Edited

19. Duke’s women

“Are you Pregnant?”.

Pfft.

I spat out the tea I had in my mouth.

The teacup rolled off the table, and the tea leaves scattered in every direction.

Without even thinking of wiping my wet apron, I stared blankly at her.

It was an uncivilized action, but I couldn’t regain my composure after hearing such an uncivilized remark in front of me.

“W-What did you say?”

“It seems like you’re very surprised. I apologize.”

“Here, use this to wipe it off.”

The marchioness next to me held out a handkerchief.

Did I show such a tender side that Deon misunderstood me? We never fought, so where did this misunderstanding come from?

I was confused.

“How did that… story spread?”

I was curious about the source of the false rumor.

“Well, I didn’t hear it myself.”

She poked the young lady next to her.

“To be honest, I overheard your conversation. I overheard that there’s the duke’s blood in Young lady … “

“Ah… that.”

I was speechless. How should I explain this?

The Young Ladies exchanged glances without saying a word.

Curious gazes were fixed on me.

“Right? Then, could it be that Young Lady is the subject of that rumor?”

“No! That’s not it.”

I desperately shook my head.

“Are you really not?”

“I don’t know what the rumor is about, but absolutely not.”

“Then, you’re not pregnant either….”

“Absolutely not!”

The Young Ladies seemed disappointed with my resolute denial.

They withdrew their curious gazes and picked up their teacups again.

“I was rude. I’m sorry you were startled, Miss Sien.”

“Then who is she? Since it was something the Madame of the Blue Shop said, it’s not just a rumor. Even though it may seem like just an empty rumor, what that woman says is all true.”

“I thought maybe the protagonist of the rumor was finally found, as there is only one Young Lady, the Baron’s Young lady, who was by the Duke’s side.”

“That’s right. I thought it was just because Young Lady, the only unmarried among the attendees, was on the guest list. I wondered if it was not just because of their special relationship.”

They chattered on and on about the talk of the Duke’s family circulating in the capital. Gossip flowed without restraint. Amidst the chatter, a repeated phrase caught their ears.

An empty rumor.

“… But what is that rumor exactly?”

“You don’t know?”

She opened her fan and whispered cautiously.

“It’s a rumor that the Duke has a lover.”

“Oh, I heard that rumor too.”

The Marquess’s wife looked around and whispered softly.

“They say there is a hidden mistress.”

“Mistress?”

“Shh!”

Without realizing it, I raised my voice, and the marchioness put a finger to her lips.

“It’s famous in the capital. Every editing shop tells the same story. They say that she never gave any attention to other, even if they just brushed past her. And that she’s so cunning that she could fit in perfectly in the frigid North. She has a nasty temper and a bizarre character.”

She made a show of fanning herself with her fan.

Was such a woman here?

I thought back to the people who had come to the Duchy.

No matter how much I thought about it, there was no one who could be called Deon’s mistress.

“Um… I heard a different rumor.”

Young Lady Tani raised her hand quietly.

“They say she’s making medicine.”

“Medicine, medicine?”

I stuttered in surprise.

“That’s why he’s not coming out of the duke’s mansion. Think about it. Why wouldn’t he come out and be stuck in this cold place? Even if there’s an order from the strict emperor. He’s someone who could have requested it long before if he wanted to go up to the capital. And earlier when I met the Duke… When I saw his figure, I thought the rumor might be true. How could that body be achieved through exercise?”

Everyone laughed at her words.

Lady Janice, who couldn’t even laugh at a small joke, let out a deep sigh. And she said with a gloomy expression.

“It doesn’t matter. It’s fantastic, isn’t it? Has our husband ever held a knife? He probably doesn’t even have anything to use other than a fork to pick up a piece of meat in front of him.”

“Lady Janice, don’t be so upset. Living in the capital is also a great blessing, isn’t it? No matter how much you become a duke’s wife, living trapped in the north like this would be unbearable. Everything would be boring except in bed,” someone said.

I almost spat out my tea at that.

I swallowed the hot tea down my throat.

I put down my cup. It made a clinking sound, but no one noticed as they were engrossed in their conversation.

I guess you could say it’s fortunate.

I felt a great distance from the girls who spoke obscene words with innocent faces.

“Oh, and have you heard the rumors? They say they raise rabid dogs in the North.”

“Rabid dogs?”

“They say it roams around here and there. Be careful, as they don’t even have a leash.”

“I heard they used to have them tied up with a leash, but they let them loose now. Unbelievable.”

“Well… I was so scared at first that I just stayed in my room. But when I looked outside earlier, there wasn’t even a single animal, let alone dogs, in the North.”

“Maybe it’s just a false rumor.”

“That’s what I’m thinking. It’s just an old wives’ tale. Even the Blue Shop madam seems to be past her prime.”

My head throbbed.

What is Deon doing in that mansion anyway?

***

The office was brightly lit until late in the evening.

I opened the door and walked in.

As expected, Deon was sitting in front of his desk, going through documents.

