“I am delighted to welcome back Mr. Nicola today. Though I am the mistress of this castle, I cannot manage it alone. It is thanks to the help of each and every one of you gathered here that I, despite my shortcomings, am able to properly fulfill my role as the mistress of this castle.”

My clear voice echoed through the banquet hall celebrating Nicola Grouse’s return. Emotion filled the eyes of all who heard the congratulatory speech.

“I am well aware of your dedication and hard work.”

I made warm eye contact with each person. I could see loyalty welling up in the hearts of those I met eyes with.

“Even if darkness clouds our eyes and prevents proper recognition in the moment, I promise you this: In the end, your dedication will shine.”

“Hurrah!”

“Long live the Duchess! Long live the Duke! Long live House Inkhart!”

“Mr. Nicola, we are truly glad to see you again!”

“Welcome back, Mr. Nicola!”

‘So this is why politicians give street speeches.’

Congratulations on Nicola Grouse’s guaranteed extension of service.

A special banquet for Nicola was held under a banner hung with those words in big letters.

“…Hmph, there wasn’t even a proper farewell when I left, and now all this fuss.”

Though he awkwardly rubbed his neatly trimmed mustache, Nicola couldn’t hide his inner satisfaction.

Little did he know that the word “extension” on the banner would soon be deleted and replaced with “lifelong” tax collector.

That’s why one should fully enjoy the unpredictable affairs of humans while one can.

I didn’t lie about the working conditions.

It’s just that Nicola has a crazy future ahead where he’ll make obscene amounts of money but have absolutely no time to spend it.

I mean, I did say I’d pay him well, didn’t I?

“How did you persuade him?”

Darius asked, seemingly impressed. Even Darius had given up hope of hiring a new tax collector after seeing the mountain of tax documents.

That’s what Lucian, Inkhart’s loyal retainer, had said upon seeing that pile of documents. And I had no conscience.

As I was coolly acknowledging my lack of conscience with a nod, Darius continued speaking.

“You should have gone together. No matter how long I was away from the domain at the time, it’s all my fault that Nicola went through such an ordeal.”

“Mr. Nicola still wants to work. What I said wasn’t important. It was just that the treatment he received at the castle had hurt his feelings.”

Nicola Grouse looked at me, who was choosing only beautiful words, as if to say ‘where are you spinning these lies?’, but my glib tongue did not stop.

“And my lord, you shouldn’t go to such places.”

“Pardon?”

“I took Mr. Nicola’s hands and begged earnestly. Of course. Because he was hurt. If my sincere apologies could wash away the insult he experienced then, I would apologize as many times as needed.”

“Then if I had gone together, perhaps it would have been faster…”

“He might not have accepted it at all. Imagine a mere former tax collector refusing to accept the Duke’s apologies, given multiple times, citing his own pride.”

Darius was the ruler of this vast northern domain. As such, he needed to be perfect. The people do not feel compelled to obey a flawed ruler.

…Well, that’s just an excuse. The truth is, it would have been inconvenient to engage in trickery with someone else present.

‘I mean, who told you to evade taxes? Who told you to speculate on real estate? The common people can’t even afford a single house and tremble over a tiny plot of land.’

If he had lived cleanly, would I, who came in determined to catch him, have had to fabricate non-existent crimes?

‘Yes, yes, I am justified.’

Public figures are supposed to atone for their mistakes by working hard. Recalling the apology posts celebrities used to upload on SNS before my possession, I rationalized my actions.

The world taught me wrong, I did nothing wrong!

“Then what about you, Anette?”

“Me? I don’t mind. I’d gladly shatter my reputation a hundred times over in place of the Duke’s honor. After all, it’s not Darius Inkhart’s reputation.”

I downed the drink in my glass with gusto.

Though I had simply emptied the glass because I was thirsty, the action added authenticity to my previous words.

‘Lady Anette.’

‘How can such a person exist?’

‘Lady Anette is the only gift those southerners have given us.’

I could almost hear the voices in people’s hearts.

Ugh. Starting with someone in the banquet hall covering their mouth, the people of Inkhart Castle all began to feel moved at once.

To think there was such a Duchess, willing to sacrifice even herself to assist the Duke.

