Chapter 45
The room that Lashley had stormed out of was filled with a silence like the calm after a storm.
The first to break the quiet was Raisa, her face troubled.
“I have no face to see you, madam. She’s not normally such a thoughtless child, so please don’t misunderstand. I’m sure she will soon realize her mistake and come to apologize to you.”
“Miss Sob hasn’t done anything that requires my forgiveness. Rather, Count Sob… I have a question. What did you mean by what you just said to her?”
Raisa paused for a moment before giving a brief answer.
“That concerns matters before the Duke’s marriage. You need not concern yourself, madam.”
“Even so…”
“Excuse me, but the break will be over soon. I should leave now to avoid being late for the second vassal meeting.”
Raisa left the reception room in a perfect posture that could have come straight out of a manual on etiquette, not giving Celakia a chance to stop her.
Now that she thought about it, Lashley’s stubbornness strongly resembled her older sister’s. Of course, in terms of rigidity, Raisa had the clear upper hand.
Tenus had told Celakia that Countess Raisa disliked her. Seeing Raisa’s cold attitude, it seemed that Celakia’s situation with Lashley wasn’t much different.
“Nancy, have you heard anything about the Duke’s engagement or possible breakup?”
Nancy, who had been standing against the wall like a fixture, hurried over.
“I don’t know either. I came to the Duke’s household after you two were already married. Should we try to find out?”
“That’s fine. I’m curious, but there’s no need to go to that trouble…”
Celakia’s hand waved idly in the air, and Nancy quickly grabbed it.
“Don’t worry, Madam!”
“…Hm?”
“I didn’t expect the Duke to have such a past. I’m really disappointed… No, sorry. I mean, it’s upsetting! You feel the same way, don’t you, Madam? If it affects me this much, imagine how upset you must be.”
Nancy’s palm, toughened from wielding a wooden practice sword, patted the back of Celakia’s hand. Celakia had only wanted to satisfy her curiosity, but suddenly, she found herself comforted and felt somewhat bewildered.
“There’s probably some background we don’t know. I’ll definitely find out and let you know. You know best that the Duke isn’t that kind of man, right? So don’t worry too much.”
“Nancy, I think you’re misunderstanding something; I really don’t care…”
“Oh, don’t hide anything from me. I understand your feelings completely!”
Oblivious to the situation, Nancy gently hugged Celakia.
“Just trust me. I’ll find out right away.”
Her arms, firmly wrapped around Celakia’s waist, were surprisingly strong.
Celakia cast a glance at Roberta, standing off to the side, silently asking for help.
“Hmph. I didn’t expect this from her—she seemed so proper at the academy. Even the Duke… tsk.”
But Roberta was muttering to herself and didn’t even glance their way. It seemed no one in the room would listen to Celakia.
Despite the ridiculous situation, Celakia didn’t mind being surrounded by those who cared for her. Roberta’s gruff voice clicking her tongue was oddly comforting, and the warmth of Nancy pressed against her was reassuring.
For once, she thought, what’s a minor misunderstanding anyway?
“Yes. It’s reassuring to have Nancy here.”
The words of explanation she had been rehearsing melted away uselessly in her mouth. Celakia smiled lightly at her own futile words and placed her hand on Nancy’s back.
Since it was the first day, Celakia had expected the vassal meeting to be short, but it turned out to be quite substantial. They even seemed determined to have dinner in the meeting hall, meaning Celakia had to dine alone with the vassal family without Tenus.
Unlike the dinner with Aldrich, the hall was filled indiscriminately with men, women, children, and adults.
Everyone seemed familiar with each other, wearing warm smiles. The children’s lively laughter eased the stiff atmosphere, while the older attendees guided smooth conversation.
“Now that the Duchess has arrived, we can all enjoy the honor of dining at the Duke’s residence. I thought a day like this would never come again.”
“Indeed, it has been ages since my last visit here. The last time was when the previous Duke was alive…”
“Hmph. Today is a happy day, is it not? We can postpone gloomy stories for another time.”
“Madam, your bright eyes make me hopeful for the future. The Seidon house, stagnant for so long, is not far from regaining its former glory. Ha ha ha!”
Overall, the mood was warm. Celakia only had to maintain a gentle, pleasant smile. Strangely, no one brought up Aldrich or seemed curious about him.
“…”
Of course, not everyone welcomed Celakia. Some cast her cold, harsh looks.
Pretending to sip from her glass, Celakia scanned the room, noticing the icy energy from several young ladies around her. The only exception, for now, was Lashley Sob.
Lashley turned her head sharply when their eyes met. Celakia, trying to maintain a gentle expression, awkwardly relaxed her eyes.
Fortunately, the dinner remained pleasant until it ended.
Returning to her bedroom, Celakia felt like melted seaweed. Dealing with so many people had drained her unusual mental energy and exhausted her physically.
Having barely eaten while observing others, she felt even weaker.
As she shuffled toward the bed, Nancy stepped close and whispered conspiratorially.
“Madam, I found out while you were dining.”
“Found out… what?”
“About the Duke’s past!”
“Ah.”
Celakia sighed without emotion and slumped onto the bed. Nancy loosened her dress and removed the heavy headpieces while relaying what she had discovered.
“A longtime servant at the Duke’s house told me that he had been engaged to multiple young ladies from vassal families. There were so many that they couldn’t even count them on two hands!”
“What? Really?”
Seeing Celakia react, Nancy was delighted.
“You’re shocked too, Madam, right? I almost fainted listening to it. I thought he was utterly devoted to you, but apparently not. How could he… such a…!”
Unable to continue, Nancy was interrupted by Roberta, bluntly stating:
“What a damned womanizer.”
Nancy’s frown immediately relaxed. Celakia couldn’t bring herself to scold Roberta’s blunt words. Nancy exhaled deeply, relieved, and continued.
“Of course, all engagements were eventually broken. That caused some grumbling among the vassals because the Duke couldn’t inherit the title without marrying. The servant who told me thought he would remain single for life and was very surprised when he married you.”
“Why didn’t he marry? Did you hear any reasons? For a vassal family, it wouldn’t have been such a bad choice.”
“No, I didn’t hear. Shall I ask another servant? Someone might know.”
“No, this is enough. Thank you for finding out, Nancy, especially since you were busy hosting the vassals.”
“I thought there might have been other circumstances, but there weren’t…”
Nancy slumped her shoulders, finishing helping Celakia change.
“Did I burden you by telling you? I hope I didn’t upset you. I couldn’t lie, either…”
“It’s okay. I truly don’t care, Nancy. It’s just the past.”
“But the past is also part of the Duke. It can’t be ignored.”
Celakia’s hand, patting Nancy’s shoulder, paused slightly.
“…Is that so? I think it’s fine to erase the past. It won’t interfere with living my life from now on.”
It was a form of self-reassurance.
Yet Nancy’s expression worsened, her eyes drooping as she suddenly hugged Celakia tightly.
“Madam!”
Celakia, seated on the bed, felt her head forcibly pulled. Nancy’s chest heaved against hers.
Even Roberta quietly approached and placed a hand on them, as if connecting the three of them.
“Now I see, the truly devoted one is you, Madam…”
Roberta’s words carried weight.
At that moment, Tenus entered the room.
“…What are you doing?”
Caught like a culprit, Nancy gasped and let go of Celakia.
“D-Duke.”
“You’re here.”
Roberta and Nancy bowed politely, though their eyes couldn’t hide their hostility, practically glaring at Tenus, burning with resentment.
