Chapter 7
It was the weekend evening of my promised outing with the Duke.
Since it had been a long time since I had gone outside, the servants bustled about in excitement. After carefully brushing my long, slightly wavy hair and applying fragrant oils, they helped me into an elegant evening gown that Helen had practically poured her soul into designing.
“I can actually pull this off…”
I couldn’t take my eyes off my reflection in the mirror.
My striking features complemented the lavishly flared dress perfectly.
“You look absolutely beautiful, Lady Deborah.”
“It’s as though we’re looking at a rose in full bloom. You’re dazzling.”
The servants carefully chose every word, afraid of saying the wrong thing, while showering me with compliments.
“Your skin is so flawless.”
“Your lips are like cherries.”
“Hmph.”
I knew better than anyone how ridiculously attractive this face was. Still, I suppressed the urge to join in their admiration and merely let out a soft scoff.
As the Empire’s infamous villainess—and their employer—I had been practicing a cold expression every day to preserve my dignity.
I refuse to break character.
“My lady, His Grace will be arriving shortly.”
The mansion’s head steward, whom I rarely even saw, finally appeared to announce it.
As an accessory, I carried a deep violet folding fan that matched my pale purple gown. I was already tall, and with high heels on, my viewpoint rose noticeably higher.
Not long afterward, the Duke entered the lobby dressed in a navy suit.
He radiated the refined charm that only a handsome middle-aged man could possess.
Now this is what I call a nation.
Internally giving a standing ovation for the Astheia Empire’s incredible contribution to eye candy, I took my place beside him.
It was a good thing I’d practiced maintaining a straight face every day. Otherwise, I might have stood there with my mouth hanging open like a fan seeing their favorite celebrity up close.
“That dress was worth every coin.”
The Duke quietly looked me over before making the curt remark.
No matter how many times I heard it, his cold tone was just as difficult to get used to as his handsome face.
The men in this family really do live up to their looks.
Swallowing the words I couldn’t say aloud, I forced a small smile.
“My parents blessed me with such fine features, so naturally a wonderful dress like this suits me well.”
Whenever silence fell between us, I became even more nervous, so I kept trying to keep the conversation going despite his blunt replies. Before I knew it, I was flattering him more and more.
“Then treasure that body of yours. If you ever do something like that again, simple confinement won’t be your punishment.”
Referring to the incident where I had slapped both of my own cheeks mercilessly, the Duke extended his hand in front of the carriage bearing the twin-headed serpent crest.
My first outing.
Accepting his awkward escort, I climbed into the carriage.
As I watched the scenery speeding past outside the window, I was stunned.
The front gate of the Duke’s townhouse still wasn’t in sight.
Does it really take this long just to leave through the front gate?
Seeing fragments of these memories and actually experiencing this level of wealth were two completely different things.
And it wasn’t just the mansion’s overwhelming size that surprised me.
Why are there no customers during prime dinner hours?
I looked around the restaurant in confusion.
The two-story wooden establishment was completely empty except for the table where the Duke and I were seated.
“What is it?”
“I was wondering if this restaurant wasn’t doing very well.”
“Did you inherit my sense of humor? That wasn’t particularly funny. Still, I appreciate your effort to lighten the mood. You’ve become much more mature lately.”
…What is he talking about?
I was just beginning to feel that we were talking past each other when, fortunately, a waiter arrived with an aperitif and fresh bread.
This is amazing.
Judging from the fragrant butter and fluffy bread alone, this had to be an excellent restaurant.
There was no way a place this good had no customers.
Ah… I get it now. He rented out the entire restaurant.
Feeling both delighted and overwhelmed by the extravagant display of wealth—far beyond what an ordinary person like me was used to—I quietly continued my meal.
The banquets enjoyed by the Empire’s nobility closely resembled French fine dining.
With such a wide variety of ingredients came an equally intimidating number of utensils, and using every one flawlessly was surprisingly difficult.
Every time a new course arrived, I tensed inwardly.
I could already imagine how pitiful the Duke would think I was if I made even a basic mistake.
Fortunately, the noble etiquette engraved into this body’s memory made handling the utensils much easier than I expected.
“Deborah, did you bring another letter today?”
While I carefully worked on the shellfish, the Duke suddenly asked.
“I’m not rushing you. Receiving one letter at a time has given me something to look forward to. I must admit I’ve been enjoying it. Was that your intention as well?”
The reason I’d decided to deliver Lady Seymour’s letters one by one instead of all at once came from painful personal experience.
People were selfish and ungrateful.
They remembered resentment for a long time, yet forgot kindness almost immediately.
Twenty-four years of living as an easy target taught me that all too well…
If you wanted people to appreciate your kindness, you had to remind them of it continuously.
Ironically, I only realized that truth after dying and waking up in someone else’s body.
