"I simply couldn't bring myself to go with another woman."
At the Duke's rude remarks, a fierce look briefly flickered in the Grand Madam's eyes.
'Where did you learn to do such a despicable thing!'
The adopted son only brought disgrace to the family. He had practically neglected the affairs of the estate and was making a name for himself as a libertine who chased after banquets every night.
'To think I built something like that with my own hands.'
She managed to compose herself, her expression threatening to turn menacing, and spoke up again.
"Diana confessed to me that she has admired the Duke for a long time; isn't she the perfect woman for you, both in beauty and family background?"
Actually, she didn't care whether her adopted son acted like a libertine or lived a life drowning in alcohol.
All that was needed was to sweet-talk him into marrying the Count of Vale's daughter. The Count of Vale was a man who owned many gold mines and had a very close relationship with her. Diana also listened well to her, making her the perfect daughter-in-law.
'We can just set up a new successor to replace the disobedient scoundrel.'
As the Grand Madam kept talking only about Diana Veil, the Duke's eyes narrowed.
"Right now, I can only see this woman."
As the Duke bowed his head and acted as if he were about to kiss Shioana's neck, the atmosphere in the drawing room grew increasingly hostile.
Katrina had no choice but to turn her gaze to his partner at the Duke's blatant display of affection.
"Would you introduce that woman to me?"
"I cannot introduce a woman who is not a noble to Madam Bernhard."
"...You're saying she's not a noble? What on earth are you talking about?"
Katrina’s voice was sharp, her face flushed with anger. However, the Duke replied calmly, paying no heed to her reaction.
"I apologize, but if you have nothing more to say, I will take my leave. There is a time when one is young and has their own affairs."
***
A long sigh escaped Shioana's lips as she left the drawing room.
'I almost got a cramp in my leg.'
It was only for a short time, but she almost collapsed from the tension. She didn't know for sure, but the relationship between Duke Bernhard and the Godmother seemed very bad.
'Wow, there's another person who looks like Eli.'
Everything the Grand Madam said seemed to be for the other person's sake, but in reality, it was closer to unilateral orders. She does not know who Diana Vale is, but to the Duke, she is likely a figure like Count Noah.
The person he must marry.
'But why do I feel this way?'
She was not hurt just because she was ignored by the Grand Madam.
'...But.'
She was a little concerned about the owner of the arm she was holding.
As she glanced up, the profile of the Duke with his lips tightly sealed came into view. His face was pale, looking as if he were about to collapse at any moment.
'Not all rumors are true.'
Because the Duke, who holds power second only to His Majesty Emperor Urcheka, and who possesses everything—handsome looks and wealth—looked particularly pitiful today.
'I have a really severe case, too.'
How dare you pity anyone when you don't even have a bed to lie your body on?
As she shook her head slightly, Shioana asked him.
"Your Excellency, is today's work all finished?"
"Right, Cedric will take you. Follow him."
The Duke answered without making eye contact, and Cedric approached at his gesture. As Duke Bernhard appeared at the banquet hall, women swarmed around him like a hive of bees.
"Your Excellency! Dance with me next time!"
Requests for dances poured in, and the Duke enjoyed popularity at the center of it all. Shioana wore a dejected expression at the radiant, charming smile on his face.
"I worried for nothing."
As Shioana sighed, Cedric approached the leaf.
"It's late, so shall we leave now?"
The carriage returning to Sector 8 was silent. Cedric did not speak to her, as she looked tired, and Shioana had no intention of saying anything either.
'The higher the number, the deeper the night gets.'
As the carriage passed through Zone 5, no lights were illuminating the road, so visibility was poor. Upon entering Zone 8, it was pitch black all around.
'I didn't realize it because I've only been here.'
Shioana opened her eyes wide, feeling somehow like a frog in a well.
“Thank you for your hard work today.”
Cedric broke the long silence and spoke.
"Feel free to speak informally to me, Viscount."
"Although it is only temporary, since you have become His Excellency's lover, it is proper to show proper respect."
At Viscount Conrad's words, she once again clearly realized her current situation.
'Temporary stand-in for a lover.'
She thinks she roughly knows why she was chosen.
He must take a poor stranger, not a noble, so that the lady will be furious just like before.
'He paid money to buy me, and I just do my job.'
"...Yes."
Shioana spoke in a bitter voice.
Cedric, observing her somber face, spoke cautiously.
"I doubt it will happen, but please do not harbor any ill feelings toward His Excellency. You might face difficulties later."
Cedric was handling the miscellaneous affairs of the Bernhard family as the Duke's secretary. This included problems involving the many women who admired him, which were quite a headache.
