The Abandoned Duchess Seems to Want a Peaceful Life - Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Respective Positions

“Hey, Lady Melfina, you’re back early, aren’t you?”

“I’m back, Ed. Feeling quite energized.”

Ed, who seemed to have been sweeping and cleaning the gate in servant attire, rushes over. He stops a few meters away, likely due to the education from both Rad and Cliff.

“Cliff always says, ‘The gate is the face of the estate, so keep it clean!'”

“Hey, Ed, take the horses to the stables. We’ll take off the harnesses later; just give them water and feed for now.”

“Yes, sir.”

Feeling a bit relieved by Ed’s obedient response, I head towards the drawing room instead of my private quarters, with Cedric silently trailing behind.

“Shall I brew some tea for you?”

“No, let’s get to the point first. Marie and Cedric, please have a seat there.”

The drawing room is a private space for entertaining guests. It wasn’t originally part of this estate, so we converted a spare room on the second floor for this purpose. When the movers were clearing out rooms in the capital, we had them bring in some furniture. Although the sofa set they brought has little value as noble property, it’s just the right fit for this modest estate.

“I can’t sit in the same seat as the master.”

Despite Cedric’s stern declaration, Marie naturally takes a seat on the opposite sofa. Cedric, looking down at her with a hint of frustration, seems unsure of what to say.

Letting out a small sigh at Cedric’s motionless stance, I proceed.

“First, I want to confirm something with both of you. How much have you heard about me from the Duke?”

“I was informed that you were a lady of the Crawford Marquis family who was welcomed into the Aldrand Duke family as its legitimate consort, and that your personal security was desired.”

“I was instructed by the head maid to take care of you, Lady Melfina and your personal affairs while you stay at the Aldrand household. Probably not for a very long period.”

“Why is it assumed that the lady won’t stay for long? Especially when Lord Alexis has finally married.”

It seems Marie, and by extension, the head maid, had a better read on Alexis’s intentions. Cedric, on the other hand, might not have had as many opportunities, given his and his superiors’ affiliation with the knighthood rather than the household staff, to delve into Alexis’s private matters.

From Cedric’s perspective, Melfina, who remained single despite being of such a high status as the head of the ducal family, finally marrying Alexis might seem like a flighty young lady, flitting about in the countryside and talking about becoming a local lord. Thus, he might think she should return to the ducal estate promptly and be treated not as a landowner but as the Duchess.

However, from Marie’s demeanor, she appears to be merely following the head maid’s instructions. Her actions seem unusual for a noble young lady, and each time she performs tasks like cleaning or cooking, there’s a faint hint of surprise that she can’t completely suppress.

Meanwhile, Cedric seems to be constantly on edge around me, as if worn down by the eccentric and unconventional behavior of a young lady who doesn’t conform to societal norms, wondering what she’ll do next.

“Hey, Cedric. Do you happen to know anything about me and my mother’s rumors?”

His calm expression, typical of a guard knight, didn’t change, but unfortunately, there was a slight twitch in his brow.

“No…”

“There’s no need to play dumb. It’s a well-known story among the nobles in the capital, and considering that the Carlisle family is of the Marquis of the Royal Palace lineage, it’s not surprising if you’ve heard about me when I lived in the capital. Why do you know about my family name?”

Cedric has introduced himself as “Guard Knight Cedric” since we met. Not all knights have family names or knightly titles, so there’s nothing particularly unusual about his introduction. The reason she knows his full name is due to her memories from her past life, knowing Cedric was a target of conquest, and her knowledge that the Carlisle family is of the Marquis of the Royal Palace lineage is based on what Melfina learned in this world.

“It seems many people want to believe I was frolicking and living carefree in the capital, but isn’t it a bit presumptuous to think that the Marquisate wouldn’t have caught wind of that level of information?”

In reality, Cedric seemed to accept it, albeit with a knowing smile.

The world of “Maria of the Kingdom of Hearts” was, in other words, a trivia-heavy otome game. It incorporated various settings, and depending on the difficulty level, the parameters of the protagonist and the capture characters would change. In hard mode, meticulous understanding of these settings became essential.

With knowledge from her past life of completing characters at the highest difficulty level and her efforts to be the best noble lady in this life, Melfina could see what would happen in this world and what the optimal solution would be from here on out. However, failing to consider how others would react along the way was a costly mistake.

Just as with Alexis, she never even thought about capturing Cedric.

This world was an otome game, designed for the heroine who would arrive in two years. While Melfina struggled to ensure she didn’t end up in a pitiable state for her entire life, all the good men were reserved for the heroine.

She didn’t expect any romance in this world.

