Chapter 6
The Unwelcome Mistress of the House
Today was the day Kael would be granted the title of “Duke” by the Emperor of the Empire. Standing before the mirror, he dismissed the maids who had been dressing him in his formal attire.
“You look truly splendid.”
Turning around, Kael gave a faint smile to Natasha—his former nanny, now the head maid of the ducal household—and spoke.
“Do I?”
“Of course. From now on, I should address you as ‘Your Grace.’”
“A Duke…”
Kael had never intended to become a duke so soon. His father was still in good health, and he had wanted to remain as the young lord a while longer, learning under him. Though his father trusted people a bit too easily, he was the head of the Empire’s one and only ducal house—a man with much to teach.
But thinking of how that very father had met such a futile end at the hands of Hans Bluanz—the man he trusted most—made Kael’s anger surge once more.
“Your Grace.”
“What is it?”
“…Do you truly intend to take Lady Aella as your Duchess?”
Kael met Natasha’s worried gaze. Having cherished Aella like her own daughter since childhood, Natasha’s concern was only natural.
After all, the moment Aella Bluanz set foot in this ducal estate, it would become hell for her.
If Aella came willingly, Kael intended to leave her be. Whatever the servants—those who owed their lives to his father, those who revered him more than the Emperor or even the gods—might do to her, he would not interfere.
Even if it happened right before his eyes.
Even if she became his wife, he would treat her no better than a lifeless statue.
No—more precisely, Kael intended to slowly dry up the blood of Aella Bluanz, the only daughter whom Hans Bluanz cherished so dearly.
This was the perfect revenge he had devised.
Was this something one should do to a woman he had once held dear? Perhaps not. But recalling his father’s unjust and meaningless death, Kael hardened his resolve.
To him now, Aella Bluanz was nothing more than an object of revenge.
“Natasha.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
“No matter what happens to Aella Bluanz after she enters this house as Duchess, do not help her.”
“W-What do you mean—!”
“This is an order. Inform Matteo as well. If I find out that either of you has helped her… not only will you both be dismissed, but your son Ian will also be stripped of his position as commander of the knights.”
“…Understood, Your Grace.”
“You may leave.”
After Natasha bowed and exited, Kael stood before a large framed portrait.
Inside it was a ten-year-old Kael, his mother shortly before she died in a carriage accident, and his gentle father resting a hand on her shoulder, all smiling.
At the time, he hadn’t known that the painting—commissioned by his father from a renowned artist for his tenth birthday—would become his mother’s final image.
Whenever he missed her, Kael would stand before this portrait, swallowing his longing and grief. Now, he was twenty years old—and today, he would become the Duke of Hormons.
Looking at the parents who smiled only within the painting, Kael made another vow.
“I will make sure the injustice of your death is repaid, Father. Even if it means becoming despicable… If it can ease even a fraction of your resentment, I will gladly become a vile man.”
Thus, once again, Kael etched his hatred deep into his heart.
After preparing Kael’s horse and returning to the estate, Matteo approached his wife, who had been sighing heavily one after another.
“Natasha…”
“What’s wrong? You look like you’re about to cry. Are you feeling unwell?”
Natasha shook her head, her expression darkening further. Frustrated, Matteo placed his hands on her shoulders.
“Then what is it?”
“His Grace… gave me an order.”
“What kind of order?”
“He said that no matter what happens to Lady Aella after she becomes Duchess, we must not help her. The same applies to you. If we disobey… we’ll be cast out—and even Ian…”
Matteo pressed a hand to his forehead.
“So he’s truly made up his mind… An unwelcome mistress of the house… what is this…”
Having served the late Duke since childhood, Matteo had always thought that Kael—now his new master—and Aella, who had grown up alongside him, made a perfect pair. Now that they were adults, he had believed they would become a fine couple.
Hans Bluanz—the man known to all as a kind noble, a devoted widower who still mourned his late wife, and a loving father to his only daughter.
That was how everyone saw the Count of Bluanz.
But for some reason, Matteo had always felt uneasy around him. He could never explain why—just a feeling he couldn’t shake.
Then, not long ago, his master had died such a futile death. The once cheerful and lively young lord had lost his smile, now consumed by a desperate thirst for revenge.
