IKSDTWD 20

~Chapter 20~

A few days later, Elin stood by the window, her face tired.

Despite her gloomy mood, the morning sunlight was so bright that it hurt her eyes.

She hadn’t been able to sleep well since returning home; her mind kept churning.

‘They’ll do anything to cling to the Duke, trying to take something from him. That’s just who they are.’

She recalled how excited her father and stepmother had been when they saw her marrying the Duke, as if they had struck gold.

Those shiny, greedy faces…

Thinking of her family’s dark intentions made her chest tighten.

How could they torment her even after she had left that house?

“Milady, the Duchess has invited the ladies for an afternoon tea party.”

A maid informed her from behind. Elin forced a smile, hiding her grim expression.

“Very well.”

The maid left the room and whispered to Monica, who was carrying a vase.

“It seems the new Duchess is feeling rather downcast.”
“Understandable. Word has already spread that the Duke left the house the day after the wedding. Everyone’s whispering that their relationship is already strained.”

Monica sighed softly, staring at the vase in her hands.

She couldn’t help but wonder if the new Duchess might end up like the flowers in that vase—maintaining her place beautifully every day, yet unnoticed.

“The Duke, really… even on his honeymoon, business is so urgent?”

Hearing the maid’s complaint, Monica straightened up immediately.

“Shh! Here comes the Grand Duchess.”

They stepped aside quickly as the Grand Duchess approached, flawless from head to toe.

“Has the Duchess risen? Tell her I wish to see her now.”

Melisa adjusted her elegantly coiled hair and commanded.

Elin spent the morning touring the mansion, guided by Jeffrey and Monica.

The mansion was far larger than it appeared, and every corner reflected its historic charm.

“This is the back entrance to the stables. There’s a path leading directly from the stables to the front gate.”

Wandering the maze-like mansion, Elin felt there must be hundreds of doors.

Opening one led straight into the rear garden.

“What’s that over there?”

An old, single-story building stood isolated, clashing somewhat with the mansion’s grandeur.

Elin noticed both Jeffrey and Monica stiffen at her question, which only made her more curious.

“That’s the gardener’s residence.”
“The gardener? Could that be Tommy—the blond man I met on my morning walk, the one with a good impression?”

Elin recalled the middle-aged man she had met that morning, tipping his hat and smiling warmly.

When Jeffrey hesitated to answer, Monica spoke up.

“No, someone else lives there. A troublesome one.”

At that moment, the shack’s door creaked open, and a disheveled man staggered outside.

Unaware they were watching, he stretched and spat onto the ground.

“That man is…”

Elin remembered seeing him during her previous attempt to go out in the carriage.

“He’s drunk all the time. The maids avoid him and won’t even use this door. When drunk, he picks fights.”

Monica rattled off the story of his misdeeds as if firing bullets.

Jeffrey merely cleared his throat awkwardly beside her.

“Why does no one do anything about him?”

Elin couldn’t understand. He seemed utterly out of place in this mansion.

Why had no one taken proper action?

“Well…”

The head maid, who had been venting her frustration, glanced at Jeffrey before speaking.

“The Grand Duchess has often been away, either abroad or at a villa. She rarely knows the household affairs and rarely intervenes. Any problems with the staff are left to the butler, or she simply avoids them.”

Elin turned her gaze to Jeffrey, ready to hear his side.

“That man is cowardly. When the Duke is around, he behaves as quiet as a mouse. The real victims are the lower staff. The Duke said he would expel him if he could, but he’s so busy with business and other matters… Besides, the man’s father was very close to the late Duke…”

“Close?”

“During a carriage accident, he threw himself to save the Duke. The Duke was unharmed, but the man injured his leg and now limps. The late Duke felt indebted to him for that.”

Hearing Jeffrey, Elin understood the full story.

“So he still acts recklessly, using my father as an excuse.”
“Yes. He was diligent and innocent when young, but after his father died and he started drinking, he’s been completely reckless.”

Elin nodded, her expression complex. It was no simple matter.

“I heard that the late Duke even left him a brick house and farmland in the provinces.”

Elin inwardly respected the late Duke’s consideration. Many nobles around her took the staff’s sacrifices for granted, but she had never heard of an owner leaving an inheritance to a servant.

“A house in the provinces… that’s welcome news.”
“Pardon?”

Jeffrey and the head maid looked at her, puzzled.

Seeing that man had unsettled her, Elin finally felt a small sense of relief.

“Where were we supposed to go next?”

Elin turned, smiling as if nothing had happened. A few steps later, she glanced back at him, her gaze calm and steady.

The gardens of the Linderto Duke’s mansion were famous for their beauty, but few knew a secret:

The mansion’s secluded rear garden was even more stunning.

Swans glided across the small lake attached to the estate, while trumpet creepers and hydrangeas bloomed along the shore.

It was like a watercolor painting, and the noblewomen gathered around it.

Elin, of course, attended as well.

Today’s gathering had been prepared by her mother-in-law, Melisa, and included some of the most prominent women of society: the Countess of Muas, Sylvia, a Marchioness, and young ladies of other noble families.

