The Survival Strategy of the Contract Duchess - Chapter 76

The visit to the Imperial Palace passed without any trouble.

Elina was not there, and there were no cruel comments or uncomfortable situations.

It felt like a quiet outing. Sasha had been invited to the Empress’s glass greenhouse. A beautiful table had been arranged under the glass ceiling, and they calmly shared a meal together.

Sasha had felt very nervous in the carriage on the way there. She had hoped to fall asleep as the carriage rocked gently, but her anxiety was too strong. Her chest felt tight, and she only managed to drift in and out of light sleep.

Her tired body and shallow rest left her feeling even more uneasy.

But as her anxiety reached its peak, something inside her settled. As soon as she entered the Imperial Palace and was guided to the Empress, she felt strangely calm. She thought to herself, let whatever happens happen. Say what you will. Do what you want. That was the feeling she had.

“We do not need to introduce ourselves, do we? This is not our first meeting.”

The Empress greeted her with a soft, graceful voice. Sasha said nothing in return. Even after stepping into the glass greenhouse, following the head maid, she did not stop to admire the breathtaking view. She kept her eyes on the maid ahead of her.

She remained silent until they were seated and the meal began.

The food was elegant and carefully prepared. Everything on the table sparkled as if touched by light.

It was almost unbelievable that such beauty could be created with only plants. The greenhouse shimmered like a dream, but Sasha barely looked at it. The dishes were polished gold, and even the cutlery was decorated with glittering jewels.

But at that moment, beautiful things did not matter to her.

Suddenly, there was a soft thump.

“Ah”

While eating without much attention, Sasha dropped a piece of meat onto her dress. She did not move right away. She just stared at the piece of food that had fallen and stained the fabric before rolling away.

“Oh, my dear, are you alright? Yehara, come here please.”

“Yes”

Midienna, who had been quietly watching Sasha throughout the meal, acted quickly. She called over her head maid. Yehara stepped forward, clearly expecting this kind of situation. She gently wiped Sasha’s dress, cleaned up the dropped food, and asked softly if she was feeling okay.

“Is something wrong at the Duke’s mansion? I could feel it the moment I saw you. You look exhausted, as if your spirit has gone elsewhere.”

Midienna finally spoke, trying to show concern.

She had hoped to start a short conversation earlier, thinking it might ease the silence, but Sasha had not responded to anything with real interest.

“What could be wrong at the Duke’s mansion? Nothing really. The Duke is away constantly, fighting monsters day and night.”

“Monsters, I see. I read something about that in the news. I came from Medilan, and no one there talks about those things.”

“Yes, I see”

Sasha’s voice was flat and distant, as if she was trying to keep a wall between them. Midienna took a quiet breath, held it for a moment, and looked at her closely.

Still, Sasha did not seem like she was trying to be rude. She looked more like someone carrying fear and worry. Perhaps she was terrified that something would happen while Duke Ignote was gone.

“So, Duke Ignote must be going through a lot. I did not realize that monsters were appearing in the Empire and that he was the one fighting them.”

Midienna gently continued the conversation. She placed her fork and knife down on the table and looked at Sasha. For a moment, Sasha’s attention was drawn. She looked up briefly, then slowly lowered her eyes again.

“Yes, that is what I heard. I only recently found out he was out fighting monsters. People say that even with great power, it is impossible to get rid of them all at once. So, he goes out often.”

Sasha answered calmly, not sure if she felt thankful for something to talk about or simply tired of the silence. Still, she stopped eating.

Midienna leaned in just a little, not noticing Sasha’s pause. Her eyes held a gentle glow.

“Why is it so hard to defeat them all? In Medilan, we never had any monsters, so I really do not know anything. That is why I am asking. I hope that is alright with you.”

She gave a small, kind smile. Her warmth touched Sasha, but instead of comfort, it made her heart feel heavy.

“I do not know much either. As you know, when I lived at the Marquis’s mansion, I was always sick. I spent most of my time in my room.”

But Sasha was not easy to deal with, and it seemed that Midienna had unknowingly struck the wrong nerve. Still, Midienna did not back down. She spoke again with calm determination.

It was easy to hide her interest behind casual curiosity.

“That’s right. I started thinking more about it because they did not tell you very much. You might actually know as little about the Empire as I do.”

Sasha narrowed her eyes just slightly.

Why is she suddenly interested in monsters now? That thought alone made Sasha feel deeply unsettled.

If Midienna tried to meet Kyler directly, the attention from others would be overwhelming. No one would allow her to see him easily. And most importantly, Kyler himself would not agree to it.

So, is that why she invited me here?

It felt like she was trying to use Sasha to hear stories about Kyler.

Just imagining it gave Sasha chills.

She did not let her discomfort show. Instead, she looked at Midienna with calm eyes. Midienna was a stunningly beautiful woman, but her true thoughts were impossible to read.

No, Sasha did know. She knew Midienna still had feelings for Kyler. To describe it kindly, it seemed like she was holding on to memories and feeling regret. But as a married woman, those lingering feelings could only be seen in a negative light.

As the Duchess of Ignote, Kyler’s wife, Sasha had no obligation to respond to this invitation. Even if the Empress was highly respected, if Midienna could not let go of those feelings, then Sasha had every right to hold the upper hand.

That was the nature of their relationship now.

Sasha struggled to calm the storm of emotions rising within her.

“I do not know much either, but they say the monsters keep appearing no matter how many are defeated.”

“Oh no, that is terrible. Then it makes sense that the great Duke Ignote has been fighting them for years without being able to eliminate them completely.”

That explanation should have been enough. The topic should have ended there. But Midienna was clearly preparing to speak again. Her face and posture showed it. Sasha felt stuck.

“Have they found a solution now? I heard something about monster subjugation. I thought it was always impossible, that they were just managed over the years. How did they suddenly decide to fight back like this? Is there a method?”

Sasha let out a quiet sigh and shook her head.

The conversation was going in strange directions, but there was nothing secretive about it. There was no reason to hide it, and it would not cause any harm for Midienna to know. It was something they had only recently started to figure out.

“The Duke told me that the reason he chose to fight them directly was because the monsters suddenly expanded their territory. They were once contained within the mountains, but they came down into the Uhallin Forest. That is where he and I encountered them.”

There were deeper, more emotional parts of that story, but Sasha skipped over them. With how fast everything had happened and how hard it was to explain, she could not say everything clearly.

But it felt different from what Midienna was assuming. Something about the way she asked these questions made Sasha feel uneasy. It seemed like there was more to this, something that had to do with Midienna herself.

“Is that where you were injured, Duchess? I am very curious about what happened. If you do not mind, could you tell me about it?”

Her voice was filled with eager interest. She looked like a ruler who simply wanted to learn about threats facing the Empire. Whatever her true reason might have been.

“At that time, I was walking in the forest with the Duke when a monster appeared. Even though it was a forest, as you mentioned earlier, one still showed up. The Duke quickly moved me to a safe distance and fought the monster. Just as he killed it, another one dropped right in front of me.

We were far apart by then, so he could not reach me right away. The monster stood there without moving, only watching me. Thankfully, in that brief moment, Kyler arrived and saved me.”

She had been calling him “the Duke,” but without realizing it, she said “Kyler.” Her voice had shifted. She kept her expression steady, but inside, her heart stung like it had been pierced with a needle. That name, she wanted to call him by it when he was right in front of her, not when speaking to someone else.

Sasha closed her eyes for a moment and then opened them again.

Right now, she realized she wanted to see him.

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