The Survival Strategy of the Contract Duchess - Chapter 22

“A social… gathering.”

As Sasha repeated the unfamiliar words, Rose, standing in front of her, nodded quietly.

At that moment, Sasha was seated at her favorite spot, just past the boxwood hedge, in front of a small fountain where a tea table had been set.

It wasn’t exactly a grand beginning, but she needed to take the first steps toward becoming a proper duchess. And the person who could help her the most at this early stage was Rose.

Among all the maids in the Ignote ducal estate, Rose was the only middle-aged woman. For some reason, the rest of the maids were young. Because of that, Rose handled much of the responsibility as head maid. The younger maids followed her instructions for cleaning, organizing, and serving.

Earlier that day, Sasha had asked Rose to prepare tea and cautiously requested to talk. As if expecting this, Rose had gladly taken a seat in front of her.

But before Sasha could even bring up the subject herself, Rose had something important to share.

“After the wedding, several young ladies and noblewomen sent you invitations to social gatherings. But you never checked them. Of course, I later learned that His Grace had kept all the letters and chose not to show them to you.”

“Invitations? I never saw a single one…”

She was about to say she had never seen any, but then remembered a stack of letters she had once spotted in what she assumed was Kyler’s study. They were beautiful envelopes in various colors, decorated with ribbons and care. She had dismissed them at the time as love letters sent to him. Now that she thought about it, she felt embarrassed for making such a light assumption and said nothing.

“It seemed intentional that you weren’t shown them, so I chose not to say anything. His Grace gave me a special instruction, and I believe that is the reason.”

“A special instruction?”

Rose answered without hesitation, as if she had decided to respond to any question Sasha asked.

“I was told that Lady Sasha was raised in a very secluded environment, almost like a mountain retreat. Because of that, it was expected you might not know much about the Empire, noble families, or even basic household matters. His Grace asked me to stay close to you and help whenever something important came up.”

How far was Kyler willing to go to care for her?
Caught between sincerity and a contract, Sasha felt a tight ache in her chest.

“Duke Kyler is truly a kind man.”

Whatever the contract between them was, it was his thoughtful care that was helping her survive now.

Having received so much from him, it felt only right to give something in return. For now, that meant living as the Duchess of Ignote with dignity while still doing what she wanted. That was all he had asked, and she was ready to prepare for that role.

“So… attending this gathering is the right thing to do, isn’t it?”

“If you handle it well, it will be a good experience.”

“…That sounds like you’re gently trying to say I shouldn’t go.”

Worry filled Sasha’s mind, and everything she heard sounded discouraging.

Rose didn’t say anything in response. She only looked at Sasha calmly. While she always answered questions clearly, she rarely offered information unless asked.

If Sasha said she didn’t want to go to the gathering, Kyler would simply accept it. Even if there were small consequences, he would not blame her.

The many invitations that had piled up were proof of that. She didn’t need to attend every event, but completely ignoring all of them would certainly create problems.

“Then… tell me about this particular social gathering you mentioned.”

There had to be something different about this one for Rose to bring it up. Rose cleared her throat and began to explain.

“To be specific, this is a gathering that Her Majesty the Empress attends regularly. Although it is mainly for noblewomen, young ladies who have come of age are also invited. Her Majesty attends about twice a year. The rest of the time, smaller gatherings are held among close acquaintances. The events in the capital are usually the largest.”

With a clear tone and a gentle pace, Rose explained everything with elegance. Sasha had to resist the urge to ask if Rose had once been a noblewoman herself.

“I imagine the scale must be enormous.”

Just the thought of it made her wonder how many people would attend, especially if the Empress would be there.

“When Her Majesty attends, the gathering is almost equal to an imperial banquet.”

Under the Empress’s patronage, these social events were held regularly. Sasha realized she needed to seriously consider whether this was the right moment for her first appearance in society.

Maybe she should pick one of the old invitations sitting untouched in Kyler’s study and try attending a smaller event first. But doing that might only make her stand out more. That could be even riskier.

“The large size might feel intimidating, but you would be meeting many young ladies and noblewomen at once. If you think of it as solving several obligations in one day, it may feel less overwhelming.”

