“We greet Your Highness the Grand Duke and Duchess.”
Jeremiah responded to the elderly gentleman’s greeting.
“Welcome, Count Strict. The Countess has come as well.”
“It’s been a long time, Your Highness the Grand Duke.”
The elderly couple had a somewhat stubborn impression, appearing at once benevolent yet dignified.
Despite their advanced age, they maintained an upright posture as if accustomed to it, and their actions were steeped in proper etiquette.
Having spent a long time together as a couple, the two resembled each other greatly.
“Thanks to Your Highness’s support for the monster subjugation team this time, we were able to easily deal with the monsters that came down to the village.”
“We were able to reduce the damage to the village with Your Highness’s help. Thank you, Your Highness.”
The elderly couple bowed their heads politely and expressed their gratitude.
It was a sincere greeting, not just empty words of flattery.
As the conversation between Jeremiah and Count Strict lengthened, Karina naturally became the Countess’s conversation partner.
“This is the first time I’m meeting you in person. I was a bit surprised when I read the invitation, but I’m glad to know the Grand Duchess’s intentions.”
“I’m glad to meet you too, Countess Strict. Thank you for accepting my invitation.”
Karina intentionally smiled more brightly as she addressed the Countess.
Karina’s goal was to win her favor.
“It would be a great honor if I could be of even a little help in your work for the North.”
“You will be of great help. I’ll do my best too, so please don’t hesitate to tell me if there’s anything I can do.”
Karina humbly responded.
“You’re quite different from what I’ve heard.”
The Countess Strict’s gaze towards Karina had softened more than at first.
Karina smiled inwardly.
It seemed she had left a not bad first impression.
Just then, Count Strict approached, having apparently finished his conversation with Jeremiah.
The Countess bid farewell to Karina.
“Then, we’ll see you again later.”
Karina politely accepted her farewell.
As the elderly couple left, people again flocked around.
“Thanks to your business advice last time, we were able to prevent significant losses. Thank you, Your Highness.”
“We’re planning to apply a new investment method in our family this time, and we’d like to hear your esteemed opinion on it.”
“Grand Duke, we have a new business that we’re about to implement. Would you take a look at the related business plan?”
Those gathered around began to bring up their main points.
As business talk began, Karina naturally became like a sack of barley borrowed for the occasion.
She thought she might have to spend quite a long time in dull boredom, but Jeremiah said to Karina,
“I’ll go talk for a while.”
With just those words, he went off elsewhere.
“…”
As Jeremiah left his seat, the area around Karina became empty.
‘Whew.’
It felt like a storm had swept through and passed.
No sooner had Karina caught her breath than Caroline’s group approached her as if they had been waiting.
Lavishly dressed young ladies and gentlemen surrounded Karina.
“Oh my, Grand Duchess. Were you here?”
“But why are you alone?”
“That’s right. How cruel of the Grand Duke to leave you so lonely like this.”
They said such things even though they must have clearly seen Jeremiah leave to discuss business.
Karina already felt fatigue washing over her.
“We can’t leave the Grand Duchess alone. May I sit next to you?”
Caroline, who had approached at some point, seated her group at Karina’s table without waiting for her answer.
And they began to strengthen their solidarity among themselves.
“It’s nice to see you. Have you all been well?”
“Of course, Grand Duchess. You’re as beautiful as ever today.”
“It seems your beauty shines more with each passing day.”
“Do you have a special way of managing it? If so, please tell us.”
“Oh my, you flatter me.”
Caroline laughed brightly as she exchanged greetings with the guests.
Of course, Karina, sitting opposite, was treated like an invisible person.
‘How childish.’
Inwardly scoffing, Karina carefully examined the faces in front of her.
Looking at them one by one, they were all familiar faces.
They were those who had treated Karina carelessly and spoken rudely to her in the past.
They were prone to exaggeration and loose-lipped, creating inflated rumors behind her back and leading the charge in spreading malicious gossip about Karina.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that half of the humiliating incidents Karina had endured in the past started from their mouths.
There was no way such people could look good to her.
“By the way, Grand Duchess, you’re wearing a dress similar to the one you wore at the last banquet today as well?”
One of them, after checking the atmosphere, inevitably spoke words that grated on Karina’s nerves.
“Oh my, that’s right. You must really like that style of clothing?”
A young lady next to her sneered and agreed.
They clearly hadn’t properly looked at the dress Karina was wearing before speaking.
While the light color scheme of the dress might have been similar, looking at the detailed design, it was a completely different dress.
“No matter how much you like it, wouldn’t it be better to pay a little attention to recent trends? It’s not good for the Grand Duchess to be behind on fashion.”
Another young lady didn’t forget to criticize Karina in a roundabout way.
But Karina didn’t even feel the need to refute.
To them, everything Karina said and did was just something to find fault with.
‘Sigh.’
Karina inwardly sighed.
She thought it was getting tiresome to even react to such petty tricks.
At that moment, Caroline added a comment.
“That’s right, Grand Duchess. Please try to be aware of your position and maintain the appropriate dignity.”
Karina narrowed her eyes at Caroline’s pointed remark.
Unlike in the past when she would have been completely intimidated by such words,
“The Grand Duchess, having been only in the North, must not know the trends of the capital?”
Karina calmly countered with a peacefully smiling expression.
“… The capital’s trends?”
