Chapter : 09
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The day Raeliana was to head to the duke’s mansion.
Ever since she received the letter, Raeliana had been planning to bring out the luxurious and magnificent carriage she owned.
But she couldn’t.
Because there was no need for it.
She had woken up before dawn and stood blankly in front of a carriage as enormous as a whale, with horses snorting impatiently in front of her.
‘It looks like the horses are pulling a house around.’
“The Duke’s family carriage looks like it’s being pulled around by horses.”
Benia, the head maid who had come out to see Raeliana off, voiced exactly what she was thinking.
Its size alone was overwhelming.
The glossy black carriage only had the duke family’s emblem engraved on it—a combination of thorn branches and a hawk—but despite its simplicity, it clearly displayed the dignity of the Wynknight family.
As Raeliana climbed into the duke’s carriage with an escort, she thought it was fortunate that she hadn’t brought out her own flashy, extravagant, nouveau riche-looking carriage.
Compared to the duke’s carriage, the McMillan family’s carriage would look as if it were shouting:
“I’m a nouveau riche! Come out and look at this nouveau riche!”
Even after loading all of Raeliana’s luggage, the enormous carriage still had enough space to bring an entire room along.
The coachman asked if this was really all her luggage and whether there was anything else she wanted to bring, but Raeliana simply waved her hand and said it was enough.
The door closed, and her family saw her off with tears welling up in their eyes.
Raeliana waved from the window and greeted them again and again. Only after forty minutes of farewell did the coachman finally move the carriage.
After passing through the elegant city of nobles and entering the mansion that stood like a gigantic dinosaur, the people who greeted her were the four butlers managing the estate.
“Welcome, Lady McMillan. I am Gideon Jura, the chief butler. Please call me Gideon.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Gideon.”
‘What kind of house has four butlers?’
Raeliana was surprised, but she never let it show. Instead, she greeted them with the refined expression expected of a noble lady.
Each butler gave a lengthy greeting and introduced himself. After sending the other butlers back to their duties, Gideon, the chief butler, looked at Raeliana and smiled.
He was an elderly man who was perfectly maintained from his neatly combed white hair to the ends of his sleeves, fitting his position as chief butler. He had a long nose and a strict-looking appearance.
“The servants will take care of the luggage Lady McMillan brought and arrange everything.”
“Thank you. You’re truly reliable.”
Her luggage consisted only of a few dresses and some jewelry, but Raeliana expressed how touched she was by the careful attention.
Of course, this was simply part of her survival strategy to make sure she could spend six months here comfortably by gaining the favor of everyone in this household.
After introducing several maids who would serve Raeliana, Gideon cleared his throat once before saying he would show her around the mansion.
“And I will also explain the origin and history of the mansion as we go.”
“Ah… the origin and history of the mansion…?”
“Yes. This mansion has existed alongside the prestigious Wynknight family for several hundred years. It contains the entire history of the Wynknights.”
“Ah, haha… that sounds… interesting!”
‘Why do I need to know that?’
The corner of Raeliana’s mouth twitched slightly, but Gideon failed to notice and began leading the way.
Gideon walked her around the duke’s mansion while continuing a lecture about the origin and history of the mansion that she had absolutely no desire to know…
For nearly two and a half hours.
And Raeliana had to follow behind him while smiling until her facial muscles began to twitch.
‘Is this some kind of hazing? Like bullying the new person?’
‘How dare someone like you become engaged to the duke? I’ll make you realize that the duke I raised like my own son is far too good for you!’
She learned that the Wynknight mansion had been personally gifted by Jake Sawyer Chaimus, the founding king of the Chaimus Kingdom, to the Wynknight family, who had been his greatest contributor.
She learned that even the paint and patterns used on the mansion were valuable enough to be designated as national treasures.
She learned how the location had been selected over several months, how the greatest architect of the era had poured his heart into designing it based on the bravery of the Wynknights, and how it had influenced countless other brilliant architects throughout history.
Just when Raeliana finally thought she might throw herself out the window, the chief butler began passionately explaining the proportions and design considerations used when installing the windows.
After hearing even about which seasons the mansion’s maintenance was regularly carried out in, Raeliana was finally allowed to enter the room assigned to her.
The room was not dramatically larger than her original room, but its interior had been decorated with a more classical and dignified atmosphere.
After looking around the room, Raeliana dismissed all the maids following behind her.
Then she dragged her feet and collapsed onto the bed.
“I’m going to die.”
She blinked while staring at the canopy above her.
Chief Butler Gideon seemed like a human being who had been genetically engineered specifically for this mansion.
Science had not developed that far, but since this was a world where magic existed, perhaps it wasn’t entirely impossible.
While seriously considering the “Gideon genetic modification theory,” Raeliana struggled to turn her exhausted body over.
Then a sudden thought struck her, and she immediately sat up.
“……Don’t tell me this bed is also a national treasure?”
If she had to choose the phrase she heard the most today, it would be that.
The paintings, decorations, handles, and countless other things were all designated as national treasures.
She had absentmindedly touched a decoration because she wanted to compliment how beautiful it was, but she quickly grabbed her pounding heart and carefully folded her hands together.
What was even more terrifying was the fact that the butler knew exactly when, who, and how every scratch and mark on the mansion had been made.
If she casually rolled around on the bed and damaged a national treasure, Gideon would probably engrave the name Raeliana McMillan into his database forever.
‘I can’t let that happen. My dream is to quietly stay here and quietly disappear.’
While Raeliana seriously wondered whether she should treat the noble bed with reverence, a familiar voice came from behind her.
“That bed isn’t a national treasure, so don’t worry.”
“……?!”
She sharply turned her head.
The duke was sitting on the sofa with his legs crossed, looking at her with a calm expression.
“Would you like some?”
When Raeliana stared at him with a blank expression, he lifted a teacup.
‘Wait… since when has he been here?!’
With a pale face, Raeliana straightened her skirt and spoke.
“Right now, right now, right now… what are you doing here? Did you enter a woman’s room without permission?”
“Do you need privacy?”
“Of course!”
“Give up. If you expect something like that, your life will become quite difficult from now on.”
Noah casually shrugged his shoulders.
Raeliana was silently horrified.
Good heavens.
Good heavens.
Good heavens.
It felt like she had been kidnapped from a quiet countryside village, sold to an evil nobleman, and told:
“From now on, I am your master.”
“……Why are you here?”
“Isn’t today the day my fiancée entered the duke’s mansion? Naturally, I should welcome you.”
‘Oh, so that’s how it is.’
Raeliana sat across from the duke with a displeased expression, silently protesting.
The steaming tea released a deep fragrance. As she wet her lips with the tea, Noah spoke quietly.
“The Brooks family has filed a lawsuit demanding compensation.”
“Yes. That is…”
“You have poor taste in men.”
“Indeed, I do.”
Choosing Noah Wynknight over French Brooks, who she had decided to abandon, really did prove she had poor judgment when it came to men.
“The matter will be handled quietly on our side, so for now, focus on becoming accustomed to this lifestyle.”
It was an unexpected piece of news.
‘Ah, so this is what it feels like to be engaged to someone powerful.’
Raeliana expressed gratitude while internally cheering for the noble class system.
