CH 1.02

I thought back to an event that happened seven days ago.

It was seven days ago when I was introduced to the servants of the Duke of Lindbeld.

“This is Rockdell Faber, the chief steward of the Duke of Lindbeld. He comes from a branch of my family, a long line of stewards.”

“I am Rockdell Faber. Nice to meet you.”

The way he bowed his head in a precise angle reminded me of the steward in the Count’s mansion.

He, too, was rather uptight, strict but kind.

I felt the same air from this steward named Rockdell.

“It’s nice to meet you too.”

I, too, pretended to be reserved and bowed my head awkwardly.

As the chief steward of the Duke of Lindbeld, Rockdell held more power over the house than I did as the Duke’s newly wed wife.

Nothing good ever came from making enemies.

“And this is Mrs. Miriam. She’s the wife of one of my father’s former subordinates and a Viscountess. Her husband died in an accident about fifteen years ago and she was left destitute, so Father brought her in to take care of the household. My mother died right around the same time.”

“Nice to meet you, Your Grace.”

“…Please take care of me from today onwards.”

I squinted a little, sensing something close to hostility from her.

It was the same unpleasant sensation I’ve been feeling since yesterday.

I glanced up at my husband, the Duke of Lindbeld, whom I had married yesterday.

The corners of my mouth curled up meaningfully, and I quickly returned my gaze to the two of them.

“Her daughter lives here with her. Because she’s frail, she rents out one of the rooms away from the house, where Mrs. Miriam also lives.”

“Indeed, Andre-sama has been exceptionally good to me. He also loves my daughter as if she were his own daughter――…… Because of this, she’s also very close to Claude-sama.”

Andre-sama was my husband’s father.

A relationship where they called each other’s names intimately…

I see, do you?

And she had a daughter who was also very close to my husband.

This was a very dangerous relationship, wasn’t it?

I could take an exemplary quiet attitude and just duck out of the way safely, but if she told me this much, and I kept silent, she might treat me with contempt. That posed an adverse effect in the future.

Or should I just keep my mouth shut and let it go?

Depending on how I responded, my future would be decided.

Response 1, I’ll take the initiative and show her that I’m not her enemy.

Response 2, If you’re aiming to be a mistress, by all means. I’ll say something like that.

Response 3, Agitate her.

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In the case of the first response, I’ve already been marked as the enemy from the onset. It wasn’t going to work. She’d more likely jeer at me and be done with it.

In the case of the second response, if someone were to say that to me, I would think she was a fool. At least I would.

In the case of the third response, we would be completely hostile.

In the end, none of the three made me feel good, so I thought anything would do.

I married the Duke so that I could enjoy a life of depravity with three meals and a nap, and my husband had given me permission to do so.

If I were to give in to this harassment, there was a risk that my peaceful and tranquil life would completely change.

If this was a dispute about the management of the household, I would have gladly lost.

Whoever wanted to do that should do it, that was for sure.

But that was not what this was about.

This was a full-blown battle for female sovereignty.

Oh, this is so annoying!

Why is this house in such a mess?　In addition, how can an impoverished Viscountess’s daughter with no domain be aiming for my husband?

Is she that confident in herself, or is it just her mother running amok?

But at one time, there was talk of Her Royal Highness marrying a subject. 

This lady is rather reckless, isn’t she?

Or is she so close to my husband that she expected it?

Well, for the time being, I had decided on one attitude to take.

“Is that so? Well, I’d love for her to come and say hello. I don’t mind due to her physical condition. I’m in no hurry.” 

In short, send your daughter over to pay her respects to me, I retorted.

I had no plans of mounting her, but I wanted to make it clear who was the superior.

On top of that, even if I didn’t look like it, I was the bride and Mrs. Miriam’s new madam who underwent a ceremony in the church. Moreover, my status was much higher than that of her daughter.

Well, I was a Count’s daughter before I got married, so I ranked higher.

Even though she was a Viscountess, she evidently did not receive a quality education. She understood my remarks easily, yet she did not even bother to hide the fact that she found them abhorrent.

Even my husband was amused by her expression, and as if to add fuel to the fire, he goaded her some more.

“Right you are. She won’t always be sick, so it’s only natural for her to pay her respects to her new mistress when she has recovered. By the way, she hasn’t brought her maid. I’ll leave that in your hands, Mrs. Miriam. ―― Risha, let me show you around.”

I followed my husband who blithely curled the corners of his mouth next to me without any opposition. 

Or rather, I couldn’t go against him.