‘That wasn’t something to do there… Just how long did we even go on for?’
Because Rastan kept holding on and wouldn’t let go, I was only able to leave the office after quite some time.
When I stepped out alone, the servants who had been gathered together whispering turned toward me with brightened faces.
While the butler, the head maid, and several maids were all present, Sally suddenly popped out and ran straight toward me.
“My Lady, is it true? I heard you finally got engaged!”
“News sure travels fast.”
Judging by the fact that the servants behind her didn’t look surprised, the rumor had already spread throughout the manor.
It was clearly the work of Raven, who had been kicked out of the office earlier.
Sally hugged me happily and bounced up and down.
“You did so well, my Lady! I am so happy!”
“Congratulations, my Lady. Truly, thank you.”
Ris approached as well, offering me congratulations and wiping away a tear.
“His Grace… I thought he would just keep suffering from nightmares every day and grow old and die alone. You saved him, my Lady.”
Who in the world would ever worry that the illustrious Duke Blake wouldn’t be able to marry?
If a stranger heard it, they would think it was an absurd concern.
‘It seems Ris knows what kind of curse Rastan is under and how much he suffered from it.’
Still, judging by the atmosphere, it seemed that no one, including Ris, knew that this was a one-year contract engagement.
Unsure of how to respond to their genuine joy, I hesitated before cautiously speaking up.
“Th-thank you. But we decided to announce the engagement to the outside later, so it’s not quite time for congratulations yet…”
At that, Sally cried out, the tip of her nose red.
“Everyone inside the manor already knows the two of you decided to get engaged anyway! Let’s announce it quickly and have an engagement party, okay?”
Her pleading tone was so cute that a smile naturally formed on my face.
“Why so fast? You want to have a party, Sally?”
“Oh, come on. We have to announce it to the whole world quickly so all those young men who had their eyes on you will give up. As a rule, you should put up the ‘sold out’ notice as soon as possible!”
I didn’t know how to respond, but thankfully, Rastan, who had come over at some point, answered in my place.
“It’s a fair point, but we plan to announce it after settling a few external matters. Things like the Lansval issue.”
Fortunately, the servants, including Sally, calmed down a bit at that, but Ris immediately raised a new issue.
“Then should we not give the lady treatment befitting a future Duchess? Even if we inform outsiders later, at least within the manor, I think we can do so right away.”
“That’s right, exactly!”
At her words, everyone murmured in agreement. Even the butler Jeff, who had been quietly listening until now, nodded.
Legally speaking, we were engaged, so there wasn’t anything particularly wrong with what they were saying.
But if one had any conscience at all, agreeing with that right now was impossible.
I was already using the Duchess’s room, and it was decorated as lavishly as the Imperial Palace itself.
Sally was devotedly attending to me as my personal maid, and there were separate people assigned solely to cleaning.
All of this was treatment I had received while staying in the Blake estate as a ‘guest’ in name only.
‘What more could I possibly receive here…?’
“I appreciate the thought, but I think I’m already being treated that way. So there is no need to do anything more…”
But Rastan, who had been listening beside me, cut in before I could even finish speaking.
“A good point, Ris. You and Sally should recruit plenty more maids to attend to Evelyn. And as for the Duchess’s room, let’s redo the interior entirely. Make it the most splendid and beautiful in the Empire.”
Startled, I waved my hands this time, interrupting him.
“No! It is already more than enough as it is.”
“For a guest staying temporarily, it might not be something to take issue with. But I believe it falls far short as treatment for the woman who will become the Lady of the House.”
‘Lady of the House?!’
I hurriedly pulled him slightly backward.
Rastan, his sleeve caught in my grip, obediently let himself be dragged back a couple of steps.
I quickly rose onto my tiptoes, brought my lips close to his ear, and lowered my voice as much as I could.
“What do you mean, Lady of the House? We are not even married, isn’t that way too much?”
