Chapter 8

"Truly, Your Grace, you're going too far. How can you leave your bride, whom you spent the first night with, alone?"

Lina, who was brushing Blair's hair after her bath, was furious. Her voice carried a sense of injustice as if she were the one going through it.

The actual subject of the matter, however, smiled as if nothing was amiss while listening to her complaints.

"I'm fine. Sleeping separately is more comfortable for me."

After all, except for gatherings with the nobles, they used different rooms. It wasn't much different from that.

But Lina's anger didn't subside.

"Even so! Yesterday wasn't just any other day; it was the first night."

"...Lina, it hurts when you brush so vigorously."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I got carried away."

While Lina's grip on the brush, which seemed like it could break at any moment, loosened, her anger remained unabated.

"Anyway! In this unfamiliar mansion, with unfamiliar people all around, to a lovely lady who came here with just one husband to look after, you shouldn't do that. It's a deprivation of your husband's qualifications."

"How does an unmarried lady like you know about that?"

"It's all knowledge and emotional nourishment from books."

Blair thought of the red-stickered book that Lina had been reading all night with flushed cheeks and chuckled.

"Well, Your Grace's appearance is honestly like the male lead himself, but… we might need to see more about your character."

Listening to Lina's muttering, Blair's slightly improved mood further brightened.

As she gazed at her gradually tidying reflection in the mirror, something sparkled between her neck and collarbone.

"… A magic circle?"

Blair quickly opened her collar to check, but all she could see were the red marks he had left the night before.

Seeing that, memories of the previous night rushed back, and her face flushed.

Blair hastily covered her collar. It seemed like she had seen it wrong.

Lina tilted her head in confusion.

"Madam? Is your dress uncomfortable?"

"Ah, no. It's nothing."

Blair, who was embarrassed, lowered her head, and suddenly, she noticed a thin bandage wrapped around Lina's fingers.

She asked, "Did you hurt your hand?"

"Ah…"

A momentary look of panic flashed across Lina's face as she was brushing Blair's hair.

"I'm sorry. I got carried away."

Lina's grip on the brush, which seemed like it could break at any moment, loosened, but her anger didn't diminish.

"Anyway! In this unfamiliar mansion, with unfamiliar people all around, to a lovely lady who came here with just one husband to look after, you shouldn't do that. It's a deprivation of your husband's qualifications."

"How does an unmarried lady like you know about that?"

"It's all knowledge and emotional nourishment from books."

Blair thought of the red-stickered book that Lina had been reading all night with flushed cheeks and chuckled.

"Well, Your Grace's appearance is honestly like the male lead himself, but… we might need to see more about your character."

Listening to Lina's muttering, Blair's slightly improved mood further brightened.

As she gazed at her gradually tidying reflection in the mirror, something sparkled between her neck and collarbone.

"… A magic circle?"

Blair quickly opened her collar to check, but all she could see were the red marks he had left the night before.

Seeing that, memories of the previous night rushed back, and her face flushed.

Blair hastily covered her collar. It seemed like she had seen it wrong.

Lina tilted her head in confusion.

"Madam? Is your dress uncomfortable?"

"Ah, no. It's nothing."

Blair, who was embarrassed, lowered her head, and suddenly, she noticed a thin bandage wrapped around Lina's fingers.

She asked, "Did you hurt your hand?"

"Ah…"

A momentary look of panic flashed across Lina's face as she was brushing Blair's hair.

"I'm sorry. I got carried away."

Lina finished arranging Blair's hair and helped her to her feet.

Following Lina's guidance, as they descended to the dining room, a servant who had been waiting opened the door.

On the first day of their marriage, it was customary for the newlyweds to have dinner with the groom's family.

Usually, on such occasions, the dining room would be bustling with immediate family members, but in the spacious dining hall, only Herdin was seated.

He had no family.

With no siblings and having lost his parents at a young age, Herdin had grown up alone. For him, the person who was like a parent was none other than Empress Esmeralda.

Seeing the empty dining room, he felt he might finally understand why he hated himself so much, apart from his resentment.

The butler, who had pulled out Blair's chair, expertly filled her glass with wine before leaving the dining room.

As they were left alone in the dining room, Herdin raised his glass and asked, "Did you sleep peacefully?"

It was a somewhat ironic question coming from the person who had tormented Blair all night and only released her at dawn. Nevertheless, Blair answered obediently, "Yes."

