Chapter 5
“Um, Lady Sasha…”
“Lady Sasha, please stop. That’s something we’re supposed to do…”
In the hallway, Sarah and Mina stood nervously, peeking into the drawing room.
Inside the spacious sitting room, the second largest room on the first floor after the Duke’s study, Sasha was moving briskly, apron on and cleaning cloth in hand.
She didn’t have the charisma to command others with her status. But what she could do well was work. And ever since the last round of gossip, she figured it would be smart to build a better relationship with the maids. It might help silence the rumors.
Judging by their reactions, this was working as a little payback too… Maybe she should have started with the library on the second floor instead.
“It looks like this room doesn’t get cleaned often. I’m not taking over your work—I’m just lending a hand.”
Noticing the way the two maids were trembling as if they’d been caught doing something wrong, Sasha offered those words to ease their nerves. Then she returned to wiping the surface of the table between the sofas.
Even though Kyler visited every three days, he never stayed long. As a result, the drawing room was dustier than expected. It seemed like it wasn’t cleaned regularly, probably because it wasn’t often used.
From what she had seen while wandering through the Ignote estate, the place was large and extravagant, but strangely empty. There didn’t seem to be many staff, and there were no other family members.
And yet, they said the Ignote family had a long and proud history.
“Does he… not have any family?”
Sasha murmured the question quietly to herself as she absentmindedly wiped the already clean table again.
Now that she thought about it, she hadn’t done much on the day of the wedding except walk into the banquet hall. No one had introduced her to anyone. She hadn’t exchanged greetings with any unfamiliar guests. Even the ceremony itself had been brief and quiet.
“Is that how things are usually done here?”
She tilted her head in confusion and began wiping the sofa with a dry cloth.
It seemed Sarah and Mina had been standing outside the whole time, too nervous to step inside. Worried that Sasha might mess up something they’d already cleaned, they suddenly rushed into the room.
“L-Lady Sasha! Please give us the cloth!”
“We’ll take care of it. You should go back to your room…”
Why were they overreacting like this? Sure, most noble ladies wouldn’t lift a finger, but still, this felt a little extreme.
Was Rose really that terrifying? Weren’t they the ones who were gossiping about her behind her back?
Even in this awkward moment, Sasha didn’t let go of the cloth and continued wiping the sofa, stretching her arms out with determination.
“I just didn’t want to sit still anymore. Are you scared Rose will scold you?”
“Well, it’s just… this really isn’t something the mistress of the house should be doing…”
“I won’t let Rose find out. Wait… Am I making you uncomfortable?”
“Yes. It looks like you are.”
Sasha inhaled sharply, almost as if someone had punched the air from her lungs.
So, this was why they had burst in looking so panicked…
“D-Duke Kyler…”
The low voice that was so familiar startled her because it was indeed Kyler.
All three of them quickly stood up and bowed. The two maids flanked Sasha, bowing stiffly. Kyler’s expression gave nothing away, which made Sasha’s heart sink a little.
His icy blue eyes slowly moved from right to left.
The three women held their breath, nervously waiting for him to speak.
“Sasha, what are you doing?”
His calm voice made the maids flinch.
Huh? Why are they so jumpy? He didn’t sound angry. He didn’t raise his voice or glare at anyone.
Still confused, Sasha swallowed hard and tried to answer.
“I was just cleaning. I felt like I was doing nothing around here, and I wanted to help.”
She tried to sound as casual as possible. If she made a mistake here, the two maids might really get in trouble. Why did he have to show up so suddenly? It was still broad daylight!
She clicked her tongue in frustration, mentally cursing her poor timing. But as she glanced around, she realized no one really understood her explanation, not even Kyler.
He said nothing. No reaction, no reply.
Sasha sighed inwardly and clicked her tongue again.
If only she had kept at it, maybe she could’ve gotten a little closer to the maids by now…
Still, Kyler didn’t scold her or question her behavior. Instead, he seemed lost in thought.
She bit her lip slightly, feeling a small twinge of regret. The room was clean, she had tried to get along with the staff… It would have been nice if there was something to show for it.
She looked up at him, her eyes unsure. He was still gazing at her quietly, as if trying to understand something.
She was about to speak again when he beat her to it.
“We’ll talk upstairs.”
He gave a slow, steady glance to each of the maids, who looked too frozen to even glance his way, then turned and walked ahead.
“Don’t worry. He’s not going to scold you.”
Sasha whispered to the maids, sensing they were still shaken. She followed after Kyler and stepped out of the drawing room.
She meant to reassure them, but behind her, she still heard a deep sigh. Maybe she had made a mistake after all.
