Chapter 16: The Side Contract
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 16: The Side Contract
“The reason I risked telling you about the curse was because I believed you had a right to know. At the very least, you should know why you almost died.”
His gaze was sharp and intense.
“I am saying you need to realize just how much danger you are in right now.”
“Ah… so you’re saying you told me this out of concern for my well-being?”
I pursed my lips and spoke.
“I don’t know about that. It doesn’t seem like something a husband who’s trying to kick his wife out—after she’s been here less than a week—would say.”
The Grand Duke fell silent, looking flustered by my words.
So he is capable of feeling shame, after all.
“You made me walk down the aisle holding another man’s hand, and even after I arrived here, you didn’t show your face once.”
“Th-that was…!”
“And now you’re pushing me away using ‘danger’ as an excuse, even though you said it’s fine to touch me now!”
The Grand Duke stammered, unable to find a rebuttal.
“Why? Is the curse just a pretext?”
I let the corners of my eyes droop, putting on a pitiful expression.
“Do you just want to get rid of me, and I’m being thick-headed by clinging to you?”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“Or maybe…”
Taking a deep breath, I played my final card.
“Are you disappointed because I came instead of my sister?”
“Your sister?”
“That’s what you said, Your Grace.”
I lowered my lashes, trying to look as mournful as possible.
“That you’d rather die than marry me, but you’d be happy to marry my sister, Ladriel.”
“That! I didn’t say I wanted to marry her…!”
In an instant, the Grand Duke’s neck turned a deep shade of crimson.
“The rumors spread all through the capital’s social circles. I was so embarrassed. Everyone was talking about it, so I couldn’t even attend a ball or a tea time until the wedding.”
“I—I truly did not intend for that.”
The Grand Duke seemed genuinely panicked. He stood up awkwardly, looking distressed.
“My sister was very happy about it, though.”
“I have never even seen the face of the eldest Lady Frais. I simply…”
“What will people say when I return to the capital? They’ll whisper that I was kicked out by the Grand Duke because I wasn’t Ladriel, won’t they?”
“It’s really not like that.”
The Grand Duke rubbed the back of his neck, at a total loss.
“I was just worried about you…”
Is it working?
Seeing the Grand Duke’s face turn pale, it seemed my shock therapy to induce guilt was having some effect.
Good. Time to drive it home.
I lowered my head and began to sniffle.
“…Are you crying?”
“Where… where else would I go…”
I pulled out a handkerchief and dabbed at my dry eyes a few times. The Grand Duke’s voice trembled.
“D-don’t cry.”
Leaning toward me, he muttered helplessly.
I watched his restless feet pacing back and forth in front of me and made sure to let my shoulders heave rhythmically.
How much time had passed?
“Ugh… hic…”
Just as I let out a sigh that sounded like a sob, unable to wait any longer—
“F-fine. Do as you wish.”
His voice came out choked and strained.
Wondering if I’d heard correctly, I looked up quickly. The Grand Duke spoke with a face full of resignation.
“If you insist on staying, then do so.”
“R-really?”
A bright smile bloomed on my face before I could stop it.
“But only for one year. And…”
The Grand Duke looked momentarily hollow at the sight of my tearless face, then jerked his head away.
“I have warned you enough. I will not be held responsible if you get hurt because of me. Do not ask me to take responsibility.”
“Of course. If I get even a tiny scratch because of this, or if I become a burden to you, I’ll pack my bags immediately. That’s fair, right?”
I jumped up from my seat and held out my hand to him.
“Then I look forward to working with you, Your Grace!”
The Grand Duke kept his mouth shut and stood there for a long time before finally, reluctantly, taking my hand. Despite his scowl, his touch was incredibly gentle.
*
That afternoon, I immediately drafted a contract and went to see the Grand Duke.
“Is it really necessary to write something like this?”
“Of course. Everything should be clear and official.”
No matter what a client promises, it’s nothing but meaningless chirping until the seal is pressed onto a contract.
That was a lesson I’d carved into my very bones in my life before the transmigration.
It’s not particularly different here. To put it bluntly, we have no affection for each other, and the only reason I, who didn't even have a proper wedding, became the Grand Duchess of Blenheim is purely due to the power of a single piece of paper: the marriage vow.
I held out the draft I had painstakingly written.
The Grand Duke looked a bit reluctant, but he took the document nonetheless.
