Chapter 102.2

Mark offered his handkerchief to Luches with nonchalance.

“You must have been surprised.”

“And you aren’t? What do you mean, ‘marriage proposal’? How long had it been since the two met?”

“Yes. It hadn’t been long since he met her here in Rubella Castle, but he said a year and a half had passed since he started thinking about her.”

“What do you mean by that? Isabel—No. She worked here as a pharmacist for less than two months.” Luches muttered as he wiped his face with the handkerchief.

Marc flashed the assistant a faint smile.

“Perhaps, the Archduke had already encountered her outside Rubella Castle before she arrived.  I’ve heard that he had been attracted to her since then.”

“Did His Highness fall for that lady’s beauty?  The Lady is beautiful. I’d give her that. But Princess Leila, who had expressed her admiration to the Archduke, was  just as pretty as she was.” Shaking his head as if he couldn’t understand what had gotten into the Archduke’s mind, Luches asked, “Why did he choose to love her instead of the noblewoman?”

“His Highness said it seemed like fate.”

“Fate? Your Highness used that particular word to describe it?”

“Isn’t that fascinating? We’ll be busier anyway. We have to prepare for the Winter Festival and the wedding simultaneously.”

“Had he already decided about the wedding date?” Luches asked urgently.

Mark nodded. “It’s on the 21st of July.”

After counting the days they had left with his fingers, Luches’ amber eyes were as wide as saucers when he exclaimed.”We only have forty days to prepare.”

“I know we are running out of time but don’t worry too much. The legendary lady-in-law will be here to help us out.”

“The legendary lady-in-law? Oh, you mean, Mrs. Constantine?”

Mrs. Constantine was the wife of Lord Constantine, the former Chief Knight of the Order of Lubella.

She had worked as a household manager for the previous Archduke of Rubella Castle.

Mrs. Constantine might be stubborn and strict, but she was infamous for her unrivaled ability to handle multiple tasks.

Even after the death of his Highness’s father, she remained here and worked as a housekeeper.

However, after her husband’s death at the beast hunting expedition, she reportedly took their children to Lord Constantine’s estate, bestowed by His Highness, in honor of his noble sacrifice.

Ten years had already passed since Mrs. Constantine left Rubella Castle, but her reputation still lingered like a legend.

“Yes. I asked for her help with the festival preparations, and I received a positive reply. She told me in that letter that she could assist us for about two months, so I guess her aid might extend until His Highness’ wedding. It was good that she had fit right into our plans since I needed someone to teach the lady how to behave during that event.”

Clenching his fists, Luches replied excitedly. “I’m relieved that Mrs. Constantine will be helping us, Marc. I was worried that both of us might collapse from overwork.”

“Of course. It will be hard for us if we don’t delegate other tasks to other capable people.”

Mrs. Constantine would surely faint if she heard that Duke Kyar was marrying a commoner and that His Highness’ great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather would not approve.

Marc was just worried for Isabella’s sake that he wanted her to adjust well.

If she entered into society without learning proper etiquette from Mrs. Constantine,  a commoner like her might get ridiculed for being rough.

The aristocrats could be very judgmental when it comes to that.

**

Isabella realized what Duke Kyar had said about her schedule being hectic the next day.

Marc brought up her and His Highness’s wedding as soon as she woke up.

The butler came in prepared, carrying many wedding-related materials that she had to go over quickly.

He asked her for a lot of input regarding some appropriate wedding gown designs, the kind of atmosphere she would like the wedding to be held in, and the fancy phrases she wanted to be placed in the invitation.

Then, Marc had told her something even scarier when he left.

Mrs. Constantine will arrive at  Rubella Castle tomorrow to help her prepare for her wedding and teach her manners.

Mrs. Constantine.

+++

Isabella clutched her throbbing head as she recalled information about the woman who appeared in the original novel.

Although it didn’t appear long, the woman’s impact was pretty strong.

She had a straightforward and ‘no-nonsense’ personality and she also served as the previous Duke and Duchess.

Seria, the original novel’s heroine, had lost her memory and couldn’t remember her status as a princess.

In Mrs. Constantine’s eyes, Seria was a mere commoner prepared to marry Duke Kyar so she had to teach her some manners and etiquette.

She was initially very unhappy with Seria, a commoner and a servant from Rubella Castle, marrying the Grand Duke so she taught Seria in a harsh manner.

However, Seria, who was originally a princess, excellently carried out Mrs. Constantine’s strict education about etiquette.

Isabella thought Mrs. Constantine would have very much preferred Seria, a dignified princess, very much later——

Isabella sighed, murmuring. “It was possible because it was Seria.”

It would be more difficult for someone who had never learned manners in her entire life to deal with Mrs. Constantine.

Furthermore, social etiquette was famous for being tricky.

Of course, it was only natural for her to learn to act like a proper Duchess beside Duke Kyar but the thought of facing Mrs. Constantine worried her.

It was then the bluish-green jewel on the wrist glistened.

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