RVMPT Chapter 13-14

Chapter 13

“I was staring because your eyes are pretty.”  

It wasn’t something I couldn’t say, so I answered honestly. His eyes, reflecting the sunlight, were so beautiful that I couldn’t describe them with the words I had.  

Before I ended up in this body, I’d never found someone’s eyes so captivating.  

Maybe it’s because I’ve never seen anyone as handsome as Harold?  

“Hmm. Didn’t you once say my eye color was dull compared to Kaiden’s?”  

“…I must’ve been blind back then.”  

“Really? So now, do you like mine better than Kaiden’s?”  

I nodded.  

Kaiden’s red eyes were, of course, beautiful, but I preferred Harold’s dark blue eyes, like the early dawn.  

“I’m really happy my darling likes my eyes.”  

Darling…?  

I glanced up, wondering why he was suddenly acting like this again, only to find Harold smiling gently at me.  

Then he whispered softly to me.  

“Someone’s watching us right now.”  

His dark blue eyes briefly shifted to the left before settling back on me.  

Who could it be? I resisted the urge to glance over and kept my eyes on Harold instead.  

His gaze softened as if to say I did well. Harold reached out and gently stroked my cheek.  

“Darling, do you know how beautiful you are right now? You’re wearing the clothes I bought for you, and you’re looking only at me. Even though we’re outside, it drives me crazy every time you do that.”  

“Oh, come on. We agreed to behave when we’re in public.”

“Yeah, but what can I do? I can’t hold back.”

Harold cupped my cheek in his hand. As if the already small distance between us wasn’t close enough, it got even smaller.

My breath could almost slide down the tip of his nose—it was that close.  

Gasp! Our noses touched.  

I raised my eyebrows, silently asking him to stop, but Harold didn’t.  

Was he really going to kiss me right here?  

Not that we haven’t kissed before, but still…  

Despite the chaos inside me, Harold’s eyes shamelessly crinkled with a smile. I unconsciously held my breath.  

Just when our lips were about to meet, the wind blew again.  

I tried to grab my hat before it could fly off, but Harold was faster.  

“My darling’s reflexes are so slow.”  

“Have you ever thought that maybe you’re just too fast?”

At that moment, someone else’s hat, blown by the wind, brushed against the hem of my skirt.  

I quickly picked it up. It was a short-brimmed brown hat. I looked around to find its owner and soon saw an elderly woman walking toward us.

She had light pink hair, streaked with white, and golden eyes. Her elegant appearance alone gave off an aura that demanded respect.

She wasn’t a main character in the novel. She didn’t even have any direct connection to ‘Diana.’ However, I did recall that the protagonist admired this woman, proud of sharing the same eye color with her. She was also a figure no noble in high society could ignore.

She had once been the head maid of the imperial palace, and even though she’d stepped back from social activities, the connections she built still held influence over high society.

“You know who Marchioness Mayer is, right?”  

I blinked at Harold, confirming that I did.

“She’s the one who’s been watching us for a while. Looks like she let her hat fly on purpose.”

“To have an excuse to talk to us?”

“My wife is getting smarter.”

It was a common tactic used in high society to strike up a conversation with someone they had no connection with. The same idea as intentionally dropping a handkerchief.

‘Why would Marchioness Mayer want to talk to us, though?’

I glanced at Harold to see if he knew, but before I could ask, I felt a presence stop just a few feet away. I looked up.

Marchioness Mayer offered a greeting, maintaining just the right amount of formality, neither lowering herself too much nor being disrespectful. It was textbook etiquette.

“It’s an honor to meet the Duke and Duchess of Vissen. I must apologize if my hat, blown away by the wind, interrupted your lovely time together.”  

“It’s no trouble. The wind is strong today, isn’t it? If it weren’t for Harold, I would’ve lost my hat several times already.”  

I handed her the hat. As she put it back on, Marchioness Mayer’s sharp golden eyes fixed on me, shining with interest.  

“You look quite different from when you were single, Duchess.”  

“Do I?”  