Wow, who knew I had this hidden talent for incitement? I wouldn’t have known if I hadn’t been possessed.

At this point, those who had suspected me as a southerner when I first set foot in Inkhart territory were truly terrible people.

But human memory is prone to distortion.

At first, they had certainly glared at me suspiciously as a dubious woman from that stingy south. But now, they had conveniently forgotten that memory and firmly believed that they had thought, ‘From the moment we first saw our lady, she was so elegant and dignified, not showing a single trace of being from the south.’

And so, everyone was cheering “Long live Lady Anette!” And in the midst of it all, Darius alone wore a strange expression.

‘Huh?’

A strange expression? That can’t be right.

‘What could there be to not be happy about?’

What could he be dissatisfied with when I had paved the way for him without him having to lift a finger?

He had reaped today’s glory without expending any effort.

So he should have been smiling happily without a care, just like everyone else.

“Anette.”

Darius grabbed my hand with an eerie smile.

“I’ll try harder.”

“Wh-what do you mean, try harder?”

“You’re always so busy moving about on your own. So, I’m saying I’ll try to be a husband who can be there with you.”

The last words were almost whispered into my ear as he pulled me into an embrace.

He seemed to be saying something unnecessary about how I still didn’t seem to trust him, and how he would become a husband I could rely on.

“No, there’s not much you can do to be part of my perfect plan… I mean, let’s let go first? People are watching.”

As I tried to push Darius away, sensing the increasingly strange atmosphere around us, sure enough, people around us started whispering.

“As expected, you two make such a well-matched pair.”

“They say the Duke’s complexion has been improving day by day thanks to Lady Anette’s support.”

This is an unfounded slander!

“Wh-what are you saying! I’m just trying to somehow plug the holes in the castle’s finances, so all of this isn’t for Darius but because I didn’t want to work, which is why I even forcibly brought back a retired person!”

“Haha, so even the bold Lady Anette has moments of shyness.”

“Given your age, you’re still bashful in the face of love.”

“What wonderful times these are.”

The people in the banquet hall were already looking at us through rose-tinted glasses.

‘What if Evangeline misunderstands when she becomes Darius’s wife as in the original story! What if she misunderstands that I had more than a friendly relationship with Darius!’

The fate of an presumptuous extra who coveted the female lead’s man is death alone.

My face turned pale at the illusion of an axe flying towards my head.

Evangeline was a saint in the original story, but I don’t know why she always appears wielding an axe in my imagination… No, that’s not the point! This is bad, my death flags are piling up in this warm and friendly atmosphere!

“D-Darius. Everyone’s teasing us. I’m embarrassed.”

Darius smiled reassuringly at my desperate head shake.

“I’m always grateful to Anette.”

‘That’s right, unlike what people are saying, you feel an inexplicable distance from me! You’re grateful for my efforts, but on the other hand, you feel indebted because you don’t feel any affection for me as a wife, so you’re politely wrapping up this situation!’

But why, contrary to his polite words, is the hand around my waist gripping tighter? Why are we two getting even more closely stuck together? Why are these people liking it more and more?

“Look how Lady Anette can’t even lift her head because she’s so shy. Her face has turned bright red.”

“Hahaha.”

The most entertaining thing in the world was giving love advice to others.

Today too, with the cooperation of bystanders, the rumor that the lady from the south loved our Duke too much was spreading like wildfire.

Everything seemed good. That’s why I missed the brief hesitant expression he had shown.

Even though it was the first moment my plans went awry.

* * *

Nicola Grouse did his job exceptionally well. As if venting years of frustration from having to consult on others’ tax evasion or scout out real estate, he worked tremendously hard.

“I believe we’ve already transparently reported our shop’s revenue. Even if you’re a tax collector, can we take your return like this as a demand for a bribe?”

A wealthy-looking merchant spoke condescendingly to Nicola, who had come to collect taxes.

He was a merchant holding an important position in the de Ville Company, a mid-tier trading company in the domain.

I leisurely watched the scene from a cafe in front of the building Nicola Grouse had decided to shake down, sipping my drink. This spot was perfect for observing.

‘Go forth, my chosen SSR!’