“To you, I must have seemed like a negligent noble lady who abandoned her household duties and acted irresponsibly according to her own interests, just like my mother. If you know that I’m being whispered about as a changeling in the capital, did you also suspect that I might do something similar in the Aldrand household?”

“Such a thing would never…”

Cedric was a serious and earnest character. Even in the game, he was a challenging character who, while attracted to the saintly Maria, maintained a certain distance as the leader of the knighthood and behaved rationally.

Melfina didn’t actually believe he was suspecting her to that extent.

But she couldn’t help but feel, “You must be thinking that way”. Being subjected to baseless assumptions by someone of higher rank was unpleasant. Especially for someone as serious as Cedric, who probably didn’t want to make excuses.

“First, let’s clear up that misunderstanding. While I am indeed the Duchess on paper, I am not the Duke’s official wife.”

At those words, both Cedric and Marie looked puzzled.

In this world, marriage means pledging love and fidelity before God. Many witnesses saw Melfina and Alexis make their vows at the church.

However, there’s another condition for the “marriage” as defined by the church.

“The Duke did not visit my room on our wedding night. He clearly stated that he had no intention to do so.”

“…I find that very hard to believe.”

Cedric said, as if squeezing out the words.

Even Marie, who usually didn’t show much emotion, seemed to pale slightly.

“Marie, could you fetch the parchment tied with a red ribbon from the drawer of my bedside table?”

Melfina requested.

Marie immediately complied, untying the ribbon and handing it to Cedric.

It was the marriage contract written by Alexis himself. They had made two copies, each signed by both parties.

In it, along with an agreement not to have children and not to fulfill marital duties, was a clause stating that Melfina could live wherever she pleased and do as she wished without interference.

As mentioned earlier, while the church generally doesn’t recognize divorce, an exception is made for a “white marriage”.

In church law, a relationship where offspring aren’t produced isn’t considered a proper marriage to begin with.

In fact, if one were to follow Alexis’s route in the game, Melfina would be divorced two years later for that reason.

“I… I never imagined such a thing…”

“I don’t think the Duke intends to divorce me at this point. He probably just wants to ensure minimal supervision to avoid any scandals.”

Melfina speculated.

“Roll up the parchment again and tie it with the ribbon. On paper, I may be the Duchess, but according to church law, I’m not, and the Duke has agreed that it doesn’t matter where I live or what I do. Accepting the personnel assigned for surveillance, even temporarily, is a sign of my sincerity, albeit temporary. Do you understand?”

Cedric didn’t respond. It might be considered disrespectful toward his superior, but perhaps there was just too much information for him to digest.

No, in the first place, I’m not his “superior”.

“Cedric, if you want to return to the Duke’s side, you can use me as an excuse. You can say that you judged me as uncontrollable and unable to fulfill your duties as a guard due to frequent outbursts, and no one will question you.”

“I can’t do that.”

“I have no real status as a Duchess, no authority in the Duke’s household, and even the Duke himself has told me I can do as I please. I’m not suitable as someone for you to protect. Protecting me won’t add to your achievements as a knight.”

“Still, my lord has ordered me to protect you.”

“Then, obey my orders, Cedric von Carlisle.”

Cedric must be terribly flustered, being confronted with the notion that he’s viewing his ward through colored lenses and that she wasn’t even officially a Duchess in the strictest sense.

When people are confused, they can’t make sound judgments. If Cedric continues to intimidate everyone around Melfina, he can’t keep Cedric by her side.

Either he sticks strictly to his surveillance role or insists on his role as a knight, he’ll have to leave from here.

“I am intending to comply. But if I allow someone who is currently unverified to come into contact with you, I cannot protect you.”

Even if something were to happen to Melfina and Alexis didn’t blame Cedric, as a knight, having something happen to his ward is akin to having his pride trampled upon. He won’t be able to hope for any advancement in his career, and he’ll feel shame just for wanting it.

What Cedric desires most is for Melfina to quietly stay in the Duke’s mansion or the townhouse in the capital, behaving like a proper noblewoman until the next guard takes over, be it a year or two later.

But for Melfina, that would be akin to sitting and waiting for her downfall.

“…In that case, return to the capital. If you can’t say it, I’ll write a letter to the Duke myself. I’ll ask him not to waste a skilled knight like you on me and instead send over some random adventurer for the job.”

She had no intention of engaging in any nefarious activities behind Alexis’s back.

Above all, having Cedric, one of the targets for conquest, nearby made her uneasy.

While Melfina’s downfall was limited to the Alexis route, if Maria, the heroine, were to appear, Cedric would undoubtedly fall in love with her. And it would be a love he’d risk his life for as the commander of the knights.

Although it wasn’t certain what would happen to Melfina’s surroundings when Maria appeared, it was clear that keeping Cedric close would pose a high risk.