"I will do better."
Even now, thinking back, he was no ordinary man. The brief hesitation, then the gentle release of her arm as Adrian led her out of the office—he was remarkably skilled.
Before she knew it, she found herself in the corridor outside the office.
“Even if his emotions are faint, he’s still the male lead,”
Ione muttered, clicking her tongue, then walked on with determination.
In truth, there was no reason she couldn’t just walk back into the office. But judging by how casually he had dismissed her like a mere burden, she sensed it had something to do with the “
seal
.” After all, that was the only reason he would send her out while they were still together.
“Your Highness? You’re here!”
“Catherine?”
“Oh my, I thought something had happened.”
“Something?”
Catherine approached with her hair disheveled.
“I brought the tea carriage, but neither of you were at your places...”
“Ah...”
She had forgotten. Before teleporting away from the madman with the clear eyes, she had sent Catherine to fetch the tea carriage.
“Are you alright?”
“Yes. I was testing the orb Lady Penelope gave me.”
“Oh...”
“I was just about to come back. Were you very worried?”
“No.”
Though she said she was fine, Catherine was panting heavily. The sweat beads on the bridge of her nose clearly showed how hard she had been searching for Ione.
So she wandered enough in the cold North to break a sweat...
Catherine must have been shocked to find the living room empty.
“I’m sorry.”
“Hm?”
Catherine’s eyes widened. She looked utterly stunned, as if struck by lightning, but Ione paid her no mind and continued speaking.
“You were startled, right? I didn’t think about how much you must have been.”
“N-no... not at all, Your Highness. It’s nothing...”
“You looked for me so hard that your hair got all messy.”
Ione gently wiped the sweat from Catherine’s nose with her sleeve.
Catherine’s eyes, already wide, grew even larger, almost popping out.
“If it were me, I’d have been shocked. My superior, no—my sovereign, suddenly gone! I’d be scared it was my fault, or wonder where you went, if something bad happened. I’d search desperately.”
Her voice grew louder with emotion.
“But then if the person you were looking for shows up safe and sound, you’d be angry and disappointed. You’d wonder what you’d been doing all this time.”
“Not at all, Your Highness.”
Ione smiled teasingly at Catherine, who was desperately denying it.
“If it were me, I’d want an apology. No ill intent, but still. That’s why I’m apologizing. To make myself feel better.”
“Your Highness...”
Catherine’s face suddenly flushed bright red. It wasn’t just her cheeks—her tear-filled eyes were bloodshot, the redness unmistakable. Yet no tears fell.
“I’m sorry. I’ll try not to let this happen again.”
Catherine’s voice trembled as if she might break into tears, but Ione only smiled.
“Hm? Try your best.”
“Th-thank you.”
“Alright, let’s head back.”
“...By the way, how was the teleport?”
Catherine quickly fixed her messy hair and asked.
Ione reached out her hand to Catherine.
“Oh, well... could you hold my hand for a moment?”
“Yes! Ah!”
The moment Catherine grasped her hand, Ione pictured the sitting room connected to her bedroom. A spell activated, transporting them both there.
“Ahhh!”
Catherine screamed even after the teleport ended.
“Huh?”
She looked down to see her feet on the carpet, and realized they were standing in the Duchess’s private sitting room. Only then did she close her wide-open mouth.
“Is this how it feels?”
“If you’d told me beforehand, I wouldn’t have screamed...”
Embarrassed at having yelled without warning, Catherine muttered softly. Ione chuckled quietly.
“That’s exactly how it felt for me.”
“Really?”
Catherine nodded belatedly.
“Should I bring the tea carriage inside now, Your Highness?”
“No, let’s just drink. I’m thirsty.”
“It’ll only take a moment.”
“You can’t drink hot tea all at once, can you? Bring it. And two cups—one for you too.”
“Me?”
Ione nodded at the startled Catherine.
“What does it matter? If you’re going to say you can’t sit beside me, don’t bother. Sometimes noblewomen share tea with their personal maids.”
It was written that way in
The Duchess of the Monster Duke
.
