Chapter 5

#5.

Inside the bedroom, a beautiful woman was seated gracefully.

She had blonde hair and red eyes. Her platinum blonde hair, characteristic of the royal family, shimmered with a brilliant luster.

Her blood-red eyes were so sharp that they could make one freeze upon meeting them.

I was slightly intimidated by her presence but did not shrink back and instead greeted her respectfully.

"Did you call for me, Mother?"

"Surprising. You call me Mother. Usually, you address me as Her Highness, the Duchess, don't you?"

Oh, did I? I didn't know.

You should have mentioned it earlier.

I rolled my eyes in confusion. Now that I think about it, the Duke seemed to have widened his eyes unusually when he heard me call him "Father."

I thought he was just looking at me strangely because I was acting differently from usual, but it was because of the title.

It hadn't been long since I became Roena, and I hadn't fully explored the situation yet.

At least I had met Akid in a room connected to his private bedroom, but not the Duke and Duchess.

I had heard they regularly dined together, but it wasn't a frequent occurrence.

The issue of titles was something I hadn't considered, so I was a bit flustered.

'Hmm. But since I already called you Mother and Father, wouldn't it be stranger to retract it?'

After all, to make Akid a beloved son in this household, my role as a daughter-in-law was crucial.

If I also addressed the Duke and Duchess formally like Akid, there would be no progress.

'Originally, they say that if you act boldly, the other party can't say anything.'

I smiled and said,

"I just thought we could try to get closer from now on, Mother."

"Get closer? I have no intention of being close with you."

The Duchess drew a firm line with a fresh smile. There was nothing I could say in response to her counter with a smile.

'There's someone even more shameless than me.'

I felt awkward at the Duchess's cold attitude but didn't stop smiling.

"So, what's the matter..."

"Your temper is still as quick as ever. Come and sit down to talk."

The Duchess gestured to the chair in front of her. Chamomile tea, good for drinking before bed, was prepared.

It seemed she had considered my comfort. I sat down hesitantly, and a maid poured the tea.

I was already quite drowsy after soaking in the bathtub. Sleepiness crept over me despite my will.

I tried to stifle a yawn, but the Duchess spoke.

"You were summoned to the Duke's study yesterday. What happened?"

"It was just a casual check to see if I was doing well."

"Is that so? I heard that on that day, Lady Lork was dragged out of the study crying..."

"Um, yes."

"Are you sleepy?"

The Duchess asked sharply, and I quickly shook my head.

"No."

"You sound sleepy. Your speech is slurred."

"Yes... I am actually sleepy."

I couldn't resist the overwhelming sleepiness and yawned widely. Being in a twelve-year-old body, I got tired easily.

The Duchess clicked her tongue and continued, not wanting to let me go to sleep just yet.

"What happened in the study that day?"

I slapped my cheeks hard to stay awake and answered.

"No, nothing happened."

The Duchess looked surprised for a moment but then said, "What can you do about being sleepy?"

In fact, the Duke had told me not to tell anyone, including the Duchess.

The Duke and Duchess had a very poor relationship, using separate rooms even though they shared a bedroom.

Of course, Akid and I were the same. Opening the bedroom door led to a lobby with two more doors.

The right door was my room, and the left was Akid's. There was a door to exit the lobby in between.

The castle was designed to suit business-like couples, as strategic marriages were common. Of course, it felt very awkward to me.

'Let me see Akid's face just once after he wakes up.'

The Duchess gave me a persistent look, seemingly unaware of what had happened in the study.

That day, only the Duke's people were in the study, so no one outside could have heard the conversation.

'She didn't call me because she knew but to test me. She clearly doesn't know the full story yet.'

She probably thought I was more likely to talk than Akid.

Roena, in her usual self, would have spilled the beans easily when coaxed.

Especially when it came to Akid, she had no hesitation.

She liked to criticize him. The Duchess, as if trying to coax me, asked,

"Then why did Lady Lork leave crying?"

"I don't know..."

