The mark left on the Grand Duchess's cheek was clearly a handprint.
It was blurry as if some time had passed since the day it happened, but you could tell just by looking at the swollen shape.
It was clear that someone had waved their hand and left a mark...
Even as he asked if she had been stabbed, Kishian could not accept the situation.
A handcuff.
The woman he chose was manipulated within his own territory.
Of course, he still harbored resentment toward the Grand Duchess.
But apart from that, it was something that absolutely should not have happened. The Grand Duchess getting beaten.
Who the hell dares?
A cold emotion he had never felt before was warming his heart.
He urged her on, his hand gripping the Grand Duchess's shoulder with great strength.
"Aren't I asking you about that mark on your face..."
"I wasn't slapped."
The Grand Duchess, who had been keeping her mouth shut, finally looked straight at Kishian.
After that, she denied it again in a clear tone.
"I have never been touched. Who would dare to lay a hand on a Princess and a Grand Duchess?"
"...Then what about that mark on your face?"
"I bumped into something. That's all."
The look in the Grand Duchess's eyes as she answered was quite arrogant.
As if she were a noble being who had never been hurt by anyone in her entire life.
If it had been another time, he might have just been fooled by that attitude.
'Yeah, there's no way a woman like that would get beaten up by someone else. It was something I might have believed.'
However, the faint mark left on her pure white cheek kept irritating his nerves, so Kishian could not open his wrinkled eyes for a while...
"A mark from a collision..."
"Yes. You don't have to worry about it."
"But no matter how I look at it. It's...."
“Kishian.”
It had been a long time since the Grand Duchess had called his name.
No, maybe it was the first time?
While he paused, feeling a tingling sensation spread across his chest, the Grand Duchess asked.
"Is that something you care about?"
"..."
"Even if I really was slapped by someone, would that matter to you?"
The Grand Duchess continued to ask him the crucial question while he was unable to answer.
"Isn't my happiness what you want anyway?"
That's not wrong.
It wasn't completely wrong, but for some reason, he got extremely angry at that moment.
"So you're saying that it's true that someone put their hands on you? And it's none of my business, so just ignore it?"
"..."
"Ha."
When he saw the Grand Duchess not responding until the end, I couldn't help but laugh in vain.
He opened his mouth, hiding his rising anger with a forced smile.
"Yes, I understand."
As he responded, Kishian got up from his seat.
After that, he spoke to the Grand Duchess, who was just sitting there sipping tasteless tea, in a complaining tone.
"If my wife wants to live with being beaten, there's nothing else I can do for you."
The Grand Duchess never responded.
Kishian ran away with his eyes distorted, but the Grand Duchess did not stop him.
The sound of a sigh of relief only served to further irritate Kishian.
***
Even after returning to the main office, Kishian had a hard time calming down.
So, he put aside his busy work for a moment and devoted himself to thinking.
If she was hit while staying in the North Annex, the culprit must have been one of the employees there.
Because up until now, only the local servants had access to that place.
If that was the case, it wouldn't have been that difficult.
Now that she is the Grand Duchess, all she has to do is say one word to her husband to punish the insolent servant.
'Are you saying you'd rather get beaten up than get help from someone like me?'
He gritted his teeth in anger and went to the window.
After that, he opened the curtains with a rough gesture and looked out the window.
The northern annex where the Grand Duchess resided was a building fairly close to the main building.
So, he could observe the place at any time through the window in the main building.
As he had done ever since the day he brought the Grand Duchess home, this time too he hid behind the shadow of the curtain and secretly watched the Grand Duchess.
The Grand Duchess sat in the garden, leisurely sipping tea, unaware that anyone was watching her.
As he looked at that sight, his heart began to boil again.
'There will come a day when you will have to bend that great pride.'
She can't be that arrogant forever.
As a woman isolated and alone in her own domain, she will soon need somewhere to lean on.
If he waited just a little longer, she would need someone to rely on.
So, if the weakened Grand Duchess were to bend her pride and sincerely reflect on her actions...
