In the still, dawning twilight,
Hoo!
I swung a wooden sword in the middle of the training ground. The wooden sword danced according to my will, making a whistling sound in the air.
It’s my daily swordsmanship training, never skipped a day. Of course, there were times so busy that I couldn’t even step out of my office, let alone train.
“Phew…”
White breath escaped my lips, and I felt muscle pain creeping through my body. I stopped swinging the wooden sword and set it down on the ground.
Creak.
With a slightly loud creaking sound, Allen entered the training room.
“What’s going on?”
“The Countess Este will be coming this morning.”
“Faster than I thought.”
I expected the Count Este to hold her back. But if she’s arriving in three days, she must have realized holding her back was futile and sent her off.
“Got it. I’ll just take a bath and go.”
“Understood.”
Allen bowed his head towards me and left the training ground.
‘Is the original story about to kick off now?’
I got dressed and returned the wooden sword I had left on the floor to its rack. While getting ready, the training room door opened again.
What I saw were sturdy men wearing leather armor.
The knights belonging to the Black Raven Knights, the direct knights of the House of Hardenberg. They exchanged greetings as they entered and immediately bowed when they saw me.
“Greetings, Your Grace!”
“Yeah.”
They seemed to have come for morning training. I usually trained at dawn, so I rarely encountered them.
“Well, good luck.”
“Yes!”
They responded with enthusiastic shouts, and I nodded lightly and left the training ground.
All is well, but their voices are too loud. Their intention to show loyalty is appreciated, but their loud voices are overwhelming my ears.
‘..But it feels strange to tell them to lower their voices.’
How long did I walk? I saw the doors where maids in maid outfits were standing. Among them was my personal maid, Laura.
“Greetings, Your Grace.”
“Yeah. Is the water ready?”
“It’s all heated up.”
“Is that so?”
I handed my clothes to Laura. Seven maids stood in the room to assist with my bath.
Getting used to a bath attended by maids felt like an impossible task when I first reincarnated in this world, but now it has become quite familiar. Since the maids aren’t naked, a tad of embarrassment is quickly overcome, and the bath is done in no time.
After finishing my bath, I put on the clothes Laura handed me and headed towards the reception room.
A stark corridor greeted me.
The corridors of the former dukes were lavishly adorned with expensive paintings and sculptures.
However, the luxurious corridor became a stark, empty corridor since I became the duke.
As I passed through, I saw the paintings and sculptures and thought of my father, the previous duke, and sold them off so I wouldn’t have to see them. He was that much of a loathsome figure to me.
At one point, there was a strange rumor. People murmured that the duke’s funds were running low and spread such rumors like inflamed fools.
‘What kind of guts did they have to say that back then…’
Looking back, they might have underestimated me since I was young. Plus, suspicion surrounding the poisoning of the previous duke led to my position being shaky.
Of course, I ended up paying a steep price for that later on.
While I continued to think, the door to the reception room was already in sight. There stood Allen, waiting for me.
“Have you already arrived?”
“No, but she will arrive soon.”
“I see. Well, I’ll wait. Call me when Miss Adele arrives.”
“Understood.”
Allen said this as he opened the door. I stepped inside and sat on the sofa in the reception room. I’m not a fan of waiting, but she’s going to be my fiancée, after all.
This much wait should be expected.
*
The House of Hardenberg.
A family established when a branch of the imperial family became nobility in the distant past.
Thus, they possess an influence that rivals even the imperial family and have a direct knight order, the Black Raven Knights, that matches the golden lion order directly serving the emperor in military power.
In short, the House of Hardenberg is a household that can be considered the real power of the Empire of Arye. And I am to become the fiancée of the head of that household.
“Sigh…”
At my sigh, the maid sitting across from me, Lily, spoke up.
“Please don’t worry too much. The Duke of Hardenberg wouldn’t treat you carelessly, right?”
“That’s true.”
On the surface, we’re technically engaged, so he’ll take some care. The problem is whether our deal will genuinely help me avoid a bad ending.
‘..But there’s no other way.’
“B-but cheer up! If it’s Miss Adele, I’m sure you and the Duke of Hardenberg will get along well!”
“Is that so? I’m glad to hear that.”
