CH 10

Aaron couldn’t hide his surprise at Rosalie’s obvious answer. Seeing his expression, Rosalie continued speaking confidently.

“I was the top scorer and MVP at the Military Academy.”

Aaron tilted his head, confused by the completely unfamiliar words. 

Rosalie rang the bell and asked Emma to bring her some stationery.

As Aaron left the office, Rosalie started writing on the paper that Emma brought. The recipient of the letter was Countess Moiron Seth.

It wasn’t until the sun set on the window behind Rosalie that she stopped writing. She handed the finished letter to Emma, who stood beside her.

Emma received the letter with both hands and hesitated before speaking.

“I… Duchess.”

“What is it, Emma?”

“I’m in my mid-thirties and have been a maid since I was young, so I’ve met many people.”

Rosalie glanced at Emma, who was speaking unusually.

“Get to the point.”

As Emma was about to open her mouth, a knocking sound came from the office door, followed by Erudit’s voice.  

“Your Grace, these matters require your approval urgently.”

Emma looked at Rosalie and shook her head and hands at the sight of Erudit carrying a stack of papers.

“No! The paperwork seems more urgent, so I’ll tell you later.”

“Emma. If you need any help, don’t hesitate to ask.”

“Yes, thank you.”

Emma bowed her head towards Rosalie and left the office. As she closed the office door and walked into the hallway, Emma let out a small sigh and murmured.

“I was going to ask her if she could make other friends besides Miss Sonia… but maybe that would be too presumptuous.”

Emma reminisced about the day when Rosalie and Derivis went horseback riding. Emma had spotted Sonia taking a walk in the garden and approached her to ask if she needed anything.

“Excuse me, have you seen Derivis and Rosalie? I can’t find them…”

“I think they’ve gone horseback riding.”

Emma, who had seen Derivis and Rosalie in the stable, replied. Sonia’s expression darkened momentarily, and she muttered under her breath. 

“It wasn’t like that before…”

“Miss Sonia?”

“Oh! No, there they are.”

Sonia had spoken so softly that she didn’t think Emma had heard her, but Emma did, and she saw Sonia’s expression stiffen for a moment.

As the horse approached Sonia, she saw Rosalie and Derivis on top of it, sitting close together.

In an instant, the smile on Sonia’s face completely disappeared. Seeing that expression, Emma trembled.

“Emma, have you had any trouble with Rosalie since she changed her personality? I’m usually good at giving advice to Rosalie, so I can help. You can tell me.”

Emma stumbled over her words, taken aback by Sonia’s unsettling expression as she forced a smile.

“Oh, no… I’m okay.”

“It’s really okay, you can tell me. Her personality has changed so much, so it must’ve been hard for you.”

When Emma shook her head, Sonia smiled and called out Rosalie and Derivis’s names, ending the conversation.

Emma trembled weakly at the memory of Sonia’s forced smile and unnerving expression that kept flashing through her mind.

“The Duchess will be able to handle it on her own.”

Emma pushed the uneasy thought from her mind and strode off to mail the letter. 

⊱⊱⊱────── {.⋅ ✧✧✧ ⋅.} ──────⊰⊰⊰

It wasn’t until late that night that Rosalie came up to her room, rubbing her stiff shoulders.

“As expected, I’m better suited to moving around compared to sitting at a desk.”

Even as a captain, she was better suited to training than paperwork. Her comrades teased her for it, but it couldn’t be helped.

“Duchess, how about a cup of tea to help you recover from fatigue before you go to bed?”

At the sound of Emma’s voice as she knocked on the door, Rosalie agreed. It wasn’t long before Emma entered the room with a tray of hot tea. 

Rosalie took a sip and frowned slightly.

“It’s a bit bitter.”

“It’s good for your health.”

Although the taste was bitter, Rosalie drank the entire cup at the mention of the tea’s restorative properties.

“Emma, tell me if you need any help. That’s what I’m here for.”

“…Your Grace…”

Emma’s eyes shone with emotion as she listened to Rosalie’s words.

“I’m so touched… It’s the first time the Duchess said something like this.”

“You must have gone through a lot, Emma.”

“No! It wasn’t hard at all, it was just that it was so heartbreaking to see you like that before…”

Emma shook her head quickly at Rosalie’s comment and said something else on purpose to change the subject.

“Oh, come to think of it, what about dresses for this social season? The ones we have now are all too old…”

Rosalie handed Emma the teacup, empty now down to the last drop. 

The original Rosalie, who knew that all her money was going into Bella’s extravagant pockets, could not bear to speak bitterly and cut back on her own spending.

“Emma, prepare yourself. You’ll have plenty of money to spend.”

However, the current Rosalie had no intention of doing that.

“Just trust me! Even though we’re running out of time, I’ll get you some pretty dresses!”

Emma nodded her head excitedly.