Even though there was only about an hour left until the climax of the birthday celebration, he was still catching up on the backlog of paperwork.

Deon looked up at me.

“So you hung out with the ladies today. Was it fun?”

“Well, it was better than I expected. We had a lot to talk about.”

Deon quickly flipped through some papers and stamped them.

“If life in the palace gets too boring… it wouldn’t hurt to occasionally invite some of our lady friends we’re on good terms with.

“That’s too risky.”

As soon as I finished speaking, Viter firmly shook his head, constantly interrupting my words.

But that’s enough of that.

“No one’s going to come all the way up here anyway. Who would come to this far north?”

She pulled out a footrest from under the sofa.

It was the footrest that the servant had brought when she had lain down on the sofa.

She kicked off her shoes and stretched out her feet. The built-up fatigue dissipated.

The cushions were also soft and satisfying.

In this world, most shoes didn’t have heels in the front.

Without a heel, legs tend to hurt quickly when standing for a long time.

Should I go out and disguise myself as a merchant and try my hand at the shoe business?

Young Lady Ivon, who had invested her allowance in the shoe shop in front of the palace, came to mind.

And the rumors that started in her mouth. It was certainly a false rumor, but all of a sudden, she became curious. What made him look like a man in love?

“But, Your Grace.”

He looked up as he turned the last page.

“Do you have a hidden lover?”

“What?”

He touched the file folder.

“Where did you hear such a thing?”

“I heard it at tea time. They said you had a lover, Your Grace.”

Deon furrowed his brow.

He turned his head as if there was no point in answering.

“You’ve come here with the wrong idea.”

“I’ve been by the Duke’s side the whole time, and I’ve never seen a woman. Is she from a noble family? Is that why you go on patrols often?”

“That’s not it.”

“Come on, be honest. My lips are sealed.”

She made a zipper motion with her hand. Deon sighed.

“I really mean it.”

His voice sounded weak and feeble.

Was there a woman Deon had met in the prologue?

Someone he had feelings for before meeting the female lead?

Betrayal surged in her chest.

Even though she wasn’t the lead or even a supporting character, she didn’t have the right to discuss the protagonist’s romance.

But still, it was cheating to have feelings for another woman!

“And you’re taking medicine…do you eat anything when I’m away? No, right…?”

“What in the world…”

Since she had started the conversation, she had to bring up the last rumor too.

After all, not only the Duke, but she was involved too.

She rubbed her throat.

“Actually, there is an even more vicious rumor.”

“I… I have the Duke’s…the Duke’s…”

Unable to finish his sentence, Viter quickly intervened.

“What is it?”

“… I have the Duke’s child.”

“What?”

“Your Grace, since when did you two have such a relationship?”

Both Viter and Edan, who had been standing still like a statue, were surprised and asked.

“No.”

“It’s not true!”

Deon and I both shouted at the same time.

“Are you sure it’s not true? You need to be clear, so we can deal with it.”

“Actually, I saw the two of you coming out of the bedroom together last time.”

Edan added fuel to the rumor.

“Did you… sleep together on the bed?”

“No! We were lying on the bed, but we just innocently talked.”

Innocently? The phrasing was strange, but I desperately nodded my head.

Then I gestured towards Deon. You should answer quickly, too.

“I think His Highness mentioned that there was blood in my body, so that’s probably why… Why did you make a statement that could be misunderstood?”

“Are you blaming His Grace now?”

Viter interrupted.

“No, should I take the blame? You’re not trying to make me say that I should have behaved properly, are you? I’ve been stuck here in the duke’s house for a few months without being able to move an inch.”

Viter bit his tongue and stayed silent.

I knew it, I had a feeling.

As I ground my teeth, there was a knock on the door.

The butler opened the door and greeted us.

“Your Grace, it’s time for the banquet. Please come with me.”

As if his words were a signal, Beteir and Edan stood up as if they had just finished a debate.

Then, they knelt down on one knee toward Deon. Their posture looked respectful and solemn.

“My lord, I congratulate you on your twenty-third birthday. May you celebrate your next birthday not as a Duke, but in the palace.”

Deon stood up and buttoned his cuffs.

“Bring it.”

A maid came in and put on his luxurious clothes over his shoulders. Looking at him now, he had neatly combed his hair, which was different from usual. His black suit matched well with the blue gemstone brooch on his tie.

He’s handsome.

As he put on his suit, his appearance came back to her mind.

The day I went half insane to his bedroom to get my blood drawn.

She had fallen for his looks that day, too, but had not realized it until she had adapted to him over time.

He walked towards the banquet hall, his long cloak trailing behind him.

As I walked a few steps behind him in the corridor, Biter approached me closely and whispered discreetly in my ear.

“Did you hear who his first dance partner is, even though he didn’t say anything to me?”

I don’t know either.”

“What have you been doing all this time without even doing that? Are you not going to ask for an outing pass?

“Oh, it’s not necessary.”

Threatening with an outing pass is now pointless.

Anyway, if I coax the Marquis Caeon, I won’t be in the mansion tomorrow night.