TED 06

“A mere secretary and the Duchess are not the same. I’ve never had any social skills to begin with, so if I isolate myself from everyone, that’s my own business. But Her Grace is someone who must govern the territory—she cannot afford to become isolated.”

It was around then that Dietrich began to feel that something was wrong.

Though he had never acted like an affectionate husband, he had instructed his retainers to treat Adriana with all the respect due to a Grand Duchess.

So why was Benjamin speaking as if she had been disregarded?

“Adriana is the Duchess sent by the Emperor. Her status is incomparable to yours or Teresa’s. And you’re saying someone like Adriana was looked down on?”

“What use is the favor of an Emperor who isn’t even in Hielo? The very lord of this land kept his distance from her, so naturally she could not exercise her authority as Duchess. Your Grace was indifferent toward your wife, and Teresa hated her daughter-in-law—what exactly could she have done alone?”

“What right does Teresa have to hate Adriana? My wife cannot even be compared to a vulgar woman like her.”

Teresa was the person Dietrich despised most in the world.

After all, his life had begun to unravel the moment Teresa appeared.

How dare anyone compare a lowborn mistress to one of the most noble women in the Empire? The thought alone irritated him.

“How could Her Grace, who had just arrived in Hielo, possibly suppress Teresa? Teresa is the one who holds all the real power and acts as the true mistress of the estate.”

Benjamin let out a deep sigh.

“I know very well what kind of life you’ve lived, Your Grace.”

Benjamin recalled the most chaotic period of Dietrich’s life.

The time Teresa appeared.

The current Emperor of the Nieve Empire—Brunhilde.

Her younger brother was Helbert Brecht, the former Grand Duke and Dietrich’s father.

Helbert had never desired power and deeply respected his elder sister. When factions around him attempted to place him on the throne instead, he voluntarily left the imperial capital to avoid becoming a threat to her rule.

In response, Brunhilde granted her departing brother a territory, the newly bestowed surname Brecht, and Agnes—her close friend and lady-in-waiting.

That was how Helbert married Agnes and became lord of Hielo.

The couple had shared a rather happy marriage at first, but it did not last long.

The reason was Teresa.

The mistress who appeared out of nowhere.

After Helbert suddenly brought a mistress into the household without warning, Agnes abruptly died, and Teresa rose into the position of Grand Duchess.

Then, not long afterward, even Helbert himself died from illness, leaving the title to Dietrich.

At the time, Dietrich had not been living in Hielo but in the imperial palace, where he was being educated under the guidance of his aunt and sovereign, Emperor Brunhilde.

Then the sudden succession forced him to abruptly abandon palace life and return to Hielo, where he became consumed by endless responsibilities.

It was during that turbulent period that the Emperor proposed the political marriage between Dietrich and Adriana.

Hielo needed a lady of the house to stabilize the increasingly unstable North, and considering the relationship between North and South, a political alliance was necessary. In every sense, the marriage between Dietrich and Adriana had been a timely decision.

It was not merely a political judgment made by the Emperor for the balance of the Empire—it was also advice given as Dietrich’s aunt.

Dietrich trusted Brunhilde not only as Emperor but as an elder he respected deeply, so he accepted the marriage despite himself.

Naturally, Dietrich’s life could not have been easy through all those twists and hardships.

As his friend, Benjamin genuinely pitied him for that.

“But Her Grace the Duchess has endured an equally harsh life. If you do not truly intend to divorce her, then go apologize sincerely and reconcile while you still can.”

“Reconcile? This is not something requiring reconciliation. It’s something requiring forgiveness. I cannot overlook this unless Adriana apologizes and returns.”

Dietrich frowned sharply.

He truly could not understand what Benjamin was talking about.

No matter how he thought about it, he had already done more than enough simply by accepting a wife who loved another man instead of casting her aside.

He could not understand why Adriana was now audaciously speaking of divorce.

Still, Dietrich wished to be generous toward his wife, and if she returned, he was willing to overlook her transgressions.

“So you still haven’t come to your senses. Instead of wasting time on this, you should prepare for the subjugation. Considering your condition, you’ll need to prepare thoroughly.”

Benjamin shrugged and began gathering up the documents Dietrich had finished signing.

“Haa…”

Adriana entered her bedroom and let out a long breath.

The day had felt unbelievably long, yet it was not even time for dinner.

She walked toward the window and brushed her hand across the curtains.

Only hours ago, these green curtains had burned fiercely in flames—and yet now they hung perfectly intact beneath her fingertips.

What exactly had happened today… and during the last three years of her marriage?

