“Nice to meet you, my lady.”
“…”
“I look forward to working together in the future.”
You know, when my husband said he planned to give the title of duchess to a witch, I thought he ate something weird. I didn’t give up on the hope that my life would return to some form of normalcy.
“My name is Emily Duncan. I will be handling your etiquette lessons starting from today.”
Now, I wanted to cry because this middle-aged woman appeared in my room. My life truly became a mess. And it was all that man’s fault.
Emily Duncan, the woman who bothered me almost as much as my husband. She was a retired teacher responsible for my education. She looked mean because of her eyes, but I sensed the elegance in her every action, even if being elegant wasn’t necessary. Ah, she was an example of a true noblewoman. I couldn’t help but admire her.
My initial feelings didn’t last long.
“Straighten your back! Your arms can only be raised this far! Face forward!”
“Ugh…!”
“You are now a duchess! You must have manners befitting your status!”
She was a strict instructor disguised as a noblewoman. My husband, who wasn’t afraid of me, picked a very capable person.
Before I ran away, she dragged me to the library this morning.
“There are five dukes in the Edelin Empire. They are the literal pinnacle of the nobility.”
“…”
“Therefore, you must conduct yourself appropriately. A duchess is a flower of society.”
Here we go again. I still couldn’t believe I was a duchess. A duchess. I wanted to pull my hair out.
Emily, who was looking at me from the opposite side of the table, sighed and closed the book in her hands. “Shall we take a break?”
As soon as she said that, the door opened and a line of maids holding trays walked in. The table, decorated with books and parchment paper, was now covered with three-tier trays containing mouth-watering desserts.
“You can be honest with me. You don’t want a witch as a duchess, do you? You should give up,” I said.
I failed to get her on my side.
Emily lifted her teacup and smiled as if to tell me to give up. “I am merely doing what my lord wishes. His words are the law here.”
Basically, I should just accept it and do what he says.
“Why don’t you enjoy what you have? There are many women here in the North who dream to be a duchess.”
“Can’t we just give them the title?”
“No.”
Sorry, but I never wanted to be here. Wouldn’t it be better to give the title of duchess to someone who actually wants it?
“Do you not believe my lord likes you?”
“It’s not a matter of whether he likes me.”
“How so?”
“He’s a human.” Of course, there were other reasons, but it would take too long to list each one. Let’s put them aside for now.
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“I see. So, being a human is a problem?”
I nodded. “A witch must never fall in love with a human.” You may be wondering why I brought up the topic of love, but the point I’m trying to make was that witches can’t get emotionally attached to humans.
“Why?”
“It is the law of Kartelle.” Just as the Duchy of Havel had its own rules, so did my homeland.
“But are you not in Havel? If one holds the title of duke, the law can be changed in a day. No, it most likely has already started.”
“That will be troublesome… I don’t plan to stay here for too long.” One year. For sure, it was one year. “Why should I be the duchess when someone else will take my place anyway?”
By the time I grew accustomed to living in Havel, I’d have to say my farewells. Shouldn’t my replacement be the one to be educated early on?
“You do bring up a good point, but what can we do?”
“Huh?”
Emily tilted her head. “I think my lord is quite serious about treating you as his wife.”
“Haha, you’re joking. I haven’t even seen him for the past few days.”
Speaking of which, I was angry at him. Yes, the person who was behind all this hadn’t shown his face to me since that day. Because of him, I was treated like a noblewoman instead of a monster, but it was unnecessary. I wanted to argue with him about it so he’d revoke his orders.
“Please understand, my lady. He’s a very busy man.”
“I know.”
I had no objections to that statement. After observing him for a few days, he truly was busy. In the morning, he wrestled with an endless stream of documents in a place called an office. In the afternoon, he entertained guests who visited the castle or went outside. One time, he left in a hurry and returned late at night with the smell of blood all over his body.
“What the hell is he doing out there?” Are we sure he’s the Black Reaper?
Emily grinned. “He’s cleaning up the border. There are people who like to trespass in their spare time.”
“Who are they?”
“The enemy.”
The word “enemy” caught my attention. The enemy of witches was man, and the enemy of man was witches. Interestingly, humans sometimes considered their own kin enemies. What a foolish race.
Thanks to Emily, I learned about the history of the Edelin Empire. 400 years after driving out the witches, a civil war broke out. In the end, an empire and three kingdoms rose from that conflict. It was fascinating how such a thing happened in the span of a decade, and fights along the empire’s borders continued to this day.
“The Kingdom of Byrne often has its eye on us. I do believe the frequency of their attacks has decreased as of late,” Emily said.
“Why are they interested in the Duchy of Havel?”
“Havel sits between the Kingdom of Byrne and the rest of the empire. If you want to conquer the empire, you must take over this land first.”
Ah, no wonder the wall was built the way it was. The wall protected the duchy from the Kingdom of Byrne; its appearance was not because of the architect’s preferences or the duke having a weird hobby.
“The villages are also protected by the wall. It’s almost like a circle. You’ll eventually get used to how the territory is structured.”
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Literally, this land was a formidable fortress. In addition, the strongest knight in the empire, the Black Reaper, directly led his troops. The Kingdom of Byrne couldn’t just rush in and claim victory.
“When I first came here, I thought the wall was to keep witches from escaping.” It looked like a real prison for us. “That was why your human emperor chose him.”
The Duchy of Havel was the best place to observe a witch.
“Oh, I’m afraid you’re misunderstanding something. Actually, my lord wasn’t supposed to marry you. It was originally His Highness, the Crown Prince.”
“…What? Does that mean my husband could’ve been someone else?”