Chapter 12
“Irina...”
“But, brother, you’re quite something, aren’t you?”
“...”
“You knew the princess was injured, and yet...”
There was something he had said to bring me back to the duke’s residence.
“You said I would be treated as the princess. How could you make such a promise?”
Lian’s throat bobbed slightly.
“You must have known I would be used as a substitute again for another year.”
“Irina, I really—”
“Or did you genuinely believe I wouldn’t be used, and that I would be treated like a true princess?”
If he truly thought that, then Lian wasn’t just naive—he was a fool. He should have known from the situation alone that I would be used.
“Irina, I didn’t mean to deceive you...”
“I’m not saying this to blame you. It’s just...”
I gently brushed a bit of dust off his shoulder and smiled.
“You’re truly like someone from the Rise family.”
He had pushed forward without considering how the other person might feel, just like a true member of the Rise family. He pushed for what he wanted, even if he knew the other person didn’t want it and wouldn’t be happy with it.
I tilted my head as I looked at him, standing there silently. Perhaps he realized that my words were a subtle jab, not a compliment.
“Well then, I’ll be going, brother.”
As I walked past him, I headed toward the study where Duke Alexis was likely to be. A maid quickly approached me, her steps hurried.
“Princess? Did you just return from an outing?”
I flinched at the maid’s use of “princess.” My sharp glance made the maid blink nervously.
“Did I... say something wrong...?”
“No, nothing at all.”
Even though they said I would be treated as the princess for a year, I hadn’t expected someone to so blatantly call me “princess.” It was a title that sounded sweet to my ears, but if April were here, it would have made me an easy target.
“Is my father in the mansion?”
“Yes, he’s in the study.”
“I’m going to see him. Take the robe to my room, and bring the papers on the desk to the study.”
“Yes, princess.”
I handed the robe to the maid and made my way to the study. The mansion was unusually quiet without Barack and April around, like the calm before a storm.
Standing before the study, I knocked lightly.
“It’s me.”
When there was no response, I knocked again, a little more firmly, until a voice finally came from inside. “Come in.”
The voice was tired, quite unlike the duke who once strode confidently across battlefields. His face, paler than usual, seemed even more severe.
Was it the commotion with Barack that had taken its toll? I had expected Duke Alexis to be alone in the study, but Patrick was there too. As the duke took a sip of water Patrick had brought him, he forced a smile and asked,
“What brings you here?”
“You said you would grant anything I wanted while I’m serving as a substitute, correct?”
“I did.”
“So I’ve come to tell you what I want.”
The duke, who had been reclining in his chair, stood up and gestured to the sofa in the study.
“What is it you want?”
I was about to answer when there was a knock on the door.
“Come in.”
At the duke’s permission, the door opened quietly, revealing the maid’s innocent face.
“You asked me to bring this...”
The maid hurried in, handed me the papers, and quickly left the study. I placed the papers on the desk and spoke.
“I’d like you to sign the contract.”
The duke’s eyes scanned the document quickly, his face growing more and more solemn.
“For the next year, I will dutifully perform the role of the princess’s substitute, as we agreed, but...”
“Ten thousand Luke per month...?”
The duke’s voice slipped as he reached the final clause.
“Yes, Your Grace. That’s the payment you’ll provide while the princess is recovering at the villa.”
This was the price the duke’s household would pay for my services.
“Irina.”
He called my name sharply, his eyes still on the contract.
“I understand it’s not a small amount, but it’s not an amount the duke’s household can’t afford either.”
Ten thousand Luke was enough to support a family of four for a year in the capital. It was a significant amount, but not for the duke’s household. They made money just by breathing, with the wealth from the Rubella Mines in the southern empire alone.
“Is money all you want?”
“It’s not just money to me.”
Once my plan was complete, I intended to leave the empire. I’d give half of what I earned to Alicia, who had suffered so much, and I’d live quietly without using my divine power, away from the eyes of the temple. For that, I needed a sufficient sum from the duke’s household.
Besides, they had broken their promise to my father, leading to his death. Considering that, ten thousand Luke was a small price to pay.
“I believe it’s an amount you can afford to give me.”
“I thought you would need something other than money.”
“I don’t know what you had in mind, but for two women to live on their own, money is the most important thing.”
There was a time when I thought things like sacrifice, family, love, and compassion were more important than money. But after being thrown out of the duke’s household, I realized the importance of wealth and power, far more than noble concepts like family or love.
“Patrick mentioned you’d receive a significant reward in a year.”
The duke’s pale blue eyes finally met mine. He looked unusually sickly today, more like an ill man than a powerful duke.
“I don’t need such a grand reward.”
His Adam’s apple bobbed slightly, his confusion mirroring what I had seen in Lian earlier. It was almost amusing to see the same expression on both of them.
“So just sign the contract.”
The paper crinkled slightly in his hands, a sign of his irritation. He maintained a calm expression, but the creased paper betrayed his frustration. Had something I said particularly bothered him?
The duke sighed deeply, as if the weight of the world was on his shoulders, and picked up the quill.
“Will ten thousand Luke be enough?”
He didn’t even look at me as he asked.
It was the question I had wanted him to ask, so I nodded slightly, even though he wasn’t watching.
“Yes.”
The quill tip touched the white paper.
“I want neither more nor less.”
The duke slowly began to write.
“Irina,” he said, his voice heavy as I waited for him to finish signing. “Bringing you here wasn’t just to serve as a substitute.”
His voice trembled slightly, even as he avoided looking at me.
“Even if April hadn’t been injured, I would have called for you.”
“I see.”
Words are easy, after all.
“But it’s also true that you wanted to use me as a substitute while you were at it, isn’t it?”
The hand holding the quill paused.
“Miss,” Patrick murmured softly, as if to stop me from saying anything further, but I paid him no heed.
“You wouldn’t want me to reveal my true identity now, would you?”
“...”
“So there’s no need to say things like that.”
As the duke finished signing, I smiled while gathering up the contract.
“I’m not a child who finds comfort in words anymore.”
I had been so easily swayed by the words of the duke’s household before.
As I rolled up the contract and prepared to leave the study, I turned to the maid who was nervously waiting outside.
“Why are you standing here?”
“Because the princess is inside. Is everything alright?”
“...”
“I just thought the atmosphere seemed a bit tense.”
I couldn’t help but smile at her innocent concern. I didn’t care what happened to the people of the Rise household, but I felt the need to give this clueless young maid some advice. If she fell out of favor with the duke’s household, it would be hard for her to find work with another noble family.
“Don’t call me ‘princess’ in front of Baroness or the real Lady April.”
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