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Chapter 26
The lanterns floated up into the sky, and beneath them, Edith smiled as she looked up.
Rachel bit her lip hard.
A sharp taste of blood filled her mouth, but she didn’t care.
That bitterness perfectly matched how she felt inside.
*“All that effort… gone to waste.”*
How could those useless workers fail at something so simple?
Just then, a deafening cheer tore through the night sky.
“Long live the Grand Duke!”
“Long live the Grand Duchess!”
Voices filled with joy stabbed at her chest like needles.
Dark emotions boiled up through the cracks of her wounded pride.
Some would call it jealousy, others, inferiority.
But Rachel refused to accept that.
*“She doesn’t even realize this was all meant for me…!”*
That girl, Edith, was lacking. Weak. Incomplete.
She had been the timid child who used to follow Rachel everywhere, clinging to her skirts.
Every time Rachel saw her face—so much like her mother’s—it made her blood boil. But because she shared the Duke’s hair color, she had tolerated her.
And now that once-helpless face dared to smile with pride and confidence.
Rachel found that smile unbearable.
*“So full of herself… If we leave her be, she’ll bring shame to the name of Sertia.”*
She had once been like a beast—now, it looked like she was ready to wear a crown.
*“She needs to be reminded of her place. Shown how little she really is.”*
Rachel turned on her heel without hesitation.
The cheers and warmth of the square faded into the distance. A cold night wind swept in to take their place.
With a grim expression, she pulled her robe tight around her shoulders.
In her hand, she held a sealed envelope.
Two crossed swords wrapped in blooming roses—
The crest of House Sertia.
Rachel looked down at the emblem stamped in wax, narrowing her eyes.
—
The festival that had stirred everyone’s hearts had come to a close.
After a brief moment of rest, the Grand Duchy of Luciano was once again alive with activity.
“My little brother sends letters every day now! After seeing the fairy at the festival, he’s convinced one lives in the Grand Duke’s estate. He won’t believe me when I say it’s not true, oh dear.”
Melissa sighed dramatically as she busied herself with my hair.
But despite the pout on her lips, her voice was light and cheerful.
“Really? I’m glad to hear that. Have you seen your siblings recently?”
“I haven’t, but they’ve all sent long letters. Oh, right—”
Melissa turned slightly and showed me her hair.
“Look what they sent me!”
Tucked into her deep navy hair was a flower-shaped hairpin, its vivid orange color reminiscent of a Luminel blossom.
“It’s beautiful. The pin, and the thought behind it too.”
“It’s all thanks to you, ma’am. I’ve been able to send more money home lately, so this is their way of saying thank you.”
She gave a sly smile and shrugged.
Thinking back, she had once trembled just speaking to me, pale as a ghost. She’d really grown comfortable.
And I didn’t mind. In fact, I was glad.
Back in Sertia, the girls had either looked down on me or treated me with contempt.
*“They acted like Rachel was the real mistress of the house.”*
I shook my head, and suddenly a strange thought passed through my mind.
Now that I thought about it… Rachel had been oddly quiet lately.
Even when we crossed paths in the hallways or met for estate management reports, she just lowered her head and answered plainly.
That was probably thanks to Melissa feeding her false information.
*“Still… something feels off.”*
I turned to Melissa.
“Melissa, how has Rachel been acting lately?”
She blinked, then rested her chin on her hand, thinking.
“Hmm… not much to say. When I bring her the evening reports, she just says, ‘Oh, really?’ and serves tea before sending me off.”
She nodded, as if it now made sense.
“Oh, right. It’s probably because it’s time to prepare the new year’s budget. She’ll need to review all the estate’s expenses ahead of time.”
I remembered hearing something similar from the butler.
Once the festival ended, they would finalize the estate’s annual budget.
Apparently, in this land, the festival also marked the beginning of a new year.
*“Which means I’ll be buried in paperwork starting today…”*
I stood up after checking my outfit one last time in the mirror.
Denok was out attending to matters in the territory.
That meant I would be dining alone before diving into work.
In a way, that was a relief.
These days, it was hard to look him in the eye.
*“He’s… too handsome. It’s honestly dangerous.”*
As the male lead of a romance novel, of course he couldn’t be plain-looking.
But the difference between a man you imagine through written words and the real thing standing before you—it was overwhelming.
Especially now that his long hair no longer covered his features, I wasn’t even close to being used to it.
*“…That reminds me.”*
Thinking of the original novel brought something to mind.
The original female lead.
It was about time I started thinking about her, too.
In the story, Denok and I endured a miserable marriage until one day he was struck by something I threw at him and went to the temple for healing.
Though that was just an excuse—he’d really gone to escape Edith.
There, by coincidence, he met the saintess who had been staying at the temple.
—
*“Oh no, you’re bleeding… Are you all right?”*
*“…You are…?”*
—
It had been raining that day.
Seeing Denok soaked and wounded, the saintess couldn’t simply walk past him.
Looking at his dark, sorrowful face and the blood running down his skin, she healed him—laying her hands on him.
Not only did the wounds vanish, but even his chaotic magic was soothed.
I had been able to calm Denok’s powers, too—but my method was very different.
*“If I subdued it by force, she untangled it gently like a knot, using her holy power to cleanse him emotionally.”*
And in the process… it apparently *felt* good.
I’d love to bring her in to heal Denok right now, but unfortunately, she didn’t exist at this point in the timeline.
The novel started after she was chosen as a saintess, having grown up as an orphan.
That happened about a year after Denok and I got married.
*“In this life, I won’t get her sympathy for free… At best, I’ll have to pay a huge sum to bring her here.”*
Even a Grand Duke couldn’t easily summon a saintess from her order.
But knowing there was a way to heal him—I couldn’t just ignore it.
*“First things first, I need to check the estate’s finances.”*
—
When I stepped into the room, Vernon was already waiting.
“Since you are now officially overseeing the mansion’s major affairs, Madam, you’ll need to allocate the annual budget.”
He handed me the documents, and I quickly skimmed through them.
Since Denok managed most of the territory, it was my role as Duchess to handle the mansion and social engagements.
As I flipped through the pages, Vernon spoke carefully.
“This year’s budget is higher than last year’s.”
“Higher?”
I looked up, and Vernon had a hint of pride in his expression.
“We had a huge influx of visitors from neighboring lands during the festival. Merchants, cloth vendors, innkeepers—everyone did well. And everywhere I went, people were singing the Grand Duchess’s praises.”
I paused for a moment, then smiled.
It was a little embarrassing—but undeniably gratifying.
“That’s good to hear. A prosperous land makes for a stable household.”
I looked back down at the papers—then suddenly stopped.
Something felt off.
“Vernon.”
“Yes, Madam?”
“Are you *sure* this is the actual budget?”