If this kept up, it felt like I would already be the Duchess of House Blake in everyone’s minds.
I stamped my feet in agitation, but Rastan himself remained perfectly calm.
“You may not remember, but our contract includes a confidentiality clause.”
To be honest, I didn’t remember reading that clause either.
But since it was a commonly included provision in contracts, I roughly nodded, thinking it must be in there.
“And what about it?”
“The people in front of us right now believe that our engagement is real.”
‘Aha…’
I nodded and picked up on what he was saying.
“So you are saying I should play along appropriately, as if I were a real fiancee.”
“Exactly. You should live while thinking that you yourself will soon become the Duchess of House Blake. That way, it will be easier to act the part.”
“O-okay.”
When I took a step back, Rastan, his expression brightened, spoke loudly enough for the servants to hear.
“We will begin renovations on the Duchess’s room immediately.”
“So suddenly? Then will I be staying in another guest room during that time?”
“My room is right next door. What is there to worry about?”
“Hm…?”
The head maid, Joanne, stepped forward to add on.
“That is true. Since you will soon become the Duchess anyway, you can stay together in the Master’s room during the renovation period.”
“We are not even married yet, how could we…?”
“You will be soon, so what does it matter? Unless you do not plan to, that is.”
The other servants behind them were nodding as well, all with faces that said this was only natural.
‘That’s the problem, I’m not going to do it! Why are these people so open-minded?’
I couldn’t bring myself to say it out loud and only tore my hair out internally.
In the meantime, Rastan gave instructions to Joanne.
“I heard the Empress’s Palace was recently renovated. Bring in that interior designer.”
“Yes, Master.”
The servants dispersed to attend to their respective duties, and Sally and Ris remained by my side, looking after me.
“My Lady—no, future Madam—what kind of concept would you like for your room?”
More than the question itself, I was startled by the unfamiliar form of address directed at me.
“S-Sally. ‘Future Madam’ is too much. Couldn’t you just call me the same as before?”
“How could I? You are going to become the Duchess of House Blake soon.”
Before I could say anything, Ris immediately cut in.
“Hey now, Sally! ‘Future Madam’ is way too long. Let’s just call her Madam. It’s happening soon anyway, so why keep changing the title?”
“Oh, should we? That does sound better, doesn’t it?”
I panicked and tried to stop these unabashed women.
“Goodness, don’t do that! How can I become ‘Madam’ the moment we get engaged…!”
“What does it matter? We will just call you that among ourselves inside the manor. Ma-dam.”
When Sally mischievously emphasized the word “Madam” to end her sentence, Ris chimed in as well.
“You are going to get married soon anyway. Why bother making a distinction and using a longer title just for the engagement period? Madam is already the mistress of the Blake estate.”
“…”
I couldn’t bring myself to say anything and just pressed a hand to my now-warm forehead.
‘This is supposed to be a one-year contract engagement…’
If we happened to find a way to eliminate Rastan’s nightmares early, there was even a chance it could end before then!
‘This is really awkward.’
The contract engagement I had envisioned was nothing like this.
‘I thought that since we weren’t married yet, the form of address would stay as “my Lady” or “Lady Krone,” and above all, that it would be an engagement in name only, on paper.’
Only belatedly did it occur to me that I should have expected things to turn out this way from the moment I was assigned the Duchess’s room.
The servants’ fuss continued through the afternoon and on into the evening.
After being called “Madam” for half the day, I even felt as though I had grown somewhat accustomed to the title.
‘Living quietly, as if barely there, then simply finishing out the contract period and leaving quietly already seems impossible.’
After finishing dinner, I trudged back to my room and closed the door.
“Fuuuuu…”
Only once I was alone could I finally let out a long sigh.
Grabbing the ties that had been uncomfortably tight around my chest the entire time, I loosened them a little and muttered to myself.
“This is troublesome… Everyone keeps calling me Madam when I’m going to leave anyway.”
“Leave?”
