CH 4

After the training was over, the Knights walked out of the training ground as if they were crawling.

“Evil… Devil…”

Aaron was nervous when he heard the deranged Knights murmuring, wondering if they might collapse. Then he approached Rosalie, who was still in the training ground.

“Well done, Duchess. I didn’t know that the Duchess knew such dagger techniques. The Knights’ spirits were broken.”

“We still have a long way to go.”

Rosalie replied indifferently. 

She tried not to show it, but she was also quite exhausted. She had trained every morning for a week, trying to master what little she knew of dagger skills, and came here today after training.

“Goodbye, then.”

Rosalie looked at her palms as she left the training center. They were thin and scarred from holding the dagger so many times.

Although she could only imitate it to some extent, she still felt her body getting stronger little by little.

“My previous self was so frail.”

Rosalie’s physical condition was the worst. She had no muscles at all and was the weakest of the weak. 

Moreover, since she was not large in build, dagger techniques were the best option.

“If only there was a decent gun.”

Upon investigation, Rosalie learned that guns also existed in this world, but since it was a world where extreme swordsmanship and magic prevailed, guns were not preferred and their functionality was inadequate. 

The range was short, misfires were frequent, and facilities for supply were not easy to come by.

⊱⊱⊱────── {.⋅ ✧✧✧ ⋅.} ──────⊰⊰⊰

A few days passed. 

In the corridors of the mansion, one of Bella’s closest confidants and the General Administrator of the Duchy of Judaea, Neon, paced furiously. 

His temper was twisted and no one dared to speak to him.

“How dare you…!”

Neon was on his way to see Rosalie after receiving an abrupt termination notice. Having held a position in the castle for three years, his arrogance reached the sky.

Coincidentally, Rosalie had just finished her training and was walking towards him.  

Neon did not slow down and walked confidently.

“I have something to say.”

Rosalie looked indifferently at Neon, who talked to her without greeting her first. 

Even though Neon had always acted this way, the Rosalie he knew was busy hiding behind Bella. However, contrary to his expectations, she had a confident attitude, which surprised him. 

“Speak.”

“I cannot accept a unilateral dismissal! What kind of nonsense is this?”

“A unilateral dismissal… You really have no conscience.”

Rosalie murmured irritably. 

Neon and Bella had committed countless corruption. The embezzled amount was so enormous that it could not be recovered, including funds for supporting the territory’s people, supporting farmers, and sponsoring child care centers.

While sifting through the mess of documents, Rosalie couldn’t hold back and swore harshly.

“What do you mean, conscience? Give me a proper explanation! What kind of nonsense is this?”

“I have no intention of rescinding your termination, so pack your bags and leave.”

“You can’t do that! I’ve been working for the Duchy for three years! Listen to me before I make you regret this!”

Rosalie stared at Neon, who was constantly squawking, and fell into deep thought. 

The residents of the territory suffered damages due to the embezzled amount that he had stolen. Despite this, he shamelessly carried on.

‘Should I just hit him?’

She was far from gentle by nature. 

Rather, due to her frequent joint training and overseas deployment with the rough U.S. military, she had an aggressive side that was necessary to suppress her subordinates. 

Rosalie clenched and unclenched her fists.

‘This isn’t the military… we’re dealing with nobles, so let’s hold back for now.’

Although punching him would have been more satisfying, she held back. Even though she was not a real noble, her appearance was. 

In turn, she glared at him, emitting a powerful aura.

“I’ve seen the list of your misdeeds. It’s more than enough to warrant your immediate dismissal from the Duchy without any objections.”

Rosalie unsheathed and lowered the cold dagger on her thigh. 

Neon shuddered as he heard the distinct ‘clink’ of the dagger’s metal against its sheath. The chilling aura was so intense that it sent shivers down his spine.

At that moment, Aaron walked up behind Rosalie.

“Duchess.”

“Commander Aaron, you came just in time. Please confirm that Neon is leaving the Duchy.”

Upon Rosalie’s instruction, Aaron surveyed the situation. 

Then he saw the dismissal letter clutched in Neon’s hand and clapped his hands.

Neon was one of the people that Aaron didn’t get along with at the Duchy. Aaron knew that he was one of the people who had cut off the support for the Knights.

“Leave it to me.”

When Aaron spoke in an excited voice, Rosalie nodded her head and left without hesitation. 

Behind her, she heard a commotion and a dull frictional sound, but she didn’t look back.

⊱⊱⊱────── {.⋅ ✧✧✧ ⋅.} ──────⊰⊰⊰

The next day, Rosalie, who made it her daily routine to participate in the Knights’ training, was heading towards her office in the late afternoon. 

That was when Bella, who was striding in front of Rosalie, blocked her way.

“You!”

Rosalie turned to look at her, unimpressed, and for a moment she was at a loss.

‘Step on me one more time.’

Rosalie was expecting Bella to come find her. After all, she had fired the General Administrator who had been appointed by Bella three years ago.

“Do you think you can save the dying Duchy?”

