“You don’t have to ask my permission for that, milady. Just inform Sebastian, and he’ll prepare the carriage for you. Oh, after we eat, we have to go up to my office together for the matching test.”
“Okay, I will.”
Surprisingly, Kaien opted for a salad-focused meal.
Despite his clothing, his well-defined muscles remain completely visible. I can’t believe he maintains that body by simply eating salads.
I looked at his salad and my meat in turn, then continued eating.
After finishing the meal and heading up to his office, Gio was there.
“It stings a bit, milady.”
Gio pricked my finger, drawing blood, then did the same to Kaien before mixing our blood on a bead the size of a fist.
“This is a new method, isn’t it?”
“Yes, it is. It allows for more precise measurements.”
“Huh?”
As I approached to examine the matching test tool, I scratched my cheek upon seeing the numbers on the bead.
“Uh, Duke. I think this thing is broken.”
“What? That can’t be.”
Kaien narrowed his eyes and stepped closer.
“No, it’s definitely broken.”
I said with confidence.
“Otherwise, how could it show this matching rate?”
