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Chapter 37
Call Me by My Name
2022.04.08.
I looked at Johann with wide eyes.
“D-Duke?”
“…Ah.”
Johann made a soft sound as though he had just regained his senses. The corners of his lips curved smoothly upward.
“Wife. Were you changing clothes?”
“Y-Yes. That’s right, so…”
“But what’s that?”
Johann gestured with his eyes toward the slip Betty was holding. Betty quickly hid the slip behind her back, but it was too late to cover it up.
‘This is insane!’
Without realizing it, I hurriedly pulled the blanket over my head.
‘How did it end up like this?’
I heard Johann’s footsteps approaching.
It was just after the tea party had ended. When I returned to my room, Betty came running, her face full of indignation.
“Madam. I am so angry right now.”
Betty had never said she was angry in front of me before.
“Did something happen?”
“Yes. That crazy—no, that deranged Countess Hertel’s daughter came to see you and the master in the middle of the night, didn’t she!”
“Betty, you heard about that too? How?”
“Well, of course I charmed some of the nearby servants into telling me… But that’s not the important part right now.”
Betty shook her head furiously and clenched her fists.
“They just keep doing outrageous things because we’ve been staying quiet! What kind of family behaves like this?”
“They’re people we won’t see again once we leave tomorrow.”
The rain had stopped, and the mud had dried. Finally, we could leave this exhausting Hertel manor.
‘We stayed far too long here.’
Still, it wasn’t without gain.
‘We obtained the key to the Imperial Central Bank vault.’
To be honest, I needed hidden funds—and now I had money no one else knew about. Judging by the documents, it was quite a large amount.
“That may be true, but… Ugh, I still can’t forgive her. Please, come here for a moment.”
Betty pulled me into the room and handed me something I hadn’t even known she had.
It was a set of translucent slips with a subtle sheen.
“This is… a slip?”
“I brought them just in case. But madam, did you know that crazy woman wore a slip even thinner than this one when she came?”
The fabric already looked so thin it might as well be see-through. But she had worn something even skimpier.
“That’s basically the same as not wearing clothes.”
“Exactly. That’s why I’m so angry.”
Betty pressed the delicate slip into my hands.
“So, madam—what if you wore this tonight and waited for the master?”
I almost nodded without thinking, then blinked slowly.
“…Why is the conversation going this way?”
“Because I’m a good maid who wants you and the master to grow closer.”
“I have scars…”
And I couldn’t let him see them. Not just because they were hideous, but because they explained everything about my situation—
An unloved daughter of Libertas, not even worth being the target of his revenge, a counterfeit.
‘If he saw them, I’d be useless to Johann.’
Then there would be no reason to keep pretending to be his wife.
Betty spoke in an artificially bright voice.
“If you wait with the lights off, it will be fine! And besides, you’re so beautiful, the master won’t even notice any scars.”
“Betty…”
“Forgive me. I was too eager. I’ll take this back.”
Looking awkward, Betty reached to retrieve it. After a moment’s hesitation, I stopped her.
“T-Then I’ll just try it on once. But only to try it—I’ll change back into my dress afterward.”
“Yes! That’s perfect!”
And so, I really did change into the slip, just as Betty suggested, intending to change right back. At my urging, Betty hurriedly picked up the slip to take it away.
What I hadn’t expected—
Bang—
Just as I was putting my dress back on, Johann suddenly walked in. Beside me stood Betty, still holding the slip.
I instinctively hid again and fell into panic.
‘What do I do!’
My heart pounded violently, and I clung to the blanket as though it were my last lifeline.
The approaching footsteps stopped.
‘Is Johann right in front of me?’
Just thinking he was standing there made my face burn even hotter.
Johann, waiting silently, pulled me into his arms through the blanket. He said nothing—just held me close.
“D-Duke, are you just going to stay like that? I need to change back into my clothes.”
“What if I intend to keep holding you like this?”
“Then I can’t change.”
“You can just change in front of me. What’s there to be embarrassed about, hm?”
Through the single barrier of the blanket, Johann’s voice was a sweet whisper. Not seeing his face somehow made it worse.
And then—as though he could see right through the blanket—Johann found my hand inside and held it tightly.
“If you want something, you should make a deal. If you want me to leave, tell me what you’ll do in return.”
“What could I possibly do for you?”
“There’s plenty. But if you can’t think of anything, I’ll say what I want.”
I swallowed nervously. What was he about to demand?
‘Is it something to do with revenge?’
If it was too much, I’d have to think of another plan. I was just about ready to grab the whole blanket and bolt from the room when Johann spoke.
“From now on, I want you to call me by my name.”
“…What?”
“And it would be even better if you used informal speech.”
That was completely unexpected.
“Not a hard condition, right? After all, we’ve already spent our wedding night together.”
“T-That was just for show!”
“Even so, a wedding night is still a wedding night. You can’t make something that happened into something that didn’t.”
The more we talked, the more dazed I felt. As expected, the schemer had a way with words.
“But why suddenly the name and informal speech?”
“I don’t know. It just feels like informal speech suits you better with me.”
His low whisper seemed to pierce right through me. Suddenly, I remembered when Johann had lost control.
‘Is this because I spoke informally to him then?’
Could it be…
‘Did he remember that moment of frenzy?’
The lies I told him then flashed through my mind.
‘I said we were in love, back then…’
Through the blanket, his arm slipped around me, pulling me back against his firm chest.
He pressed me gently.
