: Sleeping Priorities

Feeling like she had already said everything she wanted to say. Mabaya wished to leave the room cause she truly was finding Duke Teotimo Almasen's presence unbearable.

"Are you off to sleep?" The Duke asked the woman who looked quite eager to leave the room.

"Yes." Mabaya didn't bother to hide her yawn and hasted to leave as she was about to walk out the room.

"Wait!"

Mabaya turned to glance at Duke Almasen.

"Let Leone lead you the way to your room." Hearing a familiar name Mabaya raised a brow.

As if on cue, a knock was heard on the other side of the door as it was twisted open and a tall man, with brown hair, a freckled face who was wearing a coat-tail, entered with a polite bow.

It was Leone Ramirez, Almasen Noblehouse's prized head-butler. Mabaya glanced at the just entered Leone with lack of interest.

She had not seen Leone's figure much during her past life. He was named as the Duke's lap dog because he was the Duke's most trusted man, he always follows the Duke's orders no matter what it was. He was an extremely talented individual who wields mahika. He was the Duke's devoted servant.

Mabaya had no memory of being wronged by Leone so Mabaya wasn't against him leading her.

'He didn't bully me yet he didn't help me either.'

"That would be great. Speaking of my room may I ask a favor?" Mabaya simply asked.

"If it's within my power to do so then why not." The Duke lightly said as he nodded as if agreeing to her favor before even listening as to what she wanted to ask for.

This was one of the reasons why she fell for him during her last life. He may not love her but he didn't really wrong her and even slightly indulged her when it comes to materialistic things, that was until Luningning cried and begged him to not shower Mabaya with affection because she will turn jealous, from then on he treated her distantly and coldly.

"I want my room to only have one key..... MY key, so no one would be allowed to enter my room at will."

"That is doable but if we do so how will the maids serve you?"

"I have my own arrangements in that matter. But if they truly have something to inform me of, they're free to knock."

"But if they knock then they might possibly disturb your sleep and you made mention that you didn't wish to have your slumber disturbed."

"That would be fine because I'll make sure to put a 'do not disturb' sign on my door so that they will know when to not disturb me."

'A sign?' Duke Almasen was looking at her oddly.

Mabaya was after all no fool ... she may have been his contracted wife but they were 'married' for years during her past life so she could more or less understand his thoughts.

'He must be thinking that I was a strange woman.'

But who cares what he thinks.

"So I guess that would be all. Be sure to send me my copy of the contract. Sir Leone, if you could please lead me to my room."

Leone nodded and bowed to Duke Almasen to bid farewell before walking out to lead the Dutchess in name to her very room..... not that she needed someone to lead her. After all, she had lived here before so she was familiar with its blueprint.

When they reached her familiar room Mabaya immediately went inside and roamed her eyes to scrutinize it.

This was the very same room she had on her last life up until she was transferred to the cabin.

Memories of what she had gone through replayed inside her mind and her mood quickly grew heavy. She fought the heavy feeling inside her chest as she turned around to look at the head butler.

"Thank you for leading me here."

Mabaya shot him the brightest smile she can currently muster. Leone only gazed at her with a deep stare as to which Mabaya found discomfort in, for it felt like he saw through her pretense. Mabaya quickly said her goodbye as she closed the door on him and locked it up.

Locking has been a habit from her past life.

Living in an old cabin where wild animals, thieves, and robbers could barge in at anytime made me her have no choice but to stay alert at all times, she needed to highten up her senses and stand on guard.

Mabaya glanced at her familiar room and her gaze stopped at the large window that had luxurious looking curtains. The sun was shining brightly outside and it lighted her whole room making it look incredibly warm and cozy.

But such coziness was something she had grown unused to. Mabaya walked towards the windows and immediately shut it, not wanting to see the sunlight.

Seeing her room grow dark finally made her feel at ease.

Guess habits are hard to change.

Not bothering about anything, she took off all her clothes and left nothing but her inner wear. Once again, an old habit she had from her past life.

