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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: Life as the Grand Duchess is Too Easy
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There, in the bedroom, sat an elegant and beautiful woman.
Golden blonde hair and crimson eyes. Her platinum locks, a mark of royalty, shimmered with an iridescent glow.
Those blood-red irises were so piercing that locking eyes with her felt like your body might snap rigid on the spot.
Her imposing presence gave me a slight chill, but I didn't shrink back. Instead, I offered a polite greeting.
"You called for me, Mother?"
"What an occasion. You're addressing me as 'Mother' now. Haven't you always kept your distance, calling me 'Your Grace, Grand Duchess'?"
Oh, had I? I hadn't realized.
You should've said something sooner.
I blinked in flustered surprise, rolling my eyes around. Come to think of it, the Grand Duke had widened his eyes dramatically when I called him 'Father.'
I'd just assumed he was staring because my sudden change in behavior was odd. Turns out it was the form of address.
It hadn't been long since I'd become Roena, so my reconnaissance of the household was still incomplete.
I'd run into Akid fairly often in our connected private chambers, but not so much with the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess.
They ate meals together regularly, or so I'd heard, but it wasn't a frequent occurrence.
The title issue had never crossed my mind, leaving me a bit thrown off.
'Hmm. But I've already called them Father and Mother. Backtracking now would probably seem even stranger.'
If I wanted to position Akid as the beloved son of this house, my role as his wife was crucial.
If I treated the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess as outsiders like he did, there'd be no progress.
'They say if you act with a straight face, no one can call you out on it.'
I flashed a bright smile and said,
"I just thought it was time to get closer, Mother."
"Get closer? I have no intention of being close to you."
The Grand Duchess drew a firm line, her fresh smile belying her words. Meeting her rebuttal with a grin left me speechless.
'There's someone even thicker-skinned than me.'
Awkward under her cold demeanor, I kept smiling regardless.
"So, what did you need...?"
"Still so impatient. Come, sit. Let's talk."
The Grand Duchess nodded toward the chair in front of her. A cup of chamomile tea sat ready—perfect for bedtime.
It seemed like a small courtesy for my comfort. I hesitated before sitting, and a maid poured the tea.
Having already soaked in the bath, I was utterly relaxed. Sleepiness crept in unbidden.
I stifled a yawn with effort when the Grand Duchess spoke up.
"I heard you were summoned to the Grand Duke's study yesterday. What happened?"
"Nothing much. He just called to check if I was doing well."
"Is that so? Word is, Lady Lork left the study in tears that day..."
"Yaaawn. Yeah."
"...Sleepy?"
Her sharp question made me shake my head vigorously.
"No."
"You seem sleepy. Your speech is slurring."
"Yeah... I am sleepy."
I couldn't fight the overwhelming drowsiness and let out a massive yawn. This twelve-year-old body tired out so easily.
The Grand Duchess clicked her tongue at the sight and pressed on quickly. No way she'd just tell me to go crash.
"What happened in the study that day?"
I slapped my cheeks hard to snap awake before answering.
"Nothing."
She looked briefly surprised, but what could she do about my sleepiness?
In truth, the Grand Duke had included her in his order to keep quiet.
His relationship with the Grand Duchess was notoriously poor; they shared a bedroom suite but used separate rooms.
Akid and I were the same. Opening the bedroom door led to a lobby with two more doors—one to my room on the right, Akid's on the left—and an exit in between.
This house had a history of political marriages, so the layout suited businesslike spouses. It was a hassle for me, though.
'Please, just let me see Akid's freshly woken face once.'
The Grand Duchess fixed me with a persistent stare as I played innocent.
She clearly didn't know what had gone down in the study.
Come to think of it, only the Grand Duke's people had been inside. No one outside could've overheard.
'She didn't call me knowing the details—she's fishing. She doesn't have the full story.'
She must've figured I'd be the loose-lipped one compared to Akid.
The original Roena had a feather-light tongue that spilled everything with a little coaxing.
Especially regarding Akid—she never held back.
She loved picking at his flaws. Sure enough, the Grand Duchess probed gently.
"Then why did Lady Lork leave crying?"