Of course, when dealing with someone whose favor you wanted to earn, you had to do it with subtlety.
“I’m simply happy to hear you’ve enjoyed them.”
When I answered indirectly, the Duke chuckled.
Seeing how much gentler his expression had become than before, I cautiously spoke.
“Father… today I’d like to deliver the letter in a different way.”
“A different way?”
“Yes. Would you be willing to spare me a little time after dinner?”
Taking a sip of white wine, he nodded.
“Of course. Lately, keeping my promises with you has become my highest priority. Everyone around me only wants to talk about work. I’m sick of it. As for those sons of mine, they’re all so stiff…”
He stopped himself mid-complaint.
“To think I’m rambling like this in front of you.”
“Please, feel free to speak.”
The Duke narrowed his eyes.
“That pink diamond is supposed to go up for auction at the end of the month. Must you absolutely have it?”
As though testing me, he spent the rest of the meal persistently asking what it was I truly wanted.
He even gently tried to persuade me, saying he wanted to repay me for the letters and that I should ask for anything without hesitation.
I never intended to use the letters to get something…
Still, with him insisting like this, continuing to refuse felt a little strange.
In the end, I shook my head.
Perhaps he wanted to say, “Deborah, you’re exactly as I expected.”
If I wasn’t careful, all the effort I’d put into rebuilding our relationship could disappear overnight.
So I maintained my cautious attitude until the very end.
After spending nearly two hours eating our full-course dinner, we stepped outside the restaurant.
Large snowflakes were falling.
Judging by how heavily the snow was coming down, it wasn’t likely to stop anytime soon.
As we walked toward the carriage waiting across the street, I slipped slightly on the icy ground.
“Oh dear.”
Clicking his tongue, the Duke stretched out a hand toward the ground.
At that single gesture, every bit of snow covering the path instantly melted away.
Having lived twenty-four years in a world of science and technology, I couldn’t help but feel awe at the supernatural sight unfolding before my eyes.
Watching CGI in a movie was nothing compared to witnessing real magic firsthand.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Because it was amazing.”
When I answered honestly, the Duke scratched his chin.
“My, you’re saying all sorts of strange things today. Come along.”
Perhaps because he had just used fire magic, the hand he offered me this time was warm.
Thanks to the soundproofing spell surrounding the carriage, the ride remained perfectly quiet as Seymour’s platinum carriage—more luxurious than a limousine—cut through the snow and darkness before arriving back at the estate.
“I’ve recently acquired a new tea. They say its aroma is excellent.”
Remembering my request after dinner, the Duke led me straight to his private study.
“Bring two cups of freshly brewed tea and some refreshments.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
The aide approached carrying a tray with fragrant tea and sweets.
Unlike before, he no longer looked at me suspiciously despite how frequently I now visited the Duke’s study.
The moment the refreshments were placed on the table, I took Lady Seymour’s letter out of my clutch.
“Didn’t you say you were going to present the letter differently today?”
The Duke spoke with obvious disappointment.
Apparently he’d been looking forward to something.
I unfolded Lady Seymour’s letter.
“Today… I’ll be reading it aloud.”
“Reading it aloud? Don’t tell me you’re planning to put on a play now.”
Suddenly, he smiled.
A smile…?
It was the first time I’d ever seen someone usually so cold and expressionless smile so brightly.
I nearly dropped the letter.
“I certainly never expected that. I had no idea you had such an entertaining side.”
“First… please close your eyes. You need to concentrate.”
“Very well.”
Still grinning, the Duke folded his arms and closed his eyes.
He looked like an adult humoring a child rather than taking the matter seriously.
Standing before him, I began reciting the poem “My Heart Is a White Flower.”
It was a famous nature poem written by one of the Empire’s renowned poets, using the visual resemblance between white blossoms and falling snow to express the contradictory emotions of love.
“…When your absence makes the cold pierce my heart, I sing within your lingering fragrance.”
After finishing the recitation, I took a sip of tea to soothe my dry throat.
Even after the poem ended, the Duke remained silent, his eyes still closed as though recalling distant memories.
He slowly nodded.
“It truly is a poem Marienne would have loved. It suits weather like today as well.”
Rising from his seat, he silently gazed through the window at the endless snowfall, his eyes deeper than before.
The man who had never even understood loneliness had, upon discovering love, felt as though the entire world had blossomed into white flowers.
When the woman disappeared, those white flowers became cold snowflakes once more.
Yet he eventually realized that the fragrance she had left behind never truly disappeared—it always lingered beside him.
That was the poem’s message.
The Duke of Seymour slowly contemplated the hidden meaning of the poem.
After Deborah had left the room, he picked up the folded letter his wife had left on the table.
“…!”
The moment he unfolded it, he doubted his own eyes.
