n

n

nChapter 57

nProofreader: xoxomonami

nAubrey was the youngest daughter of Count and Countess Jordyn. She was a 15-year-old girl who was still a child when she last met Cedric.

nAnd he had more vivid memories when she was 7 and 8 years old.

n“Aubrey? You?”

nCedric was startled.

n“You’ve grown a lot.”

n“Yes, Your Grace. I’m an adult now. I’m 18 years old.”

nAubrey looked up as she clung onto Cedric.

nCedric gently shook his arms and pushed Aubrey off. When he was young, he loved her like a younger sister and she was cute, but this was the age that he shouldn’t indulge such behavior.

nAubrey was shocked. It was the first time he didn’t hug her when she clung onto Cedric.

nMargaret quickly grabbed Aubrey’s arm and dragged her to the side. And she lowered her head.

n“I’m sorry. Your Grace. I didn’t raise my daughter very well.”

n“No. It’s been a long time so she was excited to see me. Aubrey’s already grown like this, I can’t believe how long I’ve been away.”

n“Your Grace has changed a lot.”

nAaron stepped in and laughed to avoid making the mood awkward. Cedric laughed too.

n“Three years ago, I was a kid.”

n“Your Grace, even when you were only twenty, you were not an ordinary child.”

n“Does that mean I look older?”

nCedric stroked his cheek. And he looked back at Artizea with a sneaky glance.

nArtizea tilted her head.

n“Why?”

n“Nothing.”

nCedric scratched his slightly red cheeks with his index finger. Then he reached out his hand to her with a soft face.

n“First of all, go to the room. I’ll give you a guide to the castle after warming up and resting. I’ll think about it tomorrow whether to have a greeting or having a reception.”

n“I heard It’s still Autumn.”

nArtizea smiled.

n“Not me, but you. You’ve been on the boat for over a month, that your lips have turned white.”

n“I’m not so tired.”

nAs Artizea said so, she put her hand on Cedric’s hand.

nThen Cedric flipped his hand and grabbed Artizea’s hand.

nArtizea flinched. Her embarrassed fingers flinched and scratched Cedric’s palm.

nCedric succeeded in maintaining his normal expression, but his earlobes reddened.

nThe people of the Grand Duchy who saw it silently glanced at each other. The words they wanted to say, but no one took it out of their mouth.

nAlice, Sophie, and Rize smiled happily with satisfaction.

nArtizea turned her gaze to the wrong place. Her hands were cold, and Cedric’s hands were hot.

nStrangely, however, she had the illusion that even her own hands were hot.

nIt was a lie that she got used to it. Rather, it was getting strange, so even touching his fingertips made her head white.

nFor no reason, she was breathless. She kept reliving the memory of his embrace that she felt through her thin pajamas.

nIt was not known when the memory would disappear from her skin.

n“Let’s go in.”

nCedric whispered into Artizea’s ear with a lower voice than usual.

nArtizea lowered her head. Cedric pulled her hand and she folded her arms.

nHowever, he did not let go of her hand.

nAaron took the lead in a hurry.

n“I’ve cleaned up the Grand Duchess’ room. I did it on my own, but there is a limit to what I can do here. I was worried about it being unsophisticated, so I did not decorate it. How about doing it yourself?”

n“Okay.”

nArtizea pretended to be calm on the outside, trying to press down her clamoring heart.

nShe then suddenly felt a gaze and looked back.

nAubrey was staring at Artizea without even thinking of hiding her roaring expression of hatred.

n‘This.’

nArtizea got embarrassed.

nThis is difficult to handle.

nShe couldn’t pretend she didn’t know, though. If Aubrey was trying to hide her emotions, then she would have never known. However, she carried an expression that blatantly exposed her hatred. Leaving such a defiant distracts the family.

nCedric shook her hand lightly to make her focus on him.

nCedric smiled as she looked back at his gaze.

n***

nArtizea’s bedroom was next to Cedric’s bedroom. It was said to be a space used as a bedroom for the Grand Duke and the Grand Duchess from generation to generation.

nThere was a door between the two rooms, so it was possible to go back and forth without going through the corridor.

n“You can lock both sides. The keys on both sides are different, so if you lock on one side, you cannot open on the other side.”

nAt Aaron’s explanation, Artizea laughed.

n“Is it for a couple’s fight? So, to spread the distance and arrange a room….. Oh, was the door for in case of an emergency.”

n“The retreat is on the side of my room. I’ll show you how to open it later.”

nCedric said so.

n“Isn’t it a secret passage?”

n“It’s no secret how to go from inside to outside. It’s prepared for emergencies. Since there’s no one to communicate with Karam, anyone knows the passages.”

n“Ah, yes. If that’s the case, I’ll keep that in mind.”

nThere was a Tuvalet room and a small bathroom opposite Cedric’s bedroom. There was also a space that could be used as a study next to the reception room.

