The Survival Strategy of the Contract Duchess - Chapter 39

“So, I’m telling you, my sister gathered all the young ladies and held a party. How can she go around acting like the Duchess? Let me host a party too. I want to invite them myself.”

As Empress Midienna descended the stairs from the second floor of the temple after finishing her prayers, her brows furrowed sharply at the sound of an irritated voice echoing through the first-floor hallway. The maid and attendants following her immediately stopped when she did.

“Elina. This is a temple. Keep your voice down.”

“Mother. Are you really worried because we’re in the temple? We’re just in the hallway. Who’s going to say anything?”

The moment she heard the name shouted out, Empress Midienna’s eyes gleamed.

“My sister, right? You saw her too. She acts like she owns the place now that she has the Ignote name. Can you believe it? She used to hide in the attic and only came down late at night.”

“Elina, quiet.”

Just as Elina’s voice was rising, her mother quickly cut her off, as if she was about to say something completely out of line.

After that, only muffled grumbling could be heard between them.

Empress Midienna resumed walking and quickened her pace down the stairs. Once she reached the first floor, she looked down the left corridor and spotted two women walking together. From their appearance and posture, it was easy to tell they were mother and daughter.

“Who are those two?” she asked calmly.

Yehara, the head maid closest to her, followed her gaze before straightening and answering politely.

“That is the Marchioness of House Ivern and her daughter, Lady Elina. Lady Elina is known for her beauty. Since the announcement of the new Duchess of Ignote, she has been prone to emotional outbursts. I believe that may have always been her true nature.”

While others nearby quietly admired Yehara’s ability to identify them from behind, Empress Midienna curled one corner of her lips.

“So that young lady is the younger sister of the new Duchess of Ignote.”

Her red lips twisted into a subtle smirk. She gently waved her right hand, and Yehara leaned in to listen. In the quiet hallway, the Empress’s soft whisper to her maid echoed faintly, then disappeared.

“What is going on? Who are you?”

Elina had been about to return home with her mother. But just after exiting the prayer room, she found herself surrounded by unfamiliar women.

They stood close on either side and linked arms with her. Their grip was so firm that once she was caught, there was no breaking free. When she opened her mouth in alarm, one of them pressed a fan against her lips. Without giving her a chance to resist, they began to pull her away.

As she started to understand what was happening, Elina spoke quietly from behind the fan.

“Can you at least tell me who wants to see me? My mother is waiting for me.”

Even her calm protest was ignored. The women remained silent and didn’t even blink.

Soon, Elina realized they were taking her back toward the temple.

But it wasn’t the public hall where most people gathered. They were headed for a quiet prayer room, one reserved for high-ranking nobles.

The women stopped in front of a door and knocked. No reply came from inside, but they released her arms and stepped back. Elina glanced at the door, then at the women beside her.

“You may go in,” one of them said.

Elina suddenly understood who might be waiting for her. Her throat tightened, and she swallowed nervously.

She turned the knob and stepped into the room. As soon as she did, the women behind her closed the door. The way they did it made it clear they would be standing guard outside.

Turning her eyes toward the room, Elina saw a woman seated inside. Even without a word spoken, the deep violet gown alone told her everything. Her heart sank.

“Lady Elina of House Ivern?”

“What? Yes. Yes, I am.”

The pressure in the room made her stumble over her response. The presence of the woman before her overwhelmed her completely.

Realizing her mistake, Elina quickly cleared her throat and bowed deeply.

“It is an honor to meet Your Majesty, Empress Midienna. I am Elina of House Ivern.”

She gave a graceful bow, clearly practiced in noble etiquette. Empress Midienna glanced at her with mild interest and gently waved her fan before snapping it shut with a crisp sound. Elina, who had just finished her bow and was rising, flinched at the sudden noise.

“Come and sit.”

Empress Midienna’s voice was soft and composed. It sounded polite, but it was carefully measured and slightly rehearsed. Still tense, Elina followed the direction of the fan and sat across from the Empress on the sofa.

Perched on the edge of the seat, barely managing to keep her posture, Elina couldn’t even lift her head. Empress Midienna watched her over the edge of her fan, her eyes gleaming with interest.

“You were probably on your way home. I apologize for the interruption. I just wanted to have a little conversation.”