If I were still ‘Diana’ right now… Hmm… Better not think about it.  

“I suppose it’s because I have someone to rely on now.”

I leaned my head on Harold’s shoulder, trying to play the role of a loving couple.

“As the rumors say, you two are indeed very close.”

Marchioness Mayer’s gaze dropped down slightly.

“I never thought I’d see the Duke holding a lady’s hand with his bare hands.”

“Well, my wife is special.”

She looked back at me. Her eyes narrowed slightly as if considering something, and then she gestured to the maid standing behind her. The maid handed her a blue envelope, which the Marchioness then offered to me.

“We’ll be hosting a small party at the Mayer estate soon. I’d like to give you this, hoping that today’s meeting will lead to more in the future.”  

I held my breath. This party, hosted by such a powerful figure in high society, would be the perfect opportunity for me to make my debut as a Duchess.

In other words, it could solve the problem that had been giving me and the butler headaches for weeks!

I tried my best to remain composed as I accepted the invitation, though my fingertips trembled slightly as I did.

“Thank you for the invitation.”

“I won’t keep you from your enjoyable time together any longer. I hope to see both of you again soon.”

With that, she turned and left without hesitation, as if her business here was done.

“Diana, shall we head back too?”

“Yes.”

I kept my calm until we were in the carriage, but the moment we were inside, I grabbed Harold’s arm.

“Harold, can you see this? Do you see this invitation?”

I was so excited that I waved the invitation right in front of his face.

“My eyesight’s fine, you know.”

“Yes, but you didn’t seem surprised at all. I never thought Marchioness Mayer would give me an invitation. I still can’t believe it!”  

I pinched my cheek just to make sure this wasn’t a dream. Ouch. It hurt, so this was real.  

“I already expected her to give you one, so why would I be surprised?”  

Did you expect it? How?  

I glanced between the invitation and Harold.  

Even from his perspective, I didn’t see how he could’ve predicted this. The old ‘Diana’ would’ve been completely shocked if Marchioness Mayer had given her an invitation.  

“Diana, what kind of relationship did we have before?”  

“Um, terrible?”

“And what was your behavior like when you were chasing after Kaiden?”  

“….”  

“That’s why.”  

Harold crossed his legs and tilted his head slightly to the left.  

“If I were Marchioness Mayer, and I saw a monkey marry a human and then transform into someone proper, I’d be curious too.”  

“…Are you calling me a monkey?”

“Don’t take it to heart. It’s just a metaphor.”

This guy is so annoying.

I feel grateful, but also really annoyed.

“High society ladies have no reason to invite a wild troublemaker who would ruin the mood of their gatherings. But why wouldn’t they invite someone who’s become human? You’re not just some count’s daughter anymore—you’re the Duchess of Vissen.”

Harold spoke with arrogant confidence, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, folding his arms across his chest.

“Since you’ve spent so long with a reputation as a troublemaker, Marchioness Mayer might want to see for herself how much you’ve changed at this party.”

The mention of her possibly testing me made me tense up instinctively. I looked down at the invitation, gripping it tighter to stop my trembling hands.

“Are you scared, Diana?”

“Yes. But it’s not just fear. It’s also a chance to change my reputation.”

When I thought about it, today had been lucky for me, thanks to Harold. If he hadn’t passed by that spot earlier, I would’ve been kidnapped. If he hadn’t suggested this date, I wouldn’t have met Marchioness Mayer.

‘As long as I remain the Duchess of Vissen, I need to make sure I don’t bring shame to Harold or the Vissen family.’

I gazed out of the carriage window at the warm sunlight filtering in.

***

The two of them arrived back at the Duke’s estate. Harold headed straight to his office.

Because of their unexpected outing, his work had piled up during the time he should’ve been dealing with it.

Knock knock.

“Your Grace, it’s Evan.”

“Come in.”

Harold’s aide, Evan, entered the office carrying some documents that needed approval. He placed the papers on the desk, then lowered his voice conspiratorially.

