"Oh, Melfina-sama, you're home early, aren't you?"
"I'm home, Ed. I'm feeling energized."
Ed, who was wearing a servant's uniform and seemed to be sweeping the area in front of the gate, came running towards me. The fact that it stopped a few meters away was probably a result of Rudd and Cliff's education.
"The gate is the face of the mansion, so Cliff says to always keep it clean!"
"Hey, Ed, take the horse to the stables. I'll take off the harness later; so all you need is water and food."
"Yes."
I feel a little relieved again when I see Ed replying obediently to Rad's request.
I headed straight for the reception room instead of my private room, and Cedric followed me without saying a word.
"Would you like me to make you some tea?"
"No, let's finish talking first. Marie and Cedric, sit there."
The reception room is a private room where the host entertains guests. The lord's mansion didn't originally have one, so one of the empty rooms on the second floor was set up in its place. When the three porters moved out of the capital's room, they bought some furniture, and the sofa set they brought in was worthless as a noble's property, but it was perfect for this small feudal lord's mansion.
"I can't sit in the same seat as the Lord."
Contrary to Cedric's stiff expression, Marie naturally sat down on the sofa across from him. She looked down at it bitterly, but Cedric didn't seem to know what to say.
In the end, I let out a small breath as Cedric remained upright and motionless.
"First, I would like to confirm with the two of you. I wonder how much the two of you have heard about me from the Duke."
"She is a lady who was adopted by the Marquis Crawford family as the legal wife of the Duke Orlando family, and she was asked to protect her."
"I was instructed by the head housekeeper to work as a maid to take care of Melfina-sama while she is staying with the Ordland family. It probably won't be for that long."
"Why is it assumed that the lady will not stay for a long time? Even though Alexis-sama has finally gotten married."
It seems that Marie, and by extension, the head housekeeper, was able to read Alexis' thoughts more accurately. The reason Cedric wasn't like that was probably because he and his superiors were not servants but belonged to the Knights, so they didn't have many opportunities to get to know Alexis's private life deeply.
From Cedric's point of view, Alexis, who had remained single despite her high status as the head of the Duke's family, had finally gotten married, but as soon as she got married, she started wandering around, thinking that she was going to become a feudal lord while living in a rural area. I guess she just looks like a young lady who is talking about leaving. That's why she thinks she should return to the Duke's house as soon as possible and treats her as a duchess rather than a lord.
However, from her attitude, it seems that Marie was just following the instructions of the head housekeeper. Every time she did something that a noble lady wouldn't do—for example, cleaning or cooking—she felt a sense of surprise that she couldn't suppress.
On the other hand, I could tell that Cedric was irritated with me all the time. It's like a strange and insane young lady is nervous about what she'll do next.
"Hey, Cedric. Maybe you know the the rumours about me and my mother?"
The fact that his face didn't change colour was a calm response typical of an escort knight, but unfortunately, his eyebrows were twitching in response.
"Home…"
"There's no need to mislead me. It's a well-known story among the aristocrats in the capital, and the Carlyle family is a family of court earls, so it's no surprise that you've heard rumours about me living in the capital. Something that is not."
"Why do you know my family name?"
From the moment he was introduced, Cedric was known as "Escort Knight Cedric." Not all knights have family names or knighthoods, so there is no particular problem with using that name.
The reason I know his full name is because I know from my previous life that Cedric is the target of the attack, and the fact that the Carlisle family is the Earl of the Court is due to the knowledge of Melfina, who was born and learned in this world.
"Many people seem to want to think that I lived and played in the royal capital, but isn't it a bit too much to think that the marquis family doesn't have that much information?"
In reality, you can't get there without knowledge of your previous life, so it's a good idea to cheat, but Cedric seemed to be convinced by his suggestive smile.
Maria of the Country of Hearts is also known as a trivia otome game. It includes a variety of settings, and the parameters of the main character and captures character change depending on the difficulty setting. And when it comes to hard mode, it becomes essential to understand detailed settings.
Thanks to the knowledge of her previous life, where she completed the characters on the highest difficulty level, and her current life, where she strived to be the best aristocratic daughter, Melfina can see what will happen in this world from now on and what is the best way to do it.
However, it can be said that I made a terrible mistake by forgetting to consider how the people around me would react as I proceeded down that path.
I never thought from the beginning that I would try to conquer Cedric like I did with Alexis.
