The Duchess Is Looking for Her Husband

Chapter 4

‘Artia, you are exactly like me in every other way, so why are your tastes in men so different?’

No, that wasn’t quite right.

Artia had fallen in love with Royd because he had been kind to her.

He was a handsome man, and he had acted as if he would do anything for her while hiding his true feelings. He had followed her around like a loyal puppy.

It was understandable that innocent Artia had fallen for him.

Fortunately, Royd was away from the mansion at the moment.

“I hope he gets struck by lightning and never comes back…”

Artia muttered while crunching on a carrot.

Just then, a maid entered.

“Lady Lirika would like to have tea with you, Madam.”

Artia’s eyebrows rose at those words.

Lirika had often asked Artia to spend time with her like this.

Artia had never been able to feel comfortable around Lirika, so she always refused by saying that she was not feeling well.

After this happened several times, Royd came to see her.

Royd grabbed Artia by her silver hair and said,

“Can’t you see that my little baby bird is trying to get along with you, unlike you, who is always being difficult?!”

“A-ah, it hurts…”

“Do whatever Lirika says if you don’t want to be punished.”

Artia had trembled and nodded.

Royd was too frightening, and she had no other choice.

The next day, Artia had tea with Lirika.

Lirika was delighted because she could finally play with her “sister.”

She giggled happily and spent the whole time showing off her things.

A dress covered in hundreds of frills.

A huge ribbon decorating her head.

“Duke gave all of these to Liri. But this is my favorite.”

Lirika held out her hand toward Artia.

A huge diamond sparkled on the fourth finger of her left hand.

“It’s pretty, isn’t it, sister?”

“……”

Artia stared blankly at the ring and covered her mouth.

Otherwise, the tea she had forced herself to drink might come right back out.

Just remembering that moment made her stomach twist again.

Seeing Artia holding her stomach, the maid asked with a slightly pitying expression,

“Shall I tell her that you aren’t feeling well and can’t go?”

Royd was not at the mansion, so nothing serious would happen even if Artia refused.

…but was there really any reason to avoid Lirika?

As befitted the old and prestigious Edenberg ducal family, the mansion’s garden was huge and beautiful.

In the middle of the most beautiful part, the rose garden, stood a white pergola.

Lirika was inside it.

She took a sip of tea and hummed.

“At first, this tea was so bitter and unpleasant. But now it tastes good. I guess Liri really has become a noble lady.”

The maids beside Lirika eagerly agreed with her.

“Of course. Lady Lirika is a proper noblewoman now.”

“It’s rare to find someone as beautiful and elegant as Lady Lirika, even among true noble ladies. Just look at Madam.”

Another maid frowned.

Even if you have to flatter her, isn’t that going too far?

But Lirika’s face became as bright as the sun.

In her comfortable but boring life, gossiping about Artia was one of Lirika’s little pleasures.

“That’s right. I was really surprised when I first saw sister.”

As a commoner, Lirika had both admiration and fear toward noble ladies.

So she had imagined that the Duchess of Edenberg would be beautiful, elegant, and arrogant.

But Artia had none of those qualities.

Her face had been as white as a sick person’s, without any energy.

Her shoulders were always tense and hunched.

Most importantly, she could barely even look directly at Lirika.

“I was so disappointed when I saw her…”

Lirika shook her head and took another sip of tea.

Then her eyes suddenly widened.

Artia had appeared among the roses in full bloom.

As Artia walked toward them, Lirika unconsciously swallowed.

She vividly remembered the Artia she had seen a few days ago.

They had exchanged only a few words, but Artia had somehow been frightening.

However, that fear soon disappeared.

The maids serving Lirika whispered among themselves.

“Madam must have been deeply shocked and lost her mind. But once some time passes, she’ll probably return to her old self.”

Just as they said, Artia’s frightening behavior had only lasted that one time.

Afterward, Artia had gone back to hiding in her room like before.

Like a frightened rabbit hiding inside its burrow.

‘Besides, I’m the woman the Duke loves. I have nothing to be afraid of.’

Lirika proudly raised her chin and lifted her hand.

“Welcome, sister!”

Lirika waved her hand like a child while sitting in her chair.

Artia looked at her and thought,

‘She was scolded just a few days ago, but she’s greeting me like this again. I guess she still thinks I’m easy to deal with.’

Good.

That would make getting rid of this cockroach much easier.

Instead of criticizing Lirika for her lack of manners, Artia simply sat down.

Lirika happily started chatting.

“The tea the Duke sent because he was worried about Liri being alone is really delicious. You should try it too, sister.”

Without even waiting for Artia’s answer, Lirika poured her some tea.

Her rough movements caused a few drops of tea to splash around.

Artia stared at the teacup before bringing it to her lips.

Lirika frowned at Artia’s elegant movements and continued talking.

“It’s not only delicious. I heard it also makes your skin beautiful. I was so upset because the Duke wasn’t here that I wasn’t eating properly, so my skin had become rough. But after drinking this, it became shiny again.”

Lirika gently touched her smooth cheek, which looked like a peeled boiled egg.

Artia said,

“I can see that. But your skin improved because of herbs, not because of the tea leaves.”

“……Herbs?”

“Royd gave me some herbs.”

When Royd had first become the Duke, he had given Artia a glass bottle filled with clear liquid.

“Don’t forget to take this every day. It’s an herb that will make your weak body stronger.”

“……Thank you.”

Artia had accepted the bottle with an expression that almost made her cry.

The processed herb had no smell, but it was as sweet as sugar water.

Artia hated sweet things, so drinking it had been difficult.

Still, she had taken it every morning without forgetting.

It was the first gift Royd had given her after he became Duke and began completely ignoring her.

“It really is a valuable herb. It works well. Whenever I drank it, my body felt warmer and I had more energy.”

“……”

“I heard that you’ve been feeling depressed because Royd isn’t here, so I told the maid to give it to you. I told her not to tell you about the herbs because you might feel uncomfortable, and to secretly put them in your drink.”

Artia continued while looking at the teapot on the table.

“I heard the herbs work even better when mixed with warm water. They also taste sweet, so you liked them, right?”

“……!”

Lirika’s face turned pale as she realized what Artia meant.

Soon, Lirika began to gag.

“Ugh!”

Artia looked down at Lirika as she vomited.

The herbs Royd had given Artia were good for strengthening the body.

But they were dangerous for women who could become pregnant.

Because the herbs contained ingredients that prevented pregnancy.

‘You can’t get pregnant while taking these herbs. And if you’re already pregnant, they could even cause a miscarriage.’

Royd had given those herbs to Artia.

To his wife, who had never even slept with him because he had rejected her from their very first night together.

‘Was he worried that he might get me pregnant by accident, even if he was drunk? If I gave birth to a son, he’d have to hand over the dukedom to my child, after all.’

Whatever his real reason was, it was unbelievably cruel and disgusting.

Lirika, still vomiting, glared at Artia with tears in her eyes.

“Unlike you, I received the Duke’s love every night! I might even have his baby in my stomach!”

The maids were shocked by Lirika’s sudden confession.

Artia also looked surprised.

“I know. That’s why I made sure you received the herbs. You’re an important person to Royd.”

“……!”

Artia poured more tea into Lirika’s teacup.

“I don’t know why you’re angry, but I drink it regularly too, so don’t worry and drink it.”

“No!”

Artia smiled sweetly at Lirika.

“Why? You like anything Royd gives you, don’t you?”