“Have you found out why the madam visited the Anais Guild?”

Chapter 14

As soon as Harold received the telegram from the Anais Guild, he immediately stopped his work and left. Harold was someone who valued a structured life and rarely did anything outside his planned schedule. 

Given his terminal illness, a misfortune beyond his control, Harold believed he had to be perfect to protect himself. He hated anything around him that he couldn’t control. Especially Diana’s mysterious powers, which were the only key to freeing him from his illness. The fact that she was moving in secret without telling him was making him anxious in more ways than one. 

If even Evan was feeling uneasy, how much worse must Harold be feeling? 

Evan had been by Harold’s side for a long time, so he was sure Harold would’ve grilled Diana to the bone by now.

“I didn’t ask her.”

“What?” 

“I didn’t ask her.”

“…Are you saying you didn’t ask or you couldn’t ask?”

Evan, completely dumbfounded, asked again. He even rubbed his ears, thinking he must have heard wrong.

“Both, I suppose.” 

What kind of nonsense is this?

While Evan was left with his mouth hanging open in confusion, Harold leaned back in his chair with a calm expression. The soft material of the chair provided stable support for his broad back.

“It’s better to let Diana use the Anais Guild without knowing anything.”

“Ah… I see. That makes sense.” 

Evan nodded as if he understood. This way, they wouldn’t raise any suspicions, and it wouldn’t be too bad for keeping an eye on Diana’s actions and figuring out how to respond. But still, what did he mean by ‘couldn’t’ ask?

However, Harold didn’t seem interested in resolving Evan’s curiosity. Instead, he picked up a report detailing the places where Diana had invested. There were some high-value investments, but there were also some that made no sense.

Harold glanced over the documents and rolled his tongue in his mouth as if lost in thought, his cheeks puffing up slightly.

He vividly recalled Diana’s terrified face when she was surrounded by human traffickers, the way her expression softened with relief the moment their eyes met, the tears welling up in her blue eyes, and the lark-like voice that had reassured him she felt safe when she saw him. 

It was all still fresh in his mind, especially the tear-streaked face that had stopped him from interrogating her further. 

Diana had once told him that she used to run away from beggars trying to steal her stale bread and escape from human traffickers. She shared this on her second day at the estate. Even without her telling him, it was obvious what a noble lady, suddenly thrown out into the streets, would have gone through.

Everyone knew this, but now it was really starting to bother him.

Frowning, Harold slowly rubbed his lips. 

“She’s been through all that, yet she still had the nerve to go out alone?” 

Harold scoffed, finding it ridiculous, but his lingering displeasure soon silenced him. Narrowing his eyes, he got lost in thought before calling Evan.

“What did you do with the human traffickers we caught?”

“They’re currently locked in the underground prison.” 

“Feed them to the starving wolves. Or better yet, hand them over to the people they sold into slavery.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And—”

Harold’s cold, stern voice continued. 

“Summon the leader of the Black Hawks.”

The Black Hawks were an unofficial knight order that only listened to Harold’s commands. They usually handled things that couldn’t be done publicly.

“Time to clean up the streets.”

That should keep Diana from wandering out and putting herself in danger again.

Feeling his earlier irritation ease up, Harold let out a lazy smile.

***

Recently, Diana had been busy preparing for Lady Mayer’s party. The most time-consuming part of the preparations? was Dance practice.

Despite having Diana’s memories, knowledge, and experiences, none of that was helping her when it came to social dancing. Unfortunately, Diana was a terrible dancer.

“Ugh!” 

She tripped and twisted her ankle, falling to the floor. The pain was brief thanks to her abilities, but tears still welled up in her eyes.

Before being reincarnated into this world, she never had any reason to learn ballroom dancing. As a result, she was having a hard time learning from the basics, She had improved a lot since her first day, but she still kept tripping over her own feet.

“Madam, wouldn’t it be best to take a break?” 

“I’m fine.” 

“But you’ve already fallen three times today…”

“It’s still better than yesterday when I fell five times. The party is the day after tomorrow, so I need to practice more.” 

