Time passed quickly.

It was nearly three months since Yuri had been investigated at the government office.

Dark-colored sweat flowed from Esika’s skin as she practiced energy cultivation.

Cracking sounds began to come from her bones.

Her body was changing into a form more suitable for martial arts training.

It wasn’t the type of change where she would become burly like a man.

She wasn’t bulky to begin with, but with the internal bone movement, her body lines became even more graceful.

Usually, skeletal transformation occurs when one reaches the realm of Hwakyung or Geukma, equivalent to Sword Master level here.

But even though Esika’s body hadn’t reached that level yet, she used her inner energy to change the energy pathways and structure of her body herself.

From her previous form that was far from training, to a form suitable for accepting inner energy.

And after the whole process, she circulated her inner energy to finish this work.

‘I’ve regained about a third of my inner energy so far.’

Esika smiled with satisfaction as she looked at herself in the mirror.

Her skin was like that of a young girl, and her body’s curves became more graceful.

She felt she could move more swiftly now.

Now, even an average knight would be no match for her.

‘But there’s still a long way to go. Now that the empty bottle is filling up, the speed of progress will gradually slow down.’

In her previous life, she had experienced true skeletal transformation upon reaching the threshold of Geukma.

It was with the help of Dokyoung, who had long ago reached the Geukma level and became the successor to the Heavenly Demon Sect.

If he were here… He would be the only person I could trust.

She was thinking with a bitter smile when suddenly.

“My lady, I’m coming in.”

Cella entered Esika’s room with a tray containing medicinal herbs.

But upon seeing Esika, she was so surprised that she dropped the tray on the floor.

“…My lady?”

She almost didn’t recognize her, to add a bit of exaggeration.

That’s because the alluring duchess who exuded the scent of a mature woman had changed so much that she could be believed to be in her early 20s.

Of course, this doesn’t mean her femininity had disappeared.

Early 20s is the marriageable age for noble ladies. In other words, she had become as fresh as a newly blooming flower in high society.

The previous alluring atmosphere had diminished slightly, but she was still elegant and even exuded a somewhat mysterious aura.

“What on earth happened to you?”

Her hair, which used to reach her back, had grown down to her hips.

And the clothes she was wearing were completely soaked with something dark.

“Is it because of that meditation thing?”

Esika practiced energy cultivation twice a day, and to Cella, who couldn’t understand this concept, she had explained it as meditation to organize thoughts.

“Yes. Today was a bit special.”

“That’s really amazing. I knew your skin was getting better, but to even become younger like this… You look more vibrant than when you came here three years ago.”

Esika nodded.

“If you want, I can teach you too.”

“Really? You must teach me next time.”

Esika had grown quite fond of Cella, and thought she should teach her basic energy accumulation methods and self-defense techniques.

“Anyway, my lady, since your clothes are wet, I’ll bring new ones for you to change into right away.”

**

Cella trimmed her hair, and Esika, dressed in fresh clothes, headed to the Grand Duchess.

Today, catalogs and fabric samples of newly released dresses from the Robelia Dress Shop were supposed to arrive.

Of course, she wasn’t interested, but Riona had insisted on looking at dresses together.

There was no need to refuse this time, so she accepted the invitation.

The previous refusal of Callian’s dress gift was intentional to make him angry at her.

Hearing about the refusal, he would be very angry at himself for appearing to harm Riona at the tea time in his angry state.

And amidst that, by awakening the truth and sowing seeds of doubt about his relationship with Riona, that wedge would be driven in deeper and more intensely.

As planned, it was successful, but the mother-son relationship hadn’t cracked enough yet.

As she entered the Grand Duchess’s room, she saw Riona sitting in a chair.

The shop owner greeted Esika with a startled face.

“Duchess, it’s an honor.”

“Likewise.”

“I remember fitting you for a dress before your wedding, but you look even more beautiful now… It’s surprising.”

Esika nodded with a faint smile at the shop owner’s tactless compliment and also greeted the Grand Duchess.

