♡ TL: Khadija SK
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Although he usually had the demeanor of a culprit, on that day, his face bore the expressions of a victim.
However, more ridiculous than his strange behavior were Annette’s inner thoughts.
Why did she care about Theodore like this?
After all, had her hatred for him faded just because she hadn’t seen his face for a long time?
That was impossible.
It should never happen.
When the thing that sparks resentment disappears, one’s grip on their goal and determination to reach it weakens.
Annette did not want to settle in this world, so she had to continue hating Theodore constantly, permanently, and absolutely.
“…Did I hurt his feelings because I neglected his mother’s ring?”
She had thought he would act arrogantly as usual, but his reaction was completely different.
Annette couldn’t tell if he was disappointed or something else, but there was definitely a sense of resentment toward her.
“But we’re not the type of people who can have a pleasant conversation when we’re alone together. I get chills just thinking about having to act like a couple in Laider.”
Silver, who had come with her on the walk, followed behind and whined as if he were “answering” her.
“What could your master have been thinking?”
Annette sat on the grass for a moment, giving the dog time to catch up with her.
For some time now, when Annette walked quickly, Silver found it increasingly difficult to keep up and started panting.
This was proof that Annette’s physical strength had improved.
She hadn’t gained weight yet, but she appeared healthier now that the color had returned to her pale face.
“Let’s go again.”
Annette gently patted the dog’s head before rising from the ground.
A soft breeze brushed her face as she stood up quickly, carrying with it the scent of the soil from the harvested, empty grapevines.
The grapes used for winemaking still adorned the vines in the field, even though the harvest had been delayed to enhance their sweetness. But the path Annette took today led her through empty vines that had already been harvested some time ago.
Originally, the land was rich and fertile, but without fruit on the trees, it turned into a surprisingly barren landscape.
However, even if all the trees were uprooted and the field completely emptied, it wouldn’t be as desolate as Annette’s barren heart.
She had been confined for three months in a mental institution and another three months in this villa.
She had accepted the deal with pride, but she doubted her abilities to make Theodore the emperor.
Even things she had only read about in books had become reality, making it difficult for her to handle matters decisively, especially after unexpected events started happening that were not mentioned in the original novel.
(T.N.: This refers to Theodore summoning her and Annette’s realization that this was just a fake world inside a novel.)
She also hadn’t yet gotten used to the sensation of moving the limbs of this body, which wasn’t her original one, but she needed to be prepared to deal with others skillfully.
She was confused as she thought about how to handle the aristocrats who had lived their entire lives amidst the wars of politics and interests.
Annette stood amidst the empty vineyards, but she felt as if she were floating in the middle of the sea.
How long would she feel this emptiness?
Even if she made wine from all the grapes in this farm and drank it, her throat would still burn, and her stomach would still feel empty.
So, she had to go back.
She needed to leave this world and return to her own.
Annette, staring at the empty grape leaves with hollow eyes, was overwhelmed by a whirlpool of strange emotions.
“Can I really do it?”
Annette smiled brightly and scratched Silver’s chin until he was completely satisfied, but then Silver suddenly turned around and placed himself in front of her as if to protect her.
“What’s the matter?”
Silver barked loudly.
Judging by the way he tensed his body and growled as if hunting, it seemed like someone had arrived.
Annette knew who might come to this villa even before seeing his face.
It wasn’t Theodore.
Theodore knew all her news through the people watching her and was aware of every step she took, but he never personally came here.
“You’re here again.”
“That’s right. I don’t want to make the trip all the way out here, but I keep finding myself returning.”
* * *
Annette’s stroll ended when Hans arrived.
Hans grumbled all the way to the villa’s library as he accompanied Annette.
Looking at Hans’s face, it was clear he found it difficult to maintain a friendly demeanor in front of Annette.
On the other hand, Annette didn’t particularly dislike Hans, but she kept her interactions with him so polite that it was impossible to guess she disliked dealing with him.
Hans was talented, but he wasn’t smart enough to keep his expressions neutral and not reveal his true emotions in front of his adversary.
This was the reason why he remained just an assistant instead of rising to become a significant figure in society.
“Did you bring the book I asked for last time?”
“It’s in the carriage; you can take it from there.”
“Thank you, sir.”
Annette smiled brightly, fully aware that Hans felt uncomfortable around her.
This discomfort was what made Hans struggle to deal with her.
To speak to a commoner with the title “sir” and show no sign of discomfort toward him?
Nobles, especially those from a grand family like the Sheringen family, were not supposed to do such things.
It had been difficult for Hans to obtain his license to work as a lawyer, but after taking on this job, he had become very close to the nobles and knew their arrogance well.
He used the law to help them cover up illegal activities, but what he received in return was not gratitude.
Of course, he also didn’t receive any kind of genuine respect.
Aristocrats were, by nature, people like this.
They believed that since commoners were born to serve them, there was no need to thank them for doing what they deserved.
However, Annette didn’t have that typical aristocratic arrogance.
