The Survival Strategy of the Contract Duchess - Chapter 68

The two men who had entered the office didn’t come out until after nightfall. It looked like their conversation continued for hours.

“It’s alright, Lady Sasha. Once the sun sets, he usually finishes and comes out.”

“By dinner?”

“Maybe… before he sleeps.”

At least the voices, which had started off loud, had gradually settled down. Nothing could be heard from outside the room anymore. Still, Sasha couldn’t bring herself to step away from the door for long.

“It’s a good thing Lord Dylan is with him. When the Duke is in that state, he’s the only one who can speak to him calmly.”

Nina, who had gone inside to bring tea, answered with a dazed expression when Sasha stopped her to ask. She said the tension was so heavy inside she thought she would freeze.

After sending Nina off, Sasha waited a little longer before having a quiet dinner by herself. Then she waited even longer before finally going upstairs, gently encouraged by Rose.

Night eventually fell.

Though she didn’t dare wait directly outside Kyler’s room, Sasha left her own door slightly open and placed a chair near it. She sat close enough to hear when he returned.

The sound finally came much later.

Click.

His door opened at last. The heavy sound of his footsteps echoed as he walked through the hallway. Usually, his steps were light and silent, like a knight trained in stealth. But tonight they were slow and heavy.

Sasha stood up from her chair, pushing off the drowsiness she had been battling for the past hour. She had always fallen asleep beside him. After the pain he had endured today, she wanted to be there to comfort him. She wanted to offer peace.

Just as she stepped toward his door and reached for the handle, a quiet voice stopped her.

“Lady Sasha.”

“Rose?”

Her voice was soft, barely above a whisper, so it wouldn’t echo in the hallway. Rose had come up the stairs without a sound, waiting quietly for the moment Sasha might go to him.

“I think it would be better not to go in tonight.”

Her voice was low, like a hush in the dark, and there was a shadow of concern on her face. Sasha couldn’t tell who that concern was for.

“But… he’s been through so much today…”

She wanted to be there with him. She thought that maybe holding him or being held would bring him some comfort. That’s why she had waited.

“He’ll be alright. By morning, he usually calms down. But right now, when he’s still sensitive, it might be worse if someone is too close.”

Was she saying it would be worse for Kyler? Or worse for Sasha?

Sasha couldn’t bring herself to ask. She stared at his door handle, her hand slowly falling away. Rose gently took her hands in both of hers, wrapping them with quiet care. Without rushing, she guided Sasha back toward her room.

The hallway was silent. They didn’t know what Kyler was doing behind that door. The two women walked slowly through the corridor. When Rose opened Sasha’s door and saw the chair outside, she paused for just a second before walking her all the way to the bed.

“Please try to rest, Lady Sasha.”

With a faint smile, Rose turned and left.

Sasha stood in place for a while, unsure. It felt like Rose was gently preventing her from returning to him. After several moments of hesitation, Sasha finally climbed onto the bed.

She pulled her legs close to her chest and sat like that, unable to sleep. The night passed slowly.

The conversation between Kyler and Dylan continued the next day.

Kyler’s decision had not changed. It was firm, absolute. Dylan, as the knight sworn to protect him, as the commander of the Ignote knight order, could not obey such a reckless command without question.

But in the end, he could not stop him.

“Is it even possible to lose an argument this clearly? I’m ashamed of myself.”

Dylan already knew he had never once won an argument with Kyler. Still, this time had felt different. He couldn’t back down so easily. It was simply too reckless.

“If you go up into those mountains saying you’ll wipe out every last monster, you’ll be living there until your old age.”

Kyler had turned the normally reserved Dylan into someone who argued loudly and sulked openly. Yet Kyler himself looked completely unfazed. In fact, his expression was cold, more like stone than flesh.

“Do I seem that irresponsible to you?”

“You’re suggesting something incredibly reckless.”

They walked down the corridor, one behind the other. It wasn’t the familiar halls of the Duke’s estate. It was the long, grand corridor of the imperial palace. The path following the chamberlain ahead of them felt especially long today.

