I Seducing the Black-Hearted Duke Wasn't Me - Chapter 49

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 49
A fox of a woman who captivates countless men.
A lady of fatal charm who has already drawn tears from the eyes of many noblewoman.
‘……I’m certain I heard it that way…….’
“W-well, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Marquis Zaherette. His Majesty told me about you. I, I do offer my c-congratulations on this betrothal.”
“……Yes. Thank you.”
I regarded the woman standing rigid before me.
Her cheeks flushed with animation, her small hands unable to remain still, fidgeting constantly.
And her blue eyes, darting back and forth without pause.
There was something restless about her even in repose, but one thing was certain.
‘She’s certainly charming.’
With her petite frame, she seemed the sort to fit perfectly in someone’s arms—that expression suited her well.
The kind of charm that stirred protective instincts in those who witnessed it; the sort that made one want to shelter her from the world.
‘So this is Leon’s taste, then?’
If so, it was a bittersweet situation.
She was nearly my opposite in every conceivable way.
“Ah! I should show you inside. Please, come this way.”
“Thank you.”
“I couldn’t believe it when I heard the news. Leon getting betrothed! I was so curious about who the other party was that I sent a letter to His Majesty, and he entrusted something so important to me.”
The noblewoman led me into the mansion, speaking as she walked.
“I’ll do my very best! Just trust me!”
The small woman clenched her fists with determined vigor.
Then, as if embarrassed by her own earnestness, she quickly averted her gaze and smoothed her hair with her fingers.
“Normally, celebration banquets hosted by the Imperial Family are prepared by the Empress or the highest-ranking noblewomen……. But these days we’re facing quite a void in such matters. I’m not sure if my efforts will suffice, but I do ask for your forbearance.”
Isabel spoke hesitantly, eyes stealing a cautious glance at me.
Unlike her earlier confidence, her self-assurance seemed to have evaporated entirely.
What an odd dissonance this was.
“You mustn’t say such things. Quite the contrary—I’m the one who feels indebted for putting you to such trouble, summoning you here and burdening you with this task at once.”
“Please don’t apologize! I accepted because I wanted to! I, and also…….”
Hmm. And also?
“Soon we’ll be family, won’t we? I wanted to build a friendship with you beforehand…….”
“I’m reassured to hear you say so.”
Please, speak at ease. I have been betrothed to His Majesty, yes, but we haven’t held a formal ceremony yet. I still hold the rank of Noble Daughter of the Duke’s House, and you are the head of your own family.”
“Ah. Is that so?”
“Yes. Please, just call me Isabel.”
“Then you call me Erna. We’re close enough in age, after all—let’s speak like friends.”
“Ah…… yes!”
At my suggestion that we might as well be at ease with each other since we’d likely see each other often, Isabel’s face brightened as if illuminated from within.
Like someone who had received an entirely unexpected gift.
But the more it brightened, the deeper my confusion grew.
‘Can this really be the woman who drove so many ladies to despair? No matter how I look at it, she seems harmless, even kind.’
If anything, there was something almost naive about her—so gentle that one would worry about letting her out alone.
With each passing moment of conversation, the warnings the noblewomen had offered yesterday crumbled one by one.
We were sipping tea amid this increasingly relaxed atmosphere when the door opened.
“Forgive my lateness. Oh my, the carriage wheel got stuck on the way, and I simply couldn’t help it.”
A plump, sweet-faced middle-aged noblewoman hurried into the reception room.
I had greeted Duchess Merciel in public on several occasions before, and from what I’d observed, she was sincere in her social pursuits.
Today was no exception.
Though visibly flustered at having missed the appointed time, every step she took radiated grace and poise.
The Duke’s daughter before me resembled her subtly, yet in a way that was distinctly different.
“It’s been a long time, Marquis. I trust you’ve been well? We exchanged pleasantries at the Seonggwang Festival years ago—I’m not sure if you remember.”
“I do remember, Madam. I trust you’ve been well also.”
As I bowed, the noblewoman—wiping perspiration from her brow with her handkerchief—broke into a beaming smile and nodded.
