The Survival Strategy of the Contract Duchess - Chapter 82

“There might be some sensitive issues to discuss directly in the general meeting, so I hope the Marquis can make the decision and relay it.”

The meeting facilitator, immediately realizing the gravity of his words, softened his tone and smoothed things over. Ivern nodded in agreement.

It was true that he had spoken in a moment of slight frustration, but it was a move that required a great deal of consideration.

“Anyway, I’ve reported that the group of secluded individuals is regaining power and funds. They are said to be planning to throw the Empire into chaos with monsters at any time, so we must work towards a swift resolution.”

“We can’t let them slip through our fingers, so swift action is needed. If anyone has any ideas, please send them in. Even small clues can be helpful.”

Ivern stared at Crond’s lips, which were still smirking beneath his robe, and invisibly clenched his teeth.

He might be right. If he had eliminated the source of the problem back then, he might be at peace now. Who would have imagined that a child raised like that would become the Duchess?

“It’s time to gather everyone’s strength. If we lose control like this, Geranel’s very reason for existence will disappear. Keep that in mind.”

“Yes, we will keep that in mind.”

A resounding voice echoed through the conference room. Ivern was the first to rise from his seat. With shaky breaths and a quiet sigh, he left the conference room as discreetly as possible.

And in the conference room, which had become noisy with people talking amongst themselves, the facilitator also quietly slipped out. Opening the door, he immediately spotted Ivern crossing the hall.

Anyone who knew him would have noticed that his pace was slightly faster than usual. The facilitator, seeing his back, hurried to follow.

“Marquis.”

He didn’t raise his voice, but caught up and quietly called his name. Ivern flinched slightly and turned around.

Seeing the facilitator approaching, he quickly scanned his surroundings.

The meeting facilitator was Count Britas, who also attended Imperial meetings, so he was well aware of the public’s perception of Ivern.

Living near the capital and attending aristocratic meetings regularly, he was known as someone who didn’t wield power but simply offered gentle support.

Among the nobles, who were all eager to bring up issues that would benefit their own territories, he was a man who silently conveyed the opinions of others.

But Ivern, the head of Geranel he saw here, was a different person entirely. The predatory glint in his eyes as he quickly scanned his surroundings sent a chill down his spine.

“Is this a conversation for here?”

“Let’s move to another location for a moment.”

Britas quietly passed him and headed towards the stairs leading to the second floor. Hearing the sound of footsteps following him, he opened the nearest door on the second floor and entered.

The small room contained only two sofas and a small table between them, just enough for a quiet conversation.

“This.”

Britas placed a letter on the table.

It looked like an ordinary letter envelope. But the moment Ivern picked it up and opened it, he couldn’t believe his eyes. Inside the ordinary letter envelope, disguised as such, was an ornate envelope with a seal indicating it was from the Imperial Palace.

“The Imperial Family…? The Emperor?”

“It seems, to be a letter from the Empress.”

Ivern’s eyebrows twitched. The Empress Ivern had just been thinking about her, but he hadn’t expected to hear from her first.

“What business does the Empress have with me?”

He thought she was only interested in Duke Ignote. Besides, it wasn’t as if he had only been involved with monsters for a day or two.

Feeling a surge of wariness, he opened the letter envelope. She had no interest in politics, nor in the Emperor, Lydian. It was even said that the reason she still held her position, not fulfilling any of the Empress’s duties and only caring about her own feelings, was because Lydian cherished her.

If it were me, I would have gotten rid of her a long time ago. Most noble men would have thought so.

[To the esteemed head of Geranel.

You probably know who is sending this letter. The reason I am sending this letter is that I would like to discuss the monsters that are rumored to be a threat to the Empire.]

The conversation, starting with a pretense of friendliness, was definitely not the Emperor’s. The attitude of not specifying her identity even in a secret letter was suspicious.

“This, isn’t she more naive than I thought?”

His eyes gleamed ominously. Britas, who had been watching him from the front, swallowed hard and watched him.

