CH 14

Isabelle, who woke up earlier than usual because of the unfamiliar bedding, washed her face and combed her hair carefully. Just as she was wondering if she should wear the same dress again today, a group of ladies in maid clothes entered the room and bowed their heads politely.

“Madam, today I’m going to introduce you to the employees who will attend to the fiancée of the Duke of Cardiago. My name is Rosa, and I’ll be serving you.”

Isabelle was rather ill at ease.

The reapers will serve her? She heard that when the saints are busy treating someone, she would have someone to take care of her, but it has never been a reaper.

However, if she acts surprised to see the employees she just met, she might be ignored. St. Maria explained that aristocratic society is a silent battlefield. Some say that it is also the master’s job to exercise proper authority to keep the maids from crossing the line.

‘Was it for times like today that St. Maria taught me court manners and imperial history, something that seemed useless for my life.’

Suddenly, Isabelle clenched her fist because she missed the saints. It is said that she moved to a safe place, so if she takes care of herself and stays healthy, the day will come when they will meet again. Even the saints wouldn’t want to be intimidated. 

“Nice to meet you. I’m Isabelle. I look forward to your kind cooperation.”

Isabelle is an orphan and has no last name, however, it does not necessarily give away that this is the first time she had entered such a big castle. Such things will only be a flaw if exposed. But contrary to her concerns, the maids were very afraid of Isabelle. 

‘This is the rumored three-letter girl… I should be careful not to make a mistake.’

‘This is what the maid who was in charge of transporting food yesterday said. The master is glued to the young lady.’

‘Let’s put up with it. I won’t even scream if you throw hot tea in my face.’

‘She is going to be the Duchess of Cardiago, so I have to serve her without lacking.’

Rosa swallowed dry saliva and held something out to Isabelle. It was a bouquet of pink roses with several layers of lilies and petals.

“This is a gift from the Duke. I hope you have a great day.”

“Thank you. Please use it to decorate the room appropriately.”

Isabelle answered plainly, but she was actually a little surprised. It was because the bouquet was exactly her cup of tea. 

Growing up in the Pilsburg temple, it would be easy to guess she likes white lilies, but few knew that she likes pink roses. It wasn’t just a bunch of flowers. 

‘I felt it yesterday, but the picture in the frame and the flowers used for decoration are too colorful to be Cardiago’s style.’

Using shadow magic, Cardiago preferred trees to flowers. The evergreen tree, which looks similar in all four seasons. The lily was not favored as it is a symbol of the Pilsburg family.

‘The Duke was really interested in me and asked Riggs, or…’

Isabelle was stunned by the unconscious thought. It was bad behavior to doubt a friend, but last night, it was suspicious that Riggs suddenly showed up at Cardiago Castle. 

Once the seeds of doubt settled in her mind, other doubts began to grow in an instant.

In her head, she pictured Riggs, who had bushy hair like a wild dog, and the Duke of Cardiago, dressed up in splendor and holding a fearsome sword. Obviously, there was a significant gap between the two, but it didn’t feel like a ridiculous assumption for some reason.

‘However, it doesn’t make sense that the cry baby deer is the Duke of Cardiago. The Duke is a genius born during the solar eclipse… Eh?’

It suddenly occurred to her that Riggs, who is one year older than her, was also born in the year of the eclipse.

***

“My lady. This is the main garden. The left and right sides are symmetrical, and the shrubs are trimmed daily by the gardener.”

Isabelle was given an afternoon tour of the Duke’s Castle. Bill, who was in charge of explaining on behalf of Riggs, was eager to explain everything about the castle to the soon-to-be Duchess. The maids that followed her today were extremely on edge, recalling the strict order issued by their master, Duke of Cardiago.

‘The Duke said to change everything the three-letter lady didn’t like.’

‘I remember what happened at the maid’s Training Center. After word from the top came down saying that there were many fallen leaves, the mountain was shaved with a shovel…’

The reapers swallowed their saliva and looked at Isabelle. However, Isabelle was unable to concentrate properly on Bill’s proud explanation because of a question in her head.

“Lilies and pink roses are planted according to Cardiago’s tradition, so please take a walk after you’re done with the engagement ceremony.”

“·······”

“Madam, don’t you like the garden?”

“Oh… no, no. Isn’t it very beautiful? Does Cardiago prefer lilies and pink roses?”

“Yes, it’s tradition.”

A tradition created by the order of the Duke about three days ago. Bill, the old man, did not explain. 

