Chapter 31

I was a bit late in responding to that unfamiliar title.

I said awkwardly, “Thank you, Alfred.”

Butler Alfred brought a mountain of letters on a tray.

He was the one who greeted me and Larissa at the front door when we came here on the first day.

After the funeral, Fabian called the butler, maids, and chefs from various fields and briefly introduced them to me.

‘No, was it me who was introduced to them?’

The surprised expressions that spread among the employees and the inner voices that were even more startled than that were vivid.

– G-Grand Duchess? Who? That girl who was locked up in the guest room until then in a dirty dress?

– Let alone the wedding, I didn’t even hear about the engagement.

– As soon as His Highness the Grand Duke passed away……what the hell is this?

One day without notice, the hostess suddenly appeared. Everyone was only confused in their minds, and no one spoke much with their mouths.

Among them, it was Alfred who did not raise an eyebrow.

He showed me the inside of the mansion with the utmost respect.

In the meantime, there was no voice from his heart.

‘Truly a man worthy of the butler of the Grand Duke.’

He brought the letters today very politely as if it had always happened.

“Ha……”

I sighed as I looked at the pile of letters. There is nothing to tear off. Because all the letters that come to me these days are all the same.

‘At least it’s an invitation, or a letter asking for permission to visit.’

“It seems that rumors have already spread in the social world.”

I flipped through the envelope and read only the name written on the outside.

I don’t know these people.

Fortunately, they sent the title after their name.

Thanks to this, even though I have a little knowledge of social circles, I was able to get a rough guess by looking at the titles.

“All of them are low-ranking nobles.”

Even within the social circles, they were of the lower ranks.

‘It seems that the high-ranking nobles are still looking at the situation.’

They did not want to believe that Fabian became the Grand Duke.

‘Or maybe they think he’ll be overthrown soon.’

I took out a box in the corner of the room.

Inside were the other letters I had received so far.

I collected all the letters I received today and put them in it.

I’m going to decline all invitations, but it’s better to show them to Fabian just in case.

I would be in trouble if I turned down a really important invitation by mistake.

“Larissa, I’m leaving for a while.”

I waved to Larissa, then took the box of letters and left the room.

We were still staying in the guest room given to us by the late Grand Duke on the first day.

The mansion was still busy adjusting to the sudden death of the Grand Duke.

Fabian did the same.

He was not staying in the Grand Duke’s room, but in his old room.

The policemen are also using a temporary office.

‘Indeed, it would be very uncomfortable to move into his grandfather’s room just a few days after he passed away.’

I knocked lightly on the makeshift office door, and I heard his voice from inside.

“Come in.”

When I opened the door, I saw Fabian with his eyes fixed on the desk without looking up.

The fountain pen was constantly moving.

‘You look very busy.’

I glanced around waiting for him to stop taking notes.

The interior was really simple.

There was only a desk and chair full of documents that Fabian uses, and there is no place for anyone else to sit.

‘Is this his original personality?’

Even in a temporary office, it’s a good idea to bring some frequently used or cherished items.

Is there not even an object that he is attached to?

Or is his work completely separate from his personal life?

I stared still at the top of his head, who had been bent over taking notes.

A strange thing caught my eyes.

‘There are two hair whorls.’

One hair whorl is visible near the top of the head and the other a little further away from it.

‘Where did I hear that? There is a saying that you are destined to marry twice if you have two hair whorls.’

It really is perfect for this situation, huh?

I giggled inwardly.

After a few minutes, he showed no sign of stopping his work.

Reluctantly, I spoke first.

“Your Highness, good morning.”

Fabian’s hand suddenly stopped. Then he raised his head.

As if he didn’t expect that I was the one who came, his red eyes widened a little.

“Wife, what’s wrong?”

There was no greeting even if it was just for pleasantries. He didn’t even pretend to get up from his seat.

It was not a conversation between newlyweds, but more like a boss asking a lieutenant.

‘Still, I’m glad that he used respectful words.’

Well, we are a contracting couple with different purposes.

‘You don’t have to change your attitude just because you’re married.’

I convinced myself and took out the matter.

“I have something to tell you, can you spare a moment?”

He frowned slightly at my question and glanced at the wall clock.

‘Do you not have time to talk for a moment?’

Fortunately, he put the fountain pen down and placed his hands on the desk.

Oh, looking at it again, your hands are so big.

“It’s fine if it’s just for a moment. Please speak.”

For a moment, I turned my gaze away from his hand movements and set the box I brought with me down on the corner to the desk.

“These are the letters I have received so far. I ripped open the first fifty envelopes and read them all, and they all had similar contents.”

‘So?’ he looked at me with those eyes.

“I didn’t read the rest of it because I thought it would be the same. I brought all the letters here because I thought I might have missed a letter from an important person among them.”

“Are you saying you want me to check if there is an important letter?”

“No.”

If that’s the case, I’d better ask the butler.

He must have been serving the Grand Duke for a long time, so he must know which family letter is important.

I took a deep breath, “From now on, can you please receive the letters too?”

As expected, his eyes frowned slightly.

“What are you talking about?”

“I am saying that I do not want to play the role of the Grand Duchess.”

Then Fabian opened his eyes wide.

What? Why?

I can do whatever I want.

You said I can taint the Grand Duchess’s name, and just do what I want.

‘I’m not really trying to taint it though.’

It’s just that I’m not the real Grand Duchess, so I don’t want to assume any obligations.

I didn’t even want to go outside and impress people that I’m the Grand Duchess.

I want to avoid as much noise as possible when Larissa becomes the Grand Duchess later.

I will just go out with only the pocket money I get.

“I heard that it has been a long time since the former Grand Duchess passed away.”

The wife of Grand Duke Frederic Laurent, Fabian’s grandmother, died of an illness more than a decade ago.

After losing his wife, Frederick did not remarry.

In other words, there was no Grand Duchess for a long time.

“So far, the Laurent duchy has been running well without a hostess. Do I really need to mess it up?”

“Mess it up you say?”

His eyes narrowed.

I bit my lip and nodded.

Had it not been me in this position, but the real Marcia, she would have done the same.

Because……

“Until now, I have never learned what a hostess does. It’s okay to call me stupid. That’s right. All I did was go to the party, dance, and drink.”

I’m not educated, so if I tried to tinker with it, I might really mess it up.

So, it was not because I didn’t want to do it, but more importantly, because I didn’t know how to do it.

Even as I spoke, my face burned with embarrassment.

Still, I did not try to hide it.

It was going to be revealed soon anyway.

“If I start working on it, everything that has been rolling with stability for a long time will come crashing down. Since I’m temporary anyway, I think it’s better to just leave it as it is.”

Besides, if you are going to teach the hostess, it is correct to teach Larissa, not me.

Teaching me is just a waste of time.

‘I will disappear from this mansion in three years, and Larissa will be the real hostess.’

Although of course there are more serious problems before the hostess education.

“And there is one more thing I would like to ask you.”

I swallowed dry saliva.

“I need a doctor who has good skills and has a heavy mouth.”

Fabian smirked.

“Is it because of Miss Larissa again this time?”

“Yes, indeed.”

I quickly waved my hand.

“Do not misunderstand. Of course, the person taking care of her now is a great doctor, and I am very grateful.”

Thanks to the doctor, Larissa’s wounds began to heal little by little.

Fortunately, she was still a child, so her wounds healed quickly.

He was obviously a good doctor.

But the problem was that all he did was treat her wounds, not her trauma.

“Larissa needs another good doctor……a doctor who can heal deep wounds of the heart.”