The Abandoned Duchess Seems to Want a Peaceful Life - Chapter 103

Chapter 103: Northern Folktales 2

Even so, Melfina thought.

In the game she had played in her previous life, there was no mention of Alexis having a deceased younger brother or a nephew who would become his successor.

Although the game was set in the future from the current point in time, the differences were too striking to ignore.

Cedric’s status and place of residence were different, and Julius, who was a character mixed with elements of allure and horror, despite having some difficult aspects, hadn’t done anything that could be called problematic, except for the time he sneaked into Melfina’s bedroom.

That time had been quite a scare, but afterward, he perfectly completed the tasks she requested of him. Not only did he provide Melfina with new wisdom when she sought it, but he also helped with monster extermination—something that was technically outside the duties of a hired alchemist.

In the game, he was depicted as a hedonist who would stop at nothing to get what he wanted, but now he seemed more like an innocent, impatient child, always asking, “What’s this?” or “Look at that.”

Selene in the game was portrayed as a boy who appeared like a fairy in the royal palace gardens at night when he first appeared. Since he was frail and couldn’t leave his bedroom when people were around, he would sneak out to bask in the moonlight instead of the sunlight, and his still frame with a wistful smile to the heroine was very popular.

Now, although he has been feeling a bit under the weather since the beginning of the year, he’s healthy enough to behave like a normal child. He eats properly, and there are many days when he goes out for walks with Melfina and Felice.

Given how much he has recovered, will he still end up frail again in the future?

Julius spends most of his time sleeping, but when he’s awake, he’s absorbed in his research. He seems to get along well with the blacksmiths Roy and Carl, occasionally dropping by to discuss if they can make this or that.

But in the future, is he so broken that he’s willing to destroy his own fiancée in a love-driven frenzy?

—Then, what about “me”?

In the game, Melfina lived in the Oldrand family’s townhouse in the capital as Alexis’s wife. She used the budget allotted to her as a lady with reckless abandon, splurging on luxurious dresses and jewels, flaunting them at every party she attended, and persistently treating those of lower status than her with malice.

Now, Melfina was serving as the lord of the Enkar region, and the management of her territory was showing reasonably healthy numbers. She thought she had completely deviated from the original scenario, but seeing the current state of the other characters, she wondered if it was really something she could be relieved about.

If by early summer next year, Cedric were to be appointed as the captain of the royal knights, Julius were to lose his sense of ethics and become a full hedonist, and Selene were to return to being bedridden—

—I have no idea how I might change from here on.

“Lady Melfina?”

“Um, did Lord William’s mother marry Lord Christoph afterward?”

To cover up her wandering thoughts, she asked, and Marie lightly shook her head in response.

“Lady Margaret passed away without her postpartum fever ever subsiding. Due to her originally having a low amount of magical power, her condition weakened significantly during her pregnancy, and she was warned multiple times by doctors that her life was in danger. However, she still wished to give birth to Lord William.”

“She must have truly loved Lord Christoph.”

Marie and August both wore complicated expressions and didn’t reply to her words. Seeing them both react in this way, even Melfina couldn’t help but notice the unspoken truth.

To nobles, for whom political marriages were the norm, love could sometimes be an uncontrollable thing. Even if it was something Melfina herself didn’t want to acknowledge, even if it was her brother’s fiancée and his fiancée’s brother, if they truly loved each other, it might lead to “that kind of outcome.”

However, Marie and August remained silent, seemingly contemplating how to broach the subject.

“There are, well, some complicated circumstances involved in that matter. I’ve been trying to phrase it in a way that doesn’t sound like I’m speaking ill of the main family, but it ends up sounding like criticism no matter what I say.”

August said without shifting his gaze, but it felt as if he was somehow being considerate of Marie, who was sitting beside Melfina. Marie seemed to sense this too, and without words, she nodded lightly.

