Chapter 22: Temptation
For the first time in a while, the couple ran into each other at the entrance.
When was the last time they had seen each other?
It had been about a week, so it was almost at the point where they might have forgotten each other’s faces.
Today, Demian wore a red cape draped over his shoulders, making his already imposing frame look even larger.
“Ah, right. Since this is a love marriage, we’re supposed to act like a happy couple.”
As Aracila studied his sharp profile, that thought suddenly struck her.
Both of them had been so busy that they had completely forgotten to maintain the facade of a loving couple.
Aside from her ever-concerned parents, the Marquis and Marchioness of Hugo, no one had really questioned their lackluster marriage.
Even the Duke of Vandermir’s household, which had once opposed the union, had stopped interfering after the wedding.
Recalling her parents’ recent nagging to focus more on her new home, Aracila approached Demian instead of passing by.
The servants who had gathered at the entrance to greet Demian subtly shifted their attention toward them.
After all, it had been a long time since the master and mistress had been seen together.
A faint curiosity flickered in their gazes.
“You’re home, Demian? It’s been so long since we last saw each other. I’m really happy to see you.”
“Yes, my lady. I have missed you as well.”
Sensing the watchful eyes on them, Demian played along.
He also remembered that they were supposed to act affectionate in front of others.
As they stood closer, the contrast between their uniforms became striking.
“You must have a lot of work at the Magic Tower. I hear you always come home late.”
“I do have a lot to do. But thanks to our research, the world is becoming more convenient and advanced.”
Demian nodded, feigning interest, while subtly adjusting his hand’s position to rest lightly on her shoulder, making it seem like an affectionate gesture.
“You should take it easy. Devoting yourself solely to research without seeing sunlight isn’t a healthy way to live.”
His words weren’t meant as sarcasm; it was genuine advice.
Looking at Aracila’s pale skin and slender frame, he couldn’t help but feel concerned.
There were many mages who collapsed from malnutrition or overwork…
Wait. Why was he worried about her?
Realizing how strange his thoughts were, Demian quickly added a snide remark to correct himself.
“If you lose focus and cause an accident, I’d have to take responsibility for it during our contract period, wouldn’t I?”
As a result, his advice ended up sounding purely antagonistic.
And he had lowered his voice just enough that only she could hear him.
“Oh, so this is definitely a provocation.”
Aracila maintained a soft smile, but her teeth clenched as she retorted.
“Don’t worry. If anything, I’ll be the one taking responsibility for you, not the other way around.”
The servants strained their ears, trying to catch bits of their whispered conversation, but they couldn’t make out a single word.
All they saw was Aracila gently pushing Demian away and turning on her heel, a subtle smile on her lips.
Feeling that continuing this conversation would only irritate her, Aracila hurriedly headed up the stairs.
But just as she stepped onto the second stair, she stumbled.
“My lady!”
Before a startled Audrey could rush to help, Demian swiftly moved, catching Aracila around the waist.
Her waist was so slender that just one of his arms was enough to wrap around it.
Thrown off balance, Aracila ended up pressed against his chest.
Without realizing it, her hand landed on his broad, firm shoulder.
There was barely a finger’s width of space between them.
“Are you not eating properly?”
Demian frowned slightly as he asked in a low voice.
His warm breath brushed against her skin.
“…I eat just fine.”
Aracila blinked slowly as she responded.
And it was true.
She always made sure to eat well—she needed energy to conduct long hours of magical research, after all.
Demian’s gaze lingered on her exposed nape, her hair neatly tied up.
Displeased, he spoke again.
“Then eat even better. If you collapse and rumors spread that I’m neglecting my wife, how do you think that would look?”
“If I do collapse, I’ll make sure to leave a note somewhere blaming you for it.”
Aracila snapped back playfully, stepping out of his grasp.
Then, loudly enough for the servants to hear, she said:
“Thank you, Demian. Thanks to you, I didn’t get hurt.”
“Protecting my wife is my duty. I’m relieved you’re unharmed.”
Demian placed a hand on his chest and gave a respectful bow, the perfect image of a knightly husband.
Even standing one step higher on the staircase, he was still taller than her.
Looking up at his handsome, composed face, Aracila flashed a brief smile before turning away.
She exchanged a few more pleasantries and then retreated to her room.
Unrest Among the Maids
After changing into a more comfortable dress, Aracila leaned back on the sofa.
Audrey sat behind her, gently brushing her long lavender hair.
As the soft sound of the brush lulled her into a drowsy state, Audrey spoke hesitantly.
“My lady…”
“Mmm, Audrey?”
“The atmosphere among the maids has been strange lately.”
With her eyes fully closed, Aracila murmured sleepily.
“Why? Are they making too many mistakes while serving me?”
“…You knew?”
Aracila smirked.
Even though she was often away, she wasn’t blind.
Besides…
“I’ve been served by a perfect maid my whole life. Of course, I’d notice.”
Since Audrey had always provided flawless service, any small errors by the Vandermir maids stood out more clearly.
“Then why haven’t you done anything about it?”
“If I point out every little mistake from the start, they’ll only resent me. It’s better to overlook minor things for now.”
If she wanted, Aracila could crush them all and establish herself firmly at the top.
But she couldn’t be bothered.
And she also wanted to show some respect to the long-time staff of the estate.
Most importantly, she had grown up in the Hugo household, where she had always been treated with respect.
So she didn’t yet feel the urgency of the situation.
