Chapter 8
“Your… demands?”
Metterio’s thick eyebrows twitched. If he hadn’t been so strikingly handsome, his face could’ve rivaled that of a K-gangster in sheer intimidation.
But no matter how objectively frightening his face was, I didn’t find it scary anymore. In fact, it almost looked laughable.
I calmly let a small smile curl my lips and got straight to the point as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
“The main building is too…”
“Too…?”
“Shabby.”
“…Sha…bby?”
“The electricity doesn’t even work properly, it’s neither pretty nor comfortable, and above all—it’s way too dark.”
“…”
“If you brighten up the main building like the annex, I’ll move in.”
A heavy silence settled between us—his way of expressing a firm refusal, as if he didn’t even feel the need to respond.
I stiffened my neck in defiance, my gentle smile still in place.
The longer the silence dragged on, the deeper my smile grew. It was a suffocating battle of wills.
But the outcome of this fight had already been decided long ago.
Duke, it’s too late for you to try to hold your ground now.
If you don’t give in to my demands, you’ll be the one at a loss. After all, there’s no parent who can truly win against their child.
I slyly scratched at his patience with a deliberately insidious tone.
“If you don’t like it, there’s nothing I can do. I can just keep living in the annex. You never know when my illness might relapse, so of course I’d want to stay somewhere with good sunlight—even if it means staying completely cut off from my family forever.”
Metterio’s handsome brows knit again. With a faint sigh, he easily waved the white flag.
“How bright do you want it?”
“Like the annex.”
“I’ll double the candles.”
“Annex.”
“Then I’ll double the light bulbs. No more than that.”
“Annex.”
“The Ballienor estate is meant to be dark. What you’re asking for is absurd.”
Metterio’s face twisted in visible frustration.
It wasn’t that he was trying to look scary—his expression simply laid bare the unbearable irritation he felt.
Ha. Duke, one of my nicknames in my previous life was “the Wailing Wall.” My siblings gave me that one.
A stubborn eldest daughter is not easily swayed.
“Annex.”
At my final, unrelenting blow, the darkness of Ballienor crumbled.
The duke buried his head in his hands, speaking in a tone of complete resignation.
“…You’re driving me mad. Fine. We’ll do it your way.”
My eyes curved prettily in victory, my satisfied grin unable to hide itself.
Duke, you won’t regret this choice.
I showered him with the kind of flattery that would make a court sycophant blush.
“A wise decision. Future generations will praise the duke who led the reform of Ballienor.”
“…Ahem, ahem.”
My father began to cough awkwardly, as though he wasn’t used to being praised like this.
The grayish tone of his face flushed crimson, and a faint heat quivered in his once-colorless eyes.
It was almost like he was having an allergic reaction to compliments—probably because it was his first time receiving them in such a way.
Hmm. This reaction is more amusing than I thought.
Should I… push it further?
Seeing this handsome middle-aged man—who looked almost like a young man—blush shyly sparked a mischievous urge in me.
Heart pounding, I loaded my next line of praise. It was a bit cliché, but guaranteed to work.
“My father really is the best. The most handsome duke in the whole world!”
“Cough! Cough, cough!”
The Iron-blooded Duke coughed like he was about to spit up blood.
Feeling a little guilty, I patted his back, only for his coughing to grow worse.
“Kuhhh-uurghhh!!”
…Oh dear.
Guess I overdid it. Next time I’ll tease him more gently.
I had no choice but to step back and wait until the coughing fit passed.
After a long while, he finally caught his breath, speaking in a voice like he was on his deathbed.
“There’s… one problem.”
“What problem?”
“To renovate the main building, we’d have to do major construction. Until then, Jeremiah and Davina will have nowhere to stay.”
A valid point. Of course, I already had a solution prepared.
“They can stay in the annex.”
At my prompt reply, Metterio’s eyes widened.
Somehow, his facial muscles seemed softer than before—his expressions more natural.
“Isn’t the annex too small for you alone?”
“It has at least two spare rooms. And the closer we are, the better. I regret never getting close to my siblings because of my illness.”
I gazed wistfully into the distance, a faint smile on my lips.
The duke’s eyes glistened as if moved by my heartfelt words. He quickly turned his head to hide the moisture.
“Father, could I bring them over as soon as tomorrow?”
“…Do as you wish.”
His reddened eyes grew even more so, his expression one that could’ve broken into sobs had he been alone.
