Standard Contract Guidelines for a Fraudulent Marriage - Chapter 27

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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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Chapter 27

Dorothea laughed once more, a sound that was genuinely pleasant to hear.

“Don’t worry yourself so much. I’ve never been fond of rigid formality. Besides, as the Duchess Insel, you already stand far above me in rank—your courtesy does me more honor than I deserve.”
“But…….”
“I understand. Ligan’s way of doing things can be difficult to grasp, can’t it? He prioritizes his elders regardless of his own standing. Yet if you insist on nothing but formality, you’ll be treated as though you lack any backbone.”

The blunt words struck Adelia like a shock.

But before she could gather herself, she was already crossing the threshold into Dorothea’s reception room.

She had expected the interior to match the exterior—dainty, decorative—but it did not.

A great desk, the sort used for drafting maps, bore stacks of books scattered without order, and nearby lay sketches whose ink had not yet dried, evidence of recent work.

Twin bookshelves stood pressed into narrow alcoves around the room, creating an atmosphere less of a lady’s sitting room than a scholar’s study.

“It’s a bit untidy, I’m afraid?”
“Not at all! It feels as though I’ve stepped back into the Academy—it puts my mind at ease.”
“How fortunate. I do have another reception room set up more formally, but I chose this one because I thought it would suit the Duchess Insel better.”
“Please, just call me Adelia, ma’am.”
“My, are you certain?”

Adelia nodded.

“I’m still not accustomed to being called the Duchess. It feels strange.”
“Then we shall do as you wish. Please, sit down, Adelia.”

Dorothea’s tone grew warmer still, and Adelia felt the knot of anxiety in her chest begin to loosen.

Once seated, a neatly dressed attendant brought fragrant tea and set a cup before each of them.

Adelia brightened as she caught the familiar scent.

“Solieux Tea.”
“You know it, then.”
“The Principal was quite fond of it.”

Dorothea smiled softly.

“Indeed he was. All true scholars favor it—it aids concentration most wonderfully. I do hope it suits your palate as well. Have you tasted it before?”
“When I attended the Academy, the Principal would summon me often, and I would have this tea during those visits.”
“How lovely. Well then…….”

Dorothea lifted her teacup with the ceremony of a toast and took a sip.

Adelia waited politely until the other had swallowed before sampling her own cup.

Ah, yes—this was it!

That sharp, refreshing top note, followed by a lingering, subtle tartness.

It was a flavor made for nostalgia.

“It’s quite delicious, ma’am.”
“Rather refined, wouldn’t you say? I’m almost embarrassed to boast, but my household staff brew tea to perfection. I drink it so constantly that I’ve nagged them into becoming true masters of the craft. I suspect my servants brew far finer tea than the attendants at the Royal Palace ever could.”

The mention of the Royal Palace made Adelia’s barely-settled nerves flare up again. The weight of who Dorothea truly was returned in a rush.

The woman the King loved more than his own Queen. The woman he had kept at his side—and yet who had ultimately chosen to leave the Palace.

“There’s no need to be so tense.”

Dorothea spoke gently.

“You must have heard some account of who I was. The Duke Insel has surely told you, and perhaps Professor Ciern has explained our connection as well.”
“You’re right. My husband told me about you. And Professor Ciern also spoke of his connection to you.”
“It seems Ciern has been quite open with you, Adelia. That’s rare for him—he doesn’t usually share such things.”

Adelia found herself suddenly curious about Dorothea’s age.

Given that she had once patronized Ciern and been the King’s beloved, she must be approaching sixty by now.

Yet she looked nothing of the sort—more like a woman in her late forties, at the height of her maturity and beauty.

“Do you have no questions for me, Adelia?”
“I, myself? Well…….”

Should she ask something in this situation, or claim she had nothing to ask? She wasn’t certain of the etiquette.

‘Besides, I’m not even sure what I would ask.’

Adelia had little interest in gossip beyond academic matters—this was hardly surprising.

Yet Dorothea seemed to be waiting for her to pose a question.

After a moment’s thought, Adelia ventured carefully:

“How did you fare at the Palace?”
“I knew you’d ask that.”

Adelia’s face flushed at being so transparently read, and Dorothea laughed with obvious amusement.

“Everyone wonders about that.”
“If I’ve been impertinent, I apologize.”
“No, not at all. I invited the question, after all. As for my time there—it was ordinary enough, I suppose. But as for why I left…….”
“…….”
“Love does not last forever. And my patience for enduring those who despised me had grown far too thin.”

When the King had summoned her to the Palace, Dorothea had agonized for a long time.

She knew well that with an official Queen now in place, her arrival could only breed chaos.

Yet the King had been insistent, and there was something in his manner that unsettled her deeply—he reminded her of how he had been as a boy, and the memory alone brought tears to her eyes.

In the end, she chose the arms of someone who wanted her over nights spent weeping into her pillow.

She had thought then that even if others came to scorn her for that choice, it would be worth bearing.

Because she had love.

But the human heart is a fickle thing.

Even the most exquisite flower fades after three days, and the King’s love proved no exception to this cruel law.

One day, gazing about her opulent yet desolate chamber, Dorothea knew she had to leave the Palace.

It was time to reclaim her freedom.

“I don’t dislike you at all, Dorothea.”

At Adelia’s words, the lady laughed brightly once more.

“How wonderfully honest you are. And I’m glad to hear it.”
“Truthfully, I want to ask those who claim to dislike you why they do. You’re so intelligent and talented—you have such interests in science, and at that party, I did something unforgivably rude without meaning to, yet you graciously overlooked it.”
“Something rude? Ah, you mean that business about microorganisms?”

Adelia’s face went crimson. At her nod, Dorothea continued:

“I found it absolutely fascinating. Quite sincerely—I’m very curious about what research you’re conducting. I asked Ciern about it, but that boy seals his lips tight as a vault on matters he’s decided to keep confidential.”

So it was true that Professor Ciern and Dorothea shared a close bond.

Adelia felt a wave of relief wash over her, followed by a loosening of tension.

“He keeps laboratory matters secret from me. He only brings me brief summaries when there are meaningful results.”
“I wonder why he does that.”
“You know, Adelia, it seems you and that boy share a rather similar trait. Why do you think that might be?”

To be compared with Professor Ciern left Adelia flustered and deeply humbled.

Yet as she reflected, she found herself beginning to understand Ciern’s heart a little.

He clearly wanted to be flawless.

At least before Dorothea, he would never allow himself to be seen fumbling or making mistakes.

“It’s because he doesn’t want to show himself making mistakes—not before you.”
“So you see it the same way?”

Adelia’s eyes widened.

“You already knew?”
“Only a suspicion. That boy is exacting with himself and with others alike, so I’ve long suspected he refuses to show anyone—least of all me—anything less than finished work. Such a trait deserves respect, but on the other hand, it does worry me.”
“Worry? In what way…….”
“Man is a social creature, Adelia—you know this as well as I do. Yet Ciern grows ever more distant from that society.”

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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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