“And those two… they once…”
Matteo knew that Kael and Aella had harbored feelings for each other since childhood, which made the situation all the more heartbreaking.
If not for this tragedy, today would have been nothing but a joyous occasion.
More than anything, it pained him that he couldn’t help Aella—who would soon live in this house as nothing more than a hollow Duchess in name only.
“Matteo, is everything ready for the palace?”
“Yes, Your Grace. I’ve prepared a strong white horse.”
“Good. After receiving my title, I will go straight to the Bluanz estate.”
“…Understood.”
“To propose to Aella Bluanz—and I will inform His Majesty that the wedding will be held at the Albazar Grand Cathedral.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
Kael’s cold voice sent a chill down their spines. He then looked directly at Matteo.
“You’ve heard my order to Natasha. Do not help Aella Bluanz. Do not even speak to her. Understood?”
“…Understood.”
As Kael walked past them, Matteo gently comforted his trembling wife.
Once they were gone, the maids—who had been holding their breath—began whispering.
“Did you hear what His Grace just said?”
“He said not to help Lady Aella… the woman he used to like!”
“Poor Lady Aella… all because of her father…”
“Ha! What’s there to pity?”
At that moment, Rensi—the most influential among the maids—raised her voice, silencing them instantly.
Though merely a maid, she held great trust from both the head maid and the new master. None of the others dared oppose her.
Enjoying this authority, Rensi had secretly set her heart on Kael.
Though she was a commoner and a maid, she believed herself superior to the others in both intelligence and appearance. Even if she couldn’t become his official wife, becoming the Duke’s mistress would still grant her immense privilege.
“How do you think His Grace feels right now?” she said. “He lost the late Duke to that Bluanz bastard. Who understands his pain better than we do?”
“But Lady Aella has always been kind to us…”
“She even healed a scar I thought I’d carry for life…”
As the maids began speaking fondly of Aella, irritation flared within Rensi.
“Then do you all want to be thrown out?!”
“W-What?”
“Didn’t you hear His Grace? That order applies to us too! If you defend or help her, you’re out. So choose—get on his bad side and be cast out, or obey quietly?”
Her words stirred unease among them.
“Why do you think collective punishment exists?” she continued. “So the crime is never forgotten. Why else would His Grace marry the daughter of the man who killed the late Duke? This is his unspoken command to us.”
“…Now that you mention it…”
“For the sake of the late Duke!”
“She’s just a criminal’s daughter anyway…”
Watching them fall in line, Rensi smiled in satisfaction and turned toward the door.
“Come quickly, Duchess. I’ll take very good care of you.”
Standing alone in the garden filled with memories of her mother—and of Kael—Aella looked up at the clear sky, her eyes filled with sorrow.
“By now… Kael must have received his title.”
Since childhood, Aella had dreamed of witnessing the moment the man she loved would be granted his dukedom before the Emperor.
It was a once-in-a-lifetime sight—and she had missed it.
“I really have no shame… I made him the most miserable person in the world, and yet I still wish for things like this.”
A bitter laugh escaped her lips.
“Mother…”
As tears welled in her eyes, a maid approached.
“My lady, the master is calling for you. He’s with… the Duke of Hormons.”
Aella smiled faintly and took one last look at the garden filled with happy memories.
Memories that would never return.
Memories of a Kael who had once been endlessly kind to her.
With tears she could no longer freely shed, she turned and left.
Standing before the closed door of the drawing room, Aella heard laughter from within—laughter that sounded like a demon’s.
She squeezed her eyes shut.
Even if she wanted to run, she had no choice but to face reality. Swallowing nervously, she opened the door.
“Oh, Ella. Come in. First, you should congratulate the Duke of Hormons.”
Inside, Kael stood before her—smiling just as he always had.
But it didn’t take her long to realize that smile was nothing but a façade.
“Congratulations on becoming a Duke, Your Grace.”
“Oh, Ella. No need to be so formal. You’ll soon be my wife—the Duchess of Hormons.”
At the subtle change in his smile… and his voice…
Aella’s entire body trembled.
D-5 until she steps into hell.