“Time will resolve things on its own.”
“…But my lady, I feel like some people dislike you for no reason.”
Audrey set down the brush and knelt beside her.
Aracila opened her eyes and looked down at her maid.
“Especially Rosaline. She’s been bothering me.”
“Isn’t she just fascinated by my beauty?”
Even as she joked, Audrey didn’t laugh.
She was completely serious.
“Something about her feels off. If we leave her alone, she might try to harm you.”
“Ah, Audrey’s intuition shouldn’t be ignored.”
Aracila smiled warmly and patted her maid’s shoulder.
“Alright. If she crosses the line, I’ll handle it immediately.”
“…”
“And if you feel like she’s already crossed it, tell me. I’ll deal with her right away.”
Audrey knew that if Aracila truly wanted to, she could clean up the situation effortlessly.
She also knew that her lady was deliberately being lenient.
“Understood, my lady.”
So, for now, Audrey accepted her decision and stepped back.
After all, no one had committed a clear offense just yet.
“I should just try harder.”
Then, one day, the maids of the estate would surely accept both Aracila and herself.
They would also come to realize how kind and considerate Aracila truly was.
Even if the goodwill she showed wasn’t immediately visible, given enough time, they would all come to see it.
Audrey firmly believed this.
A Growing Confidence
While Aracila chose to overlook the strange atmosphere in the estate, Rosaline grew even bolder.
She openly ostracized Audrey, forming her own faction among the maids.
She gossiped about Aracila and dressed inappropriately for a maid, behaving in a manner that betrayed her position.
The head maid, who should have put a stop to it, turned a blind eye due to the Duke of Vandermir’s influence.
“I heard the master and mistress get along better than expected? They’re just busy, but it seems they’re fine. The master even saved her from getting hurt.”
One day, as Rosaline grew bolder, she overheard a maid’s account of what had happened between Aracila and Demian at the entrance.
Rosaline’s expression immediately twisted.
She had worked so hard to spread the idea that Aracila was merely using Demian, but now there was a story contradicting that.
“Did their relationship improve?”
The thought crossed her mind, but after observing them acting distant again, her suspicions faded.
“He probably just caught her because she tripped.”
Still, to be safe, she decided to shift her focus from Aracila to Demian.
“If their relationship does improve, that would be a problem. I need to make my move before that happens.”
Having made up her mind, Rosaline complained that it was too difficult to work under Aracila and Audrey.
Using this as an excuse, she switched duties with Demian’s assigned maid.
She then put on a slightly tighter maid’s uniform and went to attend to Demian, who had just returned home.
A Miscalculated Seduction
“Who are you? I don’t recall seeing you before.”
Demian, who had been handing over his uniform jacket, paused and narrowed his eyes.
Rosaline put on an innocent expression and answered.
“I was originally assigned to the mistress, but today I was reassigned to serve you, my lord.”
“Why.”
“…I’ve made too many mistakes, and I believe I fell out of favor with the mistress.”
Rosaline hesitated deliberately, then put on a pitiful expression and rolled up her sleeve slightly.
A faint bruise, carefully faked, was revealed—as if she had been punished.
It was a ploy to gain Demian’s sympathy while painting Aracila as cruel.
Demian saw everything clearly—but showed no reaction other than a slight nod.
“Did it work?”
Rosaline couldn’t tell.
Demian’s expression was too unreadable.
But since he hadn’t dismissed her, it seemed her tactic had worked—at least halfway.
However, what Demian was actually thinking was:
“Could the head maid have punished her? How badly did she mess up?”
And beyond that,
“Aracila is usually tolerant. For her to send this maid away, she must have been unbearable to work with.”
“She must truly be incompetent.”
Demian didn’t want to keep such a useless maid either, but he wasn’t the type to dismiss someone too easily, so he let her be.
Rosaline, unaware of his real thoughts, jumped to conclusions.
“Maybe the master likes my looks!”
Otherwise, why would someone as cold and distant as Demian accept a maid who had been dismissed for incompetence?
“He must find my face or body appealing.”
Rosaline patted herself on the back for choosing a tighter maid’s uniform.
However, she failed to grasp that Demian was not the type to be swayed by appearances.
“Men always cheat on their wives with new women, even if their wives are beautiful.”
With renewed confidence, Rosaline began dressing more provocatively, adjusting her uniform to reveal more skin.
Yet, Demian said nothing.
Not because he was interested, but because he wasn’t paying attention at all.
Rosaline, of course, didn’t realize this.
“I think I’ve left a strong enough impression. Time to make my move.”
After a week of serving Demian, Rosaline decided to take action.
Until now, she had only sent him subtle glances, but now she would confront him directly.
An Unwelcome Visit
“We will take our leave now, my lord.”
After the servants finished their duties, they all left Demian’s study.
Rosaline lingered behind.
She watched as the others walked away, chatting amongst themselves.
Then, once she was alone, she quietly slipped back toward Demian’s study.
She took a deep breath and knocked lightly.
“Come in.”
A low, heavy voice responded.
Carefully, Rosaline stepped inside.
Demian had already removed his uniform, now seated at his desk in just a light shirt.
His muscular build was clearly visible through the fabric.
Rosaline’s eyes were drawn to him, and she swallowed her greed before speaking.
“I have something to tell you, my lord.”
─── ･ ｡ﾟ✧: *. ꕥ .* :✧ﾟ. ───
