Chapter 32
***
Thank you for the ko-fi support Kimchii! 3/3
***
Noon, four days after Riv woke up.
Her room was very noisy. Her dress, with pink stripes and dark pink lace, looked gentle and noble.
It was accessorized with a hat, lace gloves, and shoes.
The maids who dressed Riv smiled broadly.
“Miss Riv, you are so beautiful.”
“You’re not even wearing a corset, yet your waist is so thin.”
“You have fair skin, so you look good in any color.”
Riv continued to doubt whether the maids were lying.
“Look in the mirror.”
Is that woman in the mirror really Riv Katana?
Riv felt awkward so she avoided looking at herself in the mirror.
The dark-haired, fair-skinned woman looked like a young lady from a noble family who had never experienced hardships.
“It’s time to leave.”
Claudel grabbed Riv’s hand and helped her up.
Lionel was already waiting for her at the door.
He reached his hand out to Riv.
The Duke, who wore a suit, looked very handsome.
He didn’t wear a wig, so his slightly disheveled, short platinum-blonde hair was visible.
The man, whose right side of his face looked completely innocent, and the left which had been scarred by a beast, smiled softly.
“You’re beautiful, Riv Katana.”
Feeling bewildered, Riv took his hand.
Lionel’s hands were large and warm.
“Let’s go down.”
It felt like she was seeing the world for the first time ever since she was born.
Riv moved and took a step forward.
“I should properly greet the servants.”
“Yes.”
Riv lowered her gaze and slightly leaned her body against him.
He put a little bit of strength into the arm that he was using to support Riv. Just until they got down the stairs on this floor.
The servants of the Duke, who were said to be small in number, gathered under the stairs and looked up at them.
The old butler, Karl, was the first to approach them as they descended from the high and magnificent staircase. He smiled kindly.
“Miss Riv, congratulations on your engagement to the Duke.”
Karl and the servants and maids around them clapped and greeted Riv.
“Th-Thank you.”
That was the only thing Riv could say at that moment.
She didn’t expect to be congratulated.
She had never heard kind words like these before, so Riv’s eyes quickly teared up.
She tried to control her emotions.
After Riv calmed down a bit, Lionel introduced her to his employees.
“Butler Karl has been in charge of the Sentoren family for over 30 years.”
“Oh.”
“Claudel, who took care of you, is also the housekeeper of this Duke’s house. She will be your personal maid.”
“Y-Yes.”
She was introduced to the cooks, the maids, and the gardeners, one after another. After the introduction, everyone congratulated them for their engagement.
“Congratulations, Prospective Madame.”
“I am glad the Madame is quickly recovering.”
Everyone’s hospitality was just awkward for Riv.
Lionel and Riv talked briefly in the drawing room and finished their meal.
The Duke then led Riv into the garden.
“There is nothing outside the Sentoren mansion. It’s just the garden and the gym on this side.”
The Duke’s mansion was larger than expected, and in addition to the main building, there was a garden, a gymnasium, the servants’ quarters, and a greenhouse. Riv couldn’t walk for as long as she would have liked because her body was weaker than she thought. Watching Riv’s complexion deteriorate, Lionel let her rest.
“You must have overworked yourself. You must recover in time for our wedding.”
“I will be fine until then.”
Lionel sent Riv back inside the mansion to rest.
“Riv, I have to leave this afternoon as I have business to attend to. So take a nap while I’m away.”
“Just a little nap and I’ll be fine.”
Lionel then rode a carriage and left for somewhere.
As Lionel headed towards the palace, he thought of Riv. She would be his wife.
Some servants were shocked when he said he was going to marry Madame Katana, not Marianne.
But when she appeared in her true form, Madame Katana was forgotten in the minds of the servants.
She was a woman who was completely different from the insidious rumors.
No one could see the large, ugly black widow and the present Riv as the same person.
No one could have imagined that she would be so slender under her gigantic dress. Even Lionel couldn’t.
Riv became a different person simply by taking off Madame Katana’s dreadful dress and putting on clothes that fit her body.
Just like a beautiful flower that bloomed from withered buds.
She was beautiful even before that flower had fully bloomed.
‘Riv.’
Lionel ruminated over her name.
The carriage carrying him shook from time to time.
Lionel spoke to Michelle who was sitting across from him.
“Why was the Ailte Palace calling for me? Was it because they heard the news that I was going to marry Riv?”