Because these women often socialized together, their conversation flowed cheerfully, like a gently babbling brook.

“Have you heard that Miss Gilda and Mr. Roman Krobski have returned?”
“My goodness! How long has it been? Then soon, the opera will be performed again.”
“My husband and I have been counting the days for that performance.”
“Wasn’t the last one a year ago? I remember being so moved that my tears wouldn’t stop even afterward.”

Elin hadn’t intended to keep herself apart, but she found it nearly impossible to join their conversation.

They spoke of operas they had enjoyed together, poetry readings they loved, even polo matches their husbands attended.

With so much shared history, there was simply no space for her to naturally insert herself.

Moreover, as a noble who hadn’t lived like a proper aristocrat, these topics felt unfamiliar to her.

Sipping her tea quietly, she caught the Countess of Muas giving her a slight, dismissive glance.

“Of course, the Duchess can ride, I assume? Will you be competing alongside the Duke in the next hunting tournament?”

The sudden question startled Elin.

She had no experience with horseback riding—her father had never been there to patiently teach her as a child.

Elin recalled Melisa’s advice before the gathering: do not behave frivolously in front of the ladies, and there’s no need to try overly hard to impress.

If a topic was unfamiliar, simply listen—this alone was enough.

It was her first time, and it was fine to gradually grow accustomed to it.

That made her even more cautious about speaking. She worried that if she slipped up, Melisa might be embarrassed on her behalf.

Yet saying nothing would be even more foolish.

Elin set down her teacup and smiled gently at the Countess.

“I’m not skilled enough to compete in a hunting tournament. The Duke is the best horseman in the kingdom, so I hope to learn diligently from him in the future. But shooting a gun… I’m afraid I might not be able to participate.”

“Ah…”

Elin had softened her answer, politely indicating that she neither excelled at nor enjoyed hunting.

The Countess of Muas merely nodded slightly.

“A gentle nature would find aiming a gun at innocent animals rather unpleasant.”

Melisa added supportively beside her.

“Exactly. There are plenty of other excellent hobbies to pursue. So, what hobbies do you enjoy, Duchess?”

Sylvia interjected, trying to steer the conversation back, perhaps to challenge her.

“Oh? I’m curious—what other fine hobbies might the Duchess have? Perhaps a hint for us?”

The Countess’s eyes sparkled again, determined to uncover Elin’s supposedly insignificant hobbies.

Everyone present knew Sylvia had long harbored feelings for the Duke, and her ill intentions were obvious.

‘She’s deliberately trying to embarrass me.’

Melisa recognized Sylvia’s malicious intent but chose not to intervene this time.

Elin had to navigate this herself.

In truth, Melisa was curious to hear what Elin would answer—though she didn’t expect anything extraordinary.

“I…”

Elin carefully parted her lips, and all eyes turned to her.

“I enjoy painting. Ever since I was a child, opening a window wide and painting would make time fly. Even when I feel upset or sad, I find it helps me shake it off.”

“Ah…”

Her eyes now glimmered with delight, radiating pure joy, as though she were sharing a passion she truly loved.

Sylvia, somewhat sullen, could only nod.

Painting was a simple yet refined hobby, leaving Sylvia with nothing further to remark.

“A Duchess who paints—what a picture in itself, hoho.”

The Marchioness, skilled at lightening the mood, laughed at Melisa.

Melisa smiled faintly, recalling the first day she had met Elin, absorbed in a painting in the parlor. Now she understood that fascination.

“Actually, I’d like to make a request of you, Mother, may I do so here?”

Elin’s words surprised the group; they all looked at her curiously.

“Go ahead.”
“There’s an old indoor garden in the rear that isn’t used. May I clear it and use it myself?”

Elin asked politely, though with visible tension, as if the request required considerable courage.

“Oh my! You plan to turn that space into an atelier.”

The Marchioness lifted the mood once again.

“How wonderful! The next tea gathering could be held in a beautifully arranged artist’s studio! We could admire the Duchess’s paintings as well.”

A lively young Marchioness clapped in agreement.

“The Grand Duchess has a refined appreciation for the arts. Having a painting Duchess as a daughter-in-law—they’ll have much in common.”

Even the Countess of Muas, who had intended to unsettle Elin earlier, had no choice but to follow the cheerful tone.

All eyes now turned to Melisa.

The Duchess had dared to make a request; it was now the Grand Duchess’s turn to respond.

“Is it so difficult that you even needed to ask me? You will soon be the lady of this estate.”

Melisa naturally gave her permission while lifting her teacup.

“I already look forward to the next tea gathering.”

The atmosphere brightened immediately.

“Thank you. Then I will specially prepare the next gathering and invite you all.”

Elin’s words earned delighted smiles from the noblewomen.

The same Elin who had felt isolated earlier was now leading the conversation.

Melisa quietly sipped her tea, satisfied, pleasantly surprised at Elin’s initiative.

But just as the atmosphere was warming, an accident occurred that no one could have anticipated.