The soft tone, controlled so carefully, made Elina’s heart pound so hard it felt difficult to breathe. She knew she needed to respond but had no idea what to say. Her thoughts were tangled and messy.

“A… a conversation, Your Majesty? Of course, it is an honor.”

Elina struggled to hold her composure despite her flustered state. The effort to remain polite and graceful seemed to amuse Empress Midienna, who let a slow smile curl at her red lips.

“You were at the last social gathering, weren’t you?”

“Yes, I was. I attended.”

Elina became painfully aware of how tense her voice sounded. She was putting so much force into it that her throat ached.

“Relax, Lady Elina. I’m not here to devour you.”

The Empress suddenly softened her tone. Elina, who had been so tense she was nearly sweating, felt a wave of confusion wash over her at the unexpected shift in atmosphere.

She gathered her courage and lifted her gaze. Behind the fan, the Empress’s eyes were smiling with grace and beauty, watching her with mild amusement.

“I never imagined I would be speaking like this with Your Majesty. You are truly graceful and beautiful.”

Elina had been active in the social scene long enough to know how to speak sweetly to noblewomen of higher rank. Until moments ago, she had been overwhelmed by the intimidating aura of the Empress and the women she had sent. But now that the tone had lightened, her usual charm began to return.

“I heard something interesting at the gathering.”

The Empress’s words caught her attention. Elina had been there too, of course. The most notable moment from that event had been when Sasha appeared, officially recognized as the Duchess of Ignote. That, and how Elina had tried to confront her afterward in frustration. She remembered storming off feeling humiliated.

“Something interesting?”

Elina asked cautiously, pretending not to understand. Empress Midienna’s smile deepened, but Elina didn’t notice that the lips behind the fan were not smiling at all.

“Near the end of the event, after most guests had gone home, there was a quiet hallway. I happened to hear a young lady raising her voice at another woman.”

Both of their eyes were locked. Elina focused on every word while Empress Midienna leaned back slightly into the sofa, letting her gaze fall.

“She said something like, ‘Let’s see how long you can keep being so shameless after stealing what’s not yours.’”

Elina froze completely, unable to even take a breath.

In that heavy silence, her gaze dropped and began to drift aimlessly. Her nerves were frayed, and even her breathing had become uneven.

“Then she asked whether it wasn’t a bit arrogant to be so proud just because she now lived in a duke’s mansion.”

Even while reclining, Empress Midienna radiated pressure. Elina finally forced herself to lift her eyes and meet the Empress’s gaze.

She realized now that the Empress had heard everything. The words she had thrown at Sasha after the gathering had been clearly repeated. And since Sasha was now the Duchess of Ignote, those words could be interpreted as an insult to the entire duke’s house.

“Your Majesty, that was…”

“So tell me, Lady Elina. I’m curious. When you said someone stole what wasn’t theirs, were you referring to Duchess Sasha? Are you saying she stole the Duke of Ignote from someone else?”

There was something slick and oily in the way Empress Midienna spoke. Elina couldn’t figure out her true intention, which only made her throat feel drier.

“The Duke… the Duke of Ignote wasn’t originally going to choose my sister. Something happened behind the scenes, and after that, he insisted on taking her as his wife.”

It was an unexpected answer. Empress Midienna’s eyes lit up with intrigue.

“But in the end, the Duke made the choice himself, didn’t he?”

There was a cunning edge in the Empress’s voice. But Elina didn’t catch it. Instead, the suggestion that her story was being doubted sparked her frustration.

“That’s not the point, Your Majesty. She lured him in when he had no interest. I… I have proof.”

Elina’s voice was filled with certainty. Empress Midienna, eyes wide at first, now narrowed slightly.

“Proof?”

“Yes. I have proof. I am the proof.”

Elina didn’t notice the sharpness that crept into Empress Midienna’s voice. She was too caught up in the excitement of finally having someone to hear her out.

Her parents had never truly believed her. They always dismissed her, telling her she didn’t have the intelligence or ability to prove anything. They pushed her aside every time she tried to speak.

But the Empress seemed different.

Then it hit her. Even though she was the Empress, there had been rumors that she admired the Duke of Ignote. That realization sparked something in Elina’s clouded mind. For the first time in a long while, she saw a sliver of opportunity.

Support