The Survival Strategy of the Contract Duchess - Chapter 66

“You missed me?”

“Father.”

At his cold response, Midienna’s heart dropped.

He had always been a quiet man, but he was also a father who loved his family. Without even realizing it, she had grown up surrounded by his affection. When she turned nineteen, she finally began to understand how deeply he had loved her.

But the man in front of her now didn’t look like the father she remembered. His eyes were cold, and there was even a trace of anger in them.

“I thought you had grown up. I still believed you were young, but I trusted that you had matured. I never imagined you would be this careless. If I had known, I would never have sent you to the Emperor.”

Even as she stood there with longing in her voice and said she missed him, he raised his voice and lost his temper.

“Father.”

Midienna stood frozen. She had already been shaken by the way he ignored her earlier, refusing even to greet her. Now, her thoughts went completely blank.

Her wide, trembling eyes reflected the deep shock she felt. The amethyst hue in her gaze flickered, and seeing her like that, Duke Medilan tightened his lips and frowned deeply.

“After shaming our house like that, how can you still call me your father? You say you missed me, yet you went and did something like that.”

Tears filled Midienna’s eyes.

She had only fallen in love once in her life. It had never happened in Medilan. Back home, she had simply cared for the people of her territory and occasionally helped with political matters. That had been enough.

It was the nobles and her father who decided she would marry the Emperor. It was they who sent her to the capital. And it was there that she met a man she never would have known otherwise.

She had arrived a few days before the royal wedding.

“I am Kyler Ignote of House Ignote. I have come to greet Her Majesty, the Empress of the Derma Empire.”

Even the way his eyebrows were slightly furrowed had made him look handsome. He had come all the way to the outskirts of the imperial forest to escort her. That was how she met him.

The Emperor should never have sent Kyler. If she had met the Emperor first, would her feelings have been different?

No matter how many times she tried to push those thoughts away, she couldn’t forget him. Once her heart had made a choice, it refused to change.

“Have you ever once thought about how I felt, Father?”

“How you felt? Is that what you just said? I am the Duke of Medilan, and you are my only daughter. You had no other role to play but to serve that title.”

She knew why he was angry. But even so, she had believed he would care. He was her father. He had loved her. She thought, at the very least, he would feel sorry for her.

Her marriage had come suddenly. It changed everything. For any noblewoman, it would have been overwhelming. She hadn’t been given time to prepare. She was simply thrown into the role of Empress, expected to rule the empire.

Her sadness boiled over, and tears finally spilled down her cheeks. Her breath hitched painfully in her throat, and she clenched her teeth to stop herself from sobbing out loud.

“You think crying will fix anything?”

“I know I didn’t do anything right. But you didn’t love me at all, did you? That’s what this really is.”

Even if he couldn’t defend her in front of others, she had hoped that at least in private he would ask why. She thought he might scold her gently and tell her she had worried him.

She had longed for that comfort. She missed his touch. She had hoped that if she could feel that love one more time, she might be able to let go of the man she couldn’t forget.

That was why she had been so happy when Lydian told her her father would be visiting the palace.

“Midienna.”

“That’s enough. You’re ashamed of having a daughter like me, aren’t you?”

When he tried to speak again, she stepped back.

Even if others judged her and called her reckless, she thought her parents would still ask if she was hurting, if something had gone wrong. Just once, she hoped they would care how she felt. They were the ones who failed to protect her and sent her away.

“I didn’t send you into danger. Why do you look at me like that? Do you think you had the right to do something so reckless just because you were unhappy? You say you love someone? And you say that in front of me?”

His voice filled the hallway. Midienna couldn’t stand anymore. She dropped to the ground, her body giving out. From the distance, her lady-in-waiting took a step forward but couldn’t bring herself to rush over. She stood frozen, her hands clenched.

“No, Father. No… Duke Medilan.”

