Contract Marriage with the Devil Duke - Chapter 39

“I trust you, my lady. So I want to establish a relationship of mutual trust and contract. Not to be suddenly suspected for no reason.”

It seemed that Dimidius also thought of it as a mutually complementary contractual relationship. So if she was careful with her actions from now on, she thought she might be able to avoid Daphne’s prophetic dream. She had changed the future in the Odor Territory before, so she didn’t think it was impossible to change the future that appeared in the saint’s prophetic dream.

So in the end, it seemed that she just needed to avoid getting entangled in a love-hate situation. There would be no such thing in the future.

Olentia spoke to him with a satisfied expression.

“I confronted you too suddenly, didn’t I? I’m sorry. I think I suddenly felt such anxiety.”

“But I didn’t do anything. You’re saying such thoughts suddenly came to you?”

She still didn’t mention anything about meeting Saint Daphne with the help of Crown Prince Regalis. Once she started hiding it, it seemed more difficult.

Olentia nodded and walked towards the front door.

“Yes. I should go to bed now. We’re moving tomorrow morning.”

Tomorrow was finally the day to go to the duke’s castle in the north. Although they would only stay for about 5 months, she felt excited with curiosity. Since they would stay during spring and summer, it would be difficult to see snow, but it would definitely be cool.

Dimidius also entered the mansion and said,

“So please sleep well.”

Olentia lightly brushed off his words and returned to her room. Dimidius seemed to be going to the office as if he still had work left to do.

‘Being a duke isn’t all good.’

Olentia thought about how busy he must be and her drowsiness suddenly disappeared.

The move began with several wagons. Olentia sat in the magic carriage with Dimidius, carefully observing through the window. Although it passed by quickly, the lush green background was beautiful, and she didn’t feel too uncomfortable as she felt she had found the answer last night.

Dimidius read newspapers or examined documents in the shaking carriage. He didn’t seem to get tired of looking at countless letters.

They rode for several hours straight.

They did take breaks in between, but Olentia was on the verge of vomiting. It was her first time riding a magic carriage, so her head was dizzy and her body was tired. Even as a child, she had never traveled far except to the Odor Territory.

Dimidius spoke to Olentia in a sympathetic voice.

“This carriage does require some getting used to. Are you alright?”

Olentia shook her head with a pale face.

“No. I think we need to arrive quickly. I didn’t know riding a magic carriage would be this hard. A train would be better.”

“We could have taken the train, but I think I misjudged. I thought it would be better to go straight through at once since we’d have to transfer to a carriage at the train station.”

“It’s okay.”

“We’ll arrive soon. Please endure it a bit longer.”

His voice seemed to be heard from far away. Olentia tried not to think about anything and closed her eyes tightly. She didn’t think she could look out the window anymore.

Fortunately, it was as Dimidius said. The fast-rolling magic carriage soon came to a stop.

“We’ve arrived. Come this way.”

As Olentia was in a dazed state and slumped over, Dimidius lifted her body. After picking up Olentia in his arms in one swoop, Dimidius, who got off the carriage, looked at the numerous knights and servants standing outside.

“Everyone go inside. I told you there’s no need to come out like this.”

Dimidius passed by them and went straight into the duke’s castle.

At that, the head maid was startled and tapped the shoulder of the head butler next to her.

“Oh my! Isn’t this the first time the Duke has shown such a side? His eyes were full of love and concern!”

The head butler cautiously spoke, moving slightly away from the flustered maid.

“He’s definitely not the person I knew.”

“That’s what I’m saying. I felt betrayed and puzzled when he suddenly got married, but now it looks like flowers will bloom in the duke’s castle too.”

The head butler coughed and returned to his original position, and the head maid also started working with an excited face.

Olentia went into the warm covers and slept deeply. There was nothing more peaceful than being free from the fast-moving carriage.

Waking up, she faintly saw Bobby’s face.

“Young lady! Are you alright? How can you pass out after riding the magic carriage ahead of us? I just arrived.”

Since Olentia felt completely relaxed, she stretched out her arms. Judging from the warm light coming in through the window, it seemed to be the middle of the day. She seemed to have arrived sometime last night, but she wondered how many hours she had slept.

“Whew! Are you okay? Your back must hurt.”

Then Bobby flexibly twisted her back and smiled brightly.

“I think I’m healthier than you, young lady.”

“Yeah, good for you!”

“I’ll take better care of you from now on. I hope you stay healthier than me.”

Just then, the door swung open and Dimidius appeared, wearing a black suit.

He walked up to Olentia with his long legs and stood in front of her.

“How are you now? Are you alright?”

His voice sounded particularly gentle. Come to think of it, she also remembered being carried by Dimidius into the duke’s castle yesterday. She felt like her face was burning with embarrassment now that she thought about it.

Moreover, it was obvious what the servants of the duke’s castle would have thought.

They must have thought she was a duke’s wife who made a fuss as soon as she arrived.

Olentia covered her face with both hands as she didn’t want to show her just-woken-up face and said,

“I’m fine. So can you please leave? I haven’t washed up yet.”