Kyler was already climbing the stairs with long strides. Sasha, now more comfortable with the flow of her gown and shoes, tried to follow but keeping up was still tough.
“Ah—!”
As she hurried up the stairs to the third floor, she accidentally stepped on the hem of her dress and slipped with a loud thud.
Thankfully, she hadn’t made it far up the stairs when she fell. She had only hit her knee, which would probably bruise, but wasn’t serious. She brushed herself off and stood back up.
When she looked up again, Kyler was standing at the top of the stairs, looking down at her.
Hopefully, he wasn’t waiting because she was slow.
Lifting the front of her dress carefully, she started climbing the stairs again.
He briefly lowered his gaze, then turned and started walking again.
She didn’t really worry about getting lost, but still, he could have walked a little slower. Without meaning to make a sound, she muttered a small complaint, then quickly followed after him.
The place Kyler had entered and was now waiting in was her room.
Sasha looked at his broad back as he sat on the sofa, then quietly took a seat on the long sofa beside him. Her knee, which had hit something earlier, was throbbing.
“You cleaned?”
He spoke politely, but his expression looked like he was ready to criticize anyone.
“Yes, well… I didn’t have much to do at home lately.”
For some reason, his face looked intense. Almost like he was angry. Maybe it wasn’t something a noble lady would normally do, but it wasn’t exactly wrong either. Was it something that might damage the dignity of a duchess? Maybe that was it.
But his reaction felt a little different. With those deep blue eyes, he slowly shook his head.
“I meant, did you use to clean at the Marquess’ estate too?”
She thought he hesitated slightly. Was that right? His tone seemed careful.
“No, I never did.”
Of course, she answered that way. A noble lady would never have done such things. Was he about to scold her for doing something here that she never did before?
But Kyler didn’t say anything else. He just looked at her. His head moved slightly up and down, like a small nod.
Somehow, she felt like she was starting to understand his actions. Was she really? She wanted to ask, but when she looked into his blue eyes again, the question disappeared.
“I heard the duchess has many responsibilities. Managing a household this large is no small task.”
Ah. So now she was being scolded for saying she had nothing to do, when the duchess was supposed to be extremely busy.
Well, it was true she didn’t know exactly what a duchess did in this world. But more importantly, she should have understood the terms of the contract before agreeing to this marriage.
If she had truly been someone fit to carry out the role of a duchess with pride, would they have needed a marriage contract in the first place?
Because of that thought, she hadn’t paid much attention to acting like someone with authority. But maybe she should have.
She realized now wasn’t the time to complain about being scolded by someone who didn’t know her real story. Instead, she needed to start doing what she had learned, gather more information step by step, and adapt quickly.
If he found out she wasn’t the Sasha he used to know, it wouldn’t lead to anything good. The only way to survive was to adjust quickly.
“You’re telling me to maintain the dignity and duties of the duchess, right? I understand.”
Still, she thought he might at least nod in satisfaction, but it seemed he didn’t.
She really wanted to get along with him, but it was harder than she expected.
“As I said before, just stay in your role. If it’s to maintain the position of the duchess, you’re allowed to use my name.”
His voice was calm but cold, full of firm resolve.
His tone was kind, yet his words held no warmth. Maybe he truly didn’t have any emotions at all, like some kind of monster. Or maybe his cold appearance and atmosphere made people overlook whatever gentleness he might have inside.
Am I just seeing what I want to see?
“Your answer?”
“Oh, yes. I’ll do my part as Duchess Ignote.”
As he looked at her, his eyes didn’t show any humor. There was something else there.
“Did you see that earlier? How he talked to Lady Sasha?”
“I know, right? I’ve never seen the Duke speak so gently before!”
Connie watched Sarah and Minnie chatter excitedly. Earlier, they had been amazed to see Lady Sasha cleaning. Now they were fussing again because the Duke had visited.
But their conversation was too interesting to ignore. Curious, Connie quietly moved closer.
“What are you talking about?”
“Oh, Connie! Come here. The Duke came earlier, and you wouldn’t believe it!”
“He said, ‘Sasha, is something the matter?’ Just like that!”
The two of them screamed in hushed excitement, like they were in the middle of a romantic play.
“Wait, if he didn’t bring her here to summon her at night, and this isn’t just a political marriage… could it be that he really likes her?”
“The Duke? In love? Is that even possible?”
Connie tilted her head as she watched Sarah and Minnie talk seriously.
“Well, the fact that he visits the house every three days without fail… doesn’t that mean he likes her?”
He was always polite, but sharp, like a blade or a stone wall. He never shared emotions, never allowed others to be affected by his mood.
Even the maids knew him well enough to act this surprised now.
“Is dinner ready?”
Just then, a gentle voice spoke from behind.
