The Survival Strategy of the Contract Duchess - Chapter 51

After the social gathering she had been so excited about, Elina became increasingly impatient to return to the capital. It wasn’t because she wanted to meet anyone special. What she truly wanted was to meet the Empress again and spread more damaging stories about Sasha.

“Father, don’t you have any reason to go to the palace? Mother won’t let me go alone.”

Elina pouted as she sat beside her father. The Marchioness had been blocking her request to visit the palace with just a maid. The road from the Ivern estate to the capital passed through a deep forest, which was known to be dangerous.

The Marquess of Ivern sat on the sofa, flipping through a stack of letters. He paused at his daughter’s whining and pressed his lips together in frustration.

“Why are you so determined to go back there? You already attended the banquet and even met Her Majesty in private.”

He needed to review the letter and send a reply, but Elina had made herself comfortable on the sofa next to him. She was leaning toward him, refusing to leave until he gave her an answer.

“I really think the Empress wants to help me. Things ended on a good note at the last meeting, but I haven’t been able to go back since then.”

At the mention of the Empress, the Marquess finally looked up from his letter.

Elina noticed his attention and quickly continued, her face lighting up.

“She knows I dislike my sister. The Empress called me aside and told me we should work together to get Sasha removed from House Ignote. I already started spreading rumors through a private group after the last meeting. But now I can’t check how far they’ve gone. I need to follow through.”

She spoke confidently, as if carrying out some righteous mission. The Marquess clicked his tongue. It was clear that Elina had taken the Empress’s interest as a sign that she had been chosen for something important.

Or maybe she had developed feelings for the Duke of Ignote after seeing him in person. He had assumed she was just a typical noblewoman chasing dreams, but perhaps seeing Sasha become the Duchess made her jealous of the position she believed should have been hers.

“You know it’s dangerous to travel through the forest right now. There are times when it is simply not safe.”

“Then send a knight with me. That would be enough.”

Elina seemed more desperate than ever. It was clear that her brief encounter with the Empress had given her a sense of purpose and urgency.

“Aren’t you even the slightest bit upset that you gave up that opportunity to Sasha? Ever since she left, people have been treating you differently.”

Of course he knew that. Everything he had built over the years had been shaken by that single event. But the Duke of Ignote had acted so suddenly and decisively that the Marquess had no choice but to go along and create a cover story.

He had made sure it would not harm either Sasha or himself. But if someone chose to investigate the details, there were enough inconsistencies to raise suspicions.

Even so, that wasn’t what he needed to focus on right now.

“No one will question it unless they are looking for something. Right now, people see me as a devoted father who helped his sick daughter recover. That is enough.”

The Marquess answered briefly and turned his attention back to the letter. It was a report on the movement of magical beasts. Just as he was trying to focus on the details, Elina interrupted again, making it harder to concentrate.

“You saw how she treated Mother and me when we visited House Ignote. Do you really think Sasha will stay quiet now? She’s the Duchess. And that title should have been mine.”

The Marquess ignored her frustration and returned his focus to the letter.

It reported unusual movement among the magical beasts along the mountain ranges. The information had come from Geranel, through a source connected to the rebel forces near the borders of the empire.

Kyler had inflicted major damage on them. He had attacked the mountains twice in a row, destroying many beasts in the process.

It was a serious blow to both the rebels and Geranel. They had already complained that Kyler responded too quickly, and now he was moving even faster.

“I thought sending her away would give me some peace. But things only seem to be getting worse.”

The Marquess clicked his tongue again. With the rebels weakened and their monsters difficult to control, they had no way to pay the contracted fees. In fact, they could not afford anything at the moment.

“Father, are you even listening to me? I said I would take one knight and travel through the forest.”

Elina, now boiling with frustration, finally raised her voice. The Marquess frowned and gave her a sharp glare.

His piercing stare startled her. She blinked rapidly, unsure of what to say. Then, with a heavy sigh, the Marquess told her something he had never revealed before.

