IBVB 21

Chapter 21

Fieldram was always utterly loyal to the Duke and often took the lead in harassing the main character to an excessive degree.

Since he was highly suspicious by nature, he was quick to poke around in every direction. But in the end, his speculation always led to absurd delusions.

Pretending to call him closer, Frisia beckoned the Duke and whispered sweetly to Fieldram:

“Perhaps it’s because people as honest and upright as you, Lord Fieldram, are so rare these days. You’re quite a sight to behold.”

He didn’t even realize he was being flattered and was burning with intensity, which made her all the more curious about what might come next.

“Are you feeling alright?”

Right then, Rashita, who had been checking on the progress of the party, approached.

Sensing a chance to escape, Frisia planted her seeds of doubt and quickly slipped away.

“Actually, I have a bit of a headache. I’ll go take some medicine.”
“Don’t feel like you have to come back if it’s too much.”

Leaving the displeased Duke behind, Frisia hummed a cheerful tune as she left.

If Fieldram started spreading malicious rumors, surely some trouble would follow. Since he was an important character, Frisia would likely be the one pushed aside.

That way, she could get divorced and return home — perfect.

“Ah, Frisia!”
“Lady Sohee?”

She hadn’t expected to run into anyone she knew, especially at a gathering centered on bureaucrats. But as soon as Countess Sohee Blado, who had come with her husband, saw Frisia, she warmly grabbed her hands.

“I’m cheering you on, Frisia. That’s what love is, after all.”

Clearly, she was misunderstanding something, but Frisia couldn’t bring herself to correct Sohee, whose gentle smile was almost saintly.

Soon after, Fieldram approached the Duke and began whispering something. Sohee, noticing Frisia’s distracted glances, encouraged her to go ahead and check.

“It’s fine. I was just heading to change dresses anyway.”

Everything seemed to be going smoothly, but strangely enough, the Duke looked more upset than Fieldram. Why?

To cut to the chase — Frisia’s expectations were completely off.

* * *

Even though she was sure the Duke had heard some pretty nasty gossip, the next morning during breakfast, he calmly delivered some surprising news:

“He’s gone on an expedition?”
“Yes. A dragon is rampaging near the western Winston Fortress.”

He’d barely returned for a day before being sent off to hunt dragons again. And the Duke’s orders didn’t stop there.

“While he’s at it, I told him to capture about ten wyverns alive. I’ll prepare one for you as your personal mount, Duchess.”

In the original story, the heroine suffered through nearly twenty chapters of hardship just to obtain one wyvern. Yet the Duke seemed to summon them with a single command.

Frisia struggled to keep her smile in place and swallowed her pancake.

Just before the awkward meal ended, the Duke spoke again:

“I’ll be busy for a while. We probably won’t see each other much, so feel free to spend your time however you wish.”
“Then, may I invite my family?”
“If you finish your assignments first, sure.”

Frisia thought she could breeze through the “assignments” quickly — but that was a huge miscalculation.

* * *

“I heard you’ve already mastered all the duties of a proper lady, but in Cromford, there are a few additional expectations.”

Unfortunately, the one overseeing these “lessons” was Bunois Cromford — the Duke’s legal mother and former Duchess.

The previous Duke of Cromford had countless illegitimate children. His wife, Lady Bunois, had officially retired from public life and was thought to have withdrawn entirely. Technically, Wilfred was one of those illegitimate children, which was why his aunt Rashita had arranged the wedding.

“I heard you’re over sixty?”

Frisia fell into momentary panic as she stared at the ethereal woman before her — with platinum-blonde hair even lighter than lemon and the face of a fairy.

“I know. I look quite young, don’t I?”

At best, she looked her age — or rather, younger than Frisia herself.

Even Rashita, who was thirty, looked older than this eternally youthful woman.

“They say one of my ancestors had fairy blood.”

Since she had no children of her own, she willingly took on the role of judge in the succession battle after her husband’s death. Though she took no sides, she ultimately entrusted the family to Wilfred.

“Up until about forty years ago, I thought I looked old for my age.”

Despite looking even younger than Rose, she was, indeed, the former mistress of the Cromford family.

Frisia stayed polite and focused intently on her lesson.

“Since it’s the first day, I’ll end class early. But there’s a bit of homework — think you can handle it?”
“Of course. Leave it to me.”
“Oh really? We’ll see.”