“Yes, I’m wearing dresses chosen from the trendy designs in the capital through a reliable person. To avoid being presented with an outlandish dress under the guise of Northern fashion like last time.”
“Ah…”
As the mention of the last banquet came out of Karina’s mouth, everyone around glanced at Caroline’s reaction.
Karina continued speaking, looking straight at Caroline.
“That merchant named Abdul. He was the merchant you personally introduced, Grand Duchess, but to think he was such a fraud… I was truly shocked, not knowing who to trust.”
“…!”
As Karina openly targeted Caroline with her words, Caroline’s expression hardened in an instant.
“… The incident at the last banquet was indeed regrettable.”
Caroline, quickly composing her expression, smiled with raised corners of her mouth.
“But didn’t I say it then too? It was something the merchant did on his own to satisfy his greed. I knew nothing about it.”
Detecting the displeasure in her tone, the surrounding young ladies quickly tried to appease her.
“That merchant must have really had some nerve. To dare attempt such a fraud against the Grand Ducal family.”
“Of course. As if the Colsberg Grand Ducal family would even bat an eye at such a pathetic trick.”
Karina was dumbfounded by their behavior of making a fuss while blaming everything on the merchant.
Meanwhile, Caroline added nonchalantly,
“As everyone knows, that merchant paid dearly for his mistake.”
“He was thrown as food for the beasts in the northern forest, wasn’t he?”
“A fitting end for a fraudster.”
“This is what they call karma.”
Listening to their words, Karina inwardly sneered.
In reality, Caroline, who had orchestrated the whole thing, hadn’t suffered any consequences.
She had silenced the merchant by threatening his family’s safety and escaped by cutting him loose.
“That’s right. And it’s all in the past now. What’s important is the future.”
Caroline smiled disgustingly with a brazen face.
Her shamelessness was inwardly admirable.
‘I should learn that always-smiling attitude of hers sometime.’
Karina sneered inwardly, raising just one corner of her mouth.
“By the way, Lady Ramberta. How is that business your family is investing in going? The mining business operated by the Ramberta family?”
Caroline changed the uncomfortable topic to something else.
Lady Ramberta, who had been stirring sugar into her tea, looked up and answered.
“Ah, the mining business is being managed by my second older brother. Father was just delighted the other day, saying they had found a distribution channel for the copper coming out of the mine.”
“Oh my, that’s wonderful news.”
“It’s all thanks to the Grand Duchess. We’re always grateful for your great help.”
Karina, who had been drinking tea with an uninterested expression while listening to the conversation, fell into thought.
‘If it’s the second son of the Ramberta family, they must be talking about that man I met that day.’
Karina recalled Revals, whom she had encountered recently when she bumped into a child on the street.
‘The Ramberta family, huh. I thought they were nothing special in the past, but it seems they’re quite involved here and there more than I expected?’
Karina smiled silently.
Meanwhile, the young ladies brought up another topic and continued their conversation.
“Your earrings today are so pretty, my lady.”
“Ah, they’re spinel earrings custom-made at Paulo’s Jewelry.”
“Paulo’s Jewelry? The place that’s fully booked until next year?”
“Yes, that’s right. I made a reservation two years ago and just received them recently.”
The young lady who gained attention showed off her earrings, basking in the envious gazes around her.
“As expected of Paulo’s Jewelry, the color is different.”
“By the way, have you heard that story? They say the master craftsman of Paulo’s Jewelry has created an extraordinary masterpiece that might come out only once in a lifetime.”
“The master craftsman of ‘that’ Paulo’s Jewelry?”
One young lady asked with wide eyes.
“The accessories handled by Paulo’s Jewelry are famous for their immense value.”
“Exactly. I’m really curious about what kind of piece it is, created by the master craftsman of such a place as his life’s masterpiece.”
Another young lady who had been listening to the conversation chimed in.
“But I heard it already has an owner. The price must have been astronomical, I wonder who bought it?”
Caroline opened her mouth at the young ladies’ chatter.
“Indeed. Originally, even things have their rightful owners. If it doesn’t find the right owner, no matter how much of a masterpiece it is, it’s just a lump of stone that hasn’t seen the light of day.”
After saying that, Caroline glanced sideways at Karina.
“…?”
Although she didn’t understand why Caroline was glaring at her while saying such things, Karina felt annoyed and raised her eyebrows in return.
At that moment, a newly arrived young gentleman entered the hall.
He was a man with a fairly sleek appearance and slicked-back hair.
A young lady sitting where she could see the entrance blushed and said,
“Oh my, over there! Isn’t that the young lord of Count Ferguson Gannon?”
“The young lord of Ferguson Gannon?”
At those words, all the young ladies’ gazes turned towards the entrance.
Male lead says he’s pregnant — and it’s female lead’s child
Something seems a bit off about this world.
Wang Zhao thought as she watched a pregnant man walking towards her…
Intro
Female lead finds herself in a world where the men who possess the ability to bear children.
As she navigates this unfamiliar reality, she is caught off guard by the sudden appearance of her boyfriend, who reveals that he is pregnant.
Is this truly her boyfriend?
Why can’t she recall any details about their time together?
She begins to doubt whether the child her boyfriend is carrying is even hers.
Is there a hidden reason behind her amnesia, or could it be a side effect of her sudden arrival in this strange new world?
Just when it seems the protagonist’s life couldn’t become any more entangled, her ex-boyfriend makes an unexpected appearance, raising questions about the protagonist’s past.
__________
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