Episode 11
And so, after a night of their secret dealings, Eileen began her first day as the full-fledged Grand Duchess of the South.
The morning dew in the south was much cooler and fresher than that in the capital.
It was the perfect environment for meditation and yoga.
Eileen was about to do her morning yoga again today.
“Eileen, what are you doing this morning?”
A sweet, low-pitched voice was heard from somewhere.
“……Yoga and meditation.”
“What good does that do?”
“Your body and mind will become clear and distinct.”
Floran closed his eyes and watched Eileen with wonder as she continued breathing and doing yoga poses.
“How about it? Even our maids were shocked by this pose. Don’t you want to approach such a crazy woman?”
She watched Floran’s reaction through narrowed eyes.
“Your muscles are flexible and firm.”
“…….”
“You look so healthy, it’s wonderful to see you, Eileen. Then I won’t disturb you, so make yourself comfortable. I have some morning business, so I’ll get up first.”
When the door slammed shut and the sound of someone leaving was heard, Eileen stopped moving and opened her eyes with a dumbfounded expression.
“No, you don’t even show any sign of being tired of seeing this.”
Are you really not interested in me?
I guess they really just want a win-win, show window couple.
‘Well, with that face, he might have a lover. Could it be that the reason he went abroad was because he fell in love with a foreign princess? Or maybe a foreign nobleman…?!’
Eileen’s expression changed from moment to moment, and soon she opened her eyes wide.
‘Wait, it can’t be a woman, right? There are many different types of love in the world… … and seeing something so secretive? Or, maybe a man like me… …?’
It was also a hypothesis that had some merit.
Eileen decided to test her hypothesis.
* * *
Let’s take our time in finding out my husband’s identity.
Now that she had become the Grand Duchess of the South, Eileen also had work to do.
Didn’t we make a secret deal last night?
Two years later, Eileen becomes the Grand Duke of the South.
So, from now on, diligently reviving the South will bring her the greatest happiness in the future.
‘Since Nambu is going to be mine anyway, let’s revive it like crazy for the next two years, and then enjoy a comfortable solo life.’
So, Eileen headed to the personal study that Floran had prepared for her.
It was just a quick glance at the basic documents she would need to know going forward.
There are many ways to revive the South, but the first thing that came to mind while looking around the territory was ‘publicity’.
In order to do marketing, you first need something that will grab people’s attention.
Something as familiar to Eileen as breathing.
“It’s a heavenly tourist destination, a feast for the eyes and the palate. It’s absurd that only locals know about it.”
therefore.
“Well, I guess I should become an influencer again.”
Eileen smiled confidently.
“In the South, in the capital, ultimately, for the sake of the Southern revival, you must become the Archduchess they admire.”
By now, the nobles who had attended the Southern Grand Duke and Eileen’s wedding would surely have returned to the capital and were making a lot of noise.
The Southern Grand Duke, who was thought to be ugly, is actually incredibly handsome. Did Eileen Youngae know this and marry him?
Isn’t this the time when such curiosity explodes?
Since Eileen had already had a grand wedding, she decided to use it as a stepping stone to become a ‘romance influencer’.
Eileen went straight to find Floran.
“Floan. I’m thinking of writing a gossip column about your fake love story with me.”
“Are you going?”
“To be precise, I’m going to leak to the gossip press that I’m about to publish a Southern autobiography about you and me. So before that, I need to come up with a story that people will like—how we met and how we fell in love. You help me out. What kind of romantic story would be good? Okay?”
“……What has Eileen been doing all this time?”
Eileen lifted her chin and spoke sharply.
“I’ll go look around the southern part of the country. Honestly, my last inspection didn’t give me a good sense of how underdeveloped this place is.”
“It’s impossible to see the entire South on your own, Eileen. It would be more efficient to split it up into several sections over several days. I’ll lead the way, so come with me.”
As Floran stood up, Eileen looked at him again.
“I wonder if I unintentionally caused trouble.”
“A passionate Southern Grand Duchess, I welcome it.”
Floran chuckled and held out his hand to her.
Eileen gathered her thoughts as he escorted her.
‘First, I need to visit a nearby village and investigate what improvements are needed.’
“I think you’re pushing yourself too hard from day one, Eileen.”
“I have to do it when I’m burning with passion. The Southern revival is my revival. Then, I’ll change into my outerwear and come back.”
As he watched Eileen’s back as she turned and left the study, Floran muttered softly.
“I feel a little sorry…….”
* * *
Meanwhile, the capital city located in the east.
At the Duchess’ tea party, which was the very center of high society, the conversation was full of talk about the Southern Grand Duke and his wife.
“How could I have known that the Southern Grand Duke would be such a handsome man?”
“Ah, if I had known this would happen, I would have met you two years ago when the proposal came!”
“Why haven’t I ever seen that face in social circles before? I can’t tell you how surprised I was when I saw it at the wedding.”
Then, Duchess Mera, who hosted the banquet, asked softly.
“Rather than that—how on earth did Youngae Eileen meet the Southern Grand Duke and how did she decide to marry him?”
At those words, the eyes of the young ladies who had just moments ago been talking about the hidden beauty of the Southern Grand Duke sparkled.
Yes. How on earth did Eileen Edgar discover the hidden beauty of the Southern Duke and send him a marriage proposal first?
While everyone was wondering about that, the Duchess put the newsletter down on the table.
All the young ladies’ eyes turned to the newsletter.
“Is this the newsletter that will be released tomorrow morning?”
“Yes, that’s right. I got it first from the printing house, paying a premium.”
“No, how on earth did you find out—which printer Madame Antoine’s newsletter was published by? And did you find out anything about the author?”
“My goodness, Madame Antoine’s newsletter was printed by a different printer every day—I thought it was almost always the same-day manuscript and production!”
At the young ladies’ fuss, the Duchess let out a chuckle.
An arrogant smile that said, “It’s nothing like this.”
Although such appearances were quite unfortunate, the young ladies were eager to please the Duchess.
Now that Eileen Edgar, once the flower of high society, is in the South.
Because Duchess Mera, who had always been second in command, had confidently taken that position.
Duchess Mera Bliard.
She hated being called the Duchess of Bleard so much that she instructed people to call her by her real name, ‘Mera’.
My husband’s last name is embarrassing or something.
Anyway, since her old husband, who was lying in bed, did not interfere with such trivial matters, ‘Mera’s’ name spread widely in social circles.
Until Eileen Edgar appeared like a comet.
“Have you already read this newsletter?”
At Young-ae’s words, Madam Mera shook her head.
“Oh, no. I just got it, too—I was planning to read it with the young ladies, right?”
In fact, I almost couldn’t get it, but I had just managed to get it by paying a lot of money.
The young ladies thought that perhaps they were more obsessed with Eileen than anyone else, but no one said it out loud.
“My goodness, as expected, no one can match your wife’s information power.”
“Ohhoho, why did you say that?”
“It’s true. Thanks to you, Madam, we have the fastest news in the empire.”
“As expected, it’s Mrs. Mera.”
Soon, the corners of the Duchess’s mouth trembled as she opened the newsletter.
I thought it was just a plain and obvious compliment to the Southern Grand Duke’s beauty.
If not that, then Eileen’s rural life down south—something like that?
But… …, what on earth does this mean?
“A cafe? What’s a cafe? What on earth is it that makes you think it’s bigger and more exciting than my salon?”
Duchess Mera’s eyes sparkled.