Bella’s tearing, sharp voice made Rosalie want to cover her ears.

“I have done well so far!”

Rosalie couldn’t stop the snort that escaped her lips at Bella’s confident words.

“You’ve… been doing well, huh…”

As Rosalie dragged out her words, Bella began to take notice.

The amount of money Bella had stolen was nearly half of the Duchy’s fortune. The only reason she hadn’t punished her along with Neon was because of the upcoming territorial war. That was all.

“I will do better in the future, so you don’t have to worry.”

Rosalie brushed past her and began to walk away. For some reason, Bella couldn’t bring herself to call her out, who felt instinctively threatening.

Heading to her office, Rosalie looked at the papers on her desk. They were resumes she had received in advance to select a new General Administrative officer to replace Neon.

The General Administrator’s job was important; they handled urgent matters temporarily when the Duke or Duchess was absent from his/her territory or when unexpected events occurred. They were practically a Chief of Staff or equivalent.

“Erudit?”

As Rosalie rifled through the documents with personal information, her eyes became glued to a document with a familiar name.

“He seems familiar.”

He was the male protagonist’s aide and administrative officer in the original novel. He was the first commoner to graduate from the academic department with a perfect score, and he was a junior of the Crown Prince at the academy. 

Later on in the novel, the Crown Prince coincidentally meets Erudit and persuades him to work for him.

“Why did he apply to the Duchy?”

Rosalie tilted her head and examined the papers further. In the original story, Erudit wanders off after graduating from the academy, unable to find a noble family he likes enough to work for.

‘Come to think of it…’

Rosalie immediately remembered that Erudit was a person with hidden ambitions. Being a commoner was a complex for him, and he wanted to succeed more than anyone and receive a lot of money.

Perhaps the salary Rosalie had offered in the job posting was significantly higher than that of other noble families, so Erudit might have been tempted to apply for it.

“Considering his personality in the book, he probably applied because it pays well and it’s a duke’s household… Hmm, if the duke’s household goes under, he’ll probably leave right away.”

Erudit was an ambitious and heartless man. However, he was not cowardly, and Rosalie had grown quite fond of him while reading.

Rosalie rang the bell, and it wasn’t long before Emma, the first to hear it, appeared.

“Do you need anything, Your Grace?”

“Call Dolan.”

“Yes, Duchess.”

Emma quickly left the study. Rosalie smiled while looking at the documents.

“I’ll intercept him if I can.”

The contents of the novel had long since ceased to concern her. Rosalie intended to take full advantage of this opportunity, where she already knew the contents of the novel.

When Rosalie asked Dolan to come in after a small knock on the door, Dolan opened the door and entered.

“Did you find who you were looking for?”

“Schedule an interview with this person tomorrow.”

Dolan took the papers Rosalie handed him and nodded, then looked puzzled.

“Tomorrow is the day when guests visit the Duke’s residence. You will have to entertain the guests, so it would be appropriate to schedule the interview for three days later.”

“Oh, was it tomorrow?”

Due to her hectic schedule, Rosalie had completely forgotten about the guests who were coming to the Duke’s residence. The letter stated that Sonia was coming, but according to the novel’s plot, the male protagonist, the Crown Prince, would also come with her.

“Your Grace?”

Dolan called out to Rosalie, who was lost in thought and not saying anything.

“Then let’s do that and prepare for the guests without any delay.”

Dolan bowed his head and left the office. 

As Rosalie thought about meeting the male and female protagonists of the novel tomorrow, she felt a renewed sense of being in the novel itself.

‘Am I dreaming?’

Rosalie pinched her cheek once more, but the pain was still as bad as the day she’d first opened her eyes.

⊱⊱⊱────── {.⋅ ✧✧✧ ⋅.} ──────⊰⊰⊰

The morning in the Duchy of Judeheart’s residence was more chaotic than usual as they prepared to receive guests. Rosalie opened her mouth as she watched Emma help her dress up.

“Emma, tell Commander Aaron to train properly even if I’m not around. If I hear that today’s training was easy, I’ll make them do twice as much tomorrow.”

“…Yes, Duchess…”

“Keep your answers short.”

“Yes.”

When Emma thought of the Knights who would be excited about Rosalie’s absence and then depressed again, she felt sorry for them. Not long after Rosalie began her training, the Knights began to refer to her as the Devil Duchess.

After watching a few training sessions, Emma deeply understood the feelings of the Knights who called Rosalie the Devil Duchess.

“The guests have arrived and have been escorted to the parlor.”

Dolan’s voice came from outside the door and Emma tidied her hair one last time. She was dressed in a simple silver-white dress and simple accessories, but Emma had a satisfied expression.

“You’ve become much more beautiful since you changed.”

“Really?”

“Yes! I felt bad for you because you always avoided eye contact and kept your head down, so your posture was bad, and you were so thin because you never ate and never exercised. But now you look so confident and beautiful.”

At Emma’s touching words, Rosalie looked at her reflection in the mirror. She still looked skinny and frail, but she had definitely put on a few pounds.