Chapter 9
The night had grown deep.
Sasha stood in front of her bedroom door, already dressed in her nightgown, hesitating.
Every time he returned to the estate, she spent the night with him. Last night had been the only exception. It was the night she asked if sleeping together every three days was part of the contract.
Was that how he interpreted her words? She had tried to confirm it, though clumsily. Maybe he understood it as her simply not wanting to sleep with him.
Besides the small, careful movements they made to avoid touching each other, nothing significant had happened between them.
“So what is it that I really want?”
Did she want to fulfill her duty? Accept it without question? Or… did she actually want it?
Even though nothing was certain and her thoughts were still a mess, night came just as it always did. She had put on her nightclothes, knowing she needed to sleep, but her feet refused to move.
Still.
Sasha finally gathered the courage and turned the doorknob.
She walked through the dim hallway and stood in front of his door. Then she knocked, slowly and softly.
Before the sound of her knock could fully fade in the long, empty corridor, a voice from inside told her to come in. His low tone carried through the door.
When she stepped inside, she saw the duke’s bedroom, lit only by the pale blue light of the moon. The air was cool and quiet. Kyler was reclining in a large armchair.
“What is it?”
He spoke as if he already knew it was her, without even opening his eyes. Sasha didn’t look away from him as she walked slowly toward the bed.
“Aren’t you going to sleep? You should be in bed.”
Trying to sound as casual as possible, she kept her voice light. Kyler slowly opened his eyes. In the bluish room, his icy blue gaze felt even sharper.
While she quietly watched his sculpted face, he furrowed his brow slightly and stood up. As he approached her with long, firm strides, Sasha’s heart began to beat faster with each step he took.
“Yes. I’m traveling far tomorrow, so I should sleep early.”
The simple motion of him getting on the bed brought back memories of the nights they had spent together. Her body tensed instinctively, the anticipation almost dizzying.
But Kyler calmly lay down beside her, straight on his back, and closed his eyes without a word. The only contact between them was the faint warmth coming from his arm.
Sasha bit her lower lip gently. Was this something to be relieved about? She glanced at him once more, then lay down and stared at the ceiling.
“Are you… leaving tomorrow?”
Her voice floated quietly into the space between them before it could reach the ceiling.
“Yes,” he replied softly.
“Will you… come back soon?”
Even she didn’t know what answer she was hoping for. Maybe she just wanted to know when he’d return. Or maybe… she wanted to enjoy the freedom while he was away. Whatever it was, Kyler answered right away.
“No. I don’t have a reason to come back anymore.”
His answer left Sasha even more confused than her own question. Was there a reason he had visited the mansion every three days? And what did he mean by no reason?
Kyler seemed to fall asleep quickly, maybe because of tomorrow’s trip. His calm, steady breathing filled the silence. Sasha, still lost in confusion, blinked slowly as she stared at the ceiling.
The sun had risen, and the duke was already gone by the time Sasha opened her eyes. She blinked away the sleep, thinking to herself, He really is such a diligent man.
She wondered what kind of work kept a duke so busy that he was away from home for days at a time. There was so much she wanted to know, but for some reason, she never found the courage to ask. So she kept her questions to herself whenever she was around him.
Starting today, though, she would begin learning about the affairs of the estate from Rose and Pavon.
After a normal morning routine, Sasha called for Rose without delay. She wanted to start right away instead of wasting time.
“All right, Lady Sasha. I’ll begin by explaining the structure of House Ignote.”
“Yes. Please go ahead.”
What had made her hesitant about learning wasn’t the studying itself. It was the fear that someone would notice how little she actually knew about this place. That fear was what weighed on her most.
But whether Rose had been informed or not, she started from the very beginning. She explained the level of influence House Ignote held in the empire and even gave her basic information about the imperial family. She didn’t seem bothered at all by Sasha’s lack of knowledge.
“Running a household includes everything from managing the estate to overseeing financial matters. But you don’t have to handle all of it yourself.”
“Finances… I see.”
