The Survival Strategy of the Contract Duchess - Chapter 111

The next morning began peacefully, as usual.

Sasha woke up in Kyler’s arms, and Kyler greeted her with a kiss.

“Sasha, from now on, I will have anyone from the Ivern family chased away. Please allow it.”

As they were finishing their meal, Pavon, followed by Rose, appeared at the entrance of the dining room and bowed. They probably wanted to do at least that much, not knowing how their master would handle the situation.

“That’s a good idea. Do so.”

Kyler gave the answer. Nevertheless, they glanced at Sasha. Kyler was still their sole master, but they felt that she was also their master, a precious person to him.

Sasha nodded slightly in response and smiled. Pavon and Rose seemed relieved by her usual playful smile and retreated.

“Is there something. I should return?”

Kyler asked, putting down his fork and knife after finishing his meal. Sasha, who was diligently devouring her dessert, looked up.

“Ivern is one thing, but even the Empress, is that possible?”

In her resentful mood, she didn’t even think of using honorifics. She didn’t feel like she should be considerate of such a person.

“I can do anything you want. This has gone too far. I will make the impossible possible.”

Seeing him speak so earnestly, Sasha smiled softly. When she got up from the table, he naturally followed her.

Holding his hand, they walked together down a path she didn’t usually take. Instead of the backyard visible from Sasha’s room, they headed west of the mansion, where the Duke’s knights were stationed. There was a training ground, knights’ quarters, stables, and so on.

She had been there before, but it wasn’t a place she was very familiar with.

“Why here?”

As Kyler looked back with a puzzled expression, Sasha clasped his hand tightly with both of hers and looked up at him.

“Help Kyler resolve the matter with the monsters quickly. I’m supposed to meet the monster you saw in the Uhallin Forest the day after tomorrow. Tell me how things are progressing. It would be nice if you could give me even a rough update.”

“Where are you planning to go?”

Kyler looked at her sharply. Sasha, slightly startled, smiled and rubbed his hand.

“I’m preparing for this. I’m going to the palace to meet the Empress.”

Kyler’s expression visibly hardened at the mention of the Empress.

She had spoken clearly enough for him to understand, and perhaps realizing what she had done to Sasha, she had confessed everything, but he was still uneasy.

He hadn’t yet seen for himself what Midienna was like after that day. Seeing his expression, which clearly showed he didn’t want her to go even if he just passed by, Sasha smiled cheerfully and squeezed his hand even tighter.

“It’s okay. What could she possibly do inside the Imperial Palace? Anyone would think, ‘Ah, the Empress was blinded by jealousy and got rid of her’?”

What she said wasn’t wrong. In fact, if something happened in the palace, he was ready to rebel even against the Emperor.

He knew that she had been enduring it all this time, and in fact, he had been silently enduring it for Lydian’s sake, who sincerely cherished Midienna and wanted to create a good relationship between the Emperor and Empress.

Lydian also knew that he was enduring it, so he couldn’t tolerate it any longer.

“I’ll assign a knight to you.”

“That’s good.”

Sasha would have preferred to go alone, but after learning how far these people would go for jealousy and concealment, she didn’t feel comfortable just staying put.

Kyler said goodbye and went inside, and surprisingly, Dylan came out in his place.

“No, why are you sending a key figure? Go back in and have another knight assigned to me!”

“To protect Sasha in the Imperial Palace to some extent, someone of a lesser rank won’t do. I’ll go.”

Sasha had no choice but to nod, as she couldn’t just send back someone who had been ordered to come. Then she turned and started walking.

*

As Sasha stepped into the Empress’s palace, she was immediately guided to the reception room. The head maid said politely that it would take some time as they were not prepared and asked for her understanding before leaving Sasha alone in the room.

Watching the warm sunlight hit the furniture and decorations, making them sparkle, made her feel sleepy.

Would the talks go well, would they find a way? Such thoughts flowed gently like a stream.

Ah, now that she thought about it, the stream Kyler had made in the backyard should be finished by now, but she hadn’t been able to see it. It would be nice to be able to enjoy it comfortably with Kyler later.

“I’m glad you look so peaceful.”

Then a voice broke through Sasha’s thoughts.

Sasha was startled and reflexively jumped up from her seat, and before her stood the Emperor, Lydian, smiling brightly.

Sasha felt the smile on her face disappear as soon as she saw him. Sasha, who had come to meet the Empress, was met by the Emperor first.

She knew all too well why he had appeared before her now, without even having to hear it.

“You say I look peaceful, so you’re glad I won’t hold the Empress accountable?”

The words came out crookedly. She knew that the Emperor was a special person to Kyler, but from her perspective, he didn’t look good at all.

The Emperor was not flustered by her immediate hostile reaction and gave her a pathetic smile.

He was said to be a terrifying Emperor, one that even Kyler would defer to, so Sasha didn’t immediately feel anything from that smile, but she decided to stop snapping at him before he even started talking.

“Why did you come?”

Sasha tried to speak calmly, excluding as much emotion as possible. As she asked that while standing, the Emperor took a seat at the head of the table and offered her a seat. As Sasha slowly sat back down on the sofa, he spoke without delay.

“I heard what you almost suffered because of the Empress.”

“Yes, you did.”

Before Lydian could hesitate, the reply popped out. Lydian, who had been trying to speak calmly, seemed to flinch slightly. But Sasha swallowed her next words and waited for Lydian to speak.

“The Empress told me that herself.”

This time, Sasha didn’t say anything. She just stared at him, not knowing that she had a “so what?” look on her face. Now Lydian swallowed hard.

“That, the Empress told me as a sign of repentance. And she swore to me that this would never happen again.”

Sasha frowned at that point.

“I heard the Emperor was the smartest and scariest, but that was all a lie.”

“Wh-what?”

She was dumbfounded by his reaction to the unfamiliar word. Was that what was important now!

“Who is the Empress supposed to apologize to, and who did she tell that to? And why are you interfering now when I left Kyler at the mansion and came here alone to talk about it?”

Lydian was bewildered by her words, which were no different from scolding him, even though she used the proper honorifics.

The Emperor, who had been staring back at her as she glared at him, pondered for a moment and opened his mouth more cautiously.

“Ah, I don’t mean that she won’t apologize to you. But…”

“Do that after we’re done talking. After we’ve finished talking, you should appear coolly when I say, ‘I can’t do it! I can’t forgive the Empress!'”

Lydian closed his mouth, feeling like she was definitely scolding him. In fact, when he thought about it, she wasn’t wrong.

He had become impatient because he felt sorry for Kyler. If this matter came to light properly, the Empress would not be able to escape responsibility.

He had been anxious, and when he heard that Sasha had come alone, without Kyler, he thought something terrible had happened and unknowingly came to the Empress’s palace.

“You’re right.”

“Haa? But even so, do you like the Empress that much?”

And he was stunned by her words.

“How? how did you?”

He had never properly expressed this feeling in words. Perhaps Kyler, who had been watching him for a long time, might know, but how did this woman, who had not even met him a few times, know that?

Sasha shook her head as she watched Lydian’s flustered expression.

Perhaps if she hadn’t loved Kyler, if she hadn’t been loved by him, she wouldn’t have noticed such feelings in others.

If she wondered why Lydian, who supposedly cared so much for Kyler, was taking care of the Empress so much, there was only one answer.

“I’m doing it, so I can see it in others.”

So, she couldn’t blame him for that feeling. Of course, that didn’t mean she supported him acting like this.

Only then did Sasha’s face relax. Seeing her look at him with all suspicion and ill will gone, Lydian also relaxed his tension and gave her an awkward smile, devoid of embarrassment.

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