Chapter 5

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter Title: Chapter 5

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Iona rolled onto her side and gazed up at the ceiling. With her limbs dangling limply, she vividly recalled her death.

"Why did that person do that?"

Why had the duke come to save her?

Was it some shallow sense of justice that he couldn't just leave his nominal wife to die?

Would that kind man, who had shown her kindness beyond her station, end up dying as payment for it?

Iona was seized by an irrational urge to rush to him right then and check if he was safe.

But now that she had returned ten years into the past, she couldn't seek answers from the younger him—not to mention, he was most likely at the ducal estate right now.

It wouldn't be hard to set out on the long journey to see him, but they had already made plans to meet soon anyway.

Even if she hurried after him, they would probably cross paths midway.

"If we meet... what should I do? Is there anything I can do for him?"

This was a humiliating marriage proposal forced upon them by the imperial family in the first place.

No matter how charitably she interpreted it, she couldn't rate their connection as anything better than a bad match.

Honestly speaking, calling off the engagement from her side would probably be the most welcome outcome for him.

But whether the higher-ups would accept his refusal was doubtful—and even if they respected her wishes, they'd likely just find another woman for the role.

And above all...

"There's no need to become strangers with the husband who threw himself into danger to save me, right?"

Iona murmured quietly, as if convincing herself.

She had no intention of living this period the same way as before, but that didn't mean she wanted to change husbands too.

That was one of the few outcomes from her previous life that she actually liked.

Iona brought her fingertips to her lips and slowly closed her eyes.

She felt a lukewarm warmth from her callused fingers. Iona still remembered a sensation similar yet different.

She would definitely repay the debt she owed her husband. She just decided to choose the method herself.

Even after sleeping two more nights, she didn't wake from this hyper-realistic dream, so Iona finally decided to accept that what had happened to her was real.

It was far more comforting than the miserable assumption that she'd have to go to work even in her dreams.

In the meantime, she spent the luckily overlapping days off in rare peace and quiet.

Her personal maids had gone to report to the count and hadn't returned with any news, and her family didn't come to berate her over the previous incident either.

Hayden had requested a talk once, but when Iona refused, he backed off easily.

No doubt the count had started treating Iona as a person of interest.

"It's always a good thing when others can't treat me carelessly."

Right after returning to work, Iona stopped by the Knight Order headquarters to request internal duties for the time being. She couldn't serve at the imperial family's side with a bruised face.

Separate from having gotten sufficient payback on Nils, her own condition wasn't exactly pristine either.

"Come in."

Permission came from beyond the door right after she knocked.

Iona quietly opened the door and entered.

Knight Commander Saskia was busily shuffling papers amid a mountain of documents.

She glanced up at Iona's face and asked in an unconcerned tone.

"Got hit again?"

"As you can see."

Iona replied matter-of-factly and got straight to the point.

"For that reason, I think I'll need to stick to internal duties for a while. You seem to need the extra hands anyway."

"I desperately, tremendously, enormously need them, but no can do. You've just returned, and there's a summons to stop by the Crown Prince's Palace."

"From His Highness Richardt?"

"Of course, from the man himself."

Iona hesitated for a moment, hands clasped behind her back.

Her face bore a dark bruise right where Nils had struck her.

She had applied some hasty makeup as a stopgap, but it couldn't hide it completely.

Moreover, Iona only ever wore makeup when she had wounds to conceal.

In other words, anyone could easily guess that something had happened to her during her break.

"Do I have to go?"

"If that's a 'push me if you want' kind of question, then yes, you do."

Saskia replied perfunctorily while flipping through sheets of paper.

Iona swallowed a sigh and turned to leave.

"...I'll be back."

"Iona."

A sharp voice stopped Iona as she headed for the door.

When Iona turned, Saskia pointed her index finger sternly.

"When others can't treat me carelessly—"

"Of course, that's always a good thing."

Iona finished her commander's pet phrase as if she'd been waiting, and Saskia raised an eyebrow, not quite accepting the agreement.

Saskia stared openly at Iona's bruised cheek.

"No matter how inferior he feels to his more capable stepsister, Nils went too far. You don't have to put up with all his pathetic behavior."

Was there anything more shameful in noble society than an illegitimate child?

As if aware of the disgrace, Count Modroff had registered Iona as a distant relative's child.

Because of that, most people thought Iona was the count's adopted daughter.

Since Hayden wasn't officially her biological father, their distant family relations were taken as a given.

Of course, there were those like Saskia who sided with someone outside the 'blood ties' fence.

"If you come back with another bruise, I'll challenge Nils to a duel as your superior. I'm not joking."

"He probably won't accept. At least he didn't for mine."

"How could he accept your duel challenge? You'd definitely cripple him somewhere... What?"

Saskia paused mid-rant, then shot back quickly with an expression like, 'This isn't the pushover I knew.'

"You challenged him to a duel? You?"

Saskia widened her eyes at the unbelievable statement.

Iona showing up to work with a swollen bruise wasn't new, nor was Saskia scolding her over it.

However, Iona had always maintained a lukewarm attitude toward the Modroff family's unfair treatment.

Saskia had raised her voice a few times out of frustration, but it was pointless.

What change could come without the person's own will to resolve it? The same issues just repeated in a vicious cycle.

"So what wind suddenly blew through this lukewarm one to make her do something so refreshing?"

Even scrutinizing Iona suspiciously, she didn't seem to be lying.

Saskia let out an admiring "Huh" and stroked her chin.

"Live long enough, you see everything."

"If there's nothing else, may I go?"

She wanted to hear more about her subordinate's juicy family drama, but there was too much work left.

Weighing work against gossip, Saskia finally issued the dismissal.

"Out with you."

Iona gave her commander a light bow and stepped out.

Just then, faint voices came from beyond the door, as if she'd run into someone in the hallway.

"Lady Iona, you're back? I hope you rested well during your break... No, I really can't tell. What happened to your face...?"

"Theobald Mayer! Quit yapping from afar and come see for yourself."

Saskia bellowed, cutting off Theobald.

It was to spare her subordinate from fielding the same question all day.

Theobald exchanged hasty farewells with Iona and rushed into the office.

Saskia clicked her tongue.

"What, you playing oblivious again? It's obvious who did it."

"I'm shocked, okay? My colleague's cheek puffed up like bread loaf—wouldn't that shock even you, Commander?"

Saskia, who had ended up lecturing out of inability to hold back, wasn't exactly in a righteous position either.

As Saskia fell silent, Theobald leaned in and whispered.

"But seriously, is Nils just going to keep getting away with this? Even if she's adopted, she's about to become the duchess."

"People who think others are inferior to them can't easily accept it when they succeed. He'll cause an accident sooner or later."

It was already well-known that Nils harbored an inferiority complex toward his successful stepsister.

Unlike Nils, who had inherited everything from his parents, Iona had earned her position as the crown prince's close aide through her own merits.

On top of that, she was set to marry into the ducal house through imperial arrangement, so it was natural for him to feel heated as a rival.

Ivonne was already gossiping publicly at every party about her stepsister's presumptuous ambitions.

Saskia didn't usually dine with nasty ladies like Ivonne, but she somewhat agreed that Iona and the duke made an unlikely pair.

Saskia cradled the back of her head with both hands and looked up at the ceiling.

"By the way, what do you think the crown prince's reason is for marrying her off?"