The Survival Strategy of the Contract Duchess - Chapter 57

In truth, this was Sasha’s first time ordering and eating at a restaurant. The problem was, she only realized that after she had already entered, taken a seat, and settled in.

She first looked around for a menu, but there wasn’t one. She carefully glanced around the room, but of course, she couldn’t possibly know the names of the dishes other people were eating.

A staff member, having recognized Duke Ignote, kindly guided them to the best seat. Even after the server stepped aside, Sasha just sat still without making any move.

Kyler had intended to speak to the server right after sitting down, but turned to look at her when he noticed her frozen in place. It did not seem like she was waiting for something. For some reason, she looked confused, as if she did not know what to do.

She was not very good at hiding her expressions, and this time, her thoughts seemed easy to read.

“I’ll have the most popular dish, please.”

“Yes, understood.”

The server bowed and left right away. Seeing her eyes open slightly wider and her head nod in small, uncertain movements, he almost smiled.

“Now that I think about it, I suppose you haven’t had many chances to try things like this.”

Sasha tensed slightly. He was asking about her life before their marriage, a time she had no memory of.

She had often been curious about his past, and in the same way, she had feared the moment he would begin asking about hers. How should she explain? How could she handle this situation?

“Yes. I stayed in the attic most of the time.”

She gave a quick answer, relying only on the limited facts she had learned. When he nodded with a serious expression, she could sense that he was deep in thought and that he would likely continue asking questions.

“I never really thought to ask before, so I assumed it was not something I needed to bring up. But do you happen to know why they never properly took care of you?”

As expected, he was still focused on that time in her life. It was a reasonable question, especially coming from Kyler. But for Sasha, it was a question she could not answer clearly.

“I’m not sure. I’ve just lived that way since I was little.”

If there had been a clear reason, she probably would have heard something when she was first invited to the duke’s estate, or when someone accused her of stealing Kyler out of jealousy. Maybe something like, “How could someone so plain dare to take him?”

But no one had ever said anything like that to her.

“Have you never felt resentment or wanted revenge?”

The rebel forces currently causing unrest were a group of nobles abandoned by the former emperor. In his efforts to strengthen the imperial throne, the emperor had harshly punished nobles who caused major trouble.

Those nobles were driven to the outer regions and, instead of reflecting on their own faults, they poured all their resentment on the emperor for abandoning them. When their numbers grew, they gathered and began plotting to overthrow his successor, Lydian.

But Sasha had been neglected without any known reason. She had done nothing wrong and had not even been abandoned by a ruler, but by her own parents. And still, she had no resentment or curiosity?

“I was curious at times, but I don’t want to know. I don’t want to see those people again either.”

Maybe the real Sasha felt the same way. Unless someone had experienced what a family was, they would not understand the feeling of longing for one. Sasha had never experienced that, so she couldn’t relate.

“Actually, the people at the duke’s estate feel more like family to me now. If you were to shut me in a room and forget about me, Kyler, I think that would really hurt.”

If that was what it meant to feel like family, then yes, resentment would be justified. Being forgotten like that would be a deeply painful thing.

“Excuse me. Here is the food you ordered.”

Just then, the server returned and placed several of the restaurant’s most popular dishes on the table. After setting down four plates and stepping away, the mood at the table turned slightly awkward.

“Please go ahead and eat. You don’t need to be so serious. If I come to know more, then I do, but I don’t want to dig up the past just to find answers.”

If only Elina had not been so meddlesome, none of this would have come up. Sasha would not have had to use her past as a shield.

If Elina continued acting that way, Sasha might eventually be forced to meet that family. She sincerely hoped it would not come to that.

“Oh, this food is really delicious.”

“I see. I’m glad it suits your taste.”

Sasha had always had a good appetite. That was why it had been especially hard when she could not eat properly. If life had been difficult in this world too, she might not have been able to get enough food.

“Meeting you, Kyler, really feels like the greatest stroke of luck.”

Even though she had woken up at a wedding ceremony and felt confused at first, the more she thought about it, the more she believed that coming here had been a blessing.

She had come to love him. And he, in return, treated her so well.

