Chapter 55
Chapter 55: The Grand Duke’s Welfare
Cecilia walked in holding a stack of Northern News.
“Cecilia, even if the door is open, you still need to knock.”
“Oh, should I go out, knock, and come back in?”
I quickly grabbed Cecilia’s arm as she tried to leave, holding the magazine.
“Just give it to me.”
Cecilia giggled and handed me the Northern News.
I quickly flipped through it, and soon, a page with a bright and colorful recipe column appeared.
“Cecilia’s Cooking Recipe 1: Apple Pie”
The column was named after Cecilia, with a delicious-looking apple pie illustration.
The recipe was neatly laid out with ingredients and steps, accompanied by illustrations. Thanks to Morina’s detailed drawings, one could easily make the pie just by looking at the pictures.
At the bottom, there was a description of the “menu of the day” at “Marie’s Inn,” the place where the recipe came from.
“It turned out so well, right? We’re already getting a huge response!” Cecilia said, overly excited.
I squinted my eyes at her.
“The magazine has barely been delivered for a couple of hours.”
“I’m telling you! The delivery person said the whole street smelled like apple pie!”
Though I was a bit skeptical, a smile crept onto my face.
The column had turned out better than I expected. I was curious about how it would look after the printing company did their adjustments, but the illustrations turned out clear and vibrant.
The recipe itself was quite appealing.
Of course, the layout I designed had a lot to do with
But it was a satisfying result.
I smiled to myself, looking at Cecilia.
“How many copies did you bring?”
“Even if I share some, I’ll have at least ten left.”
Leta, already holding the magazine, was intently studying the illustration drawn by her younger sister.
“Ten copies might not be enough.”
I gently took Cecilia’s hand, counting the remaining copies, and smiled.
“Good things should be shared.”
“Who put these here?”
“Leta brought them.”
Marzella glared at the magazine in front of her with clenched teeth.
There was a small table in the west annex hall, where the maids’ quarters were, and on it were piles of Northern News magazines.
Marzella’s entire body trembled with anger.
The west annex was her domain, and here, she was practically the ruler of the space.
Yet, someone had dared to place this without consulting her, the head maid!
“Take them away.”
Marzella sharply ordered as she turned to leave.
“But, Your Highness, it’s a direct order from the Grand Duchess,” one of the maids timidly explained, catching her attention.
“They said to place them in the hall so anyone who wants one can take it.”
Marzella’s breath became shallow.
So you’re not going to listen to me now?
Her narrowed eyes made the maid shrink back.
How dare they ignore her orders!
Though her teeth were clenched in frustration, she knew that she couldn’t defy the Grand Duchess’s orders.
If she removed the magazines and the Grand Duchess found out, things could get difficult.
Leta is definitely the one who tattled.
Marzella forced herself to calm down and gave a quiet order to the maid.
“Tell the other shift workers not to touch the magazines.”
“Understood.” The maid nodded awkwardly.
The magazines would likely stay there for days, gathering dust.
Marzella snorted and went back to her tasks.
However, as she walked toward the back of the building, she couldn’t believe her eyes.
From the maids carrying laundry to the servants resting by the windows, and even workers heading toward the stables—everyone had a Northern News in their hands or tucked in their back pockets.
How many copies did they even distribute?
Marzella blinked in disbelief.
She had only just realized that the hostess had provided free magazines not only for the servants’ quarters but also for the maids.
“Her Highness the Duchess is so considerate, thinking of us too.”
“I feel ashamed for all the bad things I said behind her back.”
The maids whispered to each other, expressing their fondness for the Duchess.
‘What’s the big deal about magazines that can be bought with a few coins outside?’
Marzella walked around, taking her anger out by scolding the maids for their laziness.
‘How dare she do this without consulting the head maid?’
The more she thought about it, the more upset she became at the Duchess.
Even if it was the Duchess’s order, she would collect every single magazine as soon as she returned to the quarters.
Determined, Marzella returned to the quarters for the maid check and bit her lip in frustration.
When she reached the hallway, all the magazines were gone, and only an empty table remained.
“This is outrageous!”
The Marquis of Fasie threw the letter down in anger.
His heavy, ragged breathing filled the room.
