A Wrong Marriage
Kalian turned away from Leona with a pained expression.
Leona called out to Kalian, but he did not turn back. He simply walked away, his steps quick and heavy.
"Duchess...!"
"Please apologize to Esika. After that, I will greet Mother again."
With those words alone, the son left without offering any proper farewell.
Leona sat there for a long time, her face frozen in utter daze.
"...What misunderstanding are you referring to?"
Esika's words pulled Leona back from her trance.
The thorn in her side that had cracked the sticky bond between her and her son now stood before her.
Such utter distrust... This was a defeat Leona had never once experienced.
Leona opened her mouth, her eyes dripping with venom.
"Esika, you misunderstood that I said you abused Yuri and the maids."
"...Ah."
The corner of Esika's lips lifted into a smile.
Even that obvious mocking smile seemed to mock her, making Leona want to hurl the teacup straight at her face. Yet she held back.
A brazen girl, the daughter of the shallow Brigitte family.
Swallowing the curses rising in her throat, Leona continued.
"So I cleared up the misunderstanding His Grace was having. It seems you thought I misunderstood the education of the maids."
Esika simply stared at Leona with a silent, faintly smiling expression.
"His Grace has also let go of his displeasure toward you, so do not worry too much."
Like an audience watching a play unfold on stage.
"If your feelings were hurt because of that, I apologize."
An apology that held no humor.
If this counted as an apology, slapping the cheek, spitting, and handing over a towel could be considered a gesture of friendship.
But Esika knew.
That Leona, smiling so sweetly, was feeling the greatest humiliation of her life at this very moment.
And she found that quite pleasing.
"I have also been mistaken about someone being a villain before."
Esika's lips twitched with a cold smile.
Recalling the era when she had been a ghost, slaughtering enemies.
If tied up and beaten with a club a few times, they would become obedient...
"But that is not always the case."
A sword or a club could never obtain true surrender.
"From now on, I hope there will be no more incidents where you provoke me, Your Highness."
Leona's eyes twitched with fury.
Leona hid her trembling hands beneath the table, too angry to control them.
The daughter-in-law from the shallow Brigitte family, Esika Klaus!
The girl who could not even lift her head beneath that icy gaze was now raising her chin stiffly and giving her a cold shoulder.
When she had heard that Kalian was cold to Esika, she had only thought it was a worm wriggling.
So she had sent Yuri to give her a lesson.
But on top of causing a disturbance at the Alchemists' party, she had returned the slandered accusations.
And this appearance today...
'You seem to have something on your mind.'
Leona stared at Esika with eyes mixed with anger, no longer smiling.
The Klaus was entirely Leona's domain, and the queen of this small kingdom was undoubtedly Leona.
Two queens in one kingdom? Impossible.
'She dares to challenge me.'
As Leona stared at Esika, she raised her hand to pick up the teacup.
She elegantly took a sip of the tea, calming the boiling in her heart.
When had she needed to restrain her emotions in front of someone? She could not remember.
Leona barely regained a nonchalant expression and asked Esika.
"From now on, how about you prepare the tea?"
"I will do so."
Esika answered obediently.
The corner of Leona's lips twisted coldly.
Before driving her out of the Klaus, she had planned to give her proper education.
Watching her with leisure, Esika knew Leona's thoughts.
It would not be anything special to trap a green girl in a predicament and traps.
Like locking a troublesome person from the stars back in the attic.
But what Esika did not know was that her past life as a ghost had been the greatest villainess of the era.
Like a venomous snake swallowing a flower snake, the ghost had swallowed countless enemies.
"The weather is nice."
The garden always carried the same fragrant scent of flowers.
***
"What do women like?"
Kalian's question made Gaven raise his eyebrows.
"Gifts that can move the heart."
Javen Pelope, Kalian's friend and a high noble, tilted his head for a moment and clapped his hands.
"Ah! Is it perhaps a gift to give to that pretty little maid?"
"No, I am going to give a gift to my wife."
Upon Kalian's words, Gaven froze for a moment in surprise.
The story that Kalian, who hates his wife Esika Klaus, cannot divorce her is widely spread among the nobles of the capital.