The terms I had organized were as follows:
「Loik Blenheim and Annette Frais agree to divorce in one year.
During the marriage, Loik Blenheim shall provide Annette Frais with treatment befitting a Grand Duchess, and Annette Frais shall fulfill her duties as the Grand Duchess.
The exact timing of the divorce after one year shall be determined by mutual agreement.
To divorce earlier than the fixed term, voluntary consent from both parties must be obtained.
This contract takes precedence over the marriage vow, and both parties shall maintain strict confidentiality regarding this agreement.」
“If there’s anything you’d like to add, Your Grace, please let me know.”
The Grand Duke scanned the draft with an expressionless face and asked, “What do you mean by ‘treatment befitting a Grand Duchess’?”
“Ah… it’s nothing grand, but I shouldn’t damage your reputation or Blenheim’s, right?”
“To do that, I’ll need formal clothes, and it would be problematic if my adornments were too shabby. I’ll also need to reward subordinates occasionally…”
“You mean you need a privy purse.”
“…Yes.”
I had phrased it in the roundabout way people in the capital did.
But in conclusion, I was asking for money.
I only had about 100 Danir in emergency funds and the wedding gift Ferdin had given me. I planned to earn my own retirement funds somehow, but while I was in Blenheim, I intended to cover my living expenses from the privy purse as much as possible.
My ears felt a bit hot under his direct gaze, but the Grand Duke nodded as if it were only natural.
“I will allocate a budget for your personal use. I’ll have Whitley deliver it to you, so let me know if you find it insufficient.”
“Thank you.”
As expected of a Northern Grand Duke, he was far from stingy.
I quietly pulled back the document I had prepared detailing the maintenance costs for a Grand Duchess’s dignity, just in case he tried to haggle over the allowance.
“And what do you mean by ‘duties’?”
The Grand Duke raised an eyebrow, looking genuinely puzzled.
“There are things a Grand Duchess must do. Managing the castle’s household, supervising the servants, receiving guests… I meant I would do my best in those areas.”
“That won’t be necessary,” the Grand Duke said firmly.
“Those are tasks Whitley and I have been handling anyway.”
He probably meant he couldn’t entrust the management of the castle to the daughter of an enemy who would only be staying for a year.
I shook my head hurriedly.
“No, I really want to fulfill my responsibilities.”
Authority naturally comes with responsibility.
Conversely, authority without responsibility has no power.
If I stayed here for a year living like a guest, the vassals, knights, and servants would look down on me.
Besides, my biggest goal in Blenheim was to ‘live quietly as if I weren’t even here.’
Wouldn’t it spark strange rumors if the Grand Duchess did absolutely nothing?
And anyway, I’d probably get so bored I couldn’t stand it if I just ate and played all day. Having enjoyed more than enough rest, I was ready to get back to work.
“Do not misunderstand. You have no responsibilities here.”
The Grand Duke looked at me with a cold gaze.
“You are merely a guest staying at the castle for a year.”
His tone was resolute, as if telling me not to even think about acting like the mistress of the house.
I bit my lip in frustration.
Drafting proposals, budget management, settlement and accounting, managing partners, plus the sales and social skills I’d been forced to acquire over the years…
Do you know how competent an employee I am?!
This was a golden opportunity to utilize such precious labor for free for a whole year—well, maybe not for free, but still!
Of course, in the Grand Duke’s eyes, I probably just look like a green, sheltered lady who knows nothing.
I opened my mouth, itching to speak.
“I’m going to be receiving a privy purse. I want to earn my keep.”
“A privy purse is money that naturally goes to whoever holds that position. You don’t need to work for it.”
“I’m actually really good at working…”
But seeing the Grand Duke’s iron-wall attitude, it didn’t seem like he would budge on this.
“Fine, think about that later. But I have another condition.”
“What is it?”
“From now on, you are forbidden from calling me ‘Lady.’”
“…Then how would you like me to address you?”
“Grand Duchess.”
The Grand Duke looked less than pleased.
“If you can’t get used to that, you can call me Annette.”
“Or you can call me ‘Wife.’ I don’t mind.”
“Do you prefer ‘Wife’ after all?”
“…I will go with Grand Duchess.”
Once we finally agreed on the title, the Grand Duke and I signed the papers. It was a satisfying contract in its own way.
The fact that the Grand Duke looked suddenly exhausted… was probably just my imagination, right?