Chapter 9

Fernan did not return to the castle much any more.

He was away often but always came back. However, this time, he stayed out longer. The servants began to whisper that Julia was the reason he had not returned.

Julia's heart fell endlessly amidst all the negativity surrounding her.

She felt like everything was going awry with her.

But she had no idea how to untangle the intricate knot between Fernan and her.

“Grand Duchess, you said you were going out today?"

Melissa looked around at the clothes in the dressing room while all Julia could do was sigh.

"Yes, I'm going to look around the garden in the backyard."

Julia replied cheerfully, and Melissa continued in a lively voice.

"Then it’d be better to wear a dress that is a little shorter in length. There's always the possibility of getting dirt on your dress!"

"Yes. I'll do that."

Julia looked at Melissa and struggled to lift her lips. Melissa was the only person in this castle who was kind to her.

Whenever she was feeling down, Melissa would act lively and relieve her mood.

If it hadn't been for Melissa, there would have been no one to force her to laugh or interact with in this big castle.

"Well, have a nice day!”

Julia nodded and headed for the backyard of the main castle. Lately she had been trying to work up to a busy routine of her own.

Sitting still was causing her to feel endlessly depressed, so she was desperately trying to find something to do.

Eventually, Julia arrived at the garden and looked around.

The land was barren in this garden, which had no fixed manager, and it was hard to see with weeds growing everywhere.

Winter was approaching soon, so it was somewhat impossible to plant new plants and trees. Preoccupied, Julia returned to the castle and called her butler, Bennett. 

"What do you think about repairing the land and building a greenhouse?”

Until now, Bennett had been in charge of all the internal and external affairs of the Grand Duke's castle. This was because they didn’t have a Grand Duchess then.

Fernan was not very interested in the management of the castle, so he left all the authority to Bennett.

But now that he had a wife, that authority naturally had to revert to Julia.

But for some reason, Bennett hadn’t given her the power of internal affairs.

However, Julia was going to fulfill her duty as a hostess. She wanted to do her part in whatever way she could. 

"Well, the cost of the repair that's going to go in right now, and it'll cost a lot of money to hire people."

However, a disapproving voice flowed from Bennett.

He, who had been managing the castle with his own iron rules, seemed unhappy with Julia's words.

Julia continued speaking in a calm voice.

"I checked the books just in case. The cost of maintaining the castle is very high every year."

“The garden is sometimes used as a training ground for knights. You can't just repair it, Your Highness.”

Julia couldn't hide her panicked eyes as he cut her off at once.

However, she quickly gave a sharp look and nodded her head.

However, her expression quickly changed and she nodded honestly.

“I didn't know that.Then the ground is too barren to look at, we can work on flattening and organizing it to make it easier for training….."

“Huh…did you get permission from His Highness the Grand Duke?"

Bennett interrupted her, lifting his glasses without hesitation. It was somewhat disrespectful for a superior.

In the end, Julia blinked, and was speechless for a while.

Even if she was not in favor, Julia was still the master of this castle.

Just because Fernan had been cold to her, it didn't mean that her position would disappear.

"I've heard that you've been in charge of the entire integrity of the castle. That's why I thought I'd discuss it with you, but do I need to mention it separately to Your Highness as well?"

If she was another noblewoman, she would punch him in the face right now, but Julia tried to placate Bennett in a calm tone.

He was the one who had managed this castle for a long time. So it was right to respect him.

However, Bennett seemed to have no intention of respecting her.

“As you said, the management of the castle is under my jurisdiction, but His Highness said you’re stubborn so you’ll need his permission.”

Julia couldn't even blink her eyes at his harsh reply and mumbled in a daze.

"Stubborn? What do you mean….”

"I'm sorry, Your Grace. I'm afraid I'll have to discuss this separately with His Highness at a later date. I'll leave you to it then, as I’m behind on other tasks.”

Bennett greeted her politely and then disappeared elsewhere. Julia watched Bennett's back with a puzzled expression.

She wasn't hurt by Bennett's attitude, but she was certain he was rude. In fact, it wasn’t just Bennett.

