The Survival Strategy of the Contract Duchess - Chapter 35

The library quickly became a familiar and comfortable place for her. Perhaps it was because she had long admired such spaces and spent so much time in them.

It was the second day since Rose had shown her around the library, and once again, Sasha was sitting there, absorbed in a book.

“Thank you for helping me learn to read the writing here.”

One of her biggest concerns when she first arrived was the written language. While she could understand and speak the language, the idea of not being able to read it was terrifying. It would have meant starting with the basics and taking on an enormous task just to catch up.

Fortunately, when she first saw the letters, she had felt an overwhelming sense of relief. She remembered how Rose had slightly narrowed her eyes when she saw Sasha begin to read, as if impressed or thoughtful.

It seemed that Sasha, in gaining knowledge, had also stirred something emotional in Rose.

She was proud of herself for finding a meaningful way to spend her time and continued reading with purpose.

“My lady? Still, don’t you think you need to have a dress fitted?”

And just like every other day, Rose appeared and tried to persuade her.

Rose, who loved dresses more than anyone, was anxious about what Sasha would wear to the upcoming party. She was almost pleading, worried that Sasha wouldn’t have the perfect dress for the occasion.

“Why is a dress such a big deal? The one I wore last time was nice. And besides, there are plenty of dresses back home, aren’t there? Or are they off-limits because they belong to someone else?”

“That’s not it, but…”

“Then it’s fine, isn’t it?”

Since she could not convince Sasha to have a new dress made, Rose at least wanted to help her choose one from the existing collection.

After greeting Sasha, who was still deeply focused on her books, Rose watched as she pulled out a basic fencing manual. It was a popular book often used by beginners and widely recommended. Rose shook her head gently.

“Lady Sasha, there are many things that still need to be prepared for the party. Starting tomorrow, we will need to finalize everything over the next two days.”

What kind of preparations took two whole days just to review? Surprised, Sasha decided to look into it more carefully.

“What about the responses to the invitations?”

“Of course, everyone has replied. There is no need to worry.”

Rose’s firm answer made it feel as though everyone had come together with a shared goal of making the party a success. Sasha felt slightly reassured and even a little proud.

“And the dress… I chose one from the styles you usually prefer.”

“Good job. You really do love dresses, don’t you?”

As she looked at Rose, Sasha was reminded once again that in life, you cannot always do only what you want.

She silently hoped that the gathering would be meaningful and worthwhile. Even while saying so, she could not hide her disappointment every time the word “dress” came up.

“Once the party is over, I’ll repay everyone properly. I know you all worked hard. I just hope we can pull this off without any mistakes. Please stay with me until the end.”

She did not forget to offer some comfort to Rose, who looked slightly down. Sasha thought it would be nice to give Rose a beautiful outfit someday. Would Rose accept it with joy?

“Yes, my lady. And please come down for lunch later. You know it’s not good to skip meals. If you start looking too thin, we will all have to work overtime adjusting the dress.”

Sasha nodded, and only then did Rose leave with a relieved look on her face. To begin with, it was not about skipping meals. Sasha just disliked gaining weight and tried to be careful.

Everything was going smoothly. Time passed slowly, but steadily.

A week was not as long as she had expected. Because of that, Sasha had spent so much time in the library that she did not get a chance to review her letters.

Meanwhile, preparations for the party progressed well. Since the maids had long dreamed of such an event, their enthusiasm turned what was supposed to be a small gathering into a more serious and elegant party.

Finally, the day of the party arrived.

The young ladies were now looking with admiration at the tables and chairs Sasha had chosen.

“Oh my, look at these chairs. This is the latest style from Yuni.”

“I noticed that too. They are so beautiful. And the colors. Aren’t they lovely again this time?”

“That’s what Yuni is known for. She said she was proud of the color palette, and it really shows.”

On the day of the party, the guests gathered in the drawing room. Their eyes were instantly drawn to the meeting table that had been set up separately from the sofa area.

Usually, men’s meeting tables were circular or square with heavy decorations, but this table and its chairs had a unique design that none of them had seen before.