'I am pregnant with Duke Bernhard's child!'
There are so many scammers that he has dealt with such lies several times a day.
"That will absolutely never happen."
At Cedric's words, Shioana spoke firmly.
Cedric breathed a sigh of relief at her attitude and thought of the Duke who would be at the banquet hall. Duke Bernhard certainly frequented banquets every night. However, he was not particularly fond of banquets or meeting women.
'Why does it feel so unsettling?'
It felt as though the Duke was losing his composure, especially when he was with this woman before him. After all, the Duke, who usually avoided physical contact with others, personally held this woman's hand and practically embraced her.
The possibility that the woman before him might one day storm into the Bernhard estate holding a child could not be ruled out.
Cedric, who was meticulous in everything, asked cautiously.
"I apologize for being presumptuous, but I checked the documents and your husband's name wasn't there."
"...That does not seem to be your concern, Viscount."
Shioana responded sharply to Cedric's question.
The registration process for foreigners living in Urcheka was quite strict.
'Miss, I still don't think this is right.'
Despite Martha's dissuasion, Shioana wrote down Harriet as her son.
Normally, his mother had passed away, and his father was missing, but if she wrote it that way, Harriet could not be registered. They said that doing so might send the child to an orphanage.
'Where on earth is my brother, and what is he doing?'
Thinking of Eli, the source of all this tragedy, made her stomach churn.
It was a very complicated feeling
She desperately wanted Harriet to find her father, but she absolutely did not want to find her brother.
***
Martha, who was always full of energy whether happy, sad, or having a hard time, looked depressed in the morning.
"Harriet, you're a good boy."
Shioana glanced at Martha and spoke to Harriet again.
The child smiled brightly, as if in a good mood.
"I wonder why our Martha is so upset, huh?"
"Miss, I am truly disappointed."
Martha stopped boiling water on the stove and spoke in a hurt tone.
Shioana, who had returned late last night, could not offer any explanation. It was because she was so exhausted that she had fallen asleep as if collapsing. Seeing Shioana wearing a glamorous dress she had never seen before, Martha worried all night.
"I should be protecting the young lady..."
"I'm really sorry, Martha."
Shioana, having laid Harriet down, hugged Martha's back just as she was.
"You know what I mentioned the other day? I went and did it. I was too tired yesterday to have the energy to explain."
Martha spoke in a trembling voice at Shioana's explanation.
"I do not know what to do. This place is completely unfamiliar, and my speech is poor; I need to know how to do something. At this rate, far from protecting the young lady and the young master, I feel like I am nothing but a burden."
Martha's heart sank at the sight of the young woman working to make a living, even damaging her beautiful skin in the process.
"There was nothing to worry about. Just like Martha said, I got the job because I am elegant and pretty."
Martha gently wrapped her hand around the back of Shioana's hand.
"What more needs to be said about how beautiful our young lady is? It's a waste of words."
"Martha, let's hold on just a little longer."
Shioana believed that there was nothing she couldn't achieve if she did her best. If it weren't for that belief, she would have already collapsed under a series of misfortunes.
"We will definitely return to Regbell."
***
Since it was the end of the month, there was several times more paperwork to organize than usual. Shioana couldn't even get up from her chair except for lunch. When she finally stood up after finishing all the work, she felt dizzy.
"I told you, making money is this hard."
However, when she saw the piled-up documents, she felt a sense of pride.
As she finished getting ready to leave work and stepped out, Thompson and Murphy were also tidying up their desks.
"Thank you for your hard work, Secretary."
"Thank you for your hard work, Accountant as well."
As they greeted each other, Murphy's eyes lit up, and he clapped his hands.
"How about our one-month anniversary dinner tonight? I heard that the new bar at the harbor is having a buy-two-get-one-free promotion."
Refusal is one thing, but Shioana was always in a difficult position whenever this happened.
"Secretary, are you having trouble again today?"
While she was contemplating Murphy's suggestion, the two of them hurriedly exchanged greetings.
"...Thank you for your hard work, Secretary!"
She hadn't even come all the way down the stairs when the two of them disappeared into the distance. She was debating how to decline the company dinner, but she was slightly flustered.
"Why is he suddenly acting like that?"
As she descended to the building entrance, red water droplets, bathed in the sunset, were splashing in all directions above the fountain visible straight ahead. A gasp of admiration escaped her lips as she stood there in a daze.
“It’s beautiful.”
As she adjusted the bag in her hand, she was seized by a strange feeling. Beneath the cleared fountain, she saw a person who looked unnatural being there.
"...Why?"
A single word flowed down Shioana's throat.
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