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Chapter : 08
Today is the day I get engaged to Luciano. At last, the final thing I wanted is coming into my hands.
The diary entry written on the day of the engagement almost sounds as if she’s treating Luciano like an object.
Even more shocking was the entry written when Luciano’s parents passed away.
His Grace the Grand Duke and Her Grace the Grand Duchess died in a carriage accident.
Luciano was crying.
Luciano must inherit the title of Grand Duke, but since he is not yet an adult, he cannot succeed to the title unless he marries.
In the end, Luciano will have to marry me.
Is this what they call fate?
Even though the parents of the person she liked had died, Estelline showed no sign of sadness.
She simply accepted even this as if it were fate.
“Creepy.”
In the end, Luciano said he would marry me.
No matter how much he tried to refuse, there must have been no other choice.
Soon, Luciano and I will be married, and I will become the one and only Grand Duchess of this empire.
Just as expected, it seems Luciano tried to refuse marriage with Estelline.
I married Luciano. He disliked touching my hand as if it were filthy garbage, but what choice did he have?
He and I were now husband and wife.
On the first night, he treated me coldly, but it didn’t matter. He and I were bound by fate.
Estelline’s way of thinking was beyond creepy.
To think of someone who utterly despised her as her destiny.
“At this point, it’s only natural that Luciano hates her.”
Luciano didn’t ask me for a dance. At a banquet where my sister, my brother, and even my parents were present, I became an object of ridicule.
My father and mother sighed as they watched the state of my relationship with Luciano.
We’re destined to fall in love—so why is this happening?
At the banquet, Luciano did not ask Estelline to dance, and as rumors of discord between the couple spread, Estelline apparently became a laughingstock.
The maids looked down on me.
I am the youngest daughter of the Duke of Celedina, my older sister is the Empress, yet these vulgar commoners dare to disrespect me.
I was so angry that I whipped them and drove them out of the estate.
I thought it was justified, but Luciano got angry at me.
Are those commoners who disrespected me more important than me, his wife?
Looking through the rest of the diary, the relationship between Luciano and Estelline was not just terrible—it was pure ruin.
“At this point, getting a divorce would be better.”
I put away all the diaries and headed to Luciano’s sitting room.
“Madam! His Grace the Grand Duke is currently working.”
“It doesn’t matter. Open the door.”
“Please come back in a little while. I will inform him.”
Angered by the butler, who had been giving the same response for days, I ignored him and opened the door.
“I have something to say.”
Luciano spoke coldly, clearly displeased by my rudeness.
“Did you not hear the butler?”
“You keep avoiding me. I had no choice but to come in like this.”
“I have not avoided you. I simply find being in the same space as my wife unpleasant.”
“Then divorce me. You and I have endured this hollow marriage for four years—more than enough.”
“I told you before, divorce is not possible.”
“Don’t you hate me?”
“I do. I despise you. But even so, I cannot divorce you.”
“Tell me why. Until I hear a valid reason, I can’t understand you.”
Luciano stood up from his chair and walked toward me.
“Are you that curious?”
“I want to know.”
“We are conducting business with your maternal family. We’ve signed a contract with the Duke of Celedina regarding the distribution of mana stones. If we were to divorce at a time like this, it would disrupt the business.”
“So that’s the reason?”
“Yes.”
“Then divorce me once the business is concluded.”
When I countered him like that, Luciano finally nodded.
“Very well. When that time comes, I will divorce you.”
“And Luciano…”
I called him quietly.
“I’m sorry…”
On my way to see him, I debated whether or not to say this, but in the end, I decided it was better to say it and quietly offered my apology.
It wasn’t something I had done, but I wanted to apologize for what Estelline never did.
“I’ll be leaving now.”
I left the sitting room, feeling a little lighter.
“Madam, it’s cold outside. Please take a shawl.”
“All right. Thank you.”
After putting on the shawl, I went outside.
“Oh my! It looks like the ducal knights are training.”
The maids following behind me said excitedly as they looked at the knights.
“Greetings, Your Grace.”
At that moment, a knight standing at the front noticed me and quickly approached.
Judging by the way he led them, he seemed to be the captain of the knights.
“So you’re in training?”
“Yes. His Grace the Grand Duke has increased the intensity of the training.”
“Work hard. A strong knight order is what protects the ducal house.”
“Yes, Your Grace the Grand Duchess.”
Leaving the knight commander behind, I returned to my room.
As soon as I got back, I asked a question that had been bothering me for a while.
“Cassia?”
“Yes, Madam.”
“As the lady of the house, is there nothing for me to do?”
Cassia looked flustered for a moment before answering.
“Well… there are no duties specifically assigned to you, Madam.”
