The Survival Strategy of the Contract Duchess - Chapter 36

“A demon?”

Sasha was about to respond with doubt, but stopped when she noticed that none of the young ladies spoke up to disagree. Not one of them denied it.

She realized that the atmosphere had grown more serious than she expected.

“He really is the scariest person. He is usually friendly, always smiling, and the second most admired man in the empire. But when it comes to ruling the empire, he becomes truly terrifying. He sends out knights across the land to destroy any trace of rebellion. He doesn’t wait until someone actually rebels. If he even suspects it, he eliminates them.”

Even though that kind of strictness might be expected from an emperor, the young lady continued, as if there was still more to say.

“What frightened us the most was when he married the daughter of the Duke of Medilan just to control the duchy. Everyone knows how stubborn the duke is. Even after the emperor lost his mother, he still took the duke’s daughter as his empress.”

It had happened when rebel forces passed through the Medilan territory to attack the capital. The previous emperor had offered aid in exchange for reconsidering a future trade agreement, but the Duke of Medilan had ignored the offer.

That made the battle against the rebels last longer than expected. During that time, the former empress was struck by an arrow and passed away.

While men might understand that kind of political choice, the women couldn’t help feeling uneasy. To them, taking the daughter of the enemy as empress felt both tragic and frightening.

When the topic of the empress came up, Sasha’s eyes flickered. Lady Lada noticed this and looked closely at her before continuing where Rosehill had left off.

“And then the empress developed feelings for someone else. She fell for none other than Duke Kyler of the Ignote family. In any normal case, both the empress and the duke would have been punished or exiled. But the emperor could not punish either of them. Instead, he ordered Duke Kyler to marry someone else.”

So there had been a reason for the sudden marriage. Sasha had suspected there was something behind it, but she hadn’t thought it would be serious enough to cause such drastic action. Was it really just for her safety? A heavy feeling settled in her shoulders.

“That was so cruel. To force a marriage on someone from Ignote of all families.”

“Ignote? Did the emperor owe them a great debt?”

Lada and Rosehill once again proved to be a rich source of information. Sasha had no idea where they learned all these things, but they were doing exactly what she had hoped.

“The Ignote family has a long history of loyalty to the royal family. Among men, they shared deep friendship. Among women and men, they worked closely in politics and state affairs. Recently, the duke personally helped defeat rebels and even fought against magical beasts.”

“Emperor Ridian and Duke Kyler grew up together. They are about the same age and were very close friends from childhood. And yet the emperor still forced him to marry. That feels like a betrayal.”

“It was a huge loss for all the noble ladies in the empire.”

They spoke with real sorrow, even though Kyler never belonged to any of them. Sasha remembered hearing a term for this kind of person. A public treasure? It seemed that Kyler was seen that way among noblewomen. Admired by all, but never truly reachable.

The history between the emperor and Kyler had nearly fallen apart because of one woman. But Kyler quietly accepted the emperor’s decision without complaint.

“A forced marriage… At least in a political alliance, you grow up knowing who your partner might be. But this was like a bolt out of the blue.”

Lady Picolla shook her head in sympathy. The others nodded immediately, sharing her feeling.

From Midienna’s perspective, she must have simply admired Kyler from a distance. Then suddenly, Sasha appeared out of nowhere and became his wife. It was understandable that she might see Sasha as a thorn in her side.

“So I must be receiving a lot of hate,” Sasha said with a slightly embarrassed smile.

The young ladies laughed softly, clearly unsure how to respond. Some even scratched the backs of their heads in awkwardness.

“Well… People have different reactions. But most of them don’t dislike you for no reason. In the end, you are the person Duke Kyler chose.”

The person Kyler chose.

Thankfully, to these young ladies, Kyler was not just a man to love, but someone they admired deeply. Like a celebrity, someone they poured their affection into, while understanding they could never truly reach him.

Now that the conversation had turned to Sasha, the girls sitting across from her smiled awkwardly and tried to offer kind and supportive words.

They soon began talking about rumors involving the crown prince and Sasha, as well as gossip connected to Kyler.

“I already know that this role may be too much for me. Maybe I’m not enough to support someone as perfect as Duke Kyler. But as the duchess, I want to do my best. I want to be someone who won’t bring shame to the title.”

“I hope we didn’t go too far or say anything that upset you.”

Rosehill’s voice softened with concern. The gentle-hearted young ladies, realizing they had gotten carried away, quickly tried to soften the mood.

“Even if you weren’t Duchess Sasha, no one could ever have taken Duke Kyler’s heart easily. Not even the empress. Even if she had stayed only as the daughter of Duke Medilan, she still wouldn’t have become the duchess.”