Isabelle thought the Duke of Cardiago was very unusual. It is the center of the duchy, and it could not be crossed by outsiders unless the drawbridge was lowered.

‘This is a place where only permitted guests can enter. It’s more closed off than I thought. That’s why there’s strange rumors about the Duke.’

Well, even the Duke’s full name is unknown to the public, so what else could she say?

The lack of sociability also seemed to strangely overlap with Riggs.

“Lady, do you like your room? If there is anything you don’t like about this place that you’re going to stay in the future, please feel free to let me know. I’ll have it fixed immediately.”

Isabelle then realized that she had been lost in thought for a long time. She had already looked around the garden, and now she was looking around her residence in the main palace.

“I love it. Everything is according to my taste. By the way, don’t most guests stay in a separate palace?”

“What do you mean a separate palace… Lady, you are the fiancée of Cardiago. It’s right to be united after marriage, but because it is still before the engagement ceremony, I prepared a room nearby. Please understand.”

“Will I use the same bed as the Duke after marriage?”

Does she want to use her own room?

Bill freaked out and spilled everything.

“Cardiago Castle is rather closed, so I think the young lady has heard some impure rumors about His Highness, the Duke. But, but… don’t worry lady. The rumors are just rumors!”

“·······!”

For a moment, Isabelle got goosebumps all over her body. It was because she found something else in common between Riggs and the Duke of Cardiago.

‘I thought Riggs had no sex drive for psychological reasons. If it’s not that…’

She actually thought it was a little weird. According to the books she has read so far, Riggs, who is at the prime of his life, has no sex drive for no reason. However, if there were a physical reason, it was acceptable to some extent.

It felt like she was closing the gap between Riggs and the Duke of Cardiago. Isabelle could not wait to clear up the connection between them. She knows Riggs’ birthday, so she thought it would be better to find out when the solar eclipse occurred that year.

“Bill, can I go to the library? I have a record I’d like to see.”

“The library? The garden that the Duke himself has prepared is still full of…”

“I’d like to see the library first. The personality of a person comes from the books that he owns.”

Her tone seemed to say that she was not easily misled by what she saw, and Bill felt as if he was losing his soul. The young lady in front of him was the one who Duke Cardiago openly threatened not to touch. Not to mention being favored.

She is the only exception to this tricky master, who has not shown interest in marriage, love or romance, even after completely becoming the head of the Dukedom.

‘Maybe you didn’t like the garden. No, you can make up for it in the library.’

Bill nervously guided Isabelle to the library. 

“Madam, this is Cardiago’s proud study. Of the three imperial families, the library of Cardiago is the most beautiful.”

“Wa…”

Isabelle exclaimed, forgetting her question for a moment. 

It is a huge space. reminiscent of a white ballroom, with wooden bookshelves. It was designed as a two-story building, and the sunlight was dazzling because of the beautiful glass windows.

“I thought this was in the capital.”

“The fiiancée of Cardiago is free to use all the books in the study.”

“I’d like to know if there’s any rules I have to follow.”

“Bookshelves and entrances in the library are enchanted with bookkeeping magic. If you have a book you want to read, you can take it to your room without getting permission.”

While Bill was explaining the history of the library, Isabelle looked carefully around. 

There were many books in the library, and there were numerous studies on Cardiago. If she was lucky, she might be able to find out the real name of the Duke.

“Are there any other precautions?”

“Deep in the study, there’s a secret library only accessible to the Duke, but you can’t enter it anyway, so you don’t have to worry about it.”

“Thank you, Bill. It’s a quiet place, so I’d like to look around alone. I think I’ve looked around the castle enough for now.”

“We still have a lot of sights left , but since you’re looking around the library, I’ll explain the rest next time. There’s plenty of time until the ball.”

Isabelle smiled lightly and headed inside the study. She thought that she would solve her curiosity soon; her heart was thrilled. 

“Rosa, I want to look around quietly, so please wait here. If there’s anything I need help with, I’ll call you.”

“Yes, Miss.”

Now there were no interrupters. Isabelle cautiously walked in deeper. Once she did, she realized it was much larger than it appeared from the outside.

‘There must be a book about Cardiago or solar eclipses.’

The problem was that the study was so large that she couldn’t get a sense of where the books related to solar eclipse or Cardiago were.

When she moved her eyes to find out which bookshelf to look at first, an unknown sense of disparity struck her.

‘Was there always a bookcase like this?’

Suddenly, in the place where her gaze turned to, a luxurious book with the crest of Cardiago was now appearing.