ILTDAMH | CHAPTER 30

Chapter 30

Do you really think the duke is better than me right now?

Knock, knock.

“My lady, a letter has arrived.”

Charles stepped in, delivering it to Mercian.

“Thank you.”

“Oh? Are you choosing curtains?”

“Yes. I thought this year I might go for something brighter and warmer. What do you think?”

“Of course! I’d love anything you choose, my lady.”

“Charles, you’ve been on my side from the very beginning, haven’t you? You still are, even now. Thank you… I was able to settle into the ducal house thanks to you.”

“My lady, why do you sound as if you’re about to leave for good?”

“Well, there’s only about a month and a half left, so I am leaving soon.”

“If the master is gone and you leave as well, the ducal house will be far too lonely. Couldn’t you stay?”

“I can’t. As everyone knows, I’m only the duchess for six months.”

…Was she really planning to return to the viscount’s estate once the contract ended?

Charles’s face fell with disappointment.

“But I like you, my lady.”

“Thank you, Charles… for liking me.”

Charles looked as if he might cry.

He stood up, gave Mercian a deep bow, and walked out.

Sigh.

It was strange. 

She was leaving to live the life she had once dreamed of, yet the closer the day came, the heavier her heart felt, the more her thoughts turned dark.

Why was she like this?

She hadn’t felt this way when she’d left the viscount’s estate to come here.

Well… once Ruan left and she followed, her aunt would likely return to the ducal house as before.

Yes—she wouldn’t concern herself with what happened after she was gone.

Mercian pulled out the letter Charles had left behind and opened it.

Dear Duchess,

A suitable house has come up in the location you mentioned. Please visit at your convenience.

Oh? Could they mean Yoteri Village from before?

If she remembered correctly, it took about three days to get there. 

Would she be able to go?

That would mean a round trip of at least six days…

What should she do?

Of course, if she told Ruan, he would let her go. 

But still… she wanted to make the trip without him knowing.

If she said she was going on a short trip, would he believe her?

Was there a way to go without hearing a lecture from him afterwards?

Tapping the letter thoughtfully with her finger, Mercian sank into thought.

First, she would visit the real estate office in town.

She folded the letter and tucked it deep inside her vanity drawer, then rose from her seat and stepped out of the room.

That afternoon, half a dozen curtain and bedding merchants came by, each showing her their most popular items.

Mercian asked questions about the samples that caught her interest, examining them with care before making her choices.

“Clea, I don’t know if I chose well.”

“Not at all, my lady. Both the curtains and the bedding are in light colours, so the entire ducal house will feel brighter.”

“Really? That’s a relief. I worried about it quite a bit.”

“My lady, please—whatever you choose, we would love it.”

They truly were strange people.

Back at the viscount’s estate, she had never once received a compliment or a word of approval for anything she did.

Only criticism and reproach, over and over again—as though she were entirely useless.

But here in the ducal house, everything was different.

Everyone told her that they enjoyed everything she did, including Ruan, her aunt, and the other servants.

They accepted her exactly as she was, told her she was fine just as she was, and no one ever criticized her.

Perhaps that was why the people of the ducal house felt more like family to her than Luciane and Penelope, with whom she had lived for nearly twenty years.

As she sipped her tea, Mercian looked at Clea, who was organizing the sample booklets.

“Clea, thank you.”

“…Pardon, my lady? For what?”

“For standing up for me when my sister insulted me at my wedding. For treating me with the same kindness the entire time I’ve been here.”

Clea smiled.

“My lady, everyone in the ducal house likes you. In truth, we all hope you’ll remain here even after the master leaves. But we would never force you to stay. Just… if you do leave, please know that every one of us will miss you dearly and feel your absence deeply.”

Mercian’s heart warmed at her words.

“Thank you… for treating me so warmly. For becoming a new family to me. And lastly… thank you for saying you’ll miss me.”

Hearing the sincerity in her voice, Clea lowered her head quickly and left the room, as though afraid her emotions might spill over.

A few days later—

The Ducal House was in the midst of a grand overhaul—every curtain and quilt in the residence was being replaced.

“Today, we’ll be changing the curtains and bedding in both the master’s and the lady’s chambers,” one of the staff informed her.

“Oh, in that case, I think I’ll step out for a bit,” Mercian replied casually.

“Going out, my lady?”

“Yes, there are a few things I need to pick up in the village.”

“Then please take Charles with you, my lady.”

“All right, I will.”

She had already decided she would make a brief stop at the real estate office, so she boarded the carriage with Charles and headed to town.

“My lady, where shall we go first?”

“Hmm… perhaps the dessert shop.”

 “Yes, my lady!”

At the shop, Mercian carefully selected sweets and drinks to bring back for the workers and household staff. 

Handing the packages to Charles, she said,
“Charles, could you take these back to the Ducal House? I’ll wait over there at the bookshop.”

“My lady, if the master finds out I left you alone, he’ll be furious,” Charles said, clearly worried.

Mercian smiled reassuringly.

“Desserts don’t taste the same once they’ve melted. It only takes about thirty minutes to go and come back from the manor. I’ll be right here at the bookshop until then. Nothing will happen, I promise.”

Still uneasy, Charles nodded reluctantly.

