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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: Temptation
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The couple met at the entrance for the first time in a long while.
When had they last seen each other? It had been last week, so they met just as their memories of each other were starting to fade.
Today, Demian was wearing a red cloak draped over his shoulders. His already large physique looked even more imposing because of the cloak.
‘Ah, we’re supposed to be a loving couple since this is a love marriage.’
Aracilla, who had been gazing at his sharp profile, suddenly had that thought. They had both been so busy that they had forgotten to act like an affectionate couple.
This was especially true because, aside from the Hugo Marquisate couple, who were constantly worried about their daughter, no one else found fault with their perfunctory marriage.
Even the Vandermir Ducal Family hadn't interfered much after the marriage…
Recalling her parents' recent nagging to focus on her new family, Aracilla didn't pass Demian by but approached him.
The gazes of the servants, who had gathered in the entrance hall to greet her, shifted with her. Since it was the first time in a long while that the master and mistress had faced each other, everyone's eyes held a hint of curiosity.
"You're finally here, Demian? I'm so glad to see your face again after being too busy to meet for so long."
"Yes, Madam. I missed you greatly as well."
Demian, sensing the eyes subtly focused on them, played along. He, too, remembered that they had to act like an affectionate couple in front of others.
As they drew closer, the contrasting colors of their uniforms stood out.
"It seems you have a great deal of work at the Magic Tower. I hear you always come home late."
"Indeed, quite a lot. But thanks to our research, the world is developing more conveniently."
Demian nodded as if listening intently to Aracilla's words, while subtly adjusting the angle of his hand to feign a friendly embrace around her shoulder.
"Please take it easy. Immersing yourself solely in research without seeing the sunlight isn't a healthy life."
Demian advised her genuinely, not out of malice. Looking at Aracilla, with her fair skin and slender frame, he couldn't help but worry.
After all, many mages collapsed from malnutrition or overwork...
Wait, why am I worrying about this woman?
Demian, suddenly struck by this thought, added gruffly.
"If you lose your mind and cause trouble, wouldn't I be responsible for you during the contract period?"
As a result, from beginning to end, his words became a perfect provocation to Aracilla. It was even a low whisper, just loud enough for her to hear.
This is definitely a provocation.
Aracilla, clenching her teeth, replied with an outwardly shy smile.
"Don't worry. Even if I end up being responsible for Demian, I won't create a situation where you have to be responsible for me."
The servants had been straining their ears to catch the whispered conversation between the master and mistress, but they couldn't make out a single word.
They only saw the faint smile on Aracilla's lips as she gently pushed Demian away and turned.
Aracilla, feeling that further conversation with her husband would only irritate her, hurried up the stairs. But the moment she stepped onto the second landing, her foot twisted, and she stumbled.
"Madam!"
Before a startled Audrey could rush over, Demian moved swiftly and caught Aracilla by the waist. Her waist was so slender that his single arm could encircle it.
Losing her balance, Aracilla inadvertently fell into his arms. Her hands, without her realizing it, rested on his shoulders, which were very broad and firm.
The distance between them was no more than a finger's breadth.
"Aren't you eating properly?"
Demian, his brow slightly furrowed, asked in a low voice. She could feel his breath as he spoke.
"...I eat well."
Aracilla replied, blinking slowly. It was true. She had to eat her meals regularly to have the energy for long hours of magic research.
Demian, scanning her slender neck, which was fully exposed by her hair tied up, slowly opened his mouth.
"Then take even better care of yourself. What if you collapse and a bad rumor spreads that I'm not looking after my wife?"
"If I collapse, know that I'll definitely write somewhere that you're the culprit," Aracilla retorted haughtily, pulling away from his broad embrace.
And she spoke loudly, as if for the benefit of the servants who were watching them.
"Thank you, Demian. I didn't get hurt thanks to you."
"It is my natural duty to protect my wife. I'm relieved you weren't hurt."
Demian placed a hand on his chest and bowed his head respectfully. He looked like a knight, perfectly courteous even to his wife.
Even standing one step higher, Aracilla briefly smiled at his handsome face, which was still taller than hers.
She exchanged a final affectionate greeting with him and returned to her room.
After changing into a comfortable dress, Aracilla reclined on the sofa, and Audrey began to carefully brush her hair.
As Aracilla's eyes fluttered open and closed, listening to the sound of the brush, a cautious call reached her ears.
"Um, Madam."
"Yes, Audrey."
"The atmosphere among the maids seems unusual these days."
Aracilla, with her eyes fully closed, replied in a sleepy voice.
"Why, are they making too many mistakes while serving?"
"...You knew?"
She let out a small laugh. Though she had been away for a long time, she wasn't so foolish as to miss the subtle atmosphere.
Besides,
"I've lived my whole life with a perfect maid by my side, so of course I know."
Because Audrey's service had always been impeccable, the minor shortcomings of the Vandermir mansion's maids were all the more noticeable.
"Then why are you doing nothing?"
"If I point out every single mistake from the start, it'll only breed resentment. It's better to overlook what can be overlooked."
If she wanted to, Aracilla could at any time demoralize the maids and assert her authority.
But it was bothersome. And she wanted to show some respect to the maids who had worked at the mansion for a long time.
Above all, having always lived a respected life in the Hugo Marquisate, she felt less urgency regarding the current situation.
"Time will take care of it."
"...But, it seems there are some who harbor ill feelings towards Madam for no reason."
Audrey put down the brush and knelt beside Aracilla. Aracilla opened her eyes and looked down at her maid.