No one could answer Sasha’s subtle question. Still, wasn’t it possible? The empress came from a noble family. It could have happened between them.

“Why would Her Majesty the Empress…”

“She probably doesn’t like anything flashy. To be exact, no matter how dressed up someone may be, I think she sees everyone the same. I learned while speaking with Her Majesty that she sees war as something far too simple. On the other hand, the Duke values peace above all.”

“That’s why we believed someone with a beautiful heart would suit him more than someone with a beautiful appearance.”

As the meal came to an end, the maids entered to clear the table. While everyone quietly wiped their mouths and sat up straight, Rose approached Sasha and whispered something in her ear, then stood calmly beside her.

The moment Rose appeared, a clear shift happened. The young ladies sat a little straighter. Her graceful presence and composed movements gave off the air of a noblewoman. It felt as though the girls saw her more like a mother or governess.

“Everyone, we’ve prepared tea and dessert in the back garden. Would you like to join us there?”

As Sasha passed on the message, everyone smiled and agreed cheerfully.

She rose first from her seat, leading the young ladies out of the dining room and toward the back entrance.

Beyond the boxwood hedge, a cozy lawn opened up with a lovely tea party set up on top. Just the thought of inviting friends into one of her favorite places brought a quiet wave of emotion.

On the table, covered in white linen that fluttered in the breeze, were teacups and pots adorned with popular floral patterns. A few wisteria blossoms had been placed casually in between, blending so naturally that they almost looked like part of the tea set.

Around the space, soft lanterns and charming decorations had been arranged, making it feel like a dreamland tailored for the girls’ tastes. In the middle of it all, someone suddenly stood up.

Connie had been sitting for a moment, rubbing her sore foot, and jumped in surprise at the sound of footsteps.

Don’t mess up. Don’t mess up…

“Welcome, ladies. I’ll bring you some delicious tea right away.”

Connie tried to steady her voice and spoke politely to the young ladies as they approached.

“My, what a lovely voice for a maid.”

“Th-thank you.”

Lada had offered the compliment from up close, and Connie ended up stammering a little, but quickly cleared her throat. As soon as Sasha took her seat, Connie began pouring the tea with care.

“What is this place? It’s absolutely beautiful.”

The open green lawn stretched wide before them. That alone made it breathtaking. Even though the duke’s manor stood just nearby, it felt as though they had stepped out into a faraway meadow.

“I heard this is a space the Duchess treasures. When I learned she often hosts gatherings here, I suddenly thought… I may not be someone with the presence or grace to host a full party, but I truly hoped to spend more joyful and peaceful moments with you all. That’s why I invited you today.”

Sasha spoke with sincerity. The young ladies stared at her with wide eyes, full of admiration.

“You say you’re not ready to host, but that’s not true at all. You’re so graceful and kind. It’s no wonder the Duke fell for you.”

“Oh… did rumors really start that Kyler fell for me?”

Sasha intentionally used his name. She had only ever spoken it once before, privately, in the bedroom. This was the first time she had said it in front of others. It had slipped from her lips naturally, but afterward, she felt so embarrassed it almost made her cringe inside.

As she had hoped, the girls all gasped, their eyes going wide as they stared at her.

“D-d-do you call the Duke by his name?”

Lada’s question came out directly, and Sasha covered her cheeks with both hands, pretending to be flustered.

“Oh dear… Did I really say that out loud? I’ve embarrassed myself in front of everyone.”

“No, not at all! There’s nothing embarrassing about it. We were just surprised. The Duke is known to be very private. Not many people have had a proper conversation with him.”

“That’s true. Every time I’ve gone to a party, I’ve tried to approach just to hear him say a single word, but… I still haven’t heard his voice.”

Lada made a show of dabbing her eyes like she was crying, and the others offered lighthearted words of comfort. Sasha realized they were masking a real disappointment with laughter, pretending it was something they all shared.

Truly, he might be the most unreachable man of all.

Was it really alright for me to live beside someone like that? Was it okay for me to love him?

“I’ve heard people say he seems frightening. But to me, he’s always been so gentle. He asked me to call him by his name, even though I hadn’t been able to. So, I’m slowly getting used to it now.”

A chorus of admiring sighs filled the air.

Sasha could feel all the envy directed at her, but none of it carried any malice. There was no jealousy or bitterness, only sincere wonder. That alone gave her comfort. If any of them had shown resentment, it would have been a warning sign.

Still, now she was stuck with one serious question. When Kyler returned, would she really be able to call him by his name?

“There you are, Sasha.”

That voice made her shoulders jump before she could even look.

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