“It’s been a while, Miss Adele.”
I froze for a moment at Estelle’s cheerful approach. Ever since I possessed Adele’s body, no one had approached me so casually, which made me feel a bit wary.
I swallowed my unease and awkwardly responded.
“It’s only been a month, Miss Estelle.”
“You seem to be getting along well with the Duke.”
“…Huh?”
What was she suddenly talking about?
As I looked at her with confusion, Estelle continued with a playful smile.
“He’s famous for being cold, you know. Duke Hardenberg.”
‘Was he?’
Since the contract marriage with Abel, the way he acted didn’t seem to match the image of coldness or harshness at all.
It would be too simplistic to attribute it all to the contract; I could feel sincerity in Abel’s playful demeanor as well.
Of course, I could chalk it up to my own feelings, but…
“But it seems like there are many surprised reactions because he treats his fiancée warmly.”
“That’s definitely true about Abel.”
Warmth?
Well, from a third-party perspective, I could see how that could be felt.
For someone who hardly used honorifics with anyone else, treating his fiancée with them was quite notable.
And stepping back into the social scene he despised for her sake was another thing altogether.
To an outsider who didn’t know about the contract marriage, it might look like Abel was devoted to his fiancée.
“You’re calling the Duke by his name?”
Estelle looked at me, clearly intrigued.
‘Ah, is it a habit now?’
Every time I referred to him as ‘Duke,’ he’d correct me to ‘Abel,’ so I suppose it had stuck with me.
But why was it strange to call him by his name? Isn’t that natural for an engaged couple?
He was the one who first asked me to call him by his name, so her question didn’t quite make sense to me.
“What do you mean by that…?”
Estelle tilted her head for a moment before she seemed to realize something and spoke up.
“Oh, I guess you don’t know?”
The Duke doesn’t like being called by his name.
As she added that, I couldn’t help but feel puzzled.
If that’s the case, then what was the reason for him to ask me to call him Abel in the first place? And what’s the reason for disliking it at all?
Seemingly reading my bafflement, Estelle continued.
“I wouldn’t know the reasons, but it’s well-known in social circles.”
Never call the Iron-Blooded Duke by his name.
“But why…?”
She chuckled softly at my question.
“Well, isn’t it quite obvious? You can see the honey in the Duke’s eyes when he looks at you.”
If that were the case, at least I could feel better about it.
No matter how clueless I was, I wasn’t dull enough to miss the mask I wore as his fiancée.
Even if Adele’s beauty was off the charts, it was still unlikely to catch Abel’s eye for that kind of reason.
“Anyway, since we’ve met like this, how about we become friends?”
Estelle smiled sweetly and reached out her hand.
It felt like quite the burdening kindness, but refusing it would draw unwanted attention from those around us. Awkwardly, I reached out, and she immediately grabbed my hand.
After a brief handshake, a silence loomed.
“Right…?”
“Ahaha! No need to feel pressured. We’re the same age, after all!”
We also debuted at the same time.
Estelle continued cheerfully, forcing me to swallow the fact that I didn’t remember that at all.
Suddenly, I wondered if Estelle had received some help from Adele back then.
‘That seems plausible.’
If that’s true, then her unconditional kindness makes a bit more sense.
“What are your hobbies, Miss Adele?”
“Um… sewing.”
In a world without the internet or even smartphones, that was all I had left to occupy my time.
Having possessed Adele’s body, I found myself going through a kind of forced dopamine detox, leaving sewing as my only option.
It was one of the few hobbies I learned from my late mother, and it felt like a stress reliever whenever I did it.
“That’s impressive! I find it really difficult.”
Saying this, Estelle pulled out a towel from her pocket.
Her claim didn’t seem like an exaggeration, as the embroidery on the towel was far from high-quality—even just as a compliment. Was that supposed to be a green worm, or maybe a snake?
“That’s a dragon.”
“…Well, you made it nicely.”
“Ahaha… It’s a bit lacking, isn’t it?”
Estelle scratched her head, awkwardly laughing.
This was a bit unexpected compared to the perfect image she showed in the original work.
Actually, now that I think about it, in the original’s Hunt Festival episode, she was the only one who didn’t hand towels to the men.