Metterio Duke was far easier to deal with than his first impression suggested.
Not just “hard on the outside, soft on the inside”—he was practically brittle through and through.
I couldn’t reconcile the idea that such a soft-hearted man could be the ultimate villain in this world’s story.
If I asked earnestly enough, he’d probably pluck the moon and stars for me.
But in the original work, Metterio was not this kind of man.
He might have loved his children deeply in his heart, but outwardly he pretended to be indifferent, leaving them neglected.
If I hadn’t caught him showing his tears, he would have gone on treating his children coldly all his life, just like in the novel.
I thought back to the family photo—he’d been wearing a faint smile.
It meant that at least when the duchess was alive, he hadn’t acted the way he did now.
My thoughts spiraled. I wanted to ask him directly what had happened, but I knew he wouldn’t answer.
Especially when it came to sensitive matters like his wife’s death—that was a landmine.
In my previous life, my family had also avoided speaking about my late mother.
We should’ve grieved together and healed, but being unskilled at facing pain, we each left our wounds to fester until they rotted.
The result was years of hardship for everyone—and cleaning up the mess had fallen to me alone.
“…Still, I’m glad.”
Because this time, I don’t think I’m alone.
I thought of Ballienor’s loyal retainer, Michael.
If my guess was correct, he would be the only person in this estate who truly shared my views.
I remembered the look in his eyes when he handed me the family photo, and the words he’d murmured when mentioning the duchess.
“If the madam were still alive, the family wouldn’t be in this state.”
He might be a little rough in speech, but he clearly cared deeply about the family’s well-being.
If I asked him for help, Michael would never refuse me.
“Could you call Michael for me? Tell him I’d like to go for a walk together.”
“Yes, my lady. I’ll let him know right away.”
I got up from my seat and stepped into the dressing room, where the maids were already waiting.
“I’m only going for a short walk, so prepare something as comfortable as possible.”
“Yes, my lady. I’ll pick something that doesn’t require a corset.”
“Good. I like that.”
Ariel’s body was still so delicate that she didn’t need a corset at all.
Even though I’d been eating three full meals every day, she remained slender.
Still, I could feel a slight softness around my waist, which gave me a tiny sense of accomplishment. I boasted to the maid,
“See? I think I’ve gained a little weight.”
“…Ah.”
“…Uh, yes.”
The maids exchanged glances instead of answering, clearly hoping someone else would lie to smooth things over.
“I’m joking. Relax.”
“Thank you, my lady.”
“Haha, I didn’t know you made jokes, my lady. Haha…”
…Right. Never making jokes again.
I swallowed a bitter smile, feeling like a team leader whose humor had fallen flat with the new hire.
“Don’t put my hair all the way up. Just tie half of it.”
Despite my order for something simple, the maids braided the side sections as well, creating a lovely half-up style.
They admired their handiwork with awed voices.
“A masterpiece.”
“Ah, I ended up working too hard without realizing it.”
“Our lady really is the prettiest in the world.”
“Right? I wish she’d ask us to doll her up more often.”
“I want to cover her in jewels and lace. She’d be dazzling.”
Girls, I can hear everything. Where’d the stiff, frozen reactions from earlier go?
Well… Ariel is a bit of a beauty.
Pretending not to hear their chatter, I stepped out of the room, my steps light and a hum slipping from my lips.
“My lady, the duke’s secretary Michael has arrived.”
“Okay. I’ll head out right away.”
Opening the door, I caught sight of the back of Michael’s red head.
I was about to call him when my breath caught—the afternoon sunlight poured over him like a spotlight.
Even the perfectly tailored black suit couldn’t hide the way his muscles stood out under the play of light and shadow.
Sensing my presence, he tilted his head back, and the light slid from his nape down the sharp line of his jaw.
A beam stretched from the tip of his chin to the bridge of his nose—it was like watching light paint a picture.
I couldn’t help but stare in awe until his crimson eyes caught mine.
His monocle glinted like a camera’s flash, snapping me out of my daze. I quickly smoothed my expression.
“My lady, you called for me?”
“Is it alright for me to summon you when you’re busy?”
“If it’s you, my lady, you can call me anytime.”
That was practically flirting, yet his face remained utterly impassive.
I, on the other hand, gave a sly smile and replied in a flat voice,
“Shall we talk while we walk?”
