chapter 7
When I arrived at the Zenkishi Duke’s mansion, I was more nervous than when I met the Empress.
Even if she had summoned me to the capital for selfish purposes, the Empress was still someone who welcomed my existence. But the people of this cold, gray-looking mansion were different.
Of course, I had already encountered them in the original story, so I felt a strange sense of familiarity with them. But to them, I was nothing more than an uninvited guest who had suddenly rolled in out of nowhere.
When I got off the carriage, the servants were already lined up as if they had been informed in advance. An elderly man with neatly brushed white hair stepped forward and greeted me first. His monocle glinted calmly.
“I am the butler in charge of this estate. I have received prior notice from Her Majesty the Empress and prepared a room for you, young lady.”
The moment I saw him, a name almost slipped out of my mouth.
‘Yan!’
Yan Hesen was the head butler who oversaw everything that happened in this mansion. He was extremely meticulous and lacked warmth, but that very trait made him loyal and honest.
Even in the original story, he never showed warmth or human softness to Kayla or Stella, but when it came to the mistress of the house, he was always perfectly respectful.
The real problem wasn’t Yan, but the servants standing behind him, already glaring at me with cold eyes.
Led by the head maid, they looked down on and ignored the duchess who was not recognized by the duke. In the original story, Kayla being portrayed as a villainous duchess was largely due to their malicious rumors and distortions.
“I will guide you,” he said.
“Thank you.”
As I followed Yan, I could feel the piercing stares of the servants sticking to the back of my head. I forced a polite smile at them, but no one responded.
‘So I’m basically a public enemy.’
The cold hostility and deep-rooted contempt felt like it was choking me.
‘They probably all know already. That their master is entering a ridiculous marriage because of the Empress.’
Now I understood why Kayla failed to adapt to this mansion and always remained isolated.
Yan glanced back at me and spoke.
“The Duke is currently away, but we have received word that he is returning from the battlefield. He should arrive tomorrow.”
At his report, I slowly nodded.
“I see.”
The thought of meeting Ricardo made me feel strange.
Even if he was an arrogant bastard, he was the reason I had read the original novel—and the man who would become my husband. When I had read the book, I had imagined him often, but now that he might actually exist in front of me, I couldn’t picture him at all.
“Would you like to take a tour of the mansion?”
“No. Thank you, but I’m tired. I’d like to rest today.”
That was sincere. After everything that had happened since I possessed this body, I just wanted to rest.
My body was exhausted, and my mind felt worn down too. I needed time to recover and think about what would come next.
“Understood. Then I will guide you around the mansion tomorrow. Please rest comfortably today.”
Yan’s attitude toward me was almost excessively polite, but that actually made me feel more at ease. I knew he was the kind of person whose exterior and interior matched.
“If you need anything, please call for me anytime.”
With that, I was led to a guest room with a small garden attached.
Only then did I finally breathe out and look around the room—when Molly, who had been silent all this time, began to grumble again.
“It looks pretty decent. Anyone would think you’re a real noble lady.”
Ignoring her, I closed the curtains and said dryly,
“The maid’s room is next door. Why don’t you go rest too? I’m too tired to deal with you right now.”
As I reached for my dress to take it off, she approached me with a twisted smile.
“That won’t do. If I came here as your maid, I should act like one properly. Otherwise, you’ll really be looked down on. Didn’t you see the way those people were looking at you earlier?”
Molly’s hands moved to help me undress, but whether she was helping or forcefully stripping me was unclear—her touch was anything but gentle.
“Since we came all the way here together, we should rely on each other in this unfamiliar place. Don’t you think so, future duchess?”
She laughed loudly, as if amused by her own words.
I wanted to shove off her creepy hands immediately, but I bit my lower lip and endured.
‘Not yet.’
It was too soon to get rid of Molly. As she said, a duchess without even a single maid would become a laughingstock. Even if the Empress sent someone else later, I would have no grounds to object.
Unpleasant as it was, I had no choice but to keep her by my side for now.
Molly smiled smugly, as if she had won. Looking at her, I smiled back.
‘Go ahead. Enjoy it, Molly.’
You’ll regret it soon enough.
The next day.
The chirping of sparrows tickled my ears. My eyelashes trembled before slowly opening.
“Ah!”
I shot up like a spring.
‘I only closed my eyes for a moment, but I actually fell asleep.’
Realizing the night had passed in an instant, I let out a troubled sigh.
Yesterday had been my first day at the duke’s estate. I had planned to stay up all night thinking about what would happen next and how I would survive here.
‘Seriously. Was I that unguarded?!’
I must have been exhausted. The moment my head touched the pillow, I must have passed out.
Fortunately, it was still early morning and no one had come to wake me. The room next door was also completely silent, so Molly was probably still asleep too.
I thought I would have nightmares or sleep paralysis in this place, but instead I had slept deeply.
‘Do I actually match this place better than I thought?’
With a hollow laugh, I got out of bed. Thanks to the deep sleep, my body felt much lighter than yesterday, and my foggy mind was clear.
Looking out the window, the early morning air looked refreshing and green. I wanted to take a short walk outside to fully wake myself up.
‘The room connects to the garden, right?’
The estate in the early morning, when everyone was still asleep, felt strangely mystical.
I draped a robe over my shoulders and quietly stepped outside through the door connected to my room.
The garden, still covered in early morning mist, looked pale blue. Each step dampened by dew and the cool air filling my lungs felt refreshing.
Unlike yesterday when I first arrived, I could now see more of the estate: the red-brick church spire, ivy trailing over gray stone walls, and the tall mansion pillars.
‘So this is what the duke’s estate looks like.’
It hit me again that I had truly entered the world of the novel.
Feeling curious, I walked farther than I intended, following a path covered in violet forget-me-not flowers. At some point, I began to worry.
‘I think I’ve gone too far. I should head back.’
But the flower-lined paths all looked similar.
‘Which way was it? This way?’
Everything looked the same, like I had stepped into a maze.
‘No good. I should find someone.’
Even though it was early morning, surely someone must be awake.
I looked around—and then I heard it.
Step.
The sound of grass being stepped on somewhere nearby.
Thinking it was probably a gardener or a servant, I quickly moved toward it.
“Hello? Is someone there? I—”
As my voice asking for help echoed out, the person ahead turned their head.
In the faint mist, my eyes met a tall man staring directly at me.
The moment our eyes met, I froze as if trapped in a dense, suffocating atmosphere. The mist made him seem unreal, almost like a hallucination.
He was a very tall young man wearing a loosely unbuttoned white shirt and fitted black trousers. Though casual, instinct told me immediately—he was neither a gardener nor a servant.
Black hair falling naturally over his forehead, sharply defined features, and cold blue eyes looking at me indifferently.
Despite the emptiness in his expression, he carried an overwhelming, suffocating charisma.
As he looked at me, I looked straight back, and for a brief moment it felt like time had stopped.
There was no doubt about it.
The man in front of me was Ricardo ZenKishi, the Duke.
The bastard of the original story, the master of this mansion, and the man who would soon become my husband.
Realizing who he was, I fell into confusion.
‘Wasn’t he supposed to arrive tomorrow? Why is he here now?’
Well, technically, tomorrow had already come. I had fallen asleep yesterday and a whole day had passed.
‘So he must have arrived late at night or early morning.’
I never imagined I would meet him in a place like this, at this hour.
My mind went completely blank.