*

Kyler and Sasha had clearly come out of Kyler’s room together in the morning, but there was an awkward atmosphere between them as they sat across from each other at the dining table.

When Sasha reached for the bread, Kyler handed her the butter as if he had been watching. When he was about to drink the milk, Sasha immediately looked at the glass of milk at the end of the table.

It was clear that they were aware of each other, but they didn’t make eye contact or say a word.

“Oh.”

“Ah!.”

Then, their hands brushed as they tried to grab the bread at the same time, and they finally looked at each other in surprise. Even then, they were startled and quickly withdrew their hands when their eyes met.

“Oh my!”

“Oh my, oh my, goodness.”

As Kyler looked away and Sasha bit her lip to suppress a smile, the little heads that popped out of the kitchen were busy exclaiming in admiration.

“Don’t you think they’re in a more exciting mood these days?”

Mini whispered from the middle of the round heads. Her voice spread up and down, causing the other maids to exclaim as well.

“I know, right! It makes my heart flutter.”

“The masters seem like they’re dating. Right?”

The young maids were absorbed in the sweet atmosphere that the Duke and his wife were exuding from the morning.

It was an unimaginable sight from the days when they only saw the quiet and grim Duke’s residence while serving Kyler.

Of course, if you only looked at Kyler on the outside now, he didn’t have a lot of expressions, nor was he particularly warm with his words. But as people who had lived here, they couldn’t possibly be unaware of his changes.

“How can they be so exciting from breakfast?”

“Could it be, that the Duke is shy right now?”

“Goodness…”

Rose, who had been quietly watching their small, chattering backs, shook her head.

“You guys.”

The maids’ shoulders visibly flinched at the three syllables Rose threw out. The children slowly turned around, their faces pale as they looked up at their fearsome head maid.

“H, Head Maid…”

“W, we were talking quietly so as not to disturb them.”

Sarah said, feeling guilty from the start at her appearance and lowered voice. The four maids stood in a row in front of Rose.

The maids, who were terrified that Rose would be angry, were not scolded. Connie wondered if she couldn’t raise her voice because the dining room was nearby, but Rose let out a short breath.

“Wouldn’t it be better to clean and tidy up the Duke’s room while they’re eating? You should know that they’ve only been going back and forth between the office and the Duke’s room these days, right?”

“Ah!”

Rose wasn’t angry, but this was definitely not something to be taken lightly. The four maids quickly bowed and hurried out of the dining room.

Rose, who had been watching their backs, picked up the warm milk tea that Jeff had made and brought it into the dining room.

“Would you like some milk tea when you’re done eating?”

They were sitting there, gazing into each other’s eyes, as if they were looking into each other’s souls, and turned their faces as she appeared.

It was so exciting, like a young couple in love, that even the people watching could feel it. I thought I would burst out laughing at this scene later.

It was as if the person I had known for over 20 years had disappeared somewhere.

“Yes, Rose. I’ll have milk tea. Thank you.”

When Sasha answered Rose’s question, Kyler nodded in response. Sasha said to her as she placed the steaming cups in front of them.

“Rose, could you tell Jeff to make lunch boxes for today?”

Sasha, who had been on the verge of death until recently, looked up at her with lively eyes.

I could understand the children’s feelings as they watched them, unable to take their eyes off them. Sasha’s eyes, filled with laughter, shone beautifully.

And Kyler, as if he wasn’t the only one feeling it, had been watching her with warm eyes from across the table. I was really impressed with Sasha for quickly turning those eyes back.

“Are you going on a picnic?”

So Rose, who didn’t usually strike up conversations other than what was necessary, even asked Sasha a question.

“Yes. Kyler said he was going to work, so I decided to go with him. To the Uhalin Forest.”

And Rose doubted her ears for a moment.

It was good to go on a picnic. If I asked Jeff to pack a lunch box, he would be excited to make it. But,  where did you say you were going?

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