“Or is there a reason you can’t do it?”
“No!”
I shook my head vigorously.
“I’ll do it.”
After all, I already used informal speech in my head—so it wasn’t much of a stretch. The problem was that I didn’t know why Johann wanted this.
‘He can’t possibly remember that time, can he?’
Johann let out a low chuckle and brushed his lips against my shoulder through the blanket.
“Then you should say it right now. Otherwise, I won’t leave. Not until the banquet tonight is over.”
“…Johann.”
But saying it aloud felt surprisingly embarrassing. To cover my shyness, I said it again, more casually.
“Johann.”
“Yes, wife.”
“Now let go and leave.”
“….”
“Didn’t you hear me?”
Suddenly Johann went quiet.
‘Did I sound too harsh?’
Maybe some buried frustration slipped out. As I tensed, Johann began to laugh softly.
“Ah, really.”
He hugged me tighter and whispered.
“I knew it—informal speech suits you.”
“…Are you satisfied now?”
“More than enough.”
How had things with this schemer ended up like this?
After Johann left, I quickly dressed in a fresh gown and stepped outside. If I stayed in the room, the embarrassing moment would keep replaying in my mind.
“Duchess Blanchet. Fancy meeting you here.”
It was Chancellor Ortega.
“Ah, yes. Were you out for a walk?”
“Indeed. Somehow, looking at these trees… it feels as though they’re hiding a secret I’ve been searching for.”
His cold green eyes leisurely scanned the trees in the garden.
“A secret? What kind of secret?”
“That, I cannot tell you. It is a secret, after all.”
I hesitated.
‘He can’t be looking for what I hid in the trees, right?’
Inside wasn’t only the key, but also the list of nobles who had taken bribes from Libertas and related documents. Considering the Emperor had already condemned Libertas for treason, it would be worth seeking.
But I just smiled innocently.
“I see. Though, I expected you to ask me about that secret.”
“Oh? And why is that?”
“Because you once compared me to Princess Armatys.”
Princess Armatys, in Imperial myth, was the most perfect bride—but not a common figure to invoke in flattery.
‘Her fate was tragic.’
She died protecting her husband’s secret. Because of this, she was also called the Noble Secret.
Chancellor Ortega smiled faintly.
“And what if I said I only thought the comparison suited you?”
“Then I’d have to call myself foolish for misreading a joke. Tell me, Chancellor, do you think I was mistaken?”
“Surprising. No—you were correct.”
Ortega’s lips curved in an intrigued smile.
“I feel as though you may know the very secret I am seeking.”
“But unless you tell me about it, how could I?”
“True. Quite unfortunate for me.”
Unlike Johann, speaking with Ortega always made me uneasy. His green eyes gleamed darkly.
“But since you’ve indulged me, I should at least give you something in return.”
“And what would that be?”
“I hear Countess Hertel went to great lengths preparing tonight’s banquet. Excessively so.”
He tapped a stone on the garden path with his cane, then smiled at me.
“In particular, I hear she’s arranged something very rare for the main course. You should look forward to it, Duchess.”
From beyond the garden, a young woman’s voice called out.
“Chancellor Ortega! Are you here?”
It sounded like Count Hertel’s second daughter. Ortega lifted his cane with elegance and bowed lightly.
“Then, I shall see you at dinner.”
After parting with Ortega, I was left pondering the unexpected information.
‘The problem is… what exactly is going to happen?’
There were too many possibilities, which made it hard to decide how to act.
Just then, Betty appeared in the garden, having come to fetch me. Her face lit up when she spotted me.
“Madam! Since the banquet is about to start, may I adjust your appearance one more time?”
As both we and Chancellor Ortega would soon be leaving, Count Hertel had invited several guests. Naturally, as Duchess Blanchet, I needed to look my best.
“Alright, let’s do that.”
“Tonight, madam, you will be the star of the banquet. The most beautiful lady there.”
Betty nodded with enthusiasm.
“But Betty, can I ask you something?”
“Of course, anything.”
“Back at the Blanchet estate… what was your real job?”
“Eh? I was a maid, of course.”
“That wasn’t all, was it?”
“Wh-What do you mean…?”
Betty blinked her large, innocent eyes. I smiled kindly at her.
“I mean before you came to watch me. What did you usually do?”
Her brown eyes flickered.
Count Hertel paced his office nervously. His wife, displeased with the sight, snapped at him.
“Husband, the banquet is soon. Have you no dignity, fidgeting like that?”
“But, my dear…”
He couldn’t hide the tension in his voice.
“Can we really trust that man’s words? If this fails, we’re finished…”
“What’s there to fear?”
The Countess scolded him sharply.
“The situation is settled. We even rushed to get a truth-verifying magic tool and confirmed it. We must seize this chance. We can’t live like this forever.”
“Well, yes, but…”
“Think of our daughters, Lotte and Flora.”
Softening, she clasped her husband’s hand.
“Their reputations are already ruined by scandal. They won’t be able to marry if this continues. We can’t let that happen.”
The Count nodded naively. His wife’s twisted expression smoothed over.
Honestly, when they first sheltered Baron Fenula, she hadn’t expected any benefit. She had even planned to drive him out before things got troublesome.
‘This must be the reward for my virtue.’
Banquet time arrived. Guests gathered in the extravagantly decorated hall of the Hertel estate.
And in the very center stood Duchess Blanchet, the most beautiful woman present, at her husband’s side.
