Emily's cold hands helped me out of the tub and wrapped a soft towel around me.
"This way my Lady." she said, ushering me into the next room. I looked around. Dresses. Were. everywhere. Was this Judith closet? There were not somany dresses in here I didn't even know what to say. Emily looked at me inquisitively.
"Is there something wrong Lady Judith?" Emily inquired. I realized I had been making a face, so Iquickly regained my posture and shook my head no. I walked slowly around, taking it all in. There was not so much to choose from.
"Emily ."
"Yes my Lady."
"Help choose a dress please. I'm not sure what would be suitable." I said.
"Ma-Ma'am are you sure? You hated wherever anyone helped you in the past.." she said.
I wasn't too sure how to answer her, so I simply looked at her until she gave in and looked around for more something to wear.
"How about this one?" she said, pulling a a black dress off the shoulder dress out.
"Perfect." I smiled. Emily beamed, pleased with herself that she's gotten to help out her lady. Emily helped me lace the dress on, before leading me back into my bedroom.
"May I do your hair my Lady?" she asked
"Yes, please do"
I said smiling at her. Emily looked at me with a smile on her face. When Emily was done, she led me to the mirror. She brushed my hair so my hair looked vene better than before, and she'd applied the simplest of makeup to enhance my already great features. I stood in the mirror almost shocked at Judith's level of beauty. "you look gorgeous my lady "Emily smiled at me, the first genuine smile she'd given me.
"Thank you Emily . Really." I smiled at her. I was going to give Emily the love she deserved. I wouldn't treat any of the maids like servants.
"You are most welcome, my lady. And- I'm glad you woke up." she said gently brushing tears in her eyes. Aha. So I do have people who worry about me. I bet no one showed their emotions because Emily would have screamed and thrown a temper tantrum. Emily's voice snapped me out of my thoughts.
"Shall we meet the Duke Derrick winter ?" she asked me with a smile.
"Yes, let's go." I said.
It was time to meet him .
I entered the grand hall.Emily had led me there which I was extremely grateful for, as I really had no clue where I was going. As we walked through the hallways, I studied them intensely. The whole mansion was beautiful. But what was on my mind is
Judith 's memories. When I first arrived in this body, it was weird. It was odd because I had my memories of Ha-Neul and Judith heart . I remembered all of Judith 's memories, however, in certain instances, I would remember some more than the others. WHen I first met Emily , I knew immediately it was Emily because a memory appeared in my mind. I knew it obviously wasn't a memory of me as Ha-Neul, so it had to be one of Judith 's.
"My lady ? My lady ?" Emily 's voice broke through my train of thoughts. I shook my head to clear it and focused on what was in front of me. The large door in front of me .so they opened it The walls were old instead of white. there was a fire place and tow couches. A coffee table sat in between them. I focused more carefully on the person who is sitting on the couch. I thought so he is Derrick winter . And beside him standing was the notary
Derrick opened his mouth.
His hateful gaze on me seemed as if he was seeing a hideous bug.
"Why won't you sit"
Those icy deadly gaze seeming like it wants to kick me to death was familiar to me.
It was the kind of gaze I always got from that house.
I sit down on the couch
he gives me a piece of paper
I read the piece of paper that was given to me by Derrick winter I felt the worn piece of paper crumple under the pressure of my hands. It felt as if I'd be capable of tearing it with even the slightest of force
I wish I was able to easily solve my dilemma.
I threw the paper in the fire
But no matter how many time I wait, the letters on the paper did not fade away.
In the end, the two heads of the family surrendered to their ancestors' whims.
The contents of the contract were simple.
We shall join the hands of our descendants after their birth.
But they were both drunk and just coughed up whatever came to their minds, so the contract ended up looking like a joke. Although, the actual problem was the fact that the empress signature Was in it and that means one thing .
The contract must be fulfilled no matter what. Otherwise, we don't know what is going to happen .
In the novel, this damned contract made Judith heart life a living hell.
Her husband was awful beyond words.
I put down the contract and smiled at the wretched bastard sitting across from me.
"Excellent. Marriage sounds good."
"Wise choice. Then let's have a wedding ceremony that isn't too ceremonious. Following that, I'll need you to go down to the Fief and behave like the lady of the house until I call for you. Naturally, there won't be any time to spend in leisure whilst dousing yourself in luxuries", Derrick winter warned me in an arrogant tone.
Clearly, he was just brushing me off without a care in the world.
Ah, really. I'm at a loss for words.
Even whilst I was reading the novel, I felt like the story was pulling at my leg. Then again, it's even more ridiculous when I'm actually experiencing the situation myself.
I retained a pleasant expression.
"Who said I was going to marry you?"
".....Pardon?"
"I'm not marrying you, but your father instead."
Yup, I wasn't referring to him using his title on purpose. I'd like to just be able to refer to him as 'you'. But it seemed like Derrick didn't have time to care about things like titles.
"What did you just.... It seems like I've misheard. Can you please repeat what you just said?"
A smirk show on my face.
Do you need me to clean out your earwax for you? Well, the notary must've heard what I said anyways.
"Your father is a single man. You're just holding onto a worthless stone block, knowing that it was a gold bar all along, so obviously there's still the possibility of your father being valid for the contract."
"There's no way those absurd words of yours are referring to me."
"Oh my gosh, did it sound like I was referring to you?"
I feigned innocence but didn't exactly deny it.
Derrick face turned red.
"I'm not aware of a mistake I've made that warrants this kind of embarrassment from you. I'm not asking for much. All you have to do is fulfill the contract requirements and remain a faithful spouse."
"Of course I'll do that, but not with you. I'll be marrying your father instead."