Sasha had spent several days carefully choosing something that would stand out at a glance. Luckily, what she had selected caught their attention and even lifted their moods. After all, young noblewomen loved things that were visually impressive.

As the conversations began to flow with ease, the nervousness of being at the Duke of Ignote’s estate seemed to melt away.

She led the young ladies to the dining room first.

“Please enjoy your meal, everyone.”

She spoke with a shy smile, and the young ladies followed her with small smiles on their faces. Once the food was served, Sasha looked around at everyone with a gentle expression.

“This is amazing. How can the food be this delicious?”

As expected, the conversation was led by Lada and Rosehill. The other ladies joined in with cheerful agreements or bursts of laughter, as if hoping to make a good impression on Sasha.

“I truly hope all of you feel comfortable and enjoy yourselves. You may not know, but the duke’s estate hasn’t hosted a party in quite a while. Everyone has been a little nervous about welcoming guests again. It’s still early, but seeing you all enjoying yourselves like this makes me very happy.”

Sasha spoke with calm sincerity.

Since this was a gathering of friendly faces, she relaxed a little and observed the group with a smile. It wasn’t an easy task, but when had anything ever been easy?

“People who’ve seen you at social gatherings always say the same thing. They say you’re absolutely stunning.”

As if they had been waiting for it, everyone responded to Rosehill’s comment with admiration. Sasha had been quietly observing them with a composed gaze, but she could not help blushing a little.

“Oh, I don’t think I’m all that. There were so many beautiful ladies there. Even all of you here today… Do you follow a special beauty routine? I would really love to know your secrets.”

She smiled warmly and made eye contact with each one of them. The ladies who had been loudly complimenting her suddenly turned shy, blushing and laughing softly. It seemed that compliments never failed to charm.

The way some of the girls waved their hands and said there was no such routine made them look especially sweet and innocent.

“People expected there might be a gathering like this eventually, but no one thought it would happen so soon. I didn’t think I would be invited either.”

Lady Aisy gently tugged at her light, wheat-colored hair as she spoke in a quiet voice. She didn’t talk much and seemed shy, but her calm manners and graceful behavior had already caught Sasha’s attention.

“Lady Aisy helped me when I got lost the other day. I was really grateful. I even saw her helping several other guests too.”

She was slightly older than the others, and maybe because of that, she seemed more thoughtful and caring. Sasha remembered her kindness and often wondered how someone so gentle and considerate had not yet married.

“That’s right. How did you even notice that? Everyone knows how kind Lady Aisy is. The real problem is that some people take advantage of her kindness, and that’s just not fair.”

Lada spoke with genuine concern, as if it were something that had happened to her. Lady Aisy looked down in embarrassment, while the others kept praising her without stopping.

The cheerful laughter of the ladies filled the dining room, and the meal continued for quite some time.

Even without Sasha saying much, Lada and Rosehill kept the conversation flowing smoothly. It was impressive how lively things became over a meal.

Most of the talk centered around joyful stories and family celebrations, which added to the warm atmosphere.

Sasha even gathered some useful information that she had not expected to hear at all.

For example, she learned which noble families were friendly toward Kyler, and what kind of person the emperor really was.

“Oh my, truly. The emperor has the most charming smile. It’s unforgettable.”

“Yes! He might be the most intimidating person in the empire, but that smile… he’s just as handsome as Duke Kyler.”

Sasha thought about the emperor she had met. He always had a pleasant smile and treated Kyler with genuine warmth.

Even when Kyler entered the palace for a formal report, he brought Sasha with him and introduced her so naturally. Because of that, Sasha had never thought of the emperor as someone frightening.

She did remember briefly feeling pity when she saw the empress, but that had only lasted a moment.

“Is the emperor really that frightening?”

Sasha asked carefully. He was, after all, the ruler of the empire and the only person above Kyler. She believed it was important to know the truth about his character.

The four young ladies glanced at each other, unsure what to say. They seemed to be silently deciding whether to speak honestly or keep things pleasant.

At that moment, Rosehill, who had first mentioned how scary he could be, spoke up again in a quiet voice, as if she was taking responsibility.

“You should never be fooled by his smile. Behind it, there is something terrifying… something like a demon.”

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