Frisia should not have been fooled by that kind face.

Lady Bunois left her with a mountain of homework, sweetly suggesting it could be delayed until tomorrow.

The Duke had promised Frisia she could invite her family once her assignments were complete — but at this rate, summoning Lily seemed impossible.

“How am I supposed to finish all this today?”
“You don’t need to push yourself.”

Still, it took her three sleepless nights to finish everything.

During that time, the Duke didn’t once visit the bedroom.

They weren’t married for love, and she had rejected the wedding night herself, so she had no right to complain.

With dark circles under her eyes from sleeping curled up for days, Frisia finally had her last assignment reviewed by Madame Bunois.

“I didn’t expect you to finish this so fast.”
“Is there more?”
“Not at all. You did wonderfully.”

As a reward for completing her tasks, she finally got a day off.

She planned to visit Rose and Lily in Deblanc that very day, but—

“I’m ruined.”

She had fallen asleep and didn’t wake until the next morning.

Her precious day off had vanished.

Feeling defeated, she turned her head and blinked.

“Why is he here?”

The Duke, who always left early in the morning and was hard to catch a glimpse of, was peacefully asleep beside her.

Had he been coming in late, sleeping next to her, and leaving before she woke up this whole time?

Good grief. She’d been so exhausted she hadn’t even noticed they were sharing a bed.

“He looks tired.”

Usually stern, his face now looked serene in sleep. Worried he’d catch a cold, she gently pulled the blanket over his shoulders.

‘He’s really asleep… right?’

He always looked slightly grumpy, so she rarely had a chance to admire his good looks in peace.

Frisia took advantage of the moment and quietly studied his sleeping face — eyes, nose, lips.

“This face… looks familiar.”

Aside from being absurdly handsome, there was something oddly familiar about his features.

She was examining his face when, instinctively, she shut her eyes — just as he stirred.

With a soft knock at the door, the Duke opened his eyes like it was all perfectly timed.

“You’re awake.”
“I’ll prepare your washing water.”

It was probably around 4:30 a.m. — far too early to start the day.

Nervous about being caught awake, she held her breath… but then, warm breath brushed her lips.

“Sleep a bit longer.”

He had known all along.

As she peeked through slitted eyes, she saw him smiling and gently ruffling her hair before he left the room.

* * *

Every time Frisia tried to go out, more assignments were suddenly added.

Realizing the game, she offered a compromise.

“I’d like to bring some books from home.”
“If you give us the author and title, we’ll retrieve them for you.”

There was a library here too, but she liked to read before bed, so she had placed a small bookshelf beside her bed.

She gave them the name without much hope, but—

In less than a week, the head maid, Ada, returned with the full leather-bound Alster Collection, complete with bonus material, and stacked it neatly by her bedside.

“At last, my babies are here!!”

There were other books too, but her eyes instantly locked on the Alster Collection, which she hadn’t been able to buy before due to its high cost.

This edition even came with bonus golden-embossed postcards and a cute pouch that the protagonist carries in the story — a limited edition set she had missed because of the Gondaire Marquis incident.

It had sold out instantly and gained a hefty resale markup, so she never dreamed she’d get her hands on it.

Ada even presented another gift box with something extra.

“Wow! The new release is already out!”
“Yes. This hot-off-the-press edition was published this morning.”

Who could understand that new books meant more than jewels?

Having waited in vain for news of a sequel, she’d reread the older volumes countless times.

Now, tears welled in her eyes with joy.

Immersed in the scent of a sparkling new book, her mind went fuzzy.

She devoured every page, cheek resting on her hand, until the sun had set and she finally closed volume one.

“When’s the next volume coming out?”

The new novel, The Plum Family’s Second Daughter, featured a protagonist named Ria Plum.

Due to her family’s debts, she was forced into a political marriage with a notorious playboy — the premise felt suspiciously familiar.

But Ria’s personality was different. Shy and deeply in love with her husband, she couldn’t bring herself to confess due to her timid nature.

Frisia had hoped for a first-night scene in volume one, but Ria kept delaying it with all sorts of excuses.

“Still, it’s adorable.”

Though clearly in love, Ria’s unfamiliarity with the emotion made her hesitant and scared.

Immersed in Ria’s journey through first love, Frisia found herself blushing and her heart racing.