Ione gave Catherine a look that clearly said “
Refusal is not an option.”
Catherine’s face, initially dazed, quickly flushed with unhidden joy.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Since we’re both startled, let’s have plenty of tea and sweets.”
“A wise idea, indeed.”
Cold tea and sweet treats were perfect for two women shaken by recent events.
“The etiquette must be different depending on the region.”
Catherine murmured after setting down her cup.
“In the North, it’s unthinkable to share tea with the lord you serve.”
“Really?”
Wasn’t that in the book?
Ione flinched at the thought but kept a calm expression outwardly.
“Maybe it varies by region.”
“The capital must be more open-minded.”
“I don’t really know about the capital either.”
“Well then, ah...”
Ione didn’t clarify Catherine’s misunderstanding.
“Drink up. It smells nice.”
“They say you bought the Duchess, but that’s unexpected?”
Penelope, with her special eyes, apparently lacked manners.
Spewing such crude words in front of the Duke left Seton feeling like he was about to pass out.
“Mind your mouth.”
Seton barely managed to silence Penelope, pulling her back, but Adrian’s expression had already turned icy.
“Your Highness, that mouth is...”
“Since I bought the wife, I have to do better.”
A gasp of shock came from somewhere.
Adrian continued calmly.
“No one wants a monster like this, so I had no choice but to buy her. So I have to treat my precious bride well so she doesn’t run away. Any problem with that?”
“Uh...”
Seton was at his wit’s end in the middle of it all.
“So, how do you find my precious bride?”
Penelope’s smirk melted like snow at Adrian’s question.
“She’s truly beautiful. It’s a pity no one can see her magic.”
The Mad Dog of the West Tower.
Penelope was notorious for her arrogant attitude.
Yet she had earned the right to be tower mistress of the West Tower thanks to her unique ability to see magic.
“How was it?”
“It’s a color I’ve never seen. Or maybe it’s not even a color?”
Penelope tilted her head, trying to recall.
“It shone brightly.”
“Not a color?”
Adrian asked, and Penelope nodded.
“Now that I think about it, it’s not a color. Like sunlight or moonlight—you can’t really call them colors.”
“So it’s certain she has magic?”
The conversation grew confusing, and Seton quickly jumped in.
This was the most important matter: the Duchess’s magic or lack thereof.
Penelope answered firmly.
“She does. Didn’t I just say it? The Duchess’s light is so beautiful. Without magic, you can’t emit any light at all.”
“She looks like a dead person when asleep, though.”
“I don’t know why. But she definitely has magic. It seems to be a bit different.”
Penelope waved her white, slender fingers vaguely in the air beside Adrian.
“Yours, Your Highness, spreads out like this, thick and golden. It looks dense and solid.”
She seemed genuinely disappointed she couldn’t show what she saw, and earnestly tried to explain to Adrian.
“But the Duchess’s...”
Her pale fingers fluttered in the air.
“Sparkling.”
“...”
“Like rainbow sunlight. Really beautiful. I’ve never seen anything prettier than that, not even Seton.”
“Huh.”
Seton could barely hide his exasperation at her enchanted voice.
“So, Your Highness,”
“Rejected.”
“I haven’t even said anything yet.”
“Rejected.”
“Could you just listen once?”
“The Emperor paid for her, so do you really think she could become mistress of the West Tower?”
Adrian was naturally cold.
But when he deliberately wiped the expression from his face, the chill deepened.
Even Penelope, fearless and shameless, faltered for a moment.
“You said you don’t need a match.”
“I said I wouldn’t search for one myself.”
The piercing blue gaze was like a sharpened blade.
Penelope swallowed dryly and tried to explain.
“Your Highness, I don’t mean a match, but if—”
“The Emperor provided the match. Who else but the Duchess would be my match?”
The question, meant to crush, sent a chill down the spine.
Even Seton, who always cheekily challenged Adrian, stiffened for a moment.
“Arrogance is not something a mere human can afford. Remember that, Mistress of the West.”
“I appreciate the advice. But how about some permission, too?”
Enough already,
Seton thought bitterly inside.