Then Dimidius chuckled.

“What’s the big deal between a married couple?”

“We’re not a real married couple!”

“I understand. I’ll leave now. The head butler will show you around the duke’s castle.”

Olentia nodded and squinted at Dimidius leaving. No matter how worried he was, he seemed to barge into a lady’s room carelessly since last time.

After a while, Olentia washed her face and got ready. She looked around the room, turning her head this way and that, and the wooden furniture and white wallpaper were neat and pretty. There were also plants in front of the window that she didn’t usually see. The thought of really being in the duke’s castle made her feel refreshed.

Since it was her first day at the duke’s castle, Olentia wore a dress in the brightest tone possible. The light apricot dress fluttered near her ankles. The several ribbons attached to the chest area were especially cute.

When Olentia finished all her preparations and went out, the waiting head butler greeted her.

“I’m Alfred, the head butler. It’s a pleasure to meet you, madam.”

She felt like she would never get used to being called madam, just like at the duke’s residence. Moreover, the first impression she showed them was being carried by Dimidius, so she only felt embarrassed.

Olentia awkwardly scratched the back of her head and said to him,

“Nice to meet you too. You can just show me around the duke’s castle enough so I don’t get lost.”

She would leave in 5 months anyway. She didn’t need to know every nook and cranny like a real madam. Whether he understood Olentia’s intention or not, the butler guided her around the duke’s castle to the best of his ability.

The duke’s castle was much larger in scale than the duke’s residence, and there were countless rooms.

The height of the bookshelves in the library was beyond imagination, and the reception room for greeting guests looked sophisticated and luxurious with black wallpaper and a huge grandfather clock.

“The long gallery is located in a convenient place to escort guests who have come to the reception room. The other artworks owned by His Grace the Duke are kept in a special room maintained at a cool temperature.”

Olentia nodded as she listened to the explanation. Compared to the long gallery of the earl’s mansion, the long gallery of the duke’s castle was almost like a museum. Famous painters’ paintings and sculptures exuded their presence inside glass display cases.

“I’ll spend all my time looking around the duke’s castle.”

As Olentia spoke, the head butler opened his mouth as he went outside the duke’s castle.

“That’s right. This is also a good place to spend time. It’s the conservatory garden cherished by His Grace the Duke, with various types of plants, trees, and flowers. The scale is quite large, isn’t it?”

The conservatory garden was so large that she had to tilt her head back to get an overall view. Olentia entered the conservatory garden with the head butler for a moment. It felt slightly humid and much warmer than outside. As the head butler said, there were various kinds of plants and trees, and the flowers were splendid and pretty.

In particular, there were many varieties of roses here. She had heard that there were a great many types of roses that had been bred, and they all seemed to be gathered in the conservatory garden of the duke’s castle.

Olentia recalled the rose garden at the duke’s residence and asked the head butler,

“It seems His Grace the Duke likes roses. Is that right?”

It also seemed like he wanted to hide the reason for liking roses, but she couldn’t figure out why.

The head butler stopped walking for a moment and looked at the rose flowers.

“I’m not sure if he likes them, but we do prepare a lot of rose petals.”

“Prepare?”

“Yes. His Grace the Duke uses a lot of rose petals when he bathes.”

“Wow… I didn’t know that. I couldn’t even imagine it.”

Dimidius taking a bath with rose petals floating around. Just imagining it was amusing.

She could see why he didn’t want to talk about it out of embarrassment. Dimidius seemed to care more about beauty and atmosphere than she thought.

After that, Olentia wandered around the conservatory garden alone to pass the time. Bobby would have to learn a lot to work at the duke’s castle anyway, so she must be very busy by now. She had to learn about the geography of the duke’s castle and the way of working.

Olentia sat on a chair for a moment to catch her breath. Even at the duke’s residence, there were few days when she ran into Dimidius, and it seemed more likely at the duke’s castle. Of course, that didn’t mean she was disappointed. She only needed to pass on her divine power to Dimidius when necessary.

It was then, as Olentia was thinking about various things.

Thud thud!

Footsteps were heard from nearby.

As she turned her head towards the sound, she saw two people standing in front of a tree with lush leaves. One was a knight in a black uniform, and the other was a maid wearing a white apron.

‘…What’s this?’

The atmosphere seemed unusual, so Olentia hid behind a tree without making a sound and watched them.

Then, the maid delivered a letter to the handsome knight with dark skin with trembling hands.

“Sir Podion. Please accept my heart.”

Olentia nearly laughed at the maid’s cuteness. She thought something serious would happen like in the Odor Territory because of the serious atmosphere, but fortunately it was just a confession. It was truly amazing to witness such a scene by chance.

‘Accept it! She’s so cute!’

Olentia stared intently at the knight whose face had turned red, seemingly flustered. He was a handsome man with soft brown hair and clear auburn eyes. The dot under his right eye was particularly charming.

The knight named Podion took the letter and said to the maid,

“I’ll take the letter, but I can’t accept your heart. I’m sorry.”

At those words, the maid seemed shocked for a moment and her eyes glistened with tears.