The Survival Strategy of the Contract Duchess - Chapter 37

If it had just been a quiet, heart-fluttering voice suddenly echoing out of nowhere, the young ladies might have simply been startled for a moment. But the instant they recognized whose voice it was, they completely froze.

Their eyes darted around as they nervously gauged each other’s reactions. Just then, a flustered Sasha suddenly jumped to her feet.

“Your Grace! You are… already back?”

A man stepped out from behind the boxwood hedge. It was Kyler, who had left without saying exactly when he would return. And now he stood there, still dressed in armor, as if he had come here straight upon arriving.

They had just been talking about how frightening he was, so reacting this startled probably wasn’t a good look. But it was too late.

It felt like being caught throwing a party behind someone’s back. Eyes wide open, the ladies looked up at him in disbelief. Sasha tried to force a smile, thinking how awkward this was turning out to be. Just then, Kyler walked over to her and gently placed his arm around her shoulders.

The young ladies who had been tense moments ago now looked up at him with sparkling eyes, completely enchanted. Sasha could understand how they felt. After all, she knew better than anyone how handsome he was.

“Please excuse me, ladies.”

“N no no, not at all, Your Grace”

Even in this situation, Lada responded first without hesitation. The others quickly nodded in agreement. Kyler briefly met Lada’s eyes, then turned to look down at Sasha beside him.

Lada, whose eyes were now wide with surprise, didn’t seem to realize how shocked she looked.

“I regret that I couldn’t help with the party preparations while I was away.”

“Oh that is quite alright Your Grace You were very busy.”

Sasha was relieved he didn’t ask why she had arranged a party without permission or whether these young ladies were trustworthy. She continued smiling as naturally as she could, hoping they would believe it, while debating whether she should try to lead Kyler away from the gathering.

“Kyler. I told you to call me by my name.”

This time, Sasha could not hide her reaction. Her mouth opened in shock, and she stood there speechless. Kyler looked at her gently, his gaze affectionate.

Was this alright in front of others? Then she realized he was showing everyone that this was a marriage by choice, not obligation.

Sasha quickly started thinking back to what she had learned earlier. Trying to think fast, something she wasn’t good at, made her head feel slightly tense.

“Please give me a little more time to get used to that Kyler Your Grace”

Still, she didn’t need to fake how she felt. It was true that he had asked her to use his name, and it was also true that her face turned red from embarrassment at the thought of saying it in front of others.

The young ladies now looked at them with expressions of visible shock. No one said anything. As silence filled the air, Kyler slowly turned his gaze toward them.

“Thank you for keeping my wife company. If there is anything you need, please let me know.”

His tone was formal and firm, yet the young ladies responded brightly and nodded eagerly.

Kyler then turned and walked calmly back toward the mansion.

The young ladies were clearly desperate to watch him leave. They twitched in their seats but did not dare to get up. Instead, they peeked over the boxwood hedge that had conveniently grown just tall enough to block their view.

“By the way Duchess are you completely recovered now?”

At that moment, Lady Picolla asked carefully. Sasha was reminded of Elina and the Marchioness who had protected her. Her expression hardened instinctively, sharp enough to make Lady Picolla flinch.

“I am not sick. I can live just like all of you.”

She had meant to say that she had always been well, but the words came out strangely. Still, it didn’t completely contradict the story told by the Marchioness of Ivern, who claimed Sasha had been too ill to send word.

Whatever emotion had briefly flashed across her face disappeared quickly from the memory of the young ladies.

“We are so glad you are better. You should come with us to the shopping district sometime”

“Can we invite you to our home next time? I think our parents would love to meet you”

Their warm and genuine smiles made it clear they were truly happy that she was well. They seemed like genuinely kindhearted young women.

“Well then shall we head back now? Even if you are feeling better Duchess your strength may not be fully back yet”

At Rosehill’s thoughtful suggestion, the others all murmured in agreement and began rising from their seats. Sasha, unaccustomed to such peaceful and cheerful conversations with girls her own age, found herself feeling a little tired.

“Thank you all for coming today. I am sure there were many things I could have done better.”

In front of the main gate of the Duke’s estate, where the carriages were lined up in a row, Sasha stood to see the young ladies off. Behind her, the butler, the head maid, and several maids were lined up in an orderly fashion.