With that brief exchange of pleasantries, the meal began.

Despite having just celebrated their wedding and spent their first night together as a married couple, the dinner table was filled with an awkward silence.

Herdin was the one to break the silence.

"After the meal, the butler will introduce you to the servants."

He spoke as he skillfully cut into his steak with a knife.

"After the servants' greetings are done, they will guide you through the mansion. There are no further scheduled events, so you can rest."

"Thank you."

"If you have any more questions or anything else you'd like to discuss, please feel free to talk to me."

"How will you investigate the fire incident ten years ago?"

His knife, which had been cutting the steak, came to a halt.

His eyes, which had been dry all along, turned towards Blair.

No matter how formal this contract marriage had been, she hadn't expected him to bring up this topic so soon, especially on the day after their wedding and their first night together, when they were both physically and mentally exhausted.

"As you mentioned that you have no memory of that time, we are currently seeking a hypnotist."

The word "hypnotist" made Blair shiver. It reminded her of her past memories.

"I tried hypnosis several times before, but it had no effect."

"Well, this time might be different."

Herdin responded calmly, but there was determination in his words. He suspected that Blair hadn't truly lost her memories but was pretending to do so.

"…You're doubting me."

"How can I trust you?"

His tone suggested that questioning her was only natural.

Even though she could hide her true intentions, he had no intention of concealing his own.

"Whether you truly lost your memory or if there's another reason for your feigned memory loss, only you know."

As the daughter of the Delmarc family, which had a politically hostile relationship with the royal family, there was already enough reason for him to doubt her.

Blair was well aware of this and had already realized it in her past life.

But thinking vaguely and actually facing the raw enmity of the other party were two different things.

"Just because I accepted the contract doesn't mean I trust you."

His words were correct.

This was a contract.

Not a marriage based on love and trust, but a contract made after considering gains and losses. Moreover, hadn't she proposed it first?

Since they had entered into this contract, she needed to address his suspicions.

Blair calmly agreed to his request.

"…I understand. So, as you said, let's try hypnosis first."

On their first day as newlyweds, their intimate first meal came to an end.

After the greetings with the servants were concluded, Mason, the butler, took charge of guiding them through the mansion.

Having served the Delmarc Ducal family for generations, he had deep loyalty to the Duke's family and a sense of pride. He knew the history of the Delmarc Dukes better than the current master, Herdin.

The mansion tour continued until after dinner.

Blair, who had lived in this mansion until her reincarnation, already knew most of the information, but she listened to Mason's stories with renewed interest. It was a fresh perspective to revisit the place after returning from death.

After the tour concluded and they headed towards Blair's bedroom, Mason suddenly apologized, as if he had just realized something.

"You must be tired after hosting the feast just yesterday, and I rushed things."

"As the hostess, these are things I should know. Thanks to you, I could quickly familiarize myself with the mansion's layout."

Mason, like most of the people in the Duke's household, was not particularly friendly towards Blair, but that didn't mean he had ever displayed personal emotions in her presence.

Blair, even though she wasn't a warm and amiable mistress, didn't want to make him uncomfortable by not acknowledging him as the master of the house. In fact, she found the tour of the mansion quite enjoyable.

Before she knew it, they had arrived at Blair's bedroom.

"If you have any more questions or anything you'd like to discuss, please feel free to ask at any time."

"I'd like to see the list of servants' names and the household inventory."

Mason was surprised by Blair's request. Matters related to the family's finances, such as the servants' salaries and the inventory of household items, were typically the responsibility of the lady of the house.

However, in reality, noblewomen rarely handled such tasks directly. Managing numbers and finances was not an easy job, and it was usually delegated to subordinates.

But now, she wanted to do it herself.

"Are you saying you want to do this job yourself?"

"Now that I'm part of the Delmarc family, I should do my part."

Before her reincarnation, Blair, like most noble ladies, had entrusted the internal affairs of the Duke's mansion to Mason.

Part of the reason was that she found the duties of a mistress too challenging, but more importantly, the people in the Duke's household did not appreciate her involvement in household matters.

However, now it didn't matter what others thought. Even though she was only a one-year Duchess, she wanted to do her part.

Not to earn recognition from anyone else but to avoid feeling small and powerless again.

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This novel has been translated up to chapter 96.

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