I gave a wry smile and looked at the maid in front of me. Her aura and face remind me of a cute puppy. Bright and lively with lovely eyes.
She was Lily, my personal maid assigned by Count Este. After becoming the novel’s villainess, Adele Este, she’s the only person looking out for me alongside my father.
‘..Back when I got close to Lily, I thought everything would work out.’
Back then, I believed, just like those villainess stories I saw in modern times, that as long as I put in effort, I could change the villainess image.
However, what returned to me were over ten assassination attempts and more than five poisoning attempts.
‘How ridiculous.’
No way could such a reputation as a villainess be easily changed. Ignoring my tepid efforts might have made it impossible to step into society anymore.
“We’ve arrived!”
At the coachman’s words, I stopped resting my chin on my hand and looked out the window. What I saw was an enormous mansion, larger than a typical museum. Is this what you call a duke’s residence?
It couldn’t even be compared to the house I lived in.
While I thought this, Lily opened the door, revealing a man with gray hair and gray eyes, with a scar across his face.
“..Huh?”
Abel Hardenberg.
He slightly smiled and extended his hand towards me. If I’m not mistaken, he seems to be about to escort me now.
But why?
“What are you doing?”
Moreover, he was speaking to me in a formal manner. The man who used to speak condescendingly to me before.
I hesitated and extended my hand to grasp his. What I felt was a rough palm with calluses, a mark of training.
“Hu, huah…”
From the side, I heard Lily’s voice. Turning my head, I saw her face flushed crimson. She definitely looked like she was misunderstanding the relationship between me and Abel, but there was little I could say to her.
“Shall we?”
Abel said with a faint smile, escorting me into the duke’s mansion. What on earth is he thinking being this kind?
I’ve never seen a good situation come from being in such scenarios, so I gazed at his face with anxiety.
“Is something wrong?”
“That is…”
Perhaps he sensed my unease, he wiped the smile from his face and spoke to me.
“Let’s discuss in the reception room.”
Nodding at his words, I saw the maids cleaning in the distance whispering and watching us. Their faces seemed oddly bright.
Hmm…
‘..Huh?’
I attempted to use magic to eavesdrop on the conversation, but it failed.
“Be careful as you can’t use magic within the duke’s manor.”
“R-right…”
Well, this is the duke’s residence. It makes sense they’d take measures to prevent magic use. As I thought this, we soon arrived at the door to the reception room.
An old servant called Alan noticed us and opened the door. We reached the reception room and took our seats at the table.
“Lily.”
“Yes!”
“Please step out for a moment.”
“Okay!”
Lily looked at me with what seemed to be a happy expression, then gave a thumbs-up at an angle Abel wouldn’t see.
‘..So innocent.’
If she knew the exact nature of my relationship with Abel, she wouldn’t have reacted like that. I smiled wryly and looked at him.
“Alan.”
“Yes.”
“Please leave as well.”
“Understood.”
Alan immediately left the reception room without further words. I glanced around briefly and then opened my mouth to him.
“What’s this about?”
“Hmm?”
“You aren’t the type to be this kind, are you?”
At my words, Abel stared at me with a look of interest.
“Oh? You are already at ease, even though we’re just fiancés?”
I suddenly held my breath at those words.
Thinking back, Abel was indeed noted as one of the major oddballs in the original story. I must have spoken carelessly, blinded by the relationship of being fiancés.
Should I rewind time? But I still haven’t figured out at which point the save point was…
“Ugh…”
Suddenly, I looked up at the sound of laughter.
“..Ha-ha. Just teasing. It’s natural to have such questions when you’re fiancés.”
“..Glad to hear that.”
“So, why did you ask why I’m being so kind?”
“Yes.”
“There isn’t a big reason. Just common courtesy for my fiancée.”
..Is that so?
It does seem normal for one’s fiancée to be escorted. However, it feels different when it’s Abel, the one point noted as the behind-the-scenes player.
“More than anything, the attention from outsiders is sharp.”
“Outsiders, you say…”
“No matter how noble a duke is, rumors tend to swirl.”
He continued to speak while looking at me.
“And I despise those rumors more than anyone. Is this answer sufficient?”
“..Yes.”
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.