The scene felt so grand and dignified that the young ladies’ hearts fluttered once again. Although the staff was few in number, the prestige of the household and the grace shown by the butler and head maid made the moment feel even more impressive.

“No, thank you so much for inviting us.”

“It was truly an honor just to be invited to Ignote.”

“I hope we can meet again next time.”

The young ladies each added their own shy farewells, and though they seemed reluctant to leave, they stepped into their carriages one by one. Sasha remained in place until the very last carriage disappeared down the road. Only then did she finally lower her stiff shoulders and let out a deep sigh, as if her energy had completely drained.

“You did a wonderful job, Lady Sasha,” said Rose gently.

“Wow… inviting noble ladies is not as easy as I thought.”

Sasha gave a soft, tired laugh. She had worked so hard to smile politely and respond calmly all day. Seeing her relax at last, Rose offered a small smile of her own.

Watching her young mistress, who looked no older than the girls who had just left, Rose couldn’t help but smile warmly. She looked just like one of them, filled with effort and sincerity.

“Did I make any mistakes?”

“Not at all. You did very well. Actually…”

Rose considered suggesting that she could speak more comfortably and casually next time, but kept the thought to herself. She still didn’t know exactly what the Duke’s feelings were regarding his new wife.

From what Rose had seen so far, the Duke seemed to have a quiet affection for her.

After the previous Duke and Duchess had passed away at the same time, Kyler became even more withdrawn. He had never been especially sociable, but after their deaths, he shut himself off even further.

The only one who had managed to pull him back out, even a little, was the Emperor. He had helped Kyler turn what others saw as strange traits into valuable strengths.

Kyler hadn’t become outgoing, but learning that he could use his unique nature as a strength had helped him endure.

Even Pavon understood that part of him.

“Lady Sasha, shall we go inside? His Grace asked if you would be joining him for dinner.”

At Pavon’s gentle prompting, Sasha straightened her posture and began walking again.

“Of course I will. Since the Duke is here, we should eat together. I didn’t eat much at lunch anyway, so I think I’ll be hungry soon.”

She wasn’t someone who spoke with high energy or in a bubbly tone, but since arriving at the estate, something in her had clearly begun to change. It was a slow change, but it was obvious.

Thinking back to the day she first arrived in the Duke’s carriage, it was hard to believe she was the same person now.

When they had heard the Marchioness of Ivern explain that she had been too ill to go outside and hadn’t even been able to acknowledge her eldest daughter, it didn’t sound convincing. It made people wonder if something else had been wrong.

She hadn’t spoken a word. She had flinched at every small noise and constantly glanced around nervously. At the time, it had been enough to make people suspect she might have been abused.

She had seemed more fragile and withdrawn than anyone they had seen, even compared to those who were seriously ill or troubled.

But then she changed, as if she had become someone completely different.

She had tried to run away on the day of her wedding and had been brought back, but even then, there had been something different in her eyes.

Since then, she had managed to bring back a man who rarely returned home, making him come back every few days. She made Kyler show warmth and affection that no one had ever seen from him before.

Her presence alone stirred the entire household into motion, keeping the staff busy with tasks. Yet she never treated them as servants to be ordered around without care.

“Lady Sasha, we’ll handle the cleanup. Please go to the Duke.”

“Huh? There are four of you, so if I help, we can carry everything at once. Why not?”

Sometimes she didn’t know when to let others do their jobs.

Still, there was no doubt that her presence had brought positive change to the estate. And it felt certain she would continue to bring even more change in the days ahead.

“Lady Sasha, please leave the cleanup to me and go to the Duke. He’s probably waiting for you.”

Sasha had followed the maids to the tea table and was picking up her own teacup. She could have left it for the maids, but sometimes she offered to help when she had no other tasks, using it as an excuse to keep busy.

Rose quickly approached her and gently took the teacup from her hands. Sasha hesitated for a moment, her cheeks slightly flushed, then nodded and turned to head inside.

Even her demeanor changed when she was in front of the Duke.

At first, like the young ladies earlier, she had been stunned by how handsome he was and could barely take her eyes off him. But now, the atmosphere between them was beginning to shift into something more subtle.

Behind Rose, who was smiling with quiet satisfaction, the maids bustled about, hard at work.

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