My friend, who told me about the original, had mentioned that it was his biggest complaint about that episode.
Back then, I assumed the author intentionally offered that space due to the reverse harem structure, but who knew there was this backstory?
“Sewing can be pretty tough, though.”
“Yeah… Even just threading the needle is a struggle…”
“It’s not too difficult. You just need to apply some spit to it.”
While we were talking about sewing, I felt a presence approaching us. Turning my head, I saw a knight in armor walking towards Estelle.
A man with black hair and black eyes was nearing Estelle. The lion emblem on his shoulder and the royal crest on his chest marked him as a member of the Imperial Family.
He was the only male lead from the original work in the knight’s position—the captain of the Blue Lion Knights, Karl.
“Lady Estelle, do you have a moment?”
“Yes, of course.”
“I have a favor to ask.”
“Ah, just a moment.”
She slowly rose and waved lightly at me.
“I’ll see you again, Miss Adele.”
“Yes, see you later, Miss Estelle.”
We awkwardly waved at each other. She smiled and followed Karl.
I still didn’t understand why Estelle was so friendly toward me.
Perhaps the past Adele offered her kindness. What kind, I couldn’t say for sure, but…
“Sigh…”
‘It’s not easy.’
While I was lost in those thoughts, I suddenly felt the ground shaking.
Thinking it might just be my imagination, I looked around and noticed others whispering about it, too.
Though we were at the Hunt Festival, this place was practically a monster’s den. It wasn’t strange to hear the footsteps of monsters passing by.
The barrier set up here didn’t exactly deal with monsters but rather deceived them.
Boom!
The earth shook much more violently than before. Fear and anxiety washed over the crowd, and knights drew their weapons.
“Miss, be careful!”
Saying this, Evan, the knight guarding me, drew his sword, wrapping me protectively. He was usually chatty, but his skills were impeccable.
Still, the sense of unease lingered.
Boom!
A gigantic monster emerged from beyond the mountains. It was the size of two adult men and had horns resembling an ordinary castle wall.
The crowd froze in terror.
Roar!
‘Is the barrier failing?’
People panicked at the monster’s roar. The knights at the center of it concentrated their energy and faced the beast.
I quickly pulled out a few scrolls I had hidden. Good thing I thought to bring extras.
The monster fixed its gaze on the royal knights for a moment before seemingly losing interest and looking my way, and then…
‘…What?’
Growl…
Without a chance to question, the monster lunged at me. Evan calmly exhaled and blocked its charge with a gauntlet wrapped in blue energy.
“Gah!”
Not only did he block the charge with one arm, but he swung his sword with the other. The blue aura enveloped the blade, slicing through the monster’s hide.
Blood splattered, yet the monster showed no signs of slowing down.
“Ugh!”
Evan struggled to catch his breath as he began to push the monster away. His display of strength, bolstered by the aura alone, was remarkable.
However, he frowned, still feeling the strain as I reached for a scroll.
Swish.
A blue magic circle materialized in the air and then transferred to him as a buff.
“Ah, thank you, Miss!”
With his newfound strength, he retaliated against the monster, which thrashed around as if protesting.
BAM!
The beast collapsed to its knees but quickly got back up.
“Isn’t it too stubborn?!”
Evan exclaimed again as he gathered his energy.
Yet, the monster’s gaze was not on him but fixated on me. Now that I think about it, it had been targeting me repeatedly.
Roar!
I hastily grabbed multiple scrolls. Despite Evan’s attack, the monster charged at me.
Crash!
Even with three layers of shield spells, its horns easily pierced through two layers.
Just as the last shield barely held, I realized I was about to step into empty air.
“…Huh?”
With that chilling feeling, I finally grasped the fact that I was at the edge of a cliff.
My vision flipped upside down in an instant.
‘Aah, falling can be a bit painful.’
The sensation of bones breaking and organs getting smashed against rocks was something I wanted to avoid.
With that thought, I closed my eyes tightly, bracing for the forthcoming pain.
After a long pause without any pain, I slowly opened my eyes.
“Adele, are you okay?”
Abel’s cold yet gentle face entered my view.
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