Chapter 23

“Are you not going to visit the young master?”

“No, I came to see the duke today.”

“Even so, wouldn’t it be good to at least show your face for a moment?”

“No. If I see Evan, I lose track of time.”

Whenever she was with Evan, her attention was entirely consumed by him, and the merchant guild business would end up neglected.

“Hm… The young master would be disappointed but pleased to hear that. I’ll be sure to tell him.”

“No… there’s no need to say that…”

I waved my hand quickly, baffled. Liman smiled lightly and led me toward the duke’s office.

‘Come to think of it, I’m about to own a building, aren’t I?’

Maybe this was immense luxury in this second life. In my previous one, I had dreamed of owning even a tiny house. My mood lifted, and a little hum escaped me.

I followed Liman calmly, but in the distance I saw the duchess approaching. I immediately lifted my skirt and bowed.

During our first meeting I had been too flustered to greet her properly. So I had promised myself that next time, I would present myself correctly.

‘I can’t bring any shame to Evan’s name.’

I was his fiancée now, wasn’t I? Naturally, I should make a good impression on his family. I bowed demurely to the duchess.

“Good morning, Madam Duchess.”

“……”

Perfect. The rehearsals had paid off—my face remained composed as I gave the most respectful greeting I could. My etiquette teacher would have praised me for my posture.

But the sharp gaze and lack of response were the same as always.

Just when I wondered whether she simply disliked my very existence, the duchess finally opened her mouth.

“So, you’re engaged?”

I slowly raised my head. Her face held no malice—only a blank expression. But that expression alone was intimidating.

I answered calmly.

“Yes. I’m not sure if it pleases you, but…”

“You’ll be my daughter-in-law, then.”

“…Sorry?”

I froze mid-smile at her sudden remark.

‘Daughter-in-law?’

The distance between us felt over 100 meters a moment ago, and now she was suddenly right in front of me. The duchess extended a hand toward her maid.

‘Wait… is she treating me kindly?’

Despite the affectionate term, her face still held no trace of warmth, and tension flooded my body.

“Hold out your hand.”

“Oh, yes.”

Her composed voice made me reflexively stretch out my hand. Wrapped cookies were placed on the palm of my hand. I stared wide-eyed between the cookies and the duchess. Receiving a gift from someone wearing such a frozen expression was disorienting.

‘This is a gift… right? She doesn’t mean ‘take it and leave,’ does she?’

It definitely was a gift. So I bowed my head and thanked her.

“Thank you.”

“Mm.”

The duchess didn’t leave. She simply stared at me. Hard. Sweat trickled down my back. I had no idea what she wanted—her face gave nothing away.

My eyes moved around awkwardly as I smiled.

“He’s a foolish son, but take good care of him.”

I blinked, trying to process her words—then realized “foolish son” meant Evan. I panicked and waved my hands.

“F-foolish? Not at all! He’s wonderful!”

My voice echoed through the long hallway. Oh no. Even I heard how loud it was. My cheeks burned as I covered my face with my hands.

‘I messed up…’

Passing servants paused to stare. I had essentially confessed my feelings in public.

“That’s good to hear. And my name is not ‘Madam Duchess.’ Since you’re my daughter-in-law, you may call me Mother from now on.”

“…Pardon?”

Whether she heard my outburst or not, the duchess replied calmly, practically ordering me to call her Mother.

It was oddly forceful. I stared, bewildered.

‘Wait… even if I’m the fiancée… already?’

She was acting as though my marriage to Evan was a done deal. Usually, people didn’t call a fiancée ‘little madam’ or ‘daughter-in-law.’ Well, some did—but shouldn’t I be the exception?

She pointed lightly at the package in my hand.

“Enjoy the cookies. Tell me which one you like best after you try them.”

“Yes…”

Still dazed, I nodded. Then, having said everything she wanted to say, she walked past me without hesitation.

“Seems the Madam truly likes you, my lady.”

Liman again. His reaction was identical to before. Considering how consistent they were, it was clear that the duchess was treating me well—her choice of address alone proved that.