“If you keep this up, you won’t even be able to walk on the day of the party, Madam.”

The woman teaching her how to dance, Evan’s wife, was looking at her with pity in her eyes.

Diana scratched her cheek awkwardly, feeling embarrassed. She had healing abilities, so a bit of overexertion wasn’t a big deal.

“Alright, how about we take a short break?”

“Yes, please.”

Diana nodded and checked the time. It was about the right time for someone from the dress shop to arrive.

And just as expected, word came that they had brought the custom-made dress.

“I’ll go check it out for a moment.” 

“Ah… so you’re not taking a break after all…” 

Diana could faintly hear Evan’s wife sighing in the background as she headed to her room. She just had to try on the gown one last time and confirm there were no more adjustments needed.

She changed from her practice clothes into the formal dress, and then back into her indoor attire.

The dress shop staff and the head maid were discussing the final touches that needed to be made. From what she heard, the dress should be finished by the end of the day.

“Now all that’s left is for me to be ready.”

There’s no way I can avoid dancing at the party… especially since I’m now the Duchess of Vissen, meaning all eyes will be on me. I can’t let them find anything to criticize, so I really should get back to practicing, she thought as she opened the door.

Through the crack of the door, she heard some commotion.

“Is that coming from downstairs? What’s going on?”

In all her time here, she’d never heard anyone raising their voice in the mansion. Diana, still mindful of the dress shop staff and head maid in her room, quickened her pace.

As she reached the main staircase, she made eye contact with the butler, who was rushing up in a hurry.

“The young lord Garcia is insisting he won’t leave until he meets with you, my lady. He’s being quite forceful about it.” the butler said.

“So the one shouting is the Vincent, huh?” Diana replied.

“Yes, ma’am…”

Since he was a relative of the household’s mistress, the butler must’ve been hesitant to throw him out on his own. Diana gave her orders without delay.

“Bring him to the reception room for now. But next time, just kick him out right away.”

Though she didn’t want to waste her precious time on this troublesome relative, there were other guests in the estate today, so causing more of a scene would only be inconvenient.

“As you wish,” the butler responded promptly, seemingly pleased with her decision, and moved swiftly. Diana followed closely behind.

Standing in front of the reception room, she took a deep breath to calm herself and composed her expression.

“You’re finally here?” 

Upon entering, she found Vincent lounging with his legs spread wide and his elbow propped on the chair, giving her a casual nod. It was exactly how she remembered him treating ‘Diana’ in her memories.

“Viscount, mind your manners,” Diana said sternly.

“Hey, we’re not in some official setting, and your husband isn’t even here. Why should I bother treating someone like you with respect?”

Harold had gone out for business and wasn’t expected back until the evening. Whether Vincent knew this before he came or found out upon arrival, it was clear from his dismissive glare that he didn’t take her seriously without Harold around.

“So, how much allowance are you getting?” Vincent asked bluntly, not even bothering to hide the greed gleaming in his blue eyes.

“Does he need more money to gamble?” Diana thought. According to her memories, Vincent had a notorious habit of gambling. Even though the Count strongly disapproved, Vincent couldn’t quit. He still indulged in it within the limits of his allowance.

“Why should I tell you that?” Diana responded coolly.

“Oh, come on. Don’t make a big deal out of it. If I ask, just tell me. You’re the beloved duchess, so I bet you’re getting quite the sum,” he sneered, extending his hand toward her.

“What’s the point of having a family if not for things like this? You’ve got to repay us for raising you, right? You owe us,” he said confidently.

‘Repay them for raising me?’ Diana stifled a bitter laugh. He genuinely believed she’d just hand over money at his demand. It was laughable how entitled he was.

But the only reason Diana could even think this way now was because she was an outsider. The original “Diana” was a bastard child of the Garcia family, who had always been afraid of her biological father and half-brother. She had lived in constant fear and resentment of them, always shrinking in their presence.

The original Diana would never have dared to oppose them.

If she did, she’d be punished immediately.