“The root of this story involves touching upon the character of Lady Mary Jane, the late Duke’s lawful wife. Lady Mary Jane devoted her body and soul entirely to the Oldrand family, or rather, to the previous Duke, Lord August.”

“Since they were officially married, is there an issue with that?”

“I think everything depends on moderation.”

It was rare for August, who usually spoke his mind without hesitation, to respond in a roundabout way like that, and for a brief moment, silence fell over the reception room.

“This is just a confirmation, but could it be that Lady Melfina didn’t know about the relationship between the amount of magical power and conception?”

“Lord Julius taught me about it recently. I didn’t know at the time of my marriage. After all, everything happened so suddenly.”

Normally, when marrying into another region, there would be an engagement period first, even if it were short. During that time, the bride would be instructed by a tutor from the local nobility on the culture, customs, and, if necessary, the rituals of the wedding night specific to that area.

However, in Melfina’s case, she had turned sixteen, reached adulthood, and from the moment her marriage was decided, the preparation period before she actually married was almost nonexistent.

“So that was the case, after all.”

August nodded as if deeply understanding, and then sighed heavily, his shoulders slumping.

“Lady Melfina, even now, are you still angry at His Excellency for what happened back then?”

“………”

To that question, Melfina could no longer immediately answer with a simple “yes.”

Melfina had already experienced a glimpse of the suffering caused by excessive magical power.

After hearing about Alexis’s former fiancée, who had weakened during pregnancy and passed away after childbirth, it was difficult to insist that she still wished to be treated correctly as a wife.

It had already been ten months since Melfina married into the northern region. If Alexis had naturally accepted Melfina as his wife and their relationship had progressed in the normal way, where would she be now?

Suddenly, her hand was squeezed tightly, causing her to look up.

“Lady Melfina. There’s no need to answer. Your choice at that time was not wrong, and if you’re feeling guilty about it, then I believe that’s the true mistake.”

“Lady Marie…”

“Could you please stop reducing my master’s options in such a manipulative way, Lord August? I understand that your presence is important to the duke’s family, but this is a separate matter.”

“What? Am I really doing something that terrible?”

“That’s one of the things I don’t like about you.”

“I know. That’s why I got rejected, right?”

Melfina’s eyes widened at this unexpected comment, and Marie shook her head in exasperation.

“Lady Melfina, he doesn’t have any romantic feelings for me. If anything, if it were solely up to his will, he’d find it creepy to marry someone who resembles the Duke. It’s like some sort of deviant master-servant relationship.”

“Why is Lady Marie always so harsh on me…?”

“Your proposal was motivated by thoughts like, ‘If I can relieve one of the Duke’s worries, it’ll be fine; plus, it’ll stop people from pushing me to get married, and it’ll stabilize my status as well,’ and that attitude is exactly what I don’t like.”

“…Well, August, that really is your fault.”

Marie, while often difficult to read due to her lack of expression, is fundamentally a kind and considerate person. Since becoming Melfina’s secretary, she’s treated everyone—whether commoner or serf—the same way in her work, making it clear that she is fair and just.

Because of this, people who initially kept their distance now trust and admire Marie. Given that August has known her for so long and is still treated so coldly, there must be a good reason for it.

“Lady Melfina, the Duke and that man over there are both like that. They don’t mean any harm, but they’re insensitive. They prioritize efficiency and deliberately act indifferent. Lady Melfina, you were caught up in that insensitivity. That’s why it’s perfectly fine for you to be angry, and you don’t need to regret what happened back then.”

Nodding repeatedly at Marie’s stern words, Melfina then slumped her shoulders.

She realized that she had almost been swept away by August’s questioning and let out a small laugh.

“…Marie, I think this is the first time I’ve ever seen you talk so much.”

“Perhaps I’ve picked up a bad habit from a certain alchemist,” Marie said coolly, but she was smiling as well.

Only August, who was sitting across from them, had a pained expression on his face, as if he had swallowed a bitter pill.