‘But really… why do I feel like I’m being swept along by everyone?’

Liman’s satisfied expression somehow irritated me. Sighing, I trudged toward the duke’s office.

When I opened the door, the duke looked up from behind his desk with a cold gaze. And the moment he saw me, he poked exactly where it hurt.

“You’ve finally arrived.”

The emotional damage from the duchess hadn’t healed yet, but now her husband joined in delivering stress.

“I’m sorry…”

I had no excuse. I had broken an unspoken promise. The duke must have mountains of work to handle.

As I lowered my head, he exhaled sharply and brushed past me.

“Aren’t you coming?”

“Ah—yes!”

We rode the same carriage together.

‘The air is heavy…’

He still hadn’t put down his documents. The staggering workload was obvious. And yet he had spared time for me.

‘As expected of Evan’s father. So considerate.’

I held my breath to avoid disturbing him and looked outside. But something felt wrong—we were heading far from the city center. The Gron Trading Company, from what I knew, was quite large.

‘Shouldn’t a major trading company be at the capital’s center? This is way too remote…’

Uneasy, I carefully asked: “Um… Your Grace, how far are we going?”

“We’re almost there.”

He glanced at me briefly, then at something sticking out of my pocket—the cookie wrapper. The duke chuckled knowingly.

“She said she was busy this morning… I suppose she was baking cookies.”

“Sorry?”

The duke rested his chin on his hand and pointed.

“That cookie—Camille made it herself.”

‘…Camille? Camille as in… the duchess?’

I was so shocked I forgot to breathe. She had personally baked it? I had assumed a pâtissier made them. My eyes trembled.

“She seems cold on the outside, but she’s weak to cute children. If she gave you cookies, you must’ve won her over. Personally, I recommend the butter one.”

Without thinking, I took out the butter cookie and took a bite. The quality was excellent.

‘Evan’s mother… she’s actually sweet— wait, didn’t someone say this already?’

The thought vanished as I savored the cookie.

“Evan will be quite disappointed he missed this.”

He muttered it quietly.

By the time I finished the cookies, the carriage came to a halt.

The duke stepped down, and I followed. Before us stood a building that looked ready to collapse. Even the signboard hung crookedly.

If not for the barely hanging sign identifying it, I would’ve mistaken it for something else. But the worn letters clearly read [Gron].

The duke casually opened the door. It creaked ominously. I followed him inside.

A weary-looking man greeted us immediately. Upon seeing the duke, he bowed deeply. The duke gave the bare minimum acknowledgement and got straight to the point.

“Hm. Where is he?”

“Oh! You mean Pat?”

The worker exclaimed and began leading us quietly.

‘So the one who found the Alosi poison was named Pat… But more importantly—!’

I was itching to ask questions. This was not the Gron Trading Company I had imagined. I expected a modern building bustling with people and filled with rare goods.

I blinked, scanning the shabby interior, and the duke chuckled.

“You’re wondering how it ended up like this, aren’t you?”

He had read my mind. I nodded.

“It’s obvious. They attempted to assassinate the imperial family. Who would dare use their trading company now?”

“Oh…”

Realization hit, followed by embarrassment at my earlier assumptions.

‘So that’s why he so readily offered it to me…’

Then again, it was still property—land and a building held value, even if decrepit.

The duke clicked his tongue.

“The emperor is a miser. He clearly knows the situation, but…”

‘A… miser…’

Well, as the duke receiving the confiscated trading company from the imperial family, he couldn’t just dispose of it easily. And maintaining it still cost money. A dilemma indeed.

I looked around—there was nobody else. Which meant the employees had all left. Who would stay and risk being associated with an imperial assassination scandal?

Only someone with serious nerve would remain.

The duke explained the rest: the Gron Trading Company had been publicly shamed in the newspapers for attempting to poison the imperial family. Naturally, no one would work there anymore. Everyone resigned.

And ironically, the only person who stayed was the one who had brought the Alosi poison.