The only reason he cannot divorce her is because of his whims, and if he does, he has to return the enormous dowry she brought.
Gaven knew this too, so he did not bring up stories about Esika out of envy.
"...Is there something wrong?"
Kalian asked Gaven with a cold gaze.
"Is asking if a husband giving a gift to his wife a big deal?"
"Ah, no. Of course not, but... I heard that His Grace is giving something to his wife for the first time, so I asked out of surprise."
The word "first time" made Kalian's eyebrows twitch.
A husband giving a gift to his wife is a common thing.
And Kalian had never done anything for Esika.
"..."
Kalian, lost in thought for a moment, Gaven asked cautiously.
"If you tell me the situation, I might be able to give good advice."
Kalian's expression was stiff, lips twitching.
"...I seem to have misunderstood her."
***
Three years ago, the Klaus mansion was bustling.
Because the young master of Klaus, Duke Kalian Klaus, was welcoming a new bride who would become the future mistress of the dukedom.
But Kalian had no great expectations for Esika, the bride.
"His Highness the Crown Prince sent his regards."
Even today, reading the formal congratulatory message from the Crown Prince, who was still on the battlefield, Lesban, Kalian folded it appropriately.
A few servants came to check Kalian's collar and buttons.
"And this is..."
Kalian frowned at the paper he received.
The envelope addressed to "Burn" was from the Brigitte family in Prihatz, with red letters.
'Esika Brigitte's Ugly Truth.'
Opening the envelope, Kalian skimmed the contents.
It was filled with expressions about how chaotic and pitiful a woman Esika Brigitte was.
And that she liked to torment people and carried around various problems.
The red letters suggested it was written by a man who hated her or her husband.
Given the woman's handwriting, it was likely the latter.
"Burn it."
"Your Grace... an investigation into who dared to write such things..."
"No baseless rumors."
As expected by his mother Leona, Esika was indeed a bad woman.
Kalian had no choice but to marry her for the family's finances... and he had no expectations for a woman who bought the position of Duchess with money.
When time came, Kalian left the office and entered alone.
In the hall decorated for the wedding party, nobles with familiar faces were waiting.
And Kalian's eyes fell on a woman in a dress.
"..."
The sight of her in a white dress made Kalian momentarily startled.
The silver hair like moonlight confused whether it was a veil or hair.
The blue eyes sparkled like jewels in the sea, and on her cheeks, a faint blush appeared as if innocent.
The moment when he saw Esika Brigitte clearly for the first time...
Someone grabbed Kalian's hand.
When Kalian looked to the side, reality finally sank in.
Leona's cold gaze as if to say "snap out of it" was visible.
"...Your Grace."
Kalian remembered the letter that had flown at him earlier.
Yes, that woman was just a shallow, bad woman as written in the letter.
At that moment, the beautiful face of Esika started to look different.
Soon he walked briskly towards Esika.
Everyone was paying attention to Kalian.
Kalian stood in front of Esika.
"...Your Grace."
Esika's peach-colored lips moved, and a soft, somewhat high voice flowed out.
Women trying to show off usually used such thin voices.
But his emotions did not waver at all.
He lifted Esika's left hand with a stiff expression.
And stared directly into her fluttering eyes.
"......Welcome."
Esika's shoulders, full of love and excitement, twitched.
Because she felt the cold chill from Kalian's voice.
"To become the woman of the Klaus."
Kalian gently lifted Esika's hand and kissed the back of it.
Esika looked at Kalian who was covering her hand.
Kalian was such a handsome and splendid man, but the people around him all avoided marriage with him.
His mother, the Duchess, had a bad temper, and Kalian was a character swayed by her.
Also... the rumors about the Duke's womanizing were not good, unlike his handsome face, was one of the reasons they avoided him.
But Esika, who had fallen for him at first sight and begged her father for marriage.
To the naive girl who was dreaming, a strange atmosphere was conveyed.
Soon, Kalian removed his lips from the back of Esika's hand and let go of her hand.
Esika slowly lowered her hand and looked into Kalian's eyes.
Those purple eyes still looked as cold as ice.
It was the moment she realized that the marriage life ahead would not be easy.