Chapter 4
Diarna Tristan was a woman he didn’t like from the beginning to the end.
That was Richard’s first impression of Diarna.
She was completely different from what he had imagined.
It was the same when she first arrived at the mansion.
Diarna had come to the mansion and sought him out not long after her arrival.
Although it was under the pretense of an arranged marriage, to be precise, Diarna was a woman who had been sold for money.
More accurately, she wasn’t even the real daughter of the current Duke Tristan that Richard had wanted.
Normally, one would be intimidated by the fact that they were sold as a stand-in for their sibling, but Diarna seemed to accept her situation without complaint.
In fact, she presented a mysterious demeanor, as if hiding something.
Moreover, her eyes seemed to convey that she knew everything about Richard.
Somehow, Richard didn’t dislike that gaze.
The time spent waiting for Diarna at dinner wasn’t boring, undoubtedly because of his curiosity about her.
Richard didn’t think Diarna would be completely demoralized.
This was because of what he had said to her in the study.
He had even guessed that she might intentionally be late for dinner, possibly as an extension of that thought.
One never knew; she might not show up for dinner at all, even knowing he was waiting.
However, contrary to his expectations, Diarna appeared at dinner.
Just as she had surprised him in the study, she defied his expectations again.
Their conversation wasn’t bad.
Even though her way of conversing was somewhat difficult to follow, Richard found that talking with her was enjoyable in its own way.
He couldn’t remember the last time he had such a comfortable conversation with someone he had only met twice.
But nonetheless, Diarna was just a woman who had been bought with money to connect with the ducal family.
Since he had no intention of spending the first night with such a woman, he bluntly told Diarna that she shouldn’t expect that from him.
He had no interest in spending the night with a woman he didn’t love.
And Diarna was not among those he loved.
She might never be.
As if seeing right through his thoughts, Diarna said,
“Don’t worry. I’ll never love you until the day I die.”
‘How can you be so sure of that?’
It was natural for him to be taken aback by the thought that had suddenly crossed his mind in defiance.
It was Tristan who had wanted the marriage. Yet, she didn’t act like someone who had been sold, and that irritated him.
Even now, it was the same.
Diarna’s words were unexpected.
Since loving her wasn’t part of his plan, he didn’t show it outwardly.
But he couldn’t help feeling a bit insulted.
Was he so unattractive that she would say such a thing?
He had to struggle not to ask her if she was sure about that, a question that had suddenly risen within him.
* * *
It had already been a week since I arrived at the Count of Theodore’s estate.
The retainers here gradually got used to my face, and I also started to learn theirs.
It wasn’t difficult to remember their faces.
After all, if I were to live in this mansion, I had to remember the faces of the retainers at least.
Whenever I had the chance, I met with them here and there, memorizing their faces and names.
And whenever I had time, I visited Richard’s study.
“Diarna, why are you here?”
Richard, who had been flipping through documents roughly, put them back in order.
He looked at me with a somewhat incredulous expression.
I calmly picked up a madeleine from the plate in front of me and took a bite.
“I was bored.”
“…What?”
Richard’s face was priceless when he heard my words.
He surely hadn’t misheard, so his baffled expression must have been because my answer was so unexpected.
Although I said I came because I was bored, that wasn’t the real reason. If I didn’t make my presence known like this, my sphere of activity would gradually shrink.
Given that I barely had any standing in this household, it was obvious what would happen if I didn’t spend time with Richard.
“Should I say it again?”
“…”
Richard, who had been staring at me with a discontented look, turned his gaze back to the documents.
After finishing the madeleine, I sipped some tea to cleanse my palate.
As I put down the teacup, a faint aroma of tea wafted up.
Then, suddenly, I got up and walked slowly towards Richard.
Richard glanced at me and then quickly lost interest, looking away.
“How can you keep working from morning till now without a break?”
When I was working in my previous life, I would take short breaks to have coffee or do some stretching, but Richard didn’t do any of that.
He was engrossed in work as if he were addicted, not taking a single break.
Sometimes, he would glance at me when I ordered refreshments from the maids and took a break, but that was all.
People need to take breaks and live a little more leisurely.
“Richard, don’t you feel sorry for your assistants who have to stay up all night just to get these documents approved by you?”
I was sincere.
Having been an office worker in my previous life, I knew all too well how miserable it was to serve a boss who was absorbed in work without taking any breaks.