"Rosaline, in particular, worries me."
"Isn't she just smitten with my face?"
Audrey didn't laugh at the silly joke. It meant she was speaking sincerely.
"I have a strange feeling. If we leave Rosaline alone, I think she might harm Madam."
"Ah, we shouldn't easily dismiss our Audrey's instincts."
With a smile on her face, Aracilla gently patted her maid's shoulder.
"Alright, Audrey. If she crosses the line, I'll take immediate action."
"..."
"So, if you feel she's crossed the line, tell me. I'll deal with it immediately."
Audrey also knew that Aracilla could resolve the situation anytime she put her mind to it.
She also knew that her mistress was, in her own way, being considerate and lenient with the maids.
"Understood, Madam."
So Audrey had no choice but to accept Aracilla's wishes and back down. After all, the maids hadn't committed any specific wrongdoing yet.
‘I’ll just try harder myself.’
Then, someday, the mansion's maids would accept Aracilla and herself.
They would also realize how kind and gentle Aracilla truly was.
Even if the goodwill she was showing now wasn't immediately apparent, everyone would feel it over time.
Audrey believed that.
* * *
As Aracilla leniently overlooked the strange atmosphere within the mansion, Rosaline became even more emboldened.
She openly ostracized Audrey, forming a clique with maids on her side. They badmouthed Aracilla and dressed in a manner inappropriate for maids.
The head maid, who should have disciplined them, stood by idly due to the influence of the Ducal family.
"I hear the Master and Madam's relationship is better than we thought? They're just busy with their own things, but it seems fine. The Master even saved the Madam when she almost got hurt."
Then one day, as Rosaline grew increasingly audacious, a maid's eyewitness account from that day, when she had observed the Vandermir couple, reached her ears.
Rosaline immediately frowned. This anecdote contradicted the image she had painstakingly cultivated, that Aracilla didn't like Demian but was merely using him.
‘Have they gotten close again?’
This suspicion briefly flickered, but quickly faded as she saw the two of them maintaining their distance as before.
He must have just caught her because she stumbled right in front of him.
Still, just in case, she decided to gradually stop her efforts against Aracilla and start approaching Demian directly.
‘It would be troublesome if the couple's relationship improved, so I need to make my move before that happens.’
Having made up her mind, Rosaline feigned that she found it difficult to work under Aracilla and Audrey's scrutiny and switched duties with Demian's assigned maid.
Then, wearing a maid uniform one size too small, she went out to serve Demian when he returned home.
"Who are you? I haven't seen your face before."
Demian, who was taking off his uniform jacket and handing it over, paused and narrowed his eyes. Rosaline replied with the most innocent expression she could muster.
"I was originally assigned to serve Madam, but today I was switched to serve you, Master."
"Why?"
"...I think I fell out of Madam's favor because I was inexperienced and made frequent mistakes."
Rosaline hesitated for a moment, then put on a feigned pitiful expression and subtly pulled up her sleeve. A wound, deliberately made to look like she had been disciplined by Aracilla, was revealed.
Her intention was to gain Demian's sympathy while ruining Aracilla's image.
Demian saw this clearly, yet showed no particular reaction, simply nodding as if he understood.
‘What? Did it work?’
Demian's expression was so difficult to read that Rosaline was confused. But seeing that he didn't dismiss her even after she mentioned frequent mistakes, she felt it had half-worked.
Demian, however, upon seeing Rosaline's wound,
‘Could she really do that with such thin arms? Did the head maid discipline her? How many mistakes did she make, exactly?’
thought.
Furthermore, he wondered how difficult it must have been for a straightforward woman like Aracilla to endure this maid, to the point of sending her to him.
‘She must be a new maid who’s really bad at her job.’
Demian didn't want such a maid under him either, but he couldn't just dismiss someone carelessly, so he decided to keep her.
Unaware of this, Rosaline got the wrong idea.
‘Perhaps the Master was taken with my looks!’
Otherwise, why would a cold and aloof man like Demian accept a maid who had been dismissed for making too many mistakes, without a word of complaint?
‘He must have secretly liked my face, or perhaps my figure caught his eye.’
Rosaline applauded her own judgment for wearing a maid uniform one size too small.
She made a foolish mistake, failing to realize that while Demian was indeed a rational man, he was also not someone who treated his subordinates lightly.
‘Yes, they say men always cheat with strange women, even when they have a beautiful wife.’
Filled with confidence, Rosaline increasingly styled her maid uniform with subtle exposure and over-decorated herself from that day on.
Yet, Demian made no particular remarks.
This was entirely due to his complete lack of interest, but Rosaline had no way of knowing his true thoughts.
‘I think I've made enough of an impression, so should I be more aggressive?’
Thus, about a week after she began serving Demian, she decided to make her move.
She had been sending him surreptitious glances all along, but now she decided to make a direct overture.
"We will take our leave now, Master."
Rosaline, after bidding farewell to the maids and servants and leaving Demian's office, subtly fell behind.
She watched the other servants chat and move away, then returned to the office alone.
*Knock, knock.* She knocked on the door with a trembling heart, and a low, resonant voice replied.
"Enter."
She carefully stepped inside and saw Demian, who had already shed his uniform and was sitting at his desk in a light shirt.
"What is it?"
Demian asked, but Rosaline couldn't answer. His firm, muscular body was visible through the thin shirt, captivating her gaze.
Rosaline swallowed, her mouth watering with desire, and replied.
"I have something to tell you, Master."