This world is a maiden game, a world for the heroine who will arrive in this world two years later. All good men belong to the heroine, even if Melfina does everything in her power to ensure that she doesn't end her life unlucky.
I have no expectations for love in this world.
"To you, I must have seemed like an irresponsible wife of an aristocratic family who abandoned her family duties and followed her own interests, just like my mother. There were whispers in the capital that I was a changeling. If he knew what he was doing, I wonder if he was also secretly inferring that the Ordland family might do something like that."
"That would never happen."
Cedric is a serious and formal character. Even in the game, he was a highly difficult character who was attracted to the saint, Maria, but kept a certain distance from her as the commander of the knights and behaved rationally.
Even Melfina didn't really think that he was so honest and loyal to his position that he was so evil.
However, I wonder why you think this way. I don't like it when a superior makes such a judgment without proof. Especially for a serious person like him who probably doesn't want to make excuses.
"First of all, let me clear up that misunderstanding. There is no doubt that I am a duchess on paper, but I am not the official wife of His Excellency the Duke."
Cedric and Marie both looked suspicious at those words.
Becoming a couple in this world means pledging love and faithfulness before God. Many attendees watched as Melfina and Alexis took their vows at the church.
However, there is another condition for "marriage" as defined by the church.
"His Excellency the Duke did not visit the room on the first night. He has made it clear that he has no intention of doing so."
"...That's really unbelievable," Cedric said, squeezing the words out.
Marie, who usually didn't show much emotion, looked a little pal, as if she was heartless.
"Marie. There is a parchment document tied with red string in the desk drawer in my bedroom. Could you please retrieve it for me?"
Marie immediately followed the instructions, untying her ribbon and handing it to Cedric.
It's a contract with the terms of marriage that Alexis wrote in her own handwriting. They made two copies, signed them, and decided that each person would keep one.
It states that he has no intention of having children with Melfina, agrees not to fulfil his nightly duties, and also stipulates that he will not interfere with Melfina's whereabouts or what she does.
As mentioned above, the church generally does not recognize divorce, but divorce is possible in the case of a "white marriage." Under canon law, a relationship that does not produce descendants is treated as not being a normal marriage in the first place.
If they actually go the Alexis route in the game, Melfina will be divorced two years later for that reason.
"I don't do anything like that..."
"I don't think the Duke has any intention of divorcing me at this point. He just wants to at least keep an eye on him so he doesn't cause any trouble."
Roll up the parchment and tie it again with ribbon.
"On paper, I have the title Duchess, but according to canon law, I don't have that title, and the Duke has said that he doesn't care where I live or what I do. The fact that I don't reject the personnel assigned to monitor me is a sign of my sincerity, even if it's only for the first time since I'm taking the surname of Ordland. Do you understand?"
Cedric didn't reply. It was an act of disrespect towards the Lord, but there was probably too much information to digest.
No, in the first place, his "master" is not me.
"Cedric. If you want to return to the duke's service, you can use me as your reason. If you come near me, you'll lose your temper and you won't be able to fulfil your mission as an escort. If you say you've made a decision, no one will doubt you."
"You can't do that."
"I am not worthy of being a duchess; I am not in charge of the ducal family, and the duke himself has told me to do whatever he wants, so I am not suitable for you to protect me. It doesn't help your track record as a..."
"Yet my Lord has commanded me to protect you."
"Then please follow my orders, Cedric von Carlisle."
Cedric must have been extremely dismayed, having been told that he was looking at the person he was protecting through coloured glasses and that the person he was protecting was not the duchess in the official sense of the word.
When people are confused, they are unable to make sound decisions. If he continues to intimidate everyone involved with Melfina, there's no way he can keep Cedric by his side.
If you want to fulfil your role as an observer or stick to your role as a knight, then you have no choice but to leave here.
"After all, go back to the capital. If you can't say it, I'll write a letter to the duke. Don't waste all your excellent knights on me, and send me some adventurers you've hired at random."
I also have no plans to commit any untoward crimes behind Alexis's back.
Above all, being close to Cedric, one of the targets for capture, makes me feel uneasy.
Melfina's destruction is limited to the Alexis route, but if the heroine Maria appears, Cedric will fall in love with her.
It also becomes a love for which he risks his life as the commander of the knights.
I'm not sure what will happen to Melfina when Maria shows up, but it was clear that it would be risky to leave her around me knowing that would happen.