Midienna gritted her teeth. Her legs shook, but she forced herself to rise. She pressed her hand to the floor and pushed herself up with effort. She stood in front of him.

Her legs still trembled, but she straightened her back. Her chin quivered, but she forced herself to lift her head.

Her violet eyes glared fiercely. In them was a sharp, cold fire. Duke Medilan flinched. The sweet daughter he once knew was gone. In her place stood a woman filled with anger and strength.

“You wanted me to be Empress, so I’ll show you how well I can do it. Have a safe trip home, Duke Medilan. You’re getting older, so you won’t have to return here again. There’s no one left for you to visit anyway.”

Though her words were harsh, her lips trembled slightly.

“Midienna.”

He finally spoke her name softly, but she had already turned away.

The sound of her heels echoed down the corridor. Her steps faltered now and then from the pain in her legs, but she kept walking, forcing herself to stay upright.

From down the hall, her lady-in-waiting saw her stumble. Unable to wait any longer, she rushed forward and supported her.

“Shall we return to your chambers?”

“Yes. Take me back.”

“Would you like me to call for a physician?”

“No. Just take me to my room.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The lady-in-waiting glanced back. Duke Medilan stood still, eyes wide, watching as his daughter leaned against her attendant and slowly walked away.

Midienna turned the corner and disappeared down the corridor. Duke Medilan stood in place, staring blankly at the end of the hallway as if he could still follow her presence. He shifted his feet several times, as if trying to walk in her direction, but in the end, he turned around and walked away in the opposite direction.

“Was that too soon?”

As both figures vanished from the corridor, the office door creaked open and Lydian stepped out. He folded his arms as he stood in the now-empty hallway.

The Medilan estate was so vast that it could have been called a nation of its own. After all, it had once been an independent state before becoming part of the empire. Even if they were experiencing drought and needed urgent solutions, it was no small thing for an aging duke to make the journey to the capital.

“I thought maybe he had come rushing here out of concern for his daughter. But I was wrong.”

Lydian shook his head quietly. He had assumed Duke Medilan wouldn’t have agreed to come all this way without a very strong reason.

From the moment Midienna appeared, Lydian had sensed something was wrong. The rumors had already spread, even reaching the Medilan territory.

“If I had known it would turn out like this, I never would have sent him. She fell too hard, far too fast. If only she had fallen for me instead.”

“Then do you think Her Majesty fell for His Majesty first?”

The voice came from behind him. It was Hantes, the head attendant, poking his head around the corner with a playful grin.

At the teasing question, Lydian clicked his tongue in annoyance.

“My looks are not so bad. I’d say I rank right after Kyler.”

Lydian tilted his head and gave a small shrug. Whether he looked in the mirror or heard it from others, he knew his appearance was well praised. His beauty came directly from his mother, the former Empress, who had been known for her remarkable elegance.

“I agree with that. Our Emperor must have looked like a royal waterfall.”

Hantes nodded cheerfully. “Waterfall” referred to the place where Midienna and Kyler had first met.

Kyler had been sent there to escort his future Empress, because large beasts sometimes roamed near the forest. No one expected things would turn out the way they had.

Lydian turned and walked back into his office. He sank into the sofa, stretching out with a deep sigh.

“This is exhausting. Is a woman’s heart always this complicated?”

“From what I know, it seems that way.”

“You say that, but you’ve never even been in love.”

“Your Majesty, I never said I’ve never been in love.”

“What?”

Amused by their childish banter, Lydian thought again of Kyler.

He still couldn’t understand how someone as cold and distant as Kyler had managed to capture her heart so completely.

Not that he found Kyler’s charm hard to believe.

“Hantes, go tell the head maid to send some light food and black tea to Midienna’s room.”

No matter what, Lydian always looked after his Empress first. Watching this, Hantes once again felt the warmth hidden behind the Emperor’s cool exterior.

Lydian had expected the day to pass quietly, but that idea had been shattered. Even so, he simply shook his head, letting out a long breath.

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