In the quiet room, as Alyssa was sorting through documents, she suddenly stopped.
The scratching sound of the quill ceased, and the room fell into silence. However, Alyssa’s exceptionally keen hearing picked up the distant sound of footsteps.
The rhythmic clacking of someone’s shoes, approaching with an irritable cadence, made Alyssa’s face turn pale.
Alyssa was not afraid of the roaring of beasts or the screams of dying humans. But there was one thing she feared above all else: those footsteps.
The sound of someone marching in anger, their frustration evident in every step. The brief pause as they catch their breath, followed by a frustrated click of the tongue and the resumption of their steps.
Clack, clack, thud.
As the sound finally stopped in front of the door, a chilling shiver ran down her spine. Alyssa could always recognize that sound, and the owner of those footsteps.
No matter what she was doing or the situation, the approach of those footsteps would always make her mind go blank.
How much will it hurt today? The owner seemed very angry; she hoped not.
The noise stopped at the door as if not even giving her a chance to plead for forgiveness, and with a loud crash, the door swung open.
“Where are you, you useless girl!”
“…Ugh!”
Alyssa suddenly snapped out of her deep thoughts. She looked at the door with a pale face; it was still locked.
The person standing in front of the door was indeed someone Alyssa recognized, but unlike before, they did not burst in through the door and hurl insults while assaulting her.
The angry footsteps were the same as always, but now, the person simply paused to catch their breath and then opened the door.
All the actions Alyssa remembered had ended when she turned sixteen.
She knew that too. However, the fear ingrained in her bones had not faded.
“Lady Alyssa, it is the head maid.”
A cold voice followed the stark knock. It was a voice that had never been warm to Alyssa, always terrifyingly dreadful.
It continually pushed her back to her wretched childhood. Though her fingertips still trembled, Alyssa made an effort to straighten her posture.
Alyssa had not changed much since her childhood. She was still as unremarkable and foolish as ever. But the Duchess of Benoit should not have been like that.
“Come in.”
As soon as the brief consent was given, the clinking sound of a key was followed by the entrance of a cold-faced elderly woman.
“Have you entrusted the internal affairs to Duke Albert?”
The head maid’s voice was polite, but her eyes looking down at Alyssa were the same as Alyssa remembered from her childhood.
Seeing the ruby jewelry swaying from the maid’s earlobes and arms tightened her heart, but Alyssa steadied her breathing.
“Is it a matter of whether I should hand it over or not?”
Despite her tightly clenched trembling hands, Alyssa’s voice remained as icy as ever.
“Now that he is the consort, it should naturally be his right.”
At Alyssa’s words, the head maid let out a deep sigh.
“He is an outsider, Your Grace.”
“Not anymore.”
Alyssa’s response was tinged with bitterness. Since the wedding was arranged by imperial decree, Kieran would have to live out his life in this barren land, whether he liked it or not.
Could they provide even a fraction of what he enjoyed in the capital?
Alyssa alternated between recalling the financial documents of the estate she had seen and the worn cuffs of her sleeves.
‘I’ll need to increase the expeditions.’
The Duchy of Benoit had neither profitable mines nor exportable food products. However, the order of knights was stronger than any other family’s.
During the winter, when monster invasions were most frequent, the castle could not be abandoned. However, once the season changed and the invasions subsided, mercenaries would be sent to other territories.
The fees received for subduing monsters were the main source of income for the Benoit Duchy.
Last year’s income was relatively low compared to previous years, and this winter had seen an unusually high number of invasions.
“How is the remaining money in the territory? Is it sufficient?”
Alyssa, lost in thought, asked the head maid. The head maid had a habit of constantly claiming that there was not enough money.
Due to the Benoit Duchy’s poor credit, they had to borrow grain or money from usurers. If they had to borrow grain again this time, no matter how hard they worked, there would be no money left after repaying the debt.
Because the head maid always said there was a shortage of funds, Alyssa asked with little expectation. However, the head maid was unable to respond immediately to Alyssa’s question.
The head maid, with a somewhat bewildered expression, muttered reluctantly.
“…This winter passed safely. So, I will continue to manage the internal affairs as I have been.”
Despite the head maid’s reduced enthusiasm, Alyssa firmly shook her head.
If Kieran had not shown any intention to take on the role, it might have been a different matter, but she could not prevent him from claiming his rights.
