Chapter 25

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter Title: Chapter 25

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"I have no friends, no one wants to hang out with me, so I asked even my brother to come... How could I say something like that with my own mouth?"

Julia raised her arm and roughly wiped away the tears pooling at the corners of her eyes.

"I begged you so much to come with me, and what? You're too lazy? Too shy? Do you not have a brain at all?"

"......"

"You could ask other young ladies to dance. You could use the Duke's name to mingle with people. At the very least, you could spend some time with me..."

In high society, there was always an absolute shortage of men willing to dance with ladies.

It was because there weren't many men brave enough to ask for a dance.

If Yonas had stepped up and helped her make connections first, it would have made mingling with people so much easier, but he had never once come to his sister's aid, always making excuses about being too bothered.

Julia took a deep breath, trying to calm her resentment, and said,

"Thanks to Lady Iona introducing me to her acquaintances today, I danced nonstop for the first time. It was even more fun than I imagined. I had no idea it could feel so good to have people interested in me."

"......"

"Even family was avoiding it, but she did it for me. In your place."

It was true that Julia had not had a good impression of Iona at first. People from the ducal territory naturally harbored resentment toward the imperial family.

How could they welcome a woman who stood at the vanguard of the emperor's faction as the Emperor's Sword into their midst as the duchess?

But the Iona she met today was different from the cold, emotionless woman Julia had imagined from the rumors.

In front of others, she kept praising Julia and warned her about the men asking her to dance, blocking off those with wandering hands.

It was thoughtful consideration, as if she were acting as Julia's chaperone.

Iona had said not to feel burdened, but the favor she had shown was not something to take lightly.

Even if she had some ulterior motive, it didn't matter.

So what?

The sparkling moment Julia had experienced today would never fade, and thanks to the people Iona introduced, she had even made promises for next time.

A long silence stretched between Julia and Yonas.

Yonas felt a mix of bewilderment and shame flooding him at once, his cheeks flushing red.

He hurried over to Julia and pulled her into a hug from behind.

"I'm sorry. I was short-sighted. Our hometown isn't like that... I just assumed you'd be fine since you get along with people anyway, thinking only of what was convenient for me."

"Let go. I don't want to be hugged by you."

"From now on, I'll always go with you. Wherever you go, I'll follow."

Still not appeased, Julia stomped on Yonas's instep with her heel.

Yonas endured his sister's retribution without so much as a groan.

A moment later, the siblings ended their embrace and faced each other.

Julia glared at Yonas, clutching the hem of her skirt, and said,

"Apologize properly to Lady Iona. If you don't, I really won't see your face again, Yonas."

With that, Julia seemed to suddenly realize her own state and hurriedly covered her face with her cloak.

She whispered softly to Iona, "Thank you for today," before turning on her heel.

Iona and Yonas silently watched Julia flee to the carriage.

Only then did Yonas turn to Iona, who had been standing there like a scarecrow.

"Lady Iona."

"No need for apologies."

"......"

"I have a pretty good idea now of just how oblivious you are."

At Iona's words, Yonas fidgeted with his fingers, at a loss for what to do.

Iona lightly crossed her arms and stood beside him.

Looking up at Yonas, who looked utterly dejected, Iona said,

"More than anything, you're right—I did have an ulterior motive, just as you said."

Yonas lifted his startled face. Meeting his eyes, Iona smiled softly.

"I wanted to make a good impression on you."

"......"

"I'm more serious about this marriage than you think. I know you don't trust me, and I think that's natural, but still, I intend to get along quite well with the Duke from now on. As true husband and wife."

But just because Iona wanted it didn't mean Leroy's wariness would vanish in an instant.

As she had boldly declared before, earning his trust was entirely up to her, and Iona had to prove her changed mindset through her actions.

The Modroff family had certainly served as tempting bait, but money alone couldn't buy a person's heart.

'To make him truly believe in me, I can't just satisfy the material side.'

Leroy was unexpectedly swayed by recognition.

If he learned she had looked after his subordinate's sister, his view of Iona would shift at least a little.

Above all, it wouldn't hurt to win Yonas over. Since he served the Duke, they would ultimately move in the same direction.

"If the Duke and I safely go through with the wedding, we'll head down to the ducal territory together. Unless he suddenly rejects me, we'll probably spend our whole lives there."

"......"

"So I wanted you to think well of me too. You're someone who works for him, and eventually, you'll be working for me as well."

Yonas drew in a trembling breath and asked,

"Does that mean we can aim for the same goal?"

"You know full well that your master is a good man... The kind others envy you for serving."

Yonas easily understood that she was talking about herself.

He stared at the ground for a long while before finally closing his eyes.

He felt like he could somewhat understand now why Iona had made such an outrageous proposal to the Duke.

Turning toward Iona, he bowed deeply and formally apologized.

"I'm sorry, Lady Iona. I had misunderstood you."

Iona's jaw twitched.

She couldn't easily say it was fine. The suspicion he harbored toward her wasn't truly a misunderstanding.

In her previous life, Iona had lived as Richardt's person until the moment she died.

Even she had only changed her mind after crossing death's threshold—who would believe her change of heart?

Iona decided to pretend she hadn't heard the apology. She didn't think he had anything to apologize for.

"Raise your head."

As she spoke, Iona glanced around.

Perhaps because it was late at night, the only one nearby was the gatekeeper yawning at the entrance.

Iona pulled a small slip of paper from her bosom.

"I'll consider your mistake and apology as never having happened. In exchange, I have something I'd like you to deliver to the Duke."

Yonas took the note Iona offered with a puzzled expression.

She had anticipated running into him and borrowed paper and pen earlier to jot it down separately.

Iona said plainly,

"It's a list of the nobles who invited me to gatherings today. I plan to attend every single one without fail, so please tell the Duke to drop by whenever it's convenient for him. We're supposed to be getting married, after all—it would look strange if I kept going alone."

"Ah, you could have sent someone separately to coordinate precisely."

"I'm in a position where I'm freeloading at my father's house, so sending someone might lead to them being followed. It would be troublesome if we crossed paths awkwardly."

Yonas nodded as if he understood.

It was a well-known fact—even to him—that Iona didn't get along with her siblings. What puzzled him was something else.

With a surprised look, Yonas asked,

"Are you planning to start participating in high society?"

"It's a rather late resolution, isn't it?"

Iona asked back with a self-deprecating smile.

People's reactions to her marriage with Leroy were astonishingly consistent.

To sum it up: forced, humiliating, unpleasant, and so on.

To peel away those negative labels, they needed to show their intimacy to the outside world.

'Above all, I need to get used to high society to approach my targets naturally.'

It seemed like quite a commotion might arise, but she wasn't worried. She wasn't planning to pick up a sword and fight enemies like before.

Nils, unlike her, probably wouldn't even notice that his own neck was in danger.