“I’ve raised her all these years, and this is how she repays me?”
‘What on earth did she write to make him so angry?’
Ladriel, who was sitting across from him on the sofa, quietly picked up the letter that had been thrown.
It was a letter from Annette, who had left for the North.
“To the Marquis of Fasie,
I hope you’ve been well.
I barely remember what you look like, as we hardly ever met even when I was in the capital.
I came to the North without bringing anything, but thankfully, unlike some, the gracious Duke has been very kind and provided me with various conveniences.
The maids, as well as the servants who are my hands and feet, are far superior to those in the capital, so you should focus on matters concerning the Fasie family…”
‘Oh my, is she out of her mind?’
Ladriel’s eyes widened in shock as he read the letter.
Although the tone seemed polite, the letter was filled with insults and disrespect.
As he continued reading in disbelief, he blinked at the postscript:
“P.S. I’m not one to care much for formalities, but there are social rules, right? In the future, please show respect when writing to the Duchess, or better yet, don’t bother writing at all! I won’t be replying anymore. It was unpleasant meeting you, and let’s never see each other again.”
The main body of the letter tried to be somewhat polite, but the postscript clearly showed that her emotions got the better of her.
“Prepare the stationery immediately!”
The Marquis, veins bulging on his forehead, shouted at the butler.
“I’ll teach that ungrateful girl a lesson.”
‘What lesson will he teach her?’
Ladriel silently swallowed the question.
Ever since Annette left, the Marquis had become much more irritable, and Ladriel had naturally started to avoid confrontation with him.
“We’ll see just how far she can ignore my letters.”
Muttering to himself, the Marquis stormed off to his office to write a reply.
Left alone in the reception room, Ladriel nervously bit her nails.
‘As soon as she left, I thought she’d be sent back, but it seems the Duke treats her well.’
There was no trace of the timid and cautious Annette Ladriel that once knew in the letter.
Her boldness was both frustrating and somewhat admirable.
Is she no longer afraid of her father?
Then again, she had already been married and was living in a new house.
She wasn’t close enough to the Marquis to be affected by him anymore.
‘If I marry the third prince, will I ever escape my father’s shadow?’
Ladriel let out a deep sigh, feeling conflicted.
“Magazine sales have increased by 30%! Isn’t that amazing?”
The Duchess, glowing with excitement, looked at Loic, who nodded enthusiastically.
‘How can her eyes shine so brightly?’
Even though it wasn’t a sunny day, the Duchess’s blue eyes sparkled like sapphires.
“It’s only been a week, but we’re already getting tons of requests from the magazine company for more recipe columns.”
Though they had come far from the main castle under the pretext of showing her the grounds, the Duchess was more focused on the conversation than the surrounding scenery.
Then again, the walking path wasn’t anything special.
It had been poorly maintained, with only a little rust on the railings, resembling untamed wilderness more than a proper path.
Ever since the Duchess arrived, the state of the castle seemed to stand out more.
It was a relief that she didn’t seem to notice those issues.
“Did you know? Cecilia told me that even people who can’t read well are buying the magazine.”
The Duchess looked at Loic eagerly.
“It’s because of the recipes! As long as they can read the ingredients, they follow the pictures and make the dishes. Isn’t that amazing?”
“I see.”
“I didn’t realize how interested people were in cooking.”
Loic gently placed his hand on her shoulder from behind, keeping a bit of distance to prevent her arm from brushing against any branches.
It wasn’t that he didn’t like the touch, but he was trying to keep himself in check.
Recently, whenever the Duchess took his hand or linked arms with him without realizing it, he had to think about the most tedious and uncomfortable tasks to calm himself down.
He felt ashamed of how his body reacted to such innocent gestures.
‘But what’s worse is that it’s getting harder to calm down lately.’
In the end, Loic had chosen to exhaust himself physically.
That morning, he had woken up early and trained intensely for two hours to burn off all his energy.
Though painful, he wasn’t completely overwhelmed by it.
‘Tonight, I’ll have to run for an hour before bed.’
“Thanks to the magazine, even the servants are really enjoying it,” Loic said, applying pressure to his arms as they walked.
The castle, usually cold and dull, had started to feel different as spring approached.