“Why? I am the lady of this household.”
“Even after your marriage, His Grace the Grand Duke retained control over internal administration. The authority you once had over managing the servants was taken back by His Grace after you expelled twenty maids.”
“So there’s really nothing for me to do?”
“You still oversee banquets and tea parties, Madam.”
“I see.”
I felt depressed by the sense of helplessness that there was nothing I could do.
“Divorce isn’t easy right now either…”
As I was sinking into gloom, a maid announced the arrival of a guest.
“Oh my. It seems Lady Selah has arrived.”
“Lady Selah?”
“You know her well too, Madam. She’s an old friend of His Grace the Grand Duke.”
A woman with sky-blue hair stepped down from the carriage and entered the ducal residence naturally.
“I’ve seen her in the diary.”
According to Estelline’s diary, her relationship with Lady Selah was not good.
“It’s been a while, Lady Melanie.”
“It has been a while, Butler.”
I went downstairs and saw Melanie Selah.
“It’s been a long time, Your Grace the Grand Duchess.”
She greeted me with perfect, impeccable etiquette.
“It has been a while, Lady Selah.”
“Lady Melanie, His Grace the Grand Duke is waiting for you. Please go ahead.”
To be honest, I was a bit surprised.
I hadn’t known Luciano had a woman he was close to.
If she was close to a grand duke, she must be from a respectable family—so I wondered why he had married Estelline.
“I’ll be going first, Your Grace the Grand Duchess.”
Melanie followed the butler to where Luciano was.
“Welcome, Melanie.”
“It’s been a while, Luciano.”
Luciano greeted Melanie with a smile he had never once shown Estelline.
“Did you meet my wife?”
“She seemed calm, unlike before.”
“That can’t be.”
As Luciano guided her, they naturally took their seats.
Luciano and Melanie were longtime friends.
There were two noble girls Luciano had known since childhood—one was Estelline, and the other was Melanie.
Both the Duke of Celedina’s family and the Count of Selah’s family belonged to the imperial faction, so they had maintained good relations since childhood.
Luciano became closer to the gentle Melanie rather than the arrogant Estelline.
“Of course, that was when they were young.”
Even after marriage, he and Melanie remained good friends. However, Estelline disliked Melanie and relentlessly harassed her, so for about seven months, Melanie did not visit the ducal residence.
“And because of the trauma from the bullying, Melanie even withdrew from social life.”
“I heard the Selah estate is hosting a banquet. Are you feeling better now?”
Melanie smiled as she answered.
“Yes. I worked hard over the past seven months. I thought I was better, so I asked my father and mother to host a banquet.”
She handed him an invitation sealed with a sky-blue crest.
“You’ll come, right?”
“I’ll attend with my wife. Will that be all right?”
“Of course. I want to build a good relationship with Her Grace the Grand Duchess.”
Luciano let out a sigh of relief.
“In that case, I’d like to stay for dinner tonight. With Her Grace the Grand Duchess as well.”
“Alright. I’ll have it prepared.”
Luciano and Melanie chatted warmly together.
After saying goodbye to Melanie and returning to my room, I stood alone on the terrace, letting the wind brush past me.
“Madam.”
“What is it?”
“His Grace the Grand Duke said that Lady Melanie will be joining you for dinner tonight as well.”
“I understand.”
My personal maids watched me carefully, worried that I might be displeased.
“Don’t worry. I won’t harass Lady Selah anymore.”
Even after I said that, they still kept an eye on me.
“Honestly… I really won’t harass her anymore.”
Giving up on explaining further, I picked up a macaron and ate it.
I wasn’t sure if these were Estelline’s lingering emotions, but seeing Melanie made me uncomfortable.
“Seeing Melanie reminds me of Rebecca.”
In the novel, the female lead Rebecca was described as bright and pure.
Someone who smiled often, yet had perfect manners.
I hadn’t met Rebecca yet, but I felt she would resemble Melanie.
“Right… these are the original Estelline’s memories. I’m fine.”
I secretly wished evening wouldn’t come, but the unwanted evening arrived nonetheless.
“Madam. His Grace the Grand Duke and Lady Melanie have arrived in the dining room. Please come down.”
I sighed inwardly and asked the maid to help me prepare.
“Please put the shawl on me.”
After draping the shawl over my shoulders, I went down to the dining room.
When I opened the door, I saw Luciano and Melanie seated at the head of the table and beside it.
“You’ve arrived, my lady.”
“Sorry for being late. Luciano, and Lady Selah.”
“No, it’s quite all right. Are you uncomfortable with this dinner arrangement?”
Melanie asked carefully, and I wanted to answer—
“I’m so uncomfortable I want to leave right now.”
That’s what I wanted to say.