“House Ignote has many long-standing assets that have been passed down over the years. Because the management is so complex, His Grace handles most of it himself, with Pavon assisting him.”
She had almost taken on something far too big for someone who knew so little. But as she continued learning, a desire slowly began to grow. One day, she wanted to manage everything on her own and do it right.
It wasn’t that she wanted to keep all that wealth for herself. Although she had never lived a wealthy life, she had never been greedy either.
Maybe she just wanted to be recognized.
After the basic explanations, Rose spent a long time going over what kind of assets House Ignote owned and what kinds of income kept it running. Only when all of that was covered did the day’s lessons finally come to an end.
“It would be difficult to cover everything in one day, so let’s stop here for now. If you ever have questions, please feel free to ask right away.”
By the time Rose finished speaking, they had already passed the usual lunchtime. On the table between them were the papers filled with Sasha’s notes and Rose’s voice, slightly hoarse from all the talking.
Just as Rose seemed ready to leave after cleaning up, Sasha suddenly spoke.
“Ah, Rose. I want to invite my family from Ivern to the estate. Can you tell me what steps I need to take?”
Sasha had made up her mind. She was going to invite her family, just as she had planned. Kyler’s lukewarm reaction had bothered her a little, but he had given his permission. She was now certain that meeting them was the best way to gather real information.
They were people who knew the Sasha from before, the one she didn’t remember.
And more importantly, they were the family she had never truly had until now.
“Of course, Lady Sasha. We can arrange everything just the way you want. First, you’ll need to send out invitations. The invitations should be…”
As Rose explained the process step by step, Sasha listened carefully, committing each word to memory. She couldn’t help the excitement rising in her chest.
“Around one week from now would be ideal. Both the marquis’ family and our household will need time to prepare.”
“That makes sense. Alright. Let’s eat lunch and get started right after.”
That marked the end of the day’s lesson. The two of them stood naturally and made their way to the dining room.
Since they had gone straight there, Sasha’s notes remained beside her on the table as she ate.
Even though it didn’t suit her usual nature, she finally felt like she could start doing the things she had been avoiding or holding back from. Resting was nice, but sitting around doing nothing just wasn’t for her.
With the invitation to the Marquis of Ivern’s family as a starting point, Sasha silently promised herself that she would become a true Duchess of Ignote. She scooped up a large bite of the steamed fish and ate it in one go.
That one week, which had felt so long when Rose first mentioned it, passed in the blink of an eye.
It was Sasha’s first time inviting people over, and everything felt unfamiliar. It was as if she were showing off in someone else’s home, entertaining important guests. She had more than a few worries on her mind.
Caught up in all that, she hadn’t even realized that Kyler had been gone for an entire week.
Now that the big day had arrived, Sasha felt overwhelmed with fear.
She was about to meet people who knew her from a time she couldn’t remember. People who were supposed to be her family.
“I heard everything is ready. We worked really hard, so I think it’ll go great.”
Since Rose was busy overseeing everything, it was Connie who stayed by Sasha’s side, chatting cheerfully as she helped her get dressed.
“It’s actually pretty rare to invite guests to the estate. A lot of people are secretly looking forward to this.”
When Connie had first arrived, she had greeted Sasha with a shy smile. Now, she had already started working on Sasha’s hair with familiar ease.
Thanks to Connie’s lighthearted chatter, Sasha started to feel a little better. But she was still so nervous that time seemed to fly by. Before she knew it, it was already the scheduled hour.
Once they arrived, they would begin with lunch, have a light tea afterward, and if they wanted, Sasha would give them a short tour of the estate. It was a simple and polite plan. She repeated the steps over and over in her head as she made her way to the front entrance.
When she arrived at the main gate, Rose came to stand beside her. Sasha’s hands trembled slightly with nervous energy as she clenched and unclenched her fists. Rose seemed to notice and spoke gently.
“Try to relax. You’re just welcoming your family.”
But no one could understand that hearing those words only made Sasha even more nervous.
Just then, someone came running over, whispered something in Rose’s ear, and quickly disappeared.
Sasha could feel it.
They had arrived.