⊱⊱⊱────── {.⋅ ✧✧✧ ⋅.} ──────⊰⊰⊰

The next day, even into the late afternoon, Rosalie and Erudit were still busy processing paperwork in the office.

While the sound of flipping papers and the scratching of quills filled the room, a commotion began to be heard through the door.

Rosalie and Erudit stopped moving their hands and looked toward the door as the commotion grew clearer and clearer, and the door suddenly swung open and Bella stormed in, angry and fuming.

“You!”

Rosalie, who had a rough idea of what made Bella so upset, openly clicked her tongue.

“You! What gave you the right to reduce the amount of money allocated to me?!”

Bella shouted, her voice rising to the top of her lungs. She had already made a list of the jewelry she wanted to buy, and the allotment made her forget her fear of Rosalie.

“I hear you’re going to attend the social party too! Are you the only one who wants to dress up in expensive jewelry? You coward b*tch!”

As Bella couldn’t contain her temper, profanity finally escaped her lips and Rosalie, who had been silently listening, stood up, her gaze and posture intense.

Erudit, who had been watching the scene with interest, suddenly felt a chill down his spine.

“The money you spent on your extravagance last month could buy four carriages.”

“What?!”

Erudit shook his head as he saw Bella screaming without understanding the atmosphere. On the other hand, he was also impressed.

He thought that shouting out in front of a person who exudes such formidable energy was a skill.

“If you want money, then sell the dresses and jewels that you’ve collected.”

“You…”

“And if you open the door to my office one more time for something so useless…”

Bella, who finally read the mood, shut her mouth. Rosalie picked up the sword that decorated the wall.

“I’m going to cut every tendon in your wrist.”

Bella trembled at the sight of the shining blade. When Rosalie signaled to Bella’s maid, Callie, who had been watching through the doorway, she quickly entered the office and led Bella out.

Rosalie calmly put the sword back in its place and returned to her desk, picking up some documents. Erudit spoke, adjusting his glasses in response to the shiver that had suddenly run down his spine.

“I guess there’s a reason why they called you the ‘Devil Duchess,’ Your Grace.”

“It looks like the rumors have spread that far.”

Rosalie answered with a smile.

“You’re already so famous. If she bothers you, consider throwing them out. Since she doesn’t have any children anyway, why not give her some money and send her away?”

“Not yet.”

At Rosalie’s firm words, Erudit stopped paying attention and returned to the papers he was looking at. As long as he did his job and got paid, that was all that mattered.

‘Still, it’s quite nice.’

Although Erudit had only worked with Rosalie for a short time, he felt that Rosalie was fast and accurate in her work. From Erudit’s perspective, Rosalie was a satisfactory boss.

‘The room was nice too, and overall the treatment was luxurious.’

Contrary to his expectations of being given a shabby unused room or a servant’s quarters, Rosalie had given him a luxurious guest room and even provided him with a separate servant.

It was a luxurious lifestyle that Erudit had never experienced as a commoner.

Rosalie glanced at Erudit and turned her gaze back to the documents. She had asked Dolan to pay the utmost attention to Erudit’s room and living arrangements as much as possible.

‘I hope he’s satisfied enough to not accept any job offers from the Crown Prince and stay with the duchy.’

Without revealing her inner thoughts, Rosalie turned her attention back to the documents.

⊱⊱⊱────── {.⋅ ✧✧✧ ⋅.} ──────⊰⊰⊰

Time flew by quickly, and it was the day they were going up to the capital. Rosalie watched the two knights riding behind the fancy white carriage as she was being escorted off by Dolan and the people of the duchy.

They were the only two escorts Aaron had insisted on, over Rosalie’s insistence that she not be accompanied. Originally, they had planned to provide five escorts, but Rosalie’s strong opposition resulted in only two.

“There are also training grounds in the mansion at the capital, Toronto and Whitney.”

The expressions of the two, who were clearly excited, withered in an instant. Dolan, who was laughing at the two, spoke.

“Your Grace, the butler, Martin, will be waiting at the mansion in the capital. He’s also had plenty of experience as a butler, so you shouldn’t feel uncomfortable.”

Martin was a distant relative of Dolan’s. He was fortunate that Bella, who spent more time at the duchy than at the manor, hadn’t fired him.

“Okay. Take care while I’m away, and take good care of Erudit too.”

“Don’t worry, Your Grace.”

Rosalie nodded and climbed into the carriage, followed shortly by Emma. The carriage sped off as the coachman drove the horses.

“Duchess, has Lady Bella arrived?”

“Well, I granted her permission to use the portal, so she must have arrived.”

Bella had left the estate a day early, saying she didn’t want to go with Rosalie. Normally, when Bella left the estate, all the staff would come out to see her off, but there was a rumor that no one saw her off this time and that she left in a huff.

The carriage arrived at the portal tower. The portal was a magical creation that connected regions, countries, and even continents. When the guards at the portal tower saw the carriage with the Ducal crest, they immediately cleared the way.