While they ate, neither of them spoke much. They had come out on a sweet and romantic date, but the first topic they ended up discussing was Sasha’s neglected childhood. Kyler held back out of caution, and Sasha had nothing more to say.

Still, since neither of them was the talkative type to begin with, the quiet meal did not feel uncomfortable.

“Oh my, what a surprise. Isn’t that the Duke?”

Just then, a voice rang out from a nearby table. The sudden exclamation caught Sasha’s attention. If someone was referring to a duke here, there could only be one person they meant.

Sasha was seated facing the wall, while Kyler sat in a position where he could easily see the interior of the restaurant if he looked up.

The women at the nearby table must have thought they were whispering among themselves, but in the quiet atmosphere of the restaurant, their voices carried clearly to Sasha.

“Come on, no way. Why would the Duke be in a restaurant at this time of day? If he were out hunting monsters, his knights would be with him, but they’re not.”

“Exactly. If that man is really the Duke, then who’s the woman sitting across from him? Could she be the Duchess?”

They laughed among themselves, saying things like, “No way,” and “It can’t be,” as if it were some kind of joke. Kyler, seemingly unaffected, calmly ate his food and looked after Sasha, as though he had shut his ears to them. Only Sasha kept her ears sharp, listening in on their conversation.

She wanted to ignore them, but it was harder than she expected.

“I heard something about monsters recently. Did you hear about it?”

“Monsters? Why?”

“I overheard someone who works in monster control. They said it’s been really hard to manage them lately because they’ve been acting up.”

“You’ve got good ears. How did you just happen to overhear that and remember it?”

The girls giggled playfully. Although their conversation quickly moved on to something else, Sasha couldn’t quite block it out. The mention of monsters kept her attention.

She glanced up at Kyler. She began to wonder, who tells him when and where to go to deal with monsters? Or does he somehow already know where they are?

“I don’t get why people are talking about monsters like that.”

“Oh no, I wasn’t supposed to say that.”

The girls, who seemed to be just casually chatting, suddenly introduced something more serious into the conversation.

“You know that group that handles monsters? Apparently, they’re based near the Marquis of Ibern’s estate. I heard monsters have been appearing frequently in the mountains there.”

The girl who had just said she shouldn’t talk about it now lowered her voice as she shared the secret with her friends. Sasha started to wonder whether she was hearing everything because her hearing was too sharp, or because the girl speaking was just too loud.

“Do you like the food?”

Kyler spoke to Sasha, who had barely been touching her fork. With her full attention focused on the women’s conversation behind them, Sasha flinched slightly and turned her eyes toward him.

“It’s delicious.”

Just seeing his face made the tension in her shoulders melt away. As she smiled, he returned the smile and went back to eating.

It occurred to her that simply sitting across from him, sharing smiles and enjoying a meal together, was a very pleasant experience.

“Ah, so I guess that’s why there’s been so much talk about monsters around here. I never heard anything like this in the capital. Some people are even saying the Duchess of Ignote got sick because of monsters. Apparently, there used to be a priest who visited that estate long ago.”

It was hard not to react when she heard the name “Ignote.” She realized again just how much she had come to think of herself as Sasha Ignote, nodding slightly at the thought.

“She got sick because of monsters?”

“Priests are known for treating wounds caused by monsters. Maybe that’s why people are saying it.”

“Sasha.”

She inhaled sharply. Sasha, who had been lost in the voices behind her, came back to the present at the sound of Kyler’s voice.

“What are you thinking so deeply about?”

It was clear that Kyler hadn’t heard the women’s conversation. If someone wasn’t actively listening, it would have just sounded like typical gossip. Smiling at his question, she gave her answer.

“I was just thinking that the food is really good. And also, it feels strange to be sitting here, eating with you like this. It’s amazing to be out at a restaurant.”

Those were her honest thoughts from earlier. But now her mind was preoccupied with the story about the monsters.

She still didn’t really want to know what had happened in the past. That part of her hadn’t changed. But what stood out now was that the monsters seemed to be connected to it all.

As she took another bite of her food, Sasha leaned in slightly, still listening closely to the voices behind her.

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