“Of course! I never imagined we’d form such a connection, but I’m truly delighted!”
The Duchess spoke with obvious delight, her manner effusive.
At this display, Isabel beside me whispered softly.
“I’m still rather inexperienced at hosting celebration banquets……. My mother has offered to help me.”
She smiled brightly as if to say I shouldn’t worry…….
But really, here was the Emperor’s betrothed and the Duchess herself, both so eagerly involved.
“I’d be fine with something simple.”
“What are you saying? That won’t do at all! This is the Betrothal Celebration Banquet for the Grand Duke of Bernstein and Marquis Zaherette! The ceremony was abbreviated, so the banquet must be done properly!”
No, I really don’t mind.
But Isabel, whose enthusiasm had already ignited beyond recovery, brushed aside my concerns with blazing determination—she would make me the happiest woman alive that day.
Erna, what can I say. Let it happen as it will.
“By the way, Marquis. Have you and our Isabel met before? You seem quite close.”
“Ah, we decided to speak comfortably with each other. Our ages are fairly similar, after all.”
“That’s right, Mother! We decided to become friends.”
Isabel beamed at me, her smile radiant.
When I nodded in agreement, her expression grew even brighter as she turned toward the Duchess.
“Friends? Friends, you say? My! How wonderful!”
The Duchess, who had seemed momentarily flustered, broke into a broad smile and exclaimed.
“Excellent. I’ll share all the knowledge I’ve accumulated with you both. After all, once you two settle into your respective positions, there will be much work to do.”
“Work to do? What sort of thing, specifically?”
“Planning celebrations and receiving guests—that sort of thing!”
The seasoned Duchess’s eyes gleamed with purpose.
“Let me think… what will we need? Ah, perhaps we should start by refining the guest list? For everything else, I’ll have our butler handle the arrangements.”
The noblewoman, her spirits soaring, assured me it was hardly difficult at all, tapping her chest with evident pride.
I could feel considerable confidence radiating from her.
‘That’s true. Ordinarily, the family elders teach these things, but I never learned them. Perhaps this is an opportunity after all.’
I had fortunately learned to manage the estate and conduct business before Father passed, but my mother—who had gone to heaven not long after I was born—had been absent, leaving me without the education in a noblewoman’s bearing and conduct that I ought to have received.
‘That’s why my social skills have always been awkward too.’
Right. So thinking it was actually fortunate, I straightened my posture and nodded.
“I’ll study well. I’ve simply never had the opportunity to learn such things until now.”
The Duchess’s eyes widened at my words.
A moment later, grasping the meaning behind what I’d said, she smiled warmly.
“Ah-ha. It’s as if I have two daughters. How lovely.”
At that, I felt my cheeks flush and laughed quietly. It tickled, somehow.
If there were such a thing as the gentle, maternal impression I’d never known, I thought it might feel something like this.
* * *
“I’ve stayed far too long. I should take my leave. You needn’t see me out.”
“But…”
Isabel, insisting on accompanying me despite my protestations, hurried along at my side.
Perhaps from spending the whole day under the enthusiastic tutelage of the eager Duchess, we had grown quite close in that short time.
Here I was—someone known for being reserved—adapting this quickly. Even I found it remarkable.
“I’m looking forward to working with you, Erna.”
“How many times are you going to say that?”
I let out a small laugh, and Isabel giggled in return.
She clasped both my hands tightly, seeming unsure what to do.
It was while I stood at the mansion’s front steps, held fast by her reluctance to let me go, that something occurred to me.
‘Wait, now that I think about it, isn’t there something important I’m forgetting?’
What was it?
Hmm. So then…
“Oh? Look there!”
While I was lost in thought, Isabel suddenly pointed somewhere and cried out.
I turned my head to see what she meant, and my brow furrowed.
A large carriage passed through the Duke’s Mansion gates and slowly made its way toward us before coming to a gentle stop.
A man stepped down from the carriage.
“I haven’t arrived too early and ruined the mood, have I?”
……
“I’ve come to collect you, Erna.”
Leon, wearing an easy smile, was approaching me directly.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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