“Listen carefully, Elina. We kept her hidden for a reason. The truth is, the best thing we could do was send her as far away from us as possible. That’s why we never spoke about her and raised her in the attic. We never imagined she would end up marrying the Duke of Ignote. But aside from that, everything turned out perfectly. We got what we wanted without lifting a finger. Do you understand now?”

His words were firm and came out in a rush. Elina could only stare at him, completely stunned.

“You’re saying that keeping her away is what’s best for our family? But when we were young, she wasn’t even allowed to leave the attic. She was locked up and not allowed to go anywhere without permission.”

Elina had grown up believing that Sasha’s place was to remain hidden. She assumed it was natural for her sister to stay out of sight, never stepping outside her room, let alone the estate.

“Then why did you wait? Why wait until Duke Kyler came? You could have sent her off to any family before then. If you had, none of this would have happened.”

Understanding what her father truly meant, Elina burst out in anger. As much as she had wanted that title, the way she spoke so coldly about her own sister unsettled the Marquess of Ivern. In fact, it left him more than a little shocked.

“What did you just say?”

“I didn’t mean we should have abandoned her. I meant you should have married her off to anyone the moment she became an adult. Why did you hesitate and end up losing that position?”

The Marquess stared at her, wondering what had made her become so irrational. It was as if she had completely lost herself in envy. Was the position of Duchess so important to her that she would speak to her father like this?

“Yes, that could have been an option. But it’s not as if we didn’t try. Adults have their own reasons for the choices they make. Do you think I keep stopping you because I enjoy it? The magical beasts have started moving closer to the forest. If you meet one out there, do you think a single knight will be enough to protect you? Maybe your sister could have survived, but if it’s you, you’d be torn apart.”

The Marquess finally raised his voice, shouting at her in frustration. He had reached his limit.

The appearance of magical beasts outside the mountains was a serious threat. It wasn’t just about ending a family tradition. If the beasts reached the nearby villages, the consequences would be horrifying.

Elina was so shocked by her father’s yelling that she simply sat there, her mouth open but unable to say a word. A moment later, a voice called out from the hallway.

“Dear, what’s going on? Elina?”

The Marchioness came rushing into the sitting room. She hurried over and wrapped her arms around Elina, who sat frozen with tears welling in her wide eyes.

She turned and looked at her husband’s tense expression. From that alone, she could guess what had happened. She knew better than anyone what Elina’s mood had been like these past few days.

Even so, she wondered how harsh her husband must have been to leave Elina looking so frightened and close to tears. She wanted to confront him about it, but she also understood his situation, so she bit her lip and stayed silent.

“What did you say to her? You could have just calmed her down and sent her out.”

Seeing his wife take Elina’s side made the Marquess grit his teeth in frustration. Still, he swallowed the anger rising in his chest. After all, Elina had spoken out of ignorance, and it was his own choice not to explain things sooner.

The Marquess let out a heavy breath and gently took Elina’s hands in his. He held them tightly.

He had never truly scolded her before, so even raising his voice had clearly shaken her.

“You’re an adult now. You need to start thinking about the time and place before throwing a tantrum. You have to learn what can be done and what cannot.”

His quiet and steady voice finally reached her. Elina stopped speaking and lowered her eyes. A single tear slipped down her cheek.

“I’m sorry I yelled. I didn’t mean to scare you. Alright, Elina?”

“You really scared me, Father. I’m sorry too.”

She was old enough now to attend social gatherings, but in front of her parents, she was still just a girl who wanted comfort. She looked so vulnerable and sincere that it made it hard for the Marquess to stay angry.

“It really is too dangerous to go through the forest right now. There have been reports that magical beasts are moving down from the mountains. One or two knights won’t be enough to protect you.”

Elina pressed her lips together, then gave a small nod. As much as she wanted to go, she knew that her life mattered more.

When she finally stopped crying and nodded again, the Marchioness gently patted her back to comfort her. Watching the two of them, the Marquess slowly turned back toward the stack of letters.

He would need to find another way.

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