Had I truly died?

Her memories blurred between dream and reality, but she decided not to think too deeply about it.

Right now, living in the present mattered more.

Whether this was the past or the future.

Which meant the truly important matter now was the presence outside her door.

“Your Grace the Duchess. We are coming in.”

The familiar voice was followed immediately by the door swinging open without hesitation.

Even though Adriana had never granted permission.

The women who entered were Katrin Zallier and Dorothea Hanover.

The two ladies were daughters of the longstanding noble families loyal to Hielo—the House of Count Zallier and House Hanover—and officially served as Adriana’s maids.

But they were not on Adriana’s side.

Katrin and Dorothea were Teresa’s eyes and ears, planted beside Adriana to monitor her.

Their true master, Teresa, was something akin to Adriana’s half-step mother-in-law.

A breathtakingly beautiful woman with an almost unnatural aura about her, yet whose origins and even age remained entirely unknown.

Before Adriana arrived in Hielo, Teresa had effectively acted as Grand Duchess because she had been the mistress of the former Grand Duke Helbert.

She possessed a strange ability to draw people toward her, and during the years Dietrich remained away in the imperial capital, Teresa had completely seized control of the North.

Furthermore, when Helbert died, he had entrusted her with far too much authority for a mere mistress, granting her enough power that even Dietrich—the rightful heir—struggled to oppose her.

However, because she had only married Helbert without receiving the Emperor’s official approval, Teresa had never been formally recognized as Grand Duchess.

And because of that, Teresa endlessly kept Adriana in check after she was officially appointed Duchess by imperial decree.

Adriana was the only person capable of threatening her authority, so Teresa sought to drive her out as quickly as possible and become the sole ruler of Hielo.

In the end, Adriana had fought the former duke’s mistress for the position of Grand Duchess—

And she had lost miserably.

Only at the moment of her death had she realized the truth.

That Teresa had been the source of all her misfortune.

As Adriana sank once more into memories of the past, the maids approached her and casually revealed the reason they had barged in so rudely.

“His Grace requests that you join him for dinner. There is little time, so you must prepare quickly.”

“Oh dear. It’s such a shame. Because Your Grace suddenly participated in the archery competition today, we couldn’t even enjoy our afternoon tea.”

It was not affectionate teasing.

It was criticism—complaining that Adriana had selfishly disrupted the schedule and inconvenienced them.

An afternoon tea gathering and an important knight order event.

Which of those should matter more to the Duchess?

Naturally, she should have shown interest in the affairs of the territory.

But the maids thought differently.

Katrin and Dorothea wanted Adriana to become an ignorant, useless Duchess who knew and did nothing.

Only then could Teresa continue exercising unchecked power.

But Adriana had never been easily tamed as they expected, and over time their relationship had steadily worsened.

“First, allow us to help you change clothes. We already selected a dress in advance. Since it has been so long since the two of you shared a meal together, we thought something more extravagant would—”

“Enough.”

“Wh-What do you mean…? Do you dislike the dress we selected…?”

The moment Adriana cut her off, Katrin and Dorothea narrowed their eyes simultaneously.

They quickly hid it behind gentle smiles, but the insolence underneath remained obvious.

“I never said I would attend dinner.”

The truth was simple.

Adriana had never given them permission to enter her room.

She had never accepted Dietrich’s invitation.

And she had never once said she liked the dress they selected.

Yet Katrin and Dorothea moved in perfect synchronization as though following a script already written for them.

Adriana was clearly the Duchess, yet everything around her proceeded regardless of her will.

“Are you saying you intend to refuse the Grand Duke’s summons?”

The maids visibly panicked.

Dinner between the Grand Duke and Duchess was not merely a private affair—it was effectively an official engagement.

Though Adriana and Dietrich were far from a loving couple, she had never once refused her duties before, which made her current behavior appear suspicious.

“Tell His Grace that I am too exhausted to join him for dinner. That will be your final task for today. I no longer require attendants, so you may leave.”

“No, Your Grace. We shall continue serving you until the end.”

The maids lowered their eyes demurely, but Adriana knew exactly what lay beneath them.

Malice.

Those eyes, devoid of even the slightest respect, had followed Adriana since the very first day she arrived in Hielo.

The day she first crossed through the mana tunnel and the snow-covered walls of Hielo.

No matter how long she waited at the outpost, Dietrich never appeared.

A sudden monster outbreak had forced him to depart for a subjugation mission instead of welcoming her personally.

And so Adriana spent her very first day in Hielo without a single person there to greet her warmly.

And then that incident happened.