Kissian, who had been thinking that far, frowned in surprise at his own thoughts.
'...What if she reflects?'
Are you thinking of forgiving her now? In this twisted situation?
From the moment one side betrayed the other, the relationship was already irreparably damaged.
Since their hatred for each other had deepened, forgiveness would be impossible.
"... I didn't bring you here to forgive you. I brought you here to keep you by my side and slowly break you down."
After saying that as if to confirm her determination, he roughly closed the curtains.
The Grand Duchess soon disappeared from sight.
***
Another day has passed since Kishian left.
In the meantime, all I did was laze around in my bedroom or sit in the garden and think.
It was because Kishian never allowed me to do anything I should do as a hostess.
Well, that's only natural.
How could he entrust the management of his estate to a woman he hated so much?
Anyway, that's why my day was very simple and boring.
I didn't hate that fact, because it gave me time to think.
'I think I should go to the pond today and organize my plans.'
Yesterday, Kishian suddenly appeared, so I didn't have time to think deeply.
So today was the day I really decided to make a proper plan.
What should I do to get what I want, 'complete freedom'?
However, it was frustrating to stay indoors and rack my brain, so I called my maid for the first time in a long while and went to the pond.
As soon as I pulled the rope, a maid slowly appeared and asked.
"Did you call?"
The moment I saw that maid with the rag-colored hair, my mood plummeted.
'She follows that insolent maid.'
After watching her for a few days, I realized that the rag-colored maid was like the head maid's right-hand woman.
As much as the head maid hated me, that child also secretly looked at me with contempt, so I clearly remembered her face.
Who knew that kid would come?
I was extremely reluctant, but it would have been the same if I had called another maid.
Did my side even exist here in the first place?
So I gave up and said what I needed to.
"Bring me a pair of comfortable shoes. All the shoes in my closet right now are uncomfortable."
"Why do you need comfortable shoes?"
"...I'm thinking of going to the pond today. It'll be a long walk to get there."
"Yes, I'll bring it to you right away."
I thought she would be more annoyed, but contrary to my expectations, the maid simply bowed her head and went off to get the shoes.
"Ha..."
I took a deep breath, trying to calm my agitated nerves.
After that, I waited for a long time.
That was the reason why the rag-head who went to get the shoes appeared so slowly a long time later.
"Here, I brought you some shoes."
The moment I saw the shoes the maid had handed me, my nerves, which had barely calmed down, became tense again.
"... Didn't I tell you to bring comfortable shoes?"
"Doesn't this look comfortable? It's not that far from the pond."
After hearing that absurd response, I could only laugh in vain.
This looks comfortable.
The shoes the maid brought had a heel that must have been a span high, and they looked extremely uncomfortable to anyone who saw them.
If you walked to the pond wearing something like this, you would definitely feel severe pain.
'You've still messed up the training of your maids. I thought you'd come to your senses a little after getting beaten up last time.'
Judging from the way she was acting so openly, it seemed like the head maid had placed some very strong orders on this child.
Whatever the Grand Duchess asks, never just give in and give her medicine.
So I had no intention of getting angry.
Because I guess what the head maid really wants is for me to get angry and whine.
"I don't need it, so take it with you."
"Why are you telling me now that you don't need it? It's something I worked hard to get."
I didn't intend to get angry like they wanted, but I didn't intend to just give in to it either.
The maid's attitude seemed to be crossing the line, so her expression hardened.
"Aren't you employed by the Grand Duke of Lennon? Before that, you were one of the residents of the Grand Duke of Lennon."
A look of doubt filled the rag-haired maid's eyes.
"I don't know why you're suddenly saying such an obvious thing. Of course, I work here..."
"Yes, that's obvious. But I'm worried that you might have forgotten that obvious fact."
The rag-haired maid's mouth snapped shut as if she was nervous.
I then told the silent maid a very obvious fact.
"Do you know that every action you take toward me, the Grand Duchess, could be a great insult to the Grand Duke?"
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