"....I don't have time to play around with you, lady", Derrick sighed.
"Just tell me what you want. Jewelry? Dresses? How greedy must you be to not be satisfied with the title of Grand Duchess?"
Hey, don't be such a little bitch. You think you're the only one with money? The only noble to ever live?
He wasn't even the real son of the Grand Duke. He was adopted, just like his brother.
"If you wanted to marry me so badly, you should've just written your name on the contract. Does writing on a piece of paper hurt your little wattle pride? Or is it that you're physically incapable of doing that?"
"Lady", Derrick nagged me.
I smiled sweetly.
"Yes, I may be the only daughter of the hearts family, but shouldn't you consider Grand Duke winter family too? He has two sons, and both he and his other son are single. Unlike you, I have three options to choose from."
It seemed like he'd only understand the situation if I explained it to him in detail.
His expression told me he thought I was spouting bullshit.
"However, my father has a hard time getting out of his room. My brother is still much too young...."
"Oh my, you're not leaving yet? I thought our conversation was over already."
I glanced over at the notary, cutting off his rambling with knife-like precision. The notary silently took care of the contract.
I nodded at Derrick , telling him to get out.
"Please send my regards to his excellency the Grand Duke."
I don't have to see you off myself, do I?
I wouldn't go that far.
Derrick eventually left with the notary, leaving behind a teacup in front of his empty seat. I didn't know whether or not he was going to throw it at me when I rejected him. I ordered the maid to throw out the teacup. Then, Nina Elaine approached me.
"How was it?"
She asked for the result of the affair. I thought she'd wait until the end of the conversation but it looked like she hadn't left yet.
"Time well spent."
"It can't be that you have a crush on the young master, right? Make up your mind. The Elaine family has always sided with the Heart family, but we will not close our eyes towards this situation this time."
It felt strange to hear this from Nina.
In the novel, she had an affair with Derrick .
"…..That young master, it's funny how he's trying to pretend to be someone who's been noble since birth just because he got adopted into a good family."
Oh well, that's what the novel said.
Nina Elaine attempted to get in between the relationship of Derrick winter and Judith every chance she got in the novel.
A very popular subject was his 'dirty birth'. They say lust can disappear very easily when you've got a pair of mismatched eyebrows.
So Nina always said the same thing.
-You think so, too,Judith ?
So that's why, when the flustered Judith nodded her head on impulse, Nina snitched to Derrick s if she'd been waiting for that very moment.
-Judith keeps cursing you behind your back… I simply don't know what to do.
Nina fabricated rumours that Judith had been talking behind his back. When Nina said that she wished Judith happiness, Derrick felt that she was far too pitiful to bear.
He was furious and asked Judith if it was true.
Under such pressure, Judith wasn't able to explain herself.Derrick started to hate her and didn't even try to hide it.
Nina put on a pitiful expression whilst fiddling with her golden hair.
"No matter how much I think of it, this is too much for My Lady. Imagine having to spend the rest of your life in the northern territory where there's nothing to do...."
I smiled brightly.
"Don't worry. I wouldn't fight a losing battle."
"Ah! As expected, you must be looking forward to getting a divorce right after? Well, if it's the Nina family, they'll somehow work it out. But once you get married, wouldn't your decision end up becoming messy?"
Nina kept talking without hearing my answer.
"Anyways, young master Derrick is a good-looking man. It's not everyday you see such a fine man in the capital."
"The capital is already cramped."
"Pardon? The capital... is cramped?"
She opened her eyes wide, looking as if she'd heard something unbelievable.
You should leave now too. How annoying.
I rang the bell rope and called the maid over.
"Nina , I will be very happy and well there, living in the cozy north with a husband that'll look only at me."
But Derrick won't give up so easily.
As expected, a few days later Derrick requested to meet up with me. I refused him and said that I had a cold. After that, he sent me a bouquet of flowers with a letter.
My maid Emily , the one closest to me, told me,
"Miss, I don't think this is right. Isn't it basic knowledge to know what it signifies when one gives a bouquet to another?"
It was only natural for Emily to be dumbfounded.
In the end, she went wild.
"How dare he send you chrysanthemums?! Isn't this just declaring war on the miss?"
Feeling her blood pressure go up, Emily grabbed the back of her neck. However, this was only the beginning of the tricks Derrick as going to pull.
My maid is precious so I'll send her to go get a medical examination. And I'll give her a raise.
"I don't think it's like that. I believe he just picked them because their shade of white looks virtuous. Anyhow, flowers are like humans to me."
Even if I was to explain it to her, she wouldn't understand what I meant.
"Does the Grand Duke's household not teach manners or common sense?"
"I don't think the head of the house forced him to learn since he isn't going to be the successor."
Technically, Derrick winter is a failure the only reason he was the male lead in the beginning chapter'swas because Nina used him to get closer to Eckles. The main character of the novel wasn't actually Derrick , but his younger brother Eckles winter.
Derrick was destined to be forever-second-best, a corrupted hero.
Unlike me, who remained calm, Emily was out of control. Instead, she was near tears because she felt sorry for me.
"Urgh...…. I can't even put this in a vase."
All right, all right, I get you. I, too, nearly broke the screen when I read the novel. I remember flipping through so many pages just to see Derrick get punished.
"Throw it away."
"C-Can I really?"
"I'd also like to throw that away."
I looked over to the letter and pointed at it. I hadn't even opened it yet, but I already knew its contents.
Derrick was a prideful man.
He probably hasn't even told the Grand Duke about my preposition yet. He'd undoubtedly try to coax me into marrying him.
Emily didn't even have to ask me twice; she threw the bouquet and letter out with a look of disgust on her face.
to be continue…