“I’m sure it’s because of that. Above all, Queen Selina seemed to be dissatisfied with this breakup.”
“It was Princess Marianne who had always wanted to break our engagement.”
“It was the King who decided to break the engagement, and the Queen found out belatedly. I know that Princess Marianne is also dissatisfied with this situation.”
“Why? Didn’t she want this breakup?”
“Princess Marianne is proud and always wants to be noticed.
“Ahh.”
‘How could I have forgotten?’
Lionel fully understood Marianne’s character.
She was a selfish princess through and through. She wanted to be the main character in everything.
Even if her annulment was to be broken, she wanted to remain a noble victim.
Marianne wanted Lionel to be stigmatized. In other words, he had to be the bad guy.
“What Marianne wants is for me to be the one who cheated and betrayed her.”
The fact that the opponent was Marianne’s handmaiden was a scenario that the princess would never have wanted either.
Lionel reminded himself that Marianne and her father, Philippe II, were both fickle people.
“Will His Majesty be persuaded by the Queen’s words and rescind the cancellation of the engagement?”
“Well.”
Even if the signed contracts were left as evidence, the royal family would always argue that it was unfair. It would be better for Lionel to get married as soon as possible to escape the troublesome bondage of the royal family. It had to lead to a marriage that the royal family could not dare to interfere with.
The capricious king wanted to use everyone like a chess piece in his hands. The king, of course, had no interest in winning or losing.
“Did you receive word from the Episcopal Church? Tell them to prepare for the ceremony as soon as possible.”
“His Eminence, the Cardinal, has heard the news, but it seems that he is still undecided.”
“I guess it’s because it’s the royal family that I’m up against.”
“Still, it’s the Duke’s wedding, the main church will try to be polite.”
Lionel laughed bitterly.
“Will Marianne stay still once she finds out that my bride is Madame Katana?”
Michelle recalled that Riv had almost been killed by Marianne. Marianne’s obsession was persistent and dauntless.
“We will put pressure on the Episcopal Church. Oh, there’s one more thing that came to mind.”
“What is it?”
“There’s a man named Philip Katana who refused the title of Count Katana. He is Miss Katana’s brother, and is said to be one of the priests of the Episcopal Church.”
“Find out where he is.”
Michelle nodded his head.
Ailte Palace was visible through the carriage window.
The meeting with the king would not be pleasant, as always. Lionel’s brow was already wrinkled.
***
Instead of going back to her room, Riv decided to take a break in the small drawing room on the first floor.
The servants who watched Riv were worried that she might get hurt. They genuinely cared about Riv.
“The chefs are preparing pudding for the prospective Duchess.” Claudel said.
“Pudding?”
“Since you’ve been ill for a while, you should eat soft food so that you don’t get sick. The pudding is soft, so it’s easy to digest.”
“I see.”
“If there is anything you would like to eat, please tell me. The chefs of the Sentorens are known for their skill.”
“You’re going to gain weight quickly.”
At Claudel’s words, Riv smiled and wished. She wished that she wouldn’t bring misfortune to the people here who treated her with kindness.
Even at Riv’s sudden appearance, and the news of her sudden engagement to Lionel, they seemed truly happy.
Claudel added as she prepared the tea.
“The Duchess’ bedroom will be redecorated in a few days.”
“Then what’s my room now?”
“It’s a guest room. The Duchess’ bedroom is on the third floor, next to the Duke’s.”
Riv was going to become a Duchess.
She would live next door to Lionel and would sleep with him sometimes.
“……!”
Riv’s face quickly burned just thinking about that night.
As she looked around the small and adorable drawing room, she found a small hand mirror located at the edge of the drawing room and looked at herself.
A woman in a gentle pink dress.
She couldn’t be as lovely as Princess Marianne, but she looked like an elegant lady.
‘Is this really me?’
It was the first time that she’d seen a different image of herself for a long while through a mirror on a bright day like this.
Her large breasts and hips seemed to be accentuated by the dress that hugged her soft curves.
The Duke’s gaze on her voluptuous curves of the dress was dark and gloomy.
‘Was there a desire in his eyes?’
Did he feel lust for her?
Did he really want to make this marriage real?
“I.”
Riv took a deep breath.
A peaceful landscape spread outside the window. For some reason her heart was pounding.
At that moment, the realization suddenly came.
“I… I like Lionel.”