nThe bedroom wasn’t big. Fur hung tightly on the walls everywhere. The floor was also covered with fluffy fur enough to cover the ankles.

nArtizea reached out her hand and touched the wall.

n“All rooms are made small because if the space is large, it gets cold quickly. There are many vacant rooms, so please tell us if you need more space.”

n“Is this a bearskin?”

n“Oh, yes. This is better than a tapestry, it blocks drafts better. If you don’t like it, I’ll buy something else.”

n“No, it’s not because I don’t like it, but because it’s too extravagant…”

nArtizea muttered.

n“Even the predecessor’s Grand Duchess wore fur in the living space. It’s still okay, but when Winter comes, it’s difficult for people who are not from this place to bear.”

n“Yes. I see.”

nArtizea answered and turned to Cedric. Cedric nodded his head.

n“The warmth seems to be enough. I’m warming up without doing anything too much. The people below will do well, but….. The only thing you can’t do is take care of yourself.”

n“I feel like a very incompetent person if you say that.”

nCedric laughed.

n“First of all, take a break. I’ll pick you up when it’s time for dinner. I’ll first take a look at the situation.”

n“Yes.”

n“Let’s talk in the evening about what to do tomorrow. There are many things I’d like to ask for your opinion about.”

n“Yes.”

nCedric reached out his hand.

nArtizea was shocked and stiffened her body. Cedric’s thumb gently swept through Artizea’s eyes.

n“Rest.”

nHe spoke kindly and went out.

nAaron and other vassals bowed their head to greet her and followed Cedric.

n“Madam, have a seat.”

nSophie took Artizea’s cloak off. Artizea sat in the armchair.

nShe wasn’t aware of the cold, but she melted as she sat in front of the fireplace.

nShe was bothered by the brooch that Cedric gave her. Artizea, caught in a subtle mood, fiddled with it in her hand mindlessly.

nThe brooch was engraved with the crest of Evron Grand Duchy.

nShe was busy in the capital, so she couldn’t afford to think carefully. However, when she came here, she realized that she got the name of Cedric’s wife anyway, even if it was only a formality.

nFor the time being, the mistress of this stronghold is herself.

nLooking back at it, why didn’t she ever think about getting married in her previous life?

nArtizea recalled the past.

nShe never really thought that she hated political marriage.

nWhen she was young, her mother and her brother were everything in the world to her, but as she got older, she might have wanted to run away with marriage.

nIt wasn’t that there were no men who approached her at all.

nEven when she became Marchioness of Rosan, even after Lawrence stabilized his position as the Crown Prince, there were men approaching her for her position and her fortune.

nArtizea never paid attention to them.

n‘Is it because I can see right through them?‘

nEven superficial tenderness must have shaken her heart. Like she did when Lawrence was good at times.

nOr maybe she did it because she knew that she would eventually be purged.

n“Whew.”

nArtizea leaned her neck against the backrest, and she briefly closed her eyes and then opened it.

n“Rize, go and call Margaret. Now I have to greet her.”

n“Yes.”

nRize quickly went outside.

nMargaret was waiting outside with a butler, the chief maid, and several senior employees. When she was told that she was called by Artizea, she hurried in.

nAfter Artizea was greeted by the employees, she said:

n“It’s not a small thing to live in the stronghold, and it would be more so to someone who had stayed for a few months a year at the most. I want you to take care of it like you’ve done so far. If you are a person Cedric trusts, I can trust you as well. .”

n“Thank you.”

n“Most of my servants are the maids I brought. But the number will be insufficient, so if there is someone who is a good maid, you can choose a few people and send them to me. I hope my maid never fails to say what they have to say or do what they have to do.”

n“Yes.”

nThat was the only thing she asked of the employees.

nAfter dismissing the butler and the chief maid, Artizea looked at Margaret.

nMargaret was very nervous.

nMargaret had no intention of disregarding Artizea as she is the newly married young mistress.

nShe was the Grand Duchess that Cedric chose. That alone was enough reason to be loyal.

nBut apart from that, Artizea carried a dignity she could not dare to relax and deal with. She was like a completely different person than when she was holding Cedric with her hand and blushing shyly.

n“Margaret, as you know, I didn’t bring any lady-in-waitings from my family. It’s because I didn’t have any relatives and no acquaintances.”

nArtizea said in a slow voice. Margaret responded politely.

n“Yes.”

n“The lady-in-waiting I’m going to choose will be from among the Evron Grand Duchy and its closely related family. I hope you will advise me on that.”

nKnowing what would come next, Margaret took a breath.

n“First, I wonder, how about Miss Aubrey? If it were the daughter of Count Jordyn, she would be fitting if I considered her status, her loyalty, and her age, which is similar to mine, so our conversation would be good. I believe she can help me adapt to life here.”

nArtizea said so.

nShe had to sort out the ranks in advance.

n