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Chapter : 34
Yurhan Balluar.
A man who was never easily shaken, no matter the circumstance. As the head of the duchy, he stood at the forefront, a breakwater shielding his family from countless storms that threatened their house.
Even when a curse befell his son, he hadn’t shed a single tear, choosing instead to suppress his grief with a heart made of steel.
“Hah.”
But this—this situation was enough to shake even a fortress like him.
‘So… this little girl is my future daughter-in-law? Is the world playing a joke on me?’
No matter how hard he rubbed his eyes, this wasn’t a dream. It was unmistakably real.
Yurhan’s sharp blue eyes closely examined the girl standing before him. His naturally intense gaze felt piercing, even without any personal animosity.
He’d expected the girl to tremble in fear or run away. But to his surprise, she held her ground and met his gaze head-on.
“Um, my name is Miela! It’s an honor to meet you, Duke!”
She looked slightly nervous, but her eyes sparkled brightly. Yurhan felt as though if he looked too long, he might get sucked right in.
‘Dangerous.’
Before he realized it, Yurhan looked away first. Then, his thoughts drifted to a few days prior.
“Your Grace, a message has arrived through the communicator.”
“Who sent it?”
“The Lady.”
“Regina sent a message?”
It was rare for her to contact him unless something urgent had happened. Yurhan’s expression turned grave.
“What does it say?”
“…Well…”
The attendant scanned the surroundings cautiously before lowering his voice.
“The curse on the family has been broken. The young master has regained his health.”
“What?”
Yurhan doubted his ears. It wasn’t something easy to believe.
But the real shock came with the next words:
“…And, um… he has a fiancée now.”
“What? What are you talking about?”
“That’s… exactly what she said. It seems the two pieces of news are related. Lady Regina said she’d explain everything once you return home.”
Even the messenger himself looked flustered by the message.
A heavy silence fell between them. Then Yurhan spoke, visibly disoriented:
“Prepare to return to the estate. Immediately.”
“Understood.”
It took him just two days to return from the capital after receiving the urgent message. During that time, countless thoughts raced through his mind.
‘The curse was really lifted?’
Hope surged in his chest, but he quickly calmed himself.
‘I must remain composed. What if it’s a trap?’
A dark scenario crossed his mind. What if enemies had seized the estate in his absence, threatening Regina into sending a false message?
Of course, that was absurd. The estate was heavily guarded by soldiers and magic wards.
Then again, if they were skilled in curses, they might also be capable of bypassing such defenses…
Regardless, the fact that he returned prepared for the worst says it all.
“But… it was true.”
It was hard to believe. The family curse, which had haunted them for a lifetime, vanished like melted snow? And the one who broke it was this little girl?
On top of that, she was engaged to his son?
‘What in the world happened while I was gone?’
If someone had asked him hypothetically about such a scenario, he would’ve scoffed at the nonsense. Yet now, it was real.
“Hmm…”
Yurhan let out a deep hum. His sharp eyebrows and chiseled jaw twitched slightly in displeasure.
Miela tensed up.
‘Could it be… he doesn’t like me because I’m just a commoner?’
But Yurhan’s displeased expression stemmed from something else entirely.
“She’s so small and skinny.”
“Huh?”
Miela blinked in confusion, not realizing the comment was about her.
Yurhan frowned deeply and shook his head slowly.
“A frail future duchess doesn’t suit the prestigious Balluar family.”
“…!”
‘Doesn’t suit.’
That word struck Miela hard.
He unintentionally hurt his future daughter-in-law’s feelings, but Yurhan didn’t realize it and kept mumbling.
“True, Istin became weak due to the curse, but originally, every member of the Balluar family was strong in both body and mind.”
“Then… I…”
I may look like this, but I’m healthy! I can do farm work and chores!
She wanted to shout it, but nerves choked her voice.
Just then, Yurhan turned to the butler beside him.
“Feed her more.”
He gave strict, serious, and grave instructions.
“Make sure she eats three meals a day. Freshly baked bread, fatty meats, fresh vegetables and fruits in abundance.”
“Yes, understood!”
As the butler bowed and hurried off, Yurhan turned back to Miela.
“So, your name is Miela.”
His tone was slightly gentler now. The change was subtle, but real.
“Yes.”
It didn’t seem like she was being kicked out. Miela stole a quick glance, then quietly sighed in relief.
‘Thank goodness?’
She was still a bit scared of the Duke, so her voice came out softer than before.
Realizing his demeanor might have intimidated her, Yurhan tried to correct it.
“I forgot to respond earlier. My apologies. I am Yurhan Balluar.”
“…!”
Miela’s face lit up again. He introduced himself to me!
“Um, can I…”
“Speak.”
She hesitated, then cautiously asked,
“Would it be alright if I called you ‘Yurhan-nim’?”
It wasn’t for any particular reason—she was already calling the Duchess Regina-nim, so it seemed fair to call the Duke Yurhan-nim too.
“The title? As you wish.”
Yurhan nodded without hesitation. That alone made Miela feel closer to him, and she was overjoyed.
Yurhan smiled gently in return. It softened his usually stern expression completely.
“Though belated, welcome to Balluar. Let’s get along well.”
“Yes! Please take care of me, Yurhan-nim!”
Miela couldn’t contain her joy and responded with energy.
* * *
“Huuuaaah…”
After her meeting with Yurhan, Miela finally relaxed once she was alone again with Istin. The thoughts she’d kept bottled up spilled out without her realizing.
“Still, I’m glad the Duke—no, Yurhan-nim—doesn’t seem to hate me.”
“Huh? Who would hate you?”
Istin frowned, as if baffled. To hate such a pure-hearted child for no reason would require the heart of a demon, not a human.
“The villagers in my old town didn’t like me much…”
“That’s their problem. And you’re wrong—Father doesn’t ‘not hate’ you, he really likes you.”
“Really?”
Miela looked doubtful. Istin answered with certainty.
“Of course. Father never says anything he doesn’t mean. If he didn’t like you, he wouldn’t have welcomed you at all.”
“That’s a relief.”
A bright smile returned to Miela’s face. Her worries were unfounded—no one disliked her. She was truly happy.
“Wait, where are we?”
It was only after walking and chatting that she realized the surroundings had changed.
On the right was a corridor of tall glass windows letting in bright sunlight, and on the left hung a series of framed pictures spaced evenly apart.
The scene naturally sparked curiosity.
“This is the hallway of portraits. The young portraits of every past head of the Balluar family are hung here.”