And this man was the epitome of such a miserable boss.
“What do you mean?”
Richard raised an eyebrow, clearly not understanding.
“All these documents you’re processing have already been reviewed by your subordinates, right?”
Richard, staring at the pile of documents as if deep in thought, let out a long sigh.
“But it can’t be helped.”
“Are you a workaholic?”
I looked at him disapprovingly and picked up one of the documents.
On the page following a string of report contents, there were numbers listed in a certain order.
Just looking at it was boring.
“What?”
“I asked if you’re addicted to work.”
At my words, Richard put down the document he was holding.
He massaged his eyes with his thumb and index finger, not looking like he was enjoying the work at all.
“I have to process all these documents by tomorrow. Only then can we pay the taxes to the imperial family.”
“Tomorrow?”
Suddenly, I remembered that June had just ended.
Looking at the numbers on the document, I realized what he had been so engrossed in.
“You’re doing the mid-year settlement.”
“…You know?”
“Well… a little?”
Having worked in the finance department in my past life, I wasn’t entirely unfamiliar with it.
Though I had never dealt with such documents here, I could at least understand what Richard was doing.
“Do you review all these documents yourself?”
“There was an incident before.”
“I see.”
Accepting his answer, I handed the document back to Richard.
He placed the document back on the pile.
It was clear that what he referred to as an incident was something from his past.
Richard’s past.
He hadn’t told me about it yet, but I already knew.
Young Richard, having lost his parents early, had to protect this vast mansion, wealth, and title alone, fighting against everyone as enemies.
He had been betrayed by people he trusted without knowing any better and had lost more than half his wealth due to fraud.
He had even been stabbed by a thug hired by his relatives and had been in a coma for a week.
That’s why he meticulously reviewed each document.
No matter how loyal his subordinates might seem, he couldn’t easily trust them.
Understanding his distrust of others was easy given his past.
“Still, take it easy. You’ll end up with a herniated disc.”
“Herniated disc? What’s that?”
“It’s something that can happen.”
“Diarna, the more I see you, the more mysterious you seem.”
“Me? Why?”
“…”
Richard only gave a faint smile in response to my curious question, not giving a proper answer.
Tired of pressing for a response, I lost interest in him.
Since tea time was over, I slowly walked out of the study, thinking about how to spend the rest of my time.
But Richard’s words made me stop in my tracks.
“That time, when you said one year would be enough, what did you mean?”
I stopped and slowly turned to look at him.
Richard still had his eyes on the documents.
“Do you think I’ll divorce you after a year?”
Fortunately, it seemed Richard didn’t know about my illness.
I was about to speak, but a sharp sensation caught in my throat.
I kept my lips tightly shut for a moment before speaking again.
“Won’t you?”
“Diarna.”
Hearing the irritation in Richard’s voice, I quickly continued.
“Then what would make you agree to a divorce?”
“Well, I believe you’re not unaware of how much I had to pay to make an alliance with the Tristan family.”
With that money, my father, the Duke of Tristan, could escape from his debts.
I knew this very well.
“I know.”
“Then you shouldn’t be talking about divorce so easily.”
After his words, I turned my head to look out the window.
The sun hanging on the western ridge was impressive.
Soon, the sun would set completely, and the once red sky would be engulfed in darkness.
It looked like my future, and I watched it sentimentally for a moment.
Then, I suddenly turned to Richard with a smile.
“What if you fall for someone?”
“I’m not talking about such romantic things. I can’t grant a divorce for such a trivial reason.”
“No, I mean you, Richard.”
Of course, Richard’s story with the female protagonist Eilen wouldn’t start until a year after my death.
So, in the current timeline, it would be two years later.
But I suddenly wanted to ask him.
Would he still not divorce me if he met Eilen while we were married?
Or, knowing Richard, he would probably end our relationship immediately and devote everything to Eilen.
When I turned my gaze back, I saw Richard’s blue eyes fixed on me.
“Do you think I’ll be blinded by love?”
“It’s possible. You might be the type to devote your life to love.”
“That’s ridiculous. It’s amusing. Now, off you go.”
Richard spoke as if it were impossible.
Richard believed in a life filled with distrust.
He believed everything was intertwined with interests.
But who knows. What if Eilen appeared earlier than expected?
A sense of defiance arose.
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