Chapter 20
I swallowed nervously and slowly placed my hand on top of his. Then, as soon as I stepped down from the carriage—
“Welcome!”
“Welcome! We’ve been waiting for you!”
Loud voices rang out. They were much louder and more powerful than before.
The servants looked at me with curious eyes. It seemed like they were eager to see what kind of woman their master had brought.
Then, an older man stepped forward from the group.
“Welcome, Lady Hildegard. I am Norton Krauzer, the butler of this estate. Please, just call me Norton.”
“Nice to meet you, Norton.”
“Please speak comfortably. You’ll soon be the Duchess.”
The Duchess… Hearing that from someone in House Bertenon made it feel real—and also made me nervous.
“You’ll adjust quickly. Don’t worry too much,”
Eden said, giving my hand a gentle squeeze.
His voice was soft, and his eyes were full of warmth, like someone worried his beloved might be startled.
…It looked like I didn’t need to worry about his acting. I forced a smile and nodded.
“And where is the other guest?” Norton asked.
Right then, another carriage came in behind us. It was Echo’s.
The knights who were waiting opened the door, and the moment Echo stepped out, the servants gasped.
‘Well, my niece is very pretty.’
I smiled proudly to myself.
Even though she could probably feel everyone’s stares, Echo just looked around as if she didn’t notice.
Then our eyes met. Echo’s face immediately lit up.
“Aunt…!”
She quickly came running toward me.
“Be careful—running is dangerous. Did you enjoy the art?”
“Yes! It was so fun!”
Echo nodded excitedly. Her green eyes sparkled—it looked like she really had a good time.
She’s so cute. I gently patted her hair without messing it up.
“Hello, Miss Echo. I’m Norton, the butler of this estate. Thank you for coming,”
Norton politely greeted her as well. Only then did Echo seem to realize there were others around and shrank back a little.
“Ah, hello…”
“No need to be so formal. In this house, the only people you need to speak formally to are Lady Godel and the Duke.”
Norton said this, glancing at Eden.
So Norton must be one of those who know Eden well.
A butler is the highest-ranking servant in a noble house. If he says something, the others will follow.
I glanced at Eden. Even though he was the Duke, I was sure many people had quietly opposed this marriage.
But he had prepared a drawing activity so Echo wouldn’t feel left out, and he’d talked to the butler ahead of time to make sure both Echo and I were treated with respect from the beginning.
‘His words may be tricky, but maybe he’s more thoughtful than I expected?’
Just then, Norton asked,
“Shall we move your luggage to the Duke’s bedroom?”
“Yes. And don’t forget to prepare a separate room for Miss Echo.”
“Yes, understood.”
But when I heard that, my face went stiff.
Bedroom? Echo gets her own room, but what about me?
I squeezed Eden’s hand tightly and pulled him toward me. He stopped walking and looked down at me.
“What’s wrong?”
“The bedroom…!”
I was about to raise my voice but quickly lowered it again when I remembered Echo and the servants were nearby. I forced a smile and whispered like a ventriloquist.
“Shouldn’t we use separate bedrooms? Sharing a bed already… it’s kind of embarrassing.”
We both knew this was a contract marriage, so there was no need to go that far. Besides, I figured Eden would feel uncomfortable too.
I said it with that meaning in mind, and Eden let out a soft “Ah” and smiled.
“Are you still embarrassed about things like that… with how close we already are?”
That felt a bit unfair.
He playfully furrowed his brow.
I heard a few servants gasp.
Even Norton raised an eyebrow.
Only Echo, who didn’t understand what was really going on, tilted her head in confusion.
This guy… He definitely understood what I meant but was teasing me on purpose.
I smiled sweetly and squeezed his arm.
“…I just need a little time to adjust to a new place.”
“Ah, right. I forgot.”
He nodded like he had just remembered.
“Glad you remembered now…”
“Godel,”
Suddenly, he called my name in a soft voice.
It was the first time he used my name without any title. Before I could even react, he leaned toward me.
“You said we had to fool the people closest to us first, remember?”
Then he whispered in my ear, just loud enough for me to hear.
“You told me you were prepared for this. So I’m doing my part, too.”
Isn’t that right?
He tilted his head slightly, asking for my agreement.
And then I understood.
“You might face things you don’t want to. People may ask rude questions.”
He had known this kind of situation would happen all along.
‘That’s why he asked me if I was ready…!’
Realizing I had been tricked, I could only open and close my mouth.
Looking pleased, Eden gave my hand a firm squeeze.
“I’ve seen your strong sense of responsibility. I’ll be counting on you.”
So please, don’t make me look like a sad, divorced man.
Eden ended his sentence with a warm smile.
***
After falling so easily for Eden’s little game, I seriously thought about giving up on pretending.
Because after what he just said, I didn’t think I could keep smiling at him like nothing happened.
Luckily, a knight approached Eden at that moment. From the look on his face, it seemed urgent.
“I would guide you myself, but something important just came up. Please excuse me for a moment.”
Eden bowed and left us. I smiled as if I was fine, but inside, I was cheering. My mouth had already started twitching from all the forced smiling—this was a relief.
In his place, the butler Norton offered to guide us.
The Bertenon estate was huge and luxurious.
The garden seemed endless, and the tall ceilings and spotless floors sparkled like someone cleaned them every day.
A clean and well-kept space meant a lot of people put in effort.
And that meant many eyes were watching.
I felt like people were observing me even now, so I straightened my back on purpose—as if to say I wasn’t intimidated at all.
“Lady Godel.”
Two maids in uniform came up to Echo and me. Norton introduced them.
“Please allow me to introduce them. This is Helen, and this is Hannah. Helen will assist Lady Godel, and Hannah will assist Miss Echo. Helen, Hannah, please greet them.”
“My name is Helen. It’s an honor to serve you.”
“I’m Hannah. I look forward to serving you.”
“Nice to meet you.”
“Uh, n-nice to meet you…”
Echo stammered. It seemed she wasn’t used to having someone attend to her.
But instead of looking at her strangely, Hannah smiled kindly.
“Please speak however is comfortable for you.”
“It’s just… I’m not used to it yet…”
“You’ll feel comfortable soon. For now, since it’s been a long trip, I’ll help you take a warm bath.”
Hannah gently guided Echo. Echo looked at me, a little unsure. Her face showed worry.
“I want to go with…”
I was about to say something but then stopped myself. I smiled and told Echo,
“Go ahead. You’ll feel better after soaking in warm water.”
Hearing my words, Echo hesitated for a moment, then slowly nodded and walked off with Hannah.
I watched them as they walked away.
“…You’re not going with her?”
Norton asked gently.
He seemed to be wondering if it was okay to leave Echo alone when she still didn’t fully trust us.
Still looking at Echo and Hannah, I replied,
“Even if she’s not an adult yet, Echo is fifteen. I can’t follow her into the bath.”
As the future duchess, if I stayed by her side all the time, I could keep an eye on things.
I could watch if anyone treated her badly, or if someone with hidden intentions approached her in the name of loyalty.
But that wouldn’t mean I was protecting her.