“Then please, my lady, don’t go anywhere else until I return.”

As soon as Charles departed in the carriage, Mercian turned down another street, making her way quickly to the real estate office.

“Oh, welcome! I’ve been expecting you,” the red-haired woman greeted warmly.

“I received your letter. I’d like to see the place you mentioned, but it’s so far away…”

“Oh, no need to worry about that—we’ve already recorded it with a vision orb.”

“Really?”

The woman smiled, placing the orb on the table. 

At her touch, the orb shimmered to life, revealing a quaint, charming little house.

“This is it?”

“Yes. Here—look. This is the entrance, and there’s a separate bedroom inside. The best part, however, is the kitchen—quite spacious, since I heard you enjoy cooking. And the yard is large as well.”

“Oh… yes, this is nice. And the price?”

“One hundred and fifty gold coins.”

“Only one fifty? That’s not too expensive.”

In the Empire, a decent home usually costs around three hundred gold coins, so this seemed reasonable enough.

“Very well, let’s make a contract.”

“Shall we? In that case, I’ll have the owner come the day after tomorrow, and we can sign the paperwork here.”

“That’s fine, but I have one condition.”

 “And that is…?”

“I’ll pay the balance only after seeing the property with my own eyes. And if I find the house is not the same as what I’ve seen in this recording, I want it in the contract that you’ll pay me ten times the amount in penalty.”

The woman’s smile faltered slightly, though she quickly recovered.

“Oh-ho-ho, there’s no need for such worries. I assure you, it’s a wonderful home.”

“…”

“Very well, we’ll do as you ask.”

When she nodded, Mercian’s lips curved in satisfaction.

“Then I’ll see you the day after tomorrow.”

Leaving the agency, Mercian made her way to the bookshop where she had agreed to meet Charles.

“Oh? He’s not here yet. Good, I’m not late.”

She wandered into the fiction section, scanning the shelves.

Standing on tiptoe to reach a volume higher than her head, she felt a sudden presence—then a hand appeared from behind her, plucking the very book she’d been reaching for.

“Oh?”

“Is this the one you wanted, my lady?”

A man stood before her, his face half-hidden by the hood of his cloak. 

Instinctively, she took a step back. 

He stepped forward.

“Was this not the book you were after?”

“N-no. Excuse me.”

An inexplicable chill prickled at the back of her neck. 

Without realising it, she took another step backwards, intent on leaving the shop.

But the man moved to block her way.

“My lady, why so hurried?”

His voice was polite, yet cool—laced with something unpleasant that made gooseflesh rise on her arms.

Her knees began to tremble, but she kept her head bowed, willing her unease not to show.

“Sir, I’m sorry, but I’d like you to step aside.”

“My lady… Haven’t we met before?”

At his words, Mercian slowly raised her gaze. 

The man pushed back his hood.

A cascade of glossy golden hair caught the light, framing fair skin and a tall, commanding frame.

Mercian instinctively realized who the man before her was.

Taking a step back, she bowed her head in a formal greeting.

“Your Imperial Highness, Crown Prince Mercian of House Canoluf, greets you.”

At her words, Diamond smiled pleasantly, tilting his head as though this meeting were an unexpected delight.

“Oh? So you are the famed Duchess of Canoluf. I’ve long wished to meet you, and only now has fate allowed it.”

What’s this? She’s… just an ordinary-looking woman?

He studied her carefully. 

At the wedding, his attention had been fixed on the ailing Ruan and, of course, on Luciane; he’d barely spared the bride a glance. 

From Luciane’s complaints, he had formed an image in his mind: a woman grotesquely overweight, plain to the point of unpleasantness, selfish, and narrow-minded.

The real Mercian, however, was nothing like the caricature he’d imagined. 

She was plumper than most noble ladies, yes, but far from repulsive. 

Her face, though lacking the kind of striking beauty her elder sister possessed, was neither plain nor unpleasant. 

Round and fair-skinned, her features carried a certain softness—one might even call it a touch of charm.

But there was something different about her. 

Unlike other young ladies, whose gazes toward him were filled with awe and adoration, Mercian’s eyes held something else entirely—wariness.

“My lady, your sister has told me much about you. Would you permit me a moment of conversation?”

Lucy spoke about me? What could she possibly have said?

And he wants to talk with me? Why?

Mercian had never once participated in high society.

The only noblewomen she knew personally were a few close friends of Penelope.

She had no acquaintances in court, let alone in the Imperial Family.

What could the Crown Prince possibly have to discuss with someone like her?

Something in her told her that whatever it was, she shouldn’t hear it. 

Adopting her most apologetic expression, she lowered her head again.

“I’m sorry, Your Highness, but I have nothing in particular to discuss. And, regrettably, I severed ties with my family some time ago… I no longer have a mother or a sister to speak of.”

Diamond regarded her with a glint of intrigue in his eyes.

Ah… yes, I recall now. That baron’s daughter mentioned it—the Duchess broke ties with her family over the Duke.

Still… to refuse me?

No one in the Empire had ever turned down an offer to speak with him. 

Ever. 

Not young noblewomen in particular, who strove for the smallest opportunity to attract his attention.

Does she think the Duke is more important than I am?