Sure, Hans knew that Annette had been more of an aristocrat than anyone else in the past, but today’s Annette was like the ideal noble character from a fictional book.
It became somewhat unsettling when the selfish young woman he once knew disappeared.
And the bigger problem was that she began changing Theodore as well.
What in earth had she done to him?
After Annette’s appearance, Theodore started doing things Hans thought he would never do in his lifetime.
Like marriage.
The phrase “Theodore’s marriage” hadn’t been mentioned since his first failed wedding.
So, it was natural for Hans to be skeptical of Annette, who had suddenly agreed to play such a dangerous role.
Hans had crafted the documents that made Annette the Grand Duchess, but it was still difficult for him to treat her as such.
Of course, Annette had never asked Hans to treat her as a grand duchess before.
On the contrary, if he treated her like the wife of the Grand Duke, she would have been more repulsed by him.
This left Hans more puzzled.
Even after completing Theodore’s marriage arrangements, it didn’t seem like Hans knew what he was doing.
One of his main new duties was now taking care of Annette.
Hans couldn’t disobey Theodore’s orders, so he had no choice but to visit Annette constantly.
In addition, he was handling the paperwork and documents related to the properties of Marquis Sheringen.
“Has the property of my father’s house that I signed off on last time been dealt with?”
“Yes, Lady Annette is now… I mean, it’s now yours, Your Grace, the Grand Duchess.”
“You can just call me Annette.”
“I’m not foolish enough to call my master’s wife by her name so casually.”
“Is it really necessary to address me so respectfully when it’s obvious you dislike me this much?”
Hans was tired of Annette’s blunt honesty.
When Annette noticed his obvious discomfort again, she turned away, pretending not to see it.
“What documents did you bring with you today?”
“It seems there’s a problem with tax collection on the estate.”
“As expected, you desperately need a tax expert. Why is there no one taking care of His Grace’s finances?”
“His Grace is not poor enough to worry about money.”
“He needs someone who can manage the finances, regardless of how much wealth he has. What’s more, His Grace’s ambitions go far beyond selling a few mansions and three or four buildings. Don’t ignore the issue at hand.”
There was no fault in Annette’s words.
This was also one of the reasons Hans felt uncomfortable around her.
Sometimes, Annette would precisely point out the things Hans lacked, with excessively blunt words.
It was true that Hans lacked the instinct to manage Theodore’s assets.
He was good at legal matters and other things, but he had no sense for money at all.
Theodore himself had a business mind and had amassed a vast fortune by now, but he couldn’t handle everything because he had other pressing matters.
This was because he didn’t aim just for a prosperous life.
As Annette said, he needed someone to manage and safeguard the money while he focused on his ultimate goal.
“I’ve also thought about hiring someone to handle this matter. But this isn’t just any other field; it’s about money. Don’t you know how hard it is to find someone you can trust with financial matters?”
“That’s why I introduced someone with the skills to handle finances and whom you can trust.”
“Are you the one who recommended that man?”
Hans frowned, clear displeasure on his face.
He recalled Ernst’s background, which Theodore had asked him to investigate. Ernst was a man who worked in a small rural estate. Compared to the major merchants of Laider, his business could barely be considered on par with a local food stall.
Knowing the kind of skills someone from such a small and impoverished place would have, how could he be entrusted with such a heavy responsibility alongside Theodore?
Moreover, Ernst had a poor reputation in his private life.
“Honestly, how can we trust someone with no prior experience?”
“Even though he lives in a small village, he has experience in tax collection and management. I understand the difficulty in trusting someone like him with financial matters, but Ernst is an exception.”
“Whether he’s an exception or not, I can’t place such a man near His Grace.”
“Are you afraid that if he starts working with His Grace, he’ll outlast you, Mr. Hans?”
“Do you know how long I work in a day? If that man works longer than I do, he’ll have to go without sleep and die of exhaustion.”
“Unlike Mr. Hans, Mr. Ernst has excellent endurance. Is that why you’re opposing him?”
“Th- that… Isn’t it the same with you, lady Annette? You can’t even ride a horse!”
“You can’t compare my situation to yours, Mr. Hans.”
Endurance was Hans’s weakness, and since he had a frail body with almost no motor skills, he compensated for his lack of physical strength with hard work.
The reason he took a horse-drawn carriage over such a rough road, despite being able to reach the villa faster if he rode a horse himself, was that he didn’t have the stamina to ride through the night.
Hans, who had been poked at his weak point, burned with anger.
He was frustrated by how easily he had revealed his vulnerability to such a suspicious woman.
“Shall we calm down and have something to eat?”
Annette avenged his rudeness by teasing him in an appropriate way, then smiled happily.
It was disgusting to see her leisurely head toward the door.
After all, it would still take a long time for Hans to recognize her as the Grand Duchess.
Rising from his seat in frustration at the thought, Hans’s mood was sour.
“By the way, Mr. Hans…”
At that moment, after giving it some thought, Annette couldn’t overcome her curiosity and asked him a question.
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