Chapter 16
“Ah.”
Katrin. A name I now knew.
The late Duchess of Bastion.
She wasn’t only Levi’s mother, but also the proud former leader who left behind great achievements. It seemed she closed her eyes for the last time right here.
I placed both hands neatly on my lap and observed the atmosphere.
After all, before she was Levi’s mother, Katrin was Wolfgang’s wife.
‘And probably a deeply loved one too.’
Considering a duke got smacked around and lived under her thumb… hard to imagine, but still.
Wolfgang caught the way my eyes rolled left and right and chuckled softly.
“Why are you being so cautious?”
“…It just felt like I should be.”
“Pfft.”
He reached out with his large hand and tousled my hair roughly.
He probably thought he was being gentle, but my slender neck wobbled like it might snap.
Jeez. There’s so much he needs to learn.
Pressing down my now-puffed-up hair with both hands, I grumbled and asked,
“I’ve thought this before, but… you’re not used to patting people’s heads, are you?”
He raised two sons, yet he’s so awkward with physical affection.
Sure, with Levi and the famously hot-tempered second son, there probably wasn’t much chance to get cuddly—but still.
A father’s touch should at least be better than a bachelor’s.
“Here.”
I took his hand and placed it on top of my head, then gently moved it like someone petting a small animal.
“This is how you do it.”
“……”
“Especially since I have super curly hair, you need to be careful.”
Understand? I asked with my eyes as I let go. Wolfgang answered confidently:
“Still don’t get it.”
“Ugh, focus. Like this, go along the grain of the hair…”
Wait a second.
Narrowing my eyes, I looked up at him.
Just as I suspected, his face was full of amusement.
“You swindler.”
“Your tone.”
“Hmph. At least admit it cleanly.”
“Admit what?”
“That you’re totally into me.”
“Yeah.”
Nice, there you go—
Wait. What?
I paused mid-nod.
Did I hear that right?
Frozen in place, I heard his voice again.
“Does it have to be as my daughter-in-law?”
“…Pardon?”
“There are many ways to become family.”
Meaning…
I desperately held down the corners of my mouth threatening to shoot up.
God. I’m losing it. This deadly charm—what do I do?
Trying to keep my cool, I daintily fanned myself and raised my nose, only for Wolfgang to double down.
“I could even adopt you.”
“Hmph. As your youngest daughter, maybe—”
“As a pet.”
“Wanna fight?”
Dear Lord, I will wrestle a demon and go to hell.
Losing all reason, I grabbed Wolfgang by the collar in a tight grip.
Benjamin, who had been secretly rooting for us, trembled again upon seeing this. He might have wet himself this time.
Shaking the Duke of Bastion by the collar, I exploded with fury.
“Stop joking around! This is life or death for me—!”
“Life or death?”
Oops.
My mind snapped back to reality. I immediately shut my mouth and let go of his shirt.
I nearly went too far. Almost crossed a point of no return.
Though panicked, I kept a straight face and smoothed out the wrinkles on his now-wrinkled shirt.
“I—it’s a matter of life and death! How else could I become the Duchess of Bastion without such resolve? Haha. Why is it so hot in here? I should get some air.”
Mumbling, I hopped down to the floor and briskly walked out of the office.
Seriously, it’s hot. Too hot.
My hair fluttered as I scurried away, and I could feel his unreadable gaze on my back the whole way.
Only after walking a good distance down the corridor did I finally exhale and wipe my cold sweat.
What if talking about “divine power” and all that stuff in the same breath as a pet adoption gets me labeled a heretic?
Even if the Bastion family had a rocky relationship with the temple, they were still bound by this world’s standards.
Basic truths and norms still applied.
In this world, the temple and divine power were literally sacred and untouchable. You couldn’t mess with them.
As long as the Holy Nation that housed the World Tree stood strong, that faith would never waver.
Likewise, the Bastion family’s magic was a sensitive subject too.
It was the reason so many family members died young—how could an outsider go around speculating with no evidence?
‘And if I say your son will also die young…’
Yikes.
I instinctively rubbed my neck.
I had to be careful. Earn much more trust. Get much closer.
Only then…
“I won’t be abandoned.”
The words slipped out of my mouth before I realized it, and I flinched.
I slapped my cheeks to shake off the expression on my face.
No. This isn’t like me.
Stretching my face with all sorts of silly expressions, I was caught mid-contortion by a group of passing maids, who burst into laughter.
I laughed along. As brightly and cutely as I could.
Like myself.
* * *
“Nothing suits me better than charging in head-first.”
So I decided to go straight to Levi.
But every time I tried to charge in, some servant would pop out of nowhere and drag me away.
No matter what gap I tried to exploit, they’d just happen to walk by and grab me. I even tried climbing through the window.
At this point, I started to suspect the assassin Wolfgang raised was hiding among the staff.
Or maybe the universe itself was conspiring against my romantic survival.
“Ugh, life.”