The attitudes of the other servants also began to change significantly from one moment to the next.

To be precise, it was when Fernan began to blatantly ignore her.

Julia left the garden and entered the main hall. The servants who were looking down at her from the parapet on the second floor began to whisper quietly.

"She’s been pretty busy lately. I hope His Highness will notice.”

“She’s desperate to do anything, I guess.”

"What’s the use? It's already been half a month since His Highness' return. I don't know if it's her fault but she walks around so shamelessly …."

The whispering continued endlessly, as if they thought Julia couldn't hear them.

"But why does His Highness hate her so much?"

“Well, maybe he has a mistress that he’s hiding from her.”

The word ‘mistress’ penetrated her ears. The giggling and every word spewed out maliciously continued to stab at her heart. 

At this moment, the chaotic atmosphere surrounding her reminded her of her past. It was a lonely place where not a single person was on her side. It was a place full of people who condemned her no matter what she did.

Julia kept her mouth shut and walked in silence. She was used to being treated like this. But still, she couldn't help but feel choked up.

***

"Your Highness, it’s been a while. Why don't you go back to the castle now?"

Lloyd carefully opened his mouth, reading Fernan's countenance. Due to Fernan, who has been working too hard recently, the eyes of his subordinates who suffered from overwork were also dark.

"Don't talk to me. I've got a lot of work to do."

Fernan was annoyed as he spoke, keeping his eyes on the documents.

Along with the preparations for the National festival, the demon invasion at the border had taken up much time.

Recently, even the security in the territory had become hideous, so there were many things to pay attention to.

Turning away with an embarrassed look on his face, Lloyd returned to his seat. Another long night was waiting.

“What happened to the traffickers we talked about last time?"

Fernan looked up suddenly and asked Lloyd.

"Oh, yes. We are still investigating. It's going to take some time, but we should be able to work out a list and breakdown of the transactions soon."

“Marquis Elody and the others involved will be traced, and we will find everything behind them.”

"Yes."

The drug found in Julia's room recently was distributed through illegal trade.

An organization that traffic in strong aphrodisiacs that circulate in the Red Lantern District, along with hallucinogenic drugs.

Many aristocrats secretly used the organization, including, of course, Marquis Elody.

Fernan intended to root out the traffickers altogether. So the Marquis wouldn’t be able to get away with it.

"The Marquis seemed to be in quite a hurry. How in the world could he be so confident that he won’t be caught?”

"He knows very well for himself that he’s a card that can be discarded at any time."

Fernand gave an insignificant answer. As he said, the Marquis was just one of the many cards the Emperor had.

It was a card that the emperor had attached to Fernan in order to pressure him. However, if the Marquis was not careful, the Emperor would discard him and bring in another one. So the Marquis will have no choice but to do such crazy things without any hesitation. If this marriage goes wrong, it would be a great dismay to his family.

“It seems that His Majesty is also cooperating with the Marquis, so it would be better to keep a close eye on her.”

When Lloyd mentioned Julia, Fernan’s numb face turned cold in a flash.

So far she had tried desperately to engage Fernan in a conversation to soothe the situation. His nerves only grew worse every time he saw her constantly hovering near him, whether she was there or not.

Distracted from his thoughts, Fernan lowered his eyes to the documents again. But the woman's face, once it flooded his mind, did not disappear as quickly as he would have liked.

As Julia’s watery blue eyes came to mind, Fernan eventually put down the document aloud.

He did not deny that he was momentarily shaken by the woman. He was clearly swept away by the pity, sympathy, and maybe even more trivial emotions he felt when he looked at her.

This made him even angrier. He felt such ridiculous emotions for a woman who had nothing to fear since she had the Marquis and Emperor on her back.

And the funny thing was that those subtle feelings were still stuck in a corner of his nerves. The delicate hand that held him wistfully as he left the castle the other day. The look in her eyes as she looked at him as if to say, "Please understand me.”

It was always hard for him to accept it whenever he thought of it.

Fernan ruffled his neatly trimmed hair. Then his expression hardened even more coldly, as if he had been forced to block out all thoughts.