I rolled my eyes and dragged out my words, and the Duchess urged me,

"Anything is fine."

I rolled my eyes, making her anxious. After a moment, I found something I could say and answered,

"Oh! The Duke told Lady Lork not to come back, so she left crying."

The Duke had told me not to talk about the abuse.

He hadn't said anything about Lady Lork being dismissed.

Elena blinked in surprise. Lady Lork had been a long-term favorite of the Duke.

She wasn't the type to be dismissed so easily, which is why she seemed quite shocked.

I had intentionally given her a clue to dig deeper.

The Duke had dismissed her, not just told her to leave.

"Hmm, now that you mention it, Lady Lork didn't come today."

"Maybe her pride was hurt. Usually, Father would go to her after a fight."

That's right. Our father-in-law, despite his free-spirited nature, had a broad heart and would often soothe his favorites.

Even if an old lover came crying, he would first calm her down before sending her away.

There were many women who took advantage of this.

"So, what do you think the Duke will do?"

"Hmm."

"Does it seem like he's serious?"

The Duchess asked, testing me again.

From her expression, it seemed she expected the Duke to resume his relationship with Lady Lork in a few days.

"Lady Lork seemed to have lingering feelings. She might come back soon."

"That's likely. Without a special reason, she wouldn't just sit still with her personality."

Elena tapped the table with her fingers and said mockingly. I replied innocently,

"Don't worry, Mother. The Duke won't go back to Lady Lork."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Father's eyes were so bloodshot."

I raised my eyebrows with both hands, making a fierce expression, and Elena chuckled.

"No one else would describe the Duke like that."

"It's the truth."

"Hmm."

Elena seemed in a better mood than before.

Was she happy that her thorn, Lady Lork, had been dismissed? Just as I was about to sigh in relief,

"Where is Akid hurt?"

"What?"

"The Duke sent a doctor afterward. According to the maid, he went to Akid's room."

"That's..."

It seemed the Duke had sent a doctor to check on Akid's injuries.

He must have been shocked by the bruises all over his body. The Marquis Lork had not only hit his forehead.

The Duke's immediate dismissal of the Marquis Lork the next day, without waiting to see the results, clearly showed his anger.

'How much can I say?'

I glanced at the Duchess. From her expression, it seemed she was still unaware of Akid's abuse.

If she knew, she would have gone straight to the Duke, not questioned me.

The Marquis had been careful to inflict injuries in places that weren't noticeable, so even Roena, who shared a bedroom with Akid, didn't know.

The torn forehead was a mistake by the Marquis. If I hadn't intervened, Akid would have hidden it with his bangs, and no one would have known.

After that, the Marquis would have become bolder, eventually getting caught by the Duchess.

But the Duchess, who had never shown any interest in Akid, wouldn't have noticed the change in his bangs.

'She still doesn't know. Neither about the abuse nor the real reason the Duke dismissed the Lork siblings.'

"Why are you silent?"

The Duchess looked at me coldly when I didn't answer.

If I were the original Roena, it would have been natural to spill everything, but I was keeping my mouth shut.

However, if I said something clueless here, I might incur the Duke's displeasure.

I wasn't close enough to the Duchess to risk sharing such information.

After a long moment of thought, I blinked innocently and replied,

"Well, I was in Akid's room."

"Huh?"

"The doctor came to see me. To check if I had any after-effects from the drowning."

She frowned at my bold lie.

"You and Akid haven't consummated your marriage, have you?"

"That's true."

But the same goes for you, doesn't it? I held back the urge to say it.

The Duke and Duchess had only consummated their marriage once on their wedding night and lived separately.

Before she could counter, I quickly said,

"Actually, Akid has seemed different since the drowning."

"..."

"I also heard that he was very worried about me. He was the one who saved me."

"..."

"So, what are you trying to say?"

Elena asked, clearly suspicious of my motives.

I smiled widely and said,

"I'm going to be a good wife from now on!"

I won't miss the role of the beloved wife.