Hugging the foal’s neck and grumbling, I was comforted by Queensbury and Ignite.
“Don’t be so impatient.”
“Prrr.”
“But spring break is short!”
Spring break in this world was about three weeks, which meant a third of it had already passed.
That meant I’d lost a third of my chances to seduce Levi.
How could I not feel desperate? If the semester started again, I’d have to wait until summer.
And there was no guarantee I wouldn’t be kicked out before then.
“Realistically, marrying him in two weeks is too much…”
“Prrr.”
“Then I’ll aim for engagement!”
Seriously, I’ve been so patient!
Lifting my fists with newfound determination, Queensbury and her family hopped around with me in support.
Our impromptu dance party was interrupted by Tony, who came to clean the stable.
“Goodness, be careful! Don’t jump around in a tight space!”
“Hmph.”
Even as he hugged me and the foal to keep us from getting hurt, his eyes were on Queensbury.
Tony always doted on Queensbury.
Sure, postnatal care was important, but this seemed deeper.
In fact, the reason he had pleaded for my help in the first place was because Queensbury had stopped eating due to stress before giving birth.
“Tony, favoritism isn’t good.”
“Huh?”
“If you only care for Queensbury, Ignite and the foal will feel left out. And so will Asha!”
I crossed my arms and huffed. The black horses also turned their heads and snorted in protest.
Tony waved his hands in panic.
So naïve—he’s fun to tease.
“That’s not it…”
“Excuses make it worse.”
“Actually, Queensbury was…”
He hesitated for a moment, then whispered,
“She was the madam’s beloved horse.”
“What.”
I whipped my head toward Queensbury.
When I stared at her, silently demanding, Why didn’t you say anything?! she responded with a look that said, You never asked!
Damn. Fair enough.
Still, this information gave rise to a theory.
Maybe Levi…
‘Was even more upset because he thought I hurt his late mother’s horse?’
Maybe that’s why he tried to stomp me like an enemy.
If that’s true, it’s a bit unexpected.
He doesn’t seem to like this estate, but if his mother really affected him that much…
He doesn’t seem very affectionate with Wolfgang, so maybe his mother really was special?
The more I learned, the more mysterious my husband candidate became.
‘Still, kind of a good sign?’
Seeing how affected he was by his mother meant there was a way to reach his heart.
Thank you, former boss lady. My savior.
Feeling like I’d found a breakthrough, I grabbed Tony’s arm.
“What kind of person was the madam?”
“She was a… very good person.”
Tony gazed off into the distance as he answered.
There was longing and something else in his voice. But what?
I tried to coax more out of him, but that was all he would say.
Then…
“Queensbury, your master…”
“Neigh.”
“I see. She was a good person.”
Queensbury, too, stayed silent in sadness. Ignite and the foal comforted her.
I had no choice but to retreat. It felt wrong to press too hard about the deceased.
But that didn’t mean I gave up on gathering information.
I wandered the estate and asked servants subtle questions.
“The madam? She was a good person.”
“A truly kind soul.”
“She was very… good.”
Not that again!
Can’t someone give me a different answer?
As the evening sun dipped, I collapsed into the wolves’ embrace in the back garden.
I didn’t expect stories like “the duchess was a war orphan” or “she beat Wolfgang with a dried pollack,” but come on!
Surely someone could tell me what she looked like, how she talked, little things like that.
As I grumbled, she passed by.
The only person here as wild as me!
“Vivi!”
“What?”
“Talk to me!”
“Buzz off.”
Vivi tried to walk away, but the wolves dragged her back.
Considering her age and career, she probably never met the duchess herself. But surely there were rumors among the staff.
“Forgive my curiosity and grant me your wisdom, oh rival.”
Vivi gave me a look like I was crazy, but I declared:
“Tell me what you know about the late madam!”
“Not much.”
Huh?
I blinked at her blunt reply.
She didn’t even say, “I don’t know.”
“Not much?”
“Yeah. There were never any rumors.”
Maybe because of the wolves watching her, Vivi answered rather honestly despite her gruff tone.
“The only known fact is that she came from Viscount Gale’s family. She never left the estate or townhouse… and she always wore a mask, even indoors.”
“A mask?”
“Even her personal maids never saw her face. And apparently, her hair color changed a lot—probably wigs.”
“Why?”
“Who knows? Maybe she had her reasons.”
It was certainly intriguing. A duchess who hid her face even inside the estate?
I decided to investigate the truth later. For now—
“That’s all the info you have?”
“That’s it.”
“Really?”
“What more do you want?”
There has to be more. My gut says so.
I stroked my chin thoughtfully.
“Everyone I ask keeps avoiding the topic.”
“Oh, that.”
The answer came from Vivi as she casually picked her ear.
“They’re just scared.”
“Sca—”
“There’s a legend among the senior staff that whenever the madam and the master fought… she’d flying-kick him.”
My lady, the former boss…