Just as Alyssa, as the duchess, had duties, Kieran had rights as the duchess’s spouse.
“I cannot force him, head maid. Give it to him as he wishes.”
“Your Grace!”
The head maid shouted angrily at Alyssa’s unmoved demeanor. The loud shout made Alyssa stiffen in place.
Alyssa looked up to see the head maid’s face seething with anger. In that expression, she saw another fragment of her childhood memories.
On days when the head maid had such a face, Alyssa inevitably couldn’t sleep. She had been thoroughly beaten, her whole body aching, and she had pleaded in the dark for the locked door to be opened.
The deeply ingrained fear was stirring within her. She had to beg for forgiveness. Only then would it end sooner.
Alyssa struggled to keep herself upright, resisting the urge to curl up. As the Duchess of Benoit, she could not act like a fool in front of anyone.
She wanted to run away, and if she couldn’t, she wanted to lie down and beg. But Alyssa had to fulfill her duties as the Duchess.
“There will be no reversal.”
Alyssa gritted her teeth with a pale face. Although it was an act of enduring her fear, the head maid flinched at the grinding noise of Alyssa’s teeth, interpreting it in another way.
The old woman, who had quickly regained her composure, bit her thin lips. But she couldn’t back down now.
“Are you speaking as the lord of this domain?”
The almost desperate shout made Alyssa hesitate. The head maid seized the opportunity and continued speaking swiftly.
“Of course, Lord Kieran is now the master of Benoit. But how much does he truly know about this domain?”
With a sincere concern as if she were a loyal servant worried about the territory, the head maid pleaded.
“This domain is already impoverished. It’s a struggle even with the support of the knights and the aid of the inhabitants. If he indulges in luxuries like he did in the capital, it would be disastrous!”
This was something Alyssa could not entirely dismiss.
To her, the domain was more important than anything. From the time she received her heir training, she had heard incessantly about it, and she had lived her life constantly repeating it to herself.
Alyssa made decisions and acted solely for the preservation of the domain. To her, even herself could not come before this land.
“It’s still early. Can’t I manage the internal affairs while also teaching the master?”
With a seemingly plausible suggestion, Alyssa pondered. Seeing her thoughtful demeanor, the head maid smirked triumphantly.
The head maid knew well that Alyssa prioritized the domain above all else.
She had observed how the previous duke had taught Alyssa and how she had behaved ever since.
‘Foolish girl.’
Alyssa was like a statue erected to protect Benoit. As long as the domain was functioning well, she did not concern herself with anything else.
The head maid had enjoyed excessive power as a concubine of the previous duke. While she feared losing all of that once Alyssa became the duchess, Alyssa herself was indifferent to it.
Thanks to that, the head maid was able to maintain her previous status simply by distributing the limited money and grain to the domain’s residents.
There had been a brief moment of crisis earlier, but wasn’t it resolved so easily with just a few words?
The head maid relaxed and awaited Alyssa’s forthcoming approval.
“Isn’t there a better way?”
However, the subsequent voice came from behind the head maid, not from the front.
Surprised by the unexpected voice, Alyssa looked up, and the head maid also turned around as if struck on the back of the head.
“Oh, I apologize. I happened to overhear while passing by since the door was open.”
The silver-haired man standing at a slight angle by the door smiled faintly. The head maid’s eyes widened at the sight.
How did he find this place…!
The Château de Benoît was built with complex defenses against external invasions. Most importantly, Alyssa’s office was located in an entirely unexpected place.
The head maid had thought it would take time for Kieran, who was unfamiliar with the layout of the castle, to find this room. Yet, here he was, appearing in a situation where he should not have.
“Kieran. The head maid’s words…”
“Of course, she is right. As an outsider, there are many things I wouldn’t know. Even if it’s not about luxury, there are bound to be other issues, aren’t there?”
Emphasizing certain words, Kieran stood between the head maid and Alyssa.
“But why must the head maid be the one to teach me? Isn’t there someone who knows the domain even better than she does?”
Kieran’s gaze turned toward Alyssa. As the head maid’s face contorted slightly, Kieran concluded with a bright smile.
“It seems better to seek guidance on domain-related matters from the Duchess herself. What do you think?”
d
Clever boy. 😃
The head maid was a concubine??!!
That makes it worse!!!
I have a feeling she’s stealing the money and that’s why there’s never enough…