"Who knows..."
I rolled my eyes evasively, dragging it out, until she urged me on.
"Anything's fine. Tell me."
Who knows? There's nothing much to say.
I kept dodging with eye rolls, melting her patience. Then something safe popped into my head.
"Oh! The Grand Duke told Lady Lork not to come back. Guess that's why she cried."
The Grand Duke's gag order was only about the abuse.
He'd never forbidden mentioning that he'd dumped Lady Lork.
Elena blinked in surprise. Lady Lork had been the Grand Duke's favorite mistress for quite a while.
It wasn't like her to get cut off so abruptly, so Elena seemed genuinely shocked.
I'd deliberately dropped a hint to make them dig into it themselves.
That she'd been dumped, not just brushed off.
"Hmm, now that you mention it, Lady Lork didn't show up today."
"Her pride must be hurt. Usually, Father goes to her after a fight."
Exactly. Our father-in-law had a wandering eye matched only by his Pacific Ocean-sized heart. He always melted for his favorites.
He'd even soothe ex-lovers if they showed up crying before sending them away.
Not that it stopped them from clinging.
"So, what do you think the Grand Duke will do?"
"Hmm."
"Do you think he's serious?"
The Grand Duchess probed again.
From her expression, she figured they'd be back to their usual bickering in three days.
"Lady Lork seemed reluctant to let go. She might show up soon."
"Probably. She won't stay quiet after getting dumped out of the blue, with that personality."
Elena sneered, tapping the table with her finger. I replied innocently,
"Don't worry, Mother. The Grand Duke won't take Lady Lork back."
"How can you be so sure?"
"Father's eyes were narrowed like this—fierce."
I pulled the corners of my eyes up with both hands, making a menacing face. Elena burst out laughing.
"You're the only one who'd describe the Grand Duke like that."
"It's true."
"Hmm."
Elena's mood seemed brighter than before.
Thrilled that her thorn, Lady Lork, had been booted? Just as I sighed in relief—
"But is Akid ill?"
"Pardon?"
"I heard the Grand Duke sent a physician right after. The maid said they went to Akid's room."
"That was..."
Apparently, the Grand Duke had called the doctor to check Akid's wounds.
He must've been horrified by the bruises all over. Baron Lork's abuse hadn't been limited to the forehead.
Calling it quits the very next day without observation confirmed the Grand Duke's rage.
'How much should I reveal?'
I glanced at the Grand Duchess. She didn't seem to know Akid had been abused by Baron Lork.
If she did, she would've stormed to the Grand Duke instead of quizzing me.
The baron had always disciplined him out of sight, so you had to watch closely to notice.
Even the original Roena, in the same bedroom suite, hadn't known.
The forehead gash was the baron's mistake. Without my intervention, Akid would've hidden it with bangs, and no one would've been the wiser.
After that, the baron got bolder and eventually got caught by the Grand Duchess.
But she'd never spared Akid a glance, let alone noticed his bangs.
'She doesn't know yet. Not about the abuse, nor the real reason the Grand Duke cut off the Lork siblings.'
"Why so quiet?"
The Grand Duchess eyed me coolly when I didn't answer.
The old Roena would've spilled without issue, but my sealed lips were suspicious.
Still, blurting it out now risked the Grand Duke's ire.
Our rapport wasn't strong enough for me to share risky intel.
After some thought, I blinked innocently and replied,
"Because I was in Akid's room."
"What?"
"The physician came for me. To check for aftereffects from nearly drowning."
I lied boldly, and her brow furrowed.
"You two haven't shared a bed once since your marriage, have you?"
"True."
But isn't that the same for you, Mother? I swallowed the retort.
The Grand Duchess and Grand Duke had only consummated once on their wedding night before going separate ways.
Before she could counterattack, I struck first.
"Truth is, Akid's seemed different to me since the drowning."
"..."
"I heard he was really worried about me. And he was the one who saved me."
"...So what are you getting at?"
Elena asked grudgingly, wary of my angle.
I beamed at her.
"I'm going to start being a proper wife from now on!"
The perfect wife for my favorite—I'm not missing that role.