“If I could, I’d strike them all down myself. I wish I could wake a grand mage from the grave and have him burn the entire mountain range. But since I can’t, I have to find a realistic solution.”

Dylan stopped in disbelief.

Sensing it immediately, Kyler stopped as well and turned to look at him.

“What is it?”

“I know you speak harshly when your ears are bad, but this time it went too far. If you had just said that at the beginning, we wouldn’t have had to scream at each other all night.”

Dylan remembered how much he had shouted yesterday, how his throat had burned from it. Only when Kyler finally calmed down had his voice dropped, and for that, at least, Dylan had been grateful.

“Yesterday, the noise and pain were intense and they went after her.”

The rebels, having lost their supplies and their people to imprisonment, seemed to be lashing out by releasing more monsters into the region.

The confusion, along with the unbearable pain in his ears and head, had pushed Kyler to the edge. He had insisted again and again that the monsters needed to be eradicated. He had repeated it so much that his frustration had taken over.

Dylan knew all of this. He had the same concerns. He knew what had to be done and what strategies they should take. But even with all that knowledge, Kyler had been too overwhelmed to think or speak clearly.

“Yes. They did attack her.”

Dylan looked at Kyler’s worn face before starting to walk again. It was only after they had covered some distance that they noticed the chamberlain was waiting ahead. As Dylan resumed his pace, Kyler turned sharply and followed without hesitation.

She had been knocked back by a flailing wing. With her delicate frame, it must have been impossible to handle. Even though her injuries weren’t serious, facing a monster like that would have been terrifying for her. And for Kyler, it would have stirred wounds he had long tried to bury.

Seeing someone he cared about in danger brought back that helplessness. A fear that had once been etched into him when he was much younger and much weaker.

Yes, the noise was unbearable. But Dylan believed that what made it worse was not just the sound. It was the pain, the fear, and the memories that had all come rushing back.

“Your Majesty, Duke Kyler Ignote and Commander Dylan Radiac of the Ignote Knights are here for an audience.”

“Why announce it like that? Let them in.”

As soon as the chamberlain delivered the message, Lydian’s cheerful voice came through from inside the audience hall. He sounded unusually relaxed, even now.

Before the chamberlain could return, Kyler opened the door and stepped inside. Seated on the grand throne, Lydian was leaning back with a composed posture. His appearance was refined, and his expression unreadable.

“Kyler, you’re here. You seem tense, something serious must have happened.”

Even though he sounded casual, his eyes were sharp. The moment Kyler walked in and took his seat, Lydian observed every detail—his face, his pace, and the way he sat down. He raised an eyebrow and looked at him with quiet concern.

Kyler sat in the chair facing the throne. Dylan took the seat positioned slightly behind him.

Kyler didn’t wait. He got straight to the point.

“Sasha was attacked by a monster.”

Lydian, who always wore a faint smile as if it was his default expression, slowly lost it. His face tightened.

Dylan noticed the change between the two and sensed a misunderstanding might arise, but he didn’t step in. What Lydian felt now was probably not so different from what Kyler had experienced when Sasha was attacked.

The Emperor’s jaw dropped slightly, and his eyes shook.

“A monster attacked the Duchess? Why in the world did you take her to the mountain range?”

Neither of them had ever seen Lydian this shocked. Had Kyler seemed indifferent, Lydian might have gotten angry. But seeing him so shaken, they simply waited.

“Calm down. Sasha is resting at the estate. Her left arm is in a sling due to a fracture, but she’s stable.”

Even after Kyler reassured him, Lydian remained stunned for a few seconds. Then, his frozen expression finally began to soften, as though ice were slowly melting away.

“Was this your way of getting back at me for something?”

“Maybe. I’ve been in a very bad mood lately.”

“Then I suppose I should thank you for coming anyway.”

Lydian finally let a slight smile return to his lips as he looked at Kyler.

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