The Survival Strategy of the Contract Duchess - Chapter 70

Tonight, I visited the glass greenhouse. The beautiful lighting, thanks to candles lit everywhere, created a dazzling atmosphere. It felt like sitting in the middle of a golden galaxy, with candlelight illuminating the space and reflecting off the glass walls.

Lost in the stunning ambiance, Empress Midienna was more focused on looking around than eating or paying attention to the Emperor sitting across from her.

“You can look while you eat. It’s not going anywhere.”

Lydian, amused by her behavior, raised the corner of his lips, finished his appetizer, and chewed his food thoroughly. Only then did she finally pick up her fork and knife, having been too busy admiring the surroundings.

“Is this… did you change it to dinner to show me this?”

The two had agreed to have lunch together, hoping to improve their strained relationship, and had been doing so almost every day.

But today, Lydian had requested a change to dinner instead of lunch.

“Kyler stopped by during lunchtime. It’s been a while. He didn’t seem too good.”

“I see.”

Midienna, who had already guessed it was because of Kyler’s visit around lunchtime, wasn’t too surprised. The problem was more serious.

“Well, he looked really bad. I figured something big must have happened, and I was right. He’s going to subjugate monsters. So reckless.”

Everything Kyler did and said during his visit was being relayed to her.

“Ah, yes. I see.”

Lydian, the Emperor of the Medilan Empire, was truly an enigmatic man. Even though she had her heart set on the Duke, the man he trusted most in the empire, he didn’t banish her.

He never became a tyrant or punished Duke Medilan for capturing the Empress’s heart.

Instead, he helped her and made sure the Duke didn’t suffer any consequences, even providing them with material support to get married.

He wasn’t weak. Everyone in the palace knew that he was extremely sensitive and unrestrained. The Emperor was someone who could be the most ruthless person in the world, even with a calm expression. A man who would be dangerous as an enemy.

What was he thinking, this man who seemed to avoid any loss and lived so leisurely?

What was he thinking as he spoke of Kyler, with those sharp eyes hidden beneath his always smiling, half-closed lids?

Midienna bit her lower lip without anyone noticing.

“Apparently, the Duchess was attacked by a monster. He took care of it there and came back. He fractured a bone in his left arm. I’m sure he was furious.”

At first, she was confused by the news about Kyler that Lydian was casually sharing, but then she frowned at the shocking detail. She had just wanted to hear something about Kyler, but the story was far more alarming than expected.

“Attacked by a monster?”

Lydian seemed to brighten when she reacted. He naturally moved on to the next course and continued speaking.

“Yes. They went on a date together in the Uhalin Forest, and when they approached the mountains, a monster suddenly attacked. He fought one and, of course, defeated it properly, but a new one appeared and instantly blocked the Duchess’s path.”

“Oh my.”

Imagining the situation, Midienna gasped without meaning to. The thought of a monster suddenly appearing in front of her made her feel breathless.

“But the monster didn’t attack her right away. It just stood there facing her for a moment. Fortunately.”

The monster only stared? While she was focusing on that detail, he raised his lips but his smile disappeared.

“Still, while attacking the monster, he was hit by its wing and thrown off by its strength. He fractured his arm.”

“That’s… fortunate.”

The shock quickly faded as he continued speaking. Midienna just responded with whatever came to mind. She didn’t really believe it was fortunate. Being hurt and fracturing a bone wasn’t a small matter.

But as she chewed her food, something kept bothering her. A monster… what exactly is it? What is it really?

“It’s good that she wasn’t seriously injured, but the problem is that the monster has now moved into the Uhalin Forest.”

Lydian always ended his stories about Kyler this way, so she usually reflected on them after the meal. But this time, she suddenly felt concerned about the empire itself.

Midienna snapped out of her thoughts when the topic turned to the empire.

They met a monster while on a date.

“I see. I know the stream and pavilion deep in the Uhalin Forest are so scenic that many people go on dates there. But to think that someone was attacked there… it’s something we can’t ignore.”

When she suddenly gave a proper and thoughtful response, Lydian looked at her closely.

The Emperor’s eyes changed completely when his smile disappeared. His seemingly harmless and friendly demeanor became sharp. It was still calm and composed, but very few people would have noticed that shift.

“That’s right. It’s a place where people come and go without worry, but if monsters are appearing there… it becomes dangerous. That’s why Kyler rushed over. Of course, he was most angry that his wife was attacked.”

Midienna subtly rolled her eyes at the mention of Kyler again. It felt like he was testing her, saying things he already knew, and that made her uneasy.

“So, what is Duke Ignot planning to do about the monsters?”

She asked him directly, dropping any meaningless pretense. It was an important matter, regardless of her feelings or the past. No matter who she loved, who she had married, or how shattered she felt after seeing her father’s cold reaction…

Duke Medilan hadn’t embraced her in the end. He had turned away. He might never understand why he had to do so.

“There are no current plans regarding the monsters. We need to uncover the secret of their origin to eliminate them. Until then, there’s nothing that can be done.”

Lydian shook his head. For now, all they could do was cut down any monsters that appeared, watch for new threats, eliminate them when they emerged, and possibly issue evacuation orders if it became worse. That was the extent of their action.

“I understand. If you need my help, please tell me anything. This issue affects the entire empire, so I’ll support in any way I can.”

As if about to politely decline out of habit, he raised the corner of his lips.

“Alright. If I need anything, I’ll be sure to ask you. You can ask me for anything too.”

His words sounded strangely dangerous. Was it because of the thoughts she was having, or was he truly speaking with a deeper meaning?

Midienna couldn’t be sure and quietly looked away without answering.

He must have meant simple things, everyday requests. Midienna tried to calm her mind by thinking that way.

But in that moment, the memory of the day Duke Medilan came to the palace resurfaced.

The reason he came that day was entirely because of Lydian’s invitation. It was something that could have been handled in his own territory.

It had been an urgent matter, but not so pressing that it had to be addressed immediately. There were many other ways to communicate. There was no real need for the elderly Duke Medilan to travel all the way to the capital.

In short, Lydian had made him come. And the reason… was because of her.

He knew she missed her home. He also knew that the bond between father and daughter had once been close. He might have hoped that seeing each other would lead to a warm conversation over dinner.

But the problem was that Duke Medilan had felt deep shame over her scandal. That was something Lydian didn’t know.

She could still remember the look on his face when Duke Medilan had coldly refused to spend time with her.

“Can I really ask you for a favor? Is it really alright to ask?”

Midienna asked softly, her voice carrying deeper meaning.

Lydian closed his eyes for a moment.

He must have known this moment would come eventually. It was unclear how much sincerity he truly had in his intentions.

“A hat, a dress, or… which jewelry should I choose? What are my options?”

She shifted the topic on purpose, speaking lightly about trivial things.

With that, the delicate relationship between her and Lydian was twisted once more, just a little. A small, invisible distance opened up between them again.

The meal continued a little longer. The golden beauty of the greenhouse no longer held her attention.

It wasn’t a particularly good or bad time, but it passed quietly. Their relationship seemed destined to continue like this always bending and adjusting, never quite settling.

“Well, are you going to go to sleep now?”

For the first time, they left the greenhouse together. The glass walls were still glowing with soft gold.

“Um, no. I have some work to do, so I’ll be up a little longer. You should go rest and get a good night’s sleep.”

Lydian said this gently and met her eyes. In his gaze, she saw her reflection exactly as she was.

It was beautiful, that was her secret.

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