“Did you sleep well last night, Mother?”

“Well… Not bad. Sit down.”

Esika sat in the chair next to the Grand Duchess as she was told.

Riona’s eyes weren’t as fierce as usual, seemingly conscious of others, but her gaze was still cold.

“These are dresses with details hard to find in the outskirts like Frihartz. Even if you grew up without a mother and haven’t learned about the etiquette of ladies, choosing a Robelia dress will at least cover the basics.”

A voice holding a sharp knife within calmness.

The previous Esika would have lowered her head with a sad expression.

“As the Duchess of Klaus, you shouldn’t go around in shabby attire and lower our status, so choose one.”

If she truly cared about status, she wouldn’t have confined her to that small room and ordered her to wear maid’s clothes.

It was so amusing that she felt like laughing.

Riona’s eyebrow twitched as she saw Esika smiling slightly even at her harsh words.

Esika took the catalog and looked at the new dresses from the Robelia Shop.

Indeed, the designs were excellent, befitting one of the popular shops in Torres.

“This fabric is made of Brynhild silk. Please feel it.”

Beside her, a shop employee was explaining and showing fabrics to the Grand Duchess.

Riona looked at them with interest and chose dresses.

The employees approached Riona familiarly to take her measurements.

An employee also approached Esika.

“Which one do you like, my lady?”

“This one looks the best.”

The gray dress had a simple design and the fabric wasn’t rough. It also didn’t have cumbersome lace.

“But… this is a very basic design… are you sure?”

The clothes Esika currently had were mostly comfortable dresses that she had asked Hans to order.

“Yes. I like this one the best. The others… don’t appeal to me.”

Riona glanced at Esika, raising the corner of her mouth, as she simply chose one dress and finished.

‘She may act arrogantly these days, but it seems she knows her vulgar nature.’

Judging by her expression, she was undoubtedly thinking as she pleased.

And at that moment, the door to the Duchess’s room opened.

“…Mother!”

Esika slightly furrowed her brow at the sight of Callian entering the room.

Callian also seemed a bit surprised, not expecting Esika to be here.

“Esika…”

“Duke. Oh my. What shall we do?”

Riona hid the cold smile she had been wearing and approached Callian with a surprised expression.

“I completely forgot that I was supposed to have tea time with the Duke today.”

“…Ah, it’s fine. We can have tea anytime. I was just worried about mother…”

“I’ve made you worry about me again.”

As Riona raised her hand to caress Callian’s cheek, Esika felt uneasy.

Forgetting about tea time with the Duke? That’s nonsense.

Riona deliberately makes Callian search for her and worry.

And in the mother’s room he visits out of concern, there’s his wife, fitting dresses without knowing anything about the situation.

“I was so focused on wanting to gift Esika a pretty dress, I must have lost track of things.”

An angelic mother.

A considerate mother.

Riona was always that kind of mother to Callian.

Callian spoke to Riona with warm eyes.

“I’m really fine. I’m more concerned that I might have interrupted a pleasant time between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.”

And he slowly approached Esika.

Seeing Riona’s eyes turn cold as soon as Callian approached her, Esika held back her desire to laugh.

The son you’re so reluctant to let go of.

The son you want to drive a wedge between us is now no big deal to me.

Pleasant thoughts were swirling in Esika’s mind.

“Were you… choosing a dress?”

Callian’s voice as he approached her was a bit stiff, unlike when he addressed Riona.

Their relationship had become quite awkward since the last dinner.

“…But…”

Esika gave Callian a faint smile.

As Esika smiled while staring at him, Callian felt his heart thump.

He felt heat in his face and a tingling in his throat.

“…You look a bit… different today.”

Esika twitched her delicate eyebrows subtly.

Seeing that she didn’t seem to understand his words, Callian spoke again.

He thought it was time to break the awkward atmosphere.

“I mean you look pretty.”

Esika felt pleased seeing Riona glaring at her without hiding her hostility.

So she smiled brightly like a naive woman and asked Callian.

“Really? More than Mother?”