“Ah, Rose is truly wise.”

If Sasha had no intention of getting close to each person one by one, then attending just one large event would allow her to make regular greetings to many people at once.

“And if you attend and greet everyone there, it will also give you an explanation for why you have declined all their previous invitations,” Rose added.

“Oh, Rose, you’re really smart.”

The words slipped out before Sasha could stop herself. She had spoken so naturally that she was surprised by her own voice. Embarrassed, she pressed her lips together. But then, she saw a light blush rise on Rose’s cheeks.

“Ah, thank you for the compliment.”

Was she someone who got flustered easily when praised? It was the first time Sasha had seen her stammer like that, and it made her smile.

“Then I guess I should go. You think it’s a good idea, right?”

Rose cleared her throat and answered in her usual calm tone.

“I believe it would be good for you to go. A letter arrived about the gathering, but Duke Kyler told me not to bother you with it and dismissed it right away.”

It seemed Kyler really had no plans of presenting her to the outside world. Still, as the duchess of a powerful house, weren’t there responsibilities she was supposed to fulfill?

“Rose, can I ask you something?”

Sasha was trying to stay hopeful, but her cautious habit of preparing for the worst came out again. It was something she couldn’t help, having grown up in a harsh environment. Even though she was beginning to trust Kyler more, she still felt uncertain at times, and that made her uncomfortable.

As Sasha lowered her voice and became serious, Rose straightened slightly. She met Sasha’s eyes gently, as if ready for any question.

“Is Duke Kyler trying to keep me hidden from others?”

He had told her to live freely and do what she wanted, but he hadn’t shown her the invitations or told her about the gatherings. For a moment, Sasha wondered if he had a reason he couldn’t tell her.

Rose didn’t blush this time. Instead, her lips twitched slightly. Was she holding back a laugh? If the question seemed silly to her, maybe that was actually a good thing.

“You don’t need to worry about that. His Grace is the kind of man who would be able to handle anything, even if the duchess ran wild in public.”

That answer felt a little vague. Sasha wasn’t sure what to say and stared at Rose with an uncertain expression. Rose smiled softly and continued.

“He is not someone who would try to hide you. If you had said you wanted to go out, he would have let you. If you had said you didn’t want to, he would have quietly taken care of everything himself, just like he has until now.”

Rose spoke with such confidence that Sasha felt she could trust her with almost anything. If she had any questions about Kyler, Rose would probably be able to answer most of them.

“Alright then. I’ll go to the gathering. You’ll have to help me a lot though. I know you’re busy, but could you?”

Sasha finally made up her mind. From the moment Kyler had told her to live as she wished, she had known what she wanted. She wanted to become a duchess who wouldn’t bring him shame. Someone who could be of help to him.

It wasn’t because she loved him. It wasn’t about feelings like that. It was because he had helped her open her eyes to life again.

At first, she had been scared of him. He had forced her into a situation she couldn’t escape and taken her first time. But even through that, she had felt it. She could survive because of him.

And he had even saved the original Sasha’s life, the woman whose body she now lived in.

Before, no matter what she wanted, she had lived a life where she could only think about eating and sleeping. But now, she didn’t have to worry about those things anymore. Now she could choose what she wanted to do.

If the role given to her was to be a duchess, then she wanted to do it well.

“There is no need to ask, Lady Sasha. You are someone Duke Kyler has accepted as part of House Ignote. And I work for Ignote. That means I work for you.”

Rose’s words were full of trust and loyalty. Sasha felt like she had found a strong ally. As long as she didn’t harm the Ignote name, Rose would stand by her side.

“Good. Then what should I do first?”

Should she start by learning the names of the noble families? Or by memorizing the order of events at these gatherings?

Or maybe it was more important to learn about the Empress, since her presence at the gathering made it a key event.

Sasha remembered the overly extravagant woman she had met at the palace. Would she act the same way in a large event full of people?

Sasha had a feeling that dealing with the Empress might end up being her biggest challenge.

With that thought, she steadied herself and looked at Rose with determination.

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