Once she lived in the cabin she was lacking in clothes so she often chose to sleep with just her inner garments to save some clothes so that she will have lesser clothes to wash and soon enough she adapted and felt comfortable in sleeping with only light garments

Mabaya looked down on her hands. They were white, unstained, unwounded and they looked incredibly soft as if she had never done any hard work all her life. This thought made Mabaya let out a mocking smile. She walked towards her large bed and lay on its soft mattress.

Her inner wear consisted of a a plain white undergarment from her gown.

If people could see such a scene they might have screamed at how scandalous she looked but hey, no one was around so they are unable to see and honestly said she doesn't care if people do see, she had already grown numb to it all.

She turned on her bed and lay whilst staring at the darkness.

This time.... I won't get hurt.

___________________

Mabaya was in deep slumber when she was woken by the knocks on her door yet she chose to ignore it thinking that they'd go away sooner or later. She suddenly heard a click clack and the lights on her room was turned on making Mabaya wince at the sudden brightness.

"It's time for your meal Ma'lady. Duke Almasen and Lady Luningning invites you to dinner." A maid said.

The maid entered the room and saw that it was dark and so she turned on the lights. There, on the soft bed, was an ethereal looking lady who was wearing nothing but her inner wear of a gown that was flowy in nature, this sight burned the maid's sight as she quickly shifted her gaze all around but at the lady.

The woman's hair was long and wavy as it was fiery red in color. It glimmered and shined under the influence of the fluorescent chandelier.

'She looks like a breath taking rose!'

The servants of the estate was vaguely aware of the circumstances and the fact that the Dutchess was only the Dutchess in name for the true Lady of the House was Lady Luningning. The servants mocked at the woman who agreed to such a contract thinking that she must be some desperate noble woman who was unable to marry another man and so resorted to being someone's third party.

Yet now....if someone as ethereal looking as her was unable to find a man then every woman should might as well die an old virgin!

"How did you get in?" Mabaya asked as she stared at the maid with a blank look.

"W-what?" The maid finally snapped out of her reverie and saw that the Dutchess was staring at her with empty eyes. "Oh..uhm..I received a key from the head butler."

Hearing her words, Mabaya's beautiful face frowned in distaste, "It seems like the Duke had already forgotten our deal."

"Pardon?" The maid was confused by what Mabaya had said. Mabaya didn't bother explaining her stance as she gently let out her left hand in an open palm as if asking something from the standing maid.

The maid tilted her head in confusion at the Dutchess actions so she could only stare at Mabaya in wonder.

"Give me the key." Mabaya lightly said.

The maid glanced at the key that she had on hand and only then did she remember that Leone had ordered to hand this to the Dutchess.

"Here you are Ma' lady."

Mabaya recieved the key and indifferently threw it on to the side table.

"Duke Almasen and Lady Luningning invites you to din--"

"No, thank you."

"Excuse me?"

"Please do tell them, thanks but no thanks. I am currently not hungry. I thank them for their care but its truly unneeded. "

Mabaya lay down looking uninterested. She lifted her blanket up looking like she was going back to sleep and the maid could only flusteredly look at her.

"But your dinn--"

"Not hunngry."

Mabaya really was not hungry. She had lived an entire lifetime eating nothing but small amounts of food. Its tragic that even her current body is used to the eating habits of her past life or was it because it was affected by her mentality?

"But Ma'lady the Duke has personally invited y---"

"Please do lock the door on your way out." Mabaya coldly said as she turned and closed her eyes.

The maid pursed her lips tightly as she glanced at the current Dutchess.

'Hmph! Just because she's pretty she's thinking that she's oh so special! She's definitely playing hard to get! Such tactics is really annoying! As if she can gain the Duke's interest that way! Hmph!' The maid inwardly mocked.

The maid walked away slowly thinking that Mabaya would quickly change her words and drop her pretense only to be left baffled once she heard Mabaya's light snores.

Asdfghkl?! Was she seriously sleeping?!