Chapter 104.1

After washing up, Isabella glanced nervously at the woman standing in front of her.

The curly-haired, blue-eyed woman had a strong presence and unmatched charisma.

The woman, who introduced herself as Helena Constantine,  asked  Isabella to call her by her name.

“Please sit down–”

“I brought your meal to your room.” She sounded a bit cold. “You must change your clothes before eating.”

“Yes, Madame,” Isabella replied, which made Helena raise an eyebrow.

“You can call me Helena. You’re about to become a Duchess, so you should stop using honorifics to address subordinates.” She advised stonily.

Isabella gave her an awkward smile.

“I’m not married yet, Helena. In addition to that, you are a noblewoman, and I am a mere commoner—-”

“You’ll become the wife of the Archduke soon, so you must practice in advance. Start by speaking comfortably to the maid and butler you’re familiar with.”

“Yes, I will,” Isabella murmured without resistance.

Helena walked to the closet and returned to her, holding out a dress that Isabella wore consistently like a habit.

Then, she glanced at the new dresses that arrived with her on her trip to Rubella Castle.

“You can choose your clothes from here every time you want to go out, and you can’t wear this kind of garment in my hands except when you sleep.  I will call a maid who can help you change.”

Her usual outfits were suddenly downgraded to the status of sleepwear.

The thought of wearing fancy yet uncomfortable dresses every day made her gasp.

Living as an aristocrat was exhausting, but what else could she do?

These are the things she had to endure to be with him.

Upon recalling her beloved Archduke’s beautiful image and muscular form, Isabella pulled herself together.

Meanwhile, the maid Helena had called to assist her came into the room.

As she led her to stand in front of the dressing table, the maid helped her change into this beautiful blue dress that made her uncomfortable and arranged her hair into an elegant twist.

She and Helena’s breakfast followed next.

After the maidservants placed the savory dishes on the table, they retreated until she and Helena were the only people left in the room.

“You have to eat first,” Helena said.

Isabella pulled up a chair and sat down.

She was so anxious that she could barely swallow the food.

Why was she feeling like this?

“You must be tired, My Lady. Didn’t you leave your Estate early in the morning when the Archduke asked you to come here?”

Isabella knew that Helena’s estate was not far from Rubella Castle, but she must have woken up early.

“It’s all right.”

Helena was already seated on the sofa, but she suddenly stood upright.

Her posture was so immaculate that Isabella couldn’t help but admire it.

She picked up the pot and poured tea into Isabella’s cup.

“Thank you.”

Isabella lifted the cup and sipped her tea while Helena observed her in silence.

“Spine straight. Don’t slouch, and do not wrap your teacup with both hands. Don’t make any chewing noise when you eat.” Helena didn’t even pause to catch a single breath as she nagged at her.

A never-ending string of constructive criticisms about her conduct followed throughout the meal that she couldn’t even remember the food she placed in her mouth.

She was lucky that her stomach wasn’t upset.

After two hours of eating, a full-fledged class about etiquette followed.

**

Luches’ amber eyes sparkled for the first time in a long time.

“So we’re deciding on Alesha Festival?”

“I think that would be great. When I studied festivals from other regions, I noticed they featured some local specialties. The festival would be more meaningful if we promoted local products to revitalize our own region’s economy. We could also ask for help from employees who were currently helping Rubella farmers harvest ‘aleshas’ as their punishment. I need your consent, of course, but I think that’s the best idea I have for now.” Marc explained.

After listening to the butler’s suggestion, Luches nodded as if he had already decided.

“I think it’s a perfect festival for Rubella, Marc. I’m sure His Highness and his future wife would like it.”

“I hope so,” Marc whispered as he stared at the report he had made all morning regarding the  Alesha festival.

“By the way, the Lady must be under Mrs. Constantine’s tutelage right now.” Luches said.

Indeed,  Marc had encountered Mrs. Constantine briefly morning, and their atmosphere was tense.

He knew that Mrs. Constantine was a warm person on the inside if he didn’t allow himself to be deceived by her cold appearance.

The previous Archduke had cherished Mrs. Constantine and relied a lot on her in the past.

“Is she a scary person like the rumors say?” Luches asked Marc.

“She’s not just scary. Mrs. Constantine will probably help her a lot, too.”

Of course, Isabella would find it difficult to learn the etiquettes of aristocrats, but he did not doubt that Mrs. Constantine could help her improve.

“Hmm. I’m glad that Mrs. Constantine came. She will surely help us prepare for the wedding.”

“Yes. We should focus more on the festival in the meantime.”

Luches and Marc were fortunate to Mrs. Constantine’s presence in Rubella Castle since they could finally focus on preparing for the festival in early July.

The succeeding celebrations they had to manage threatened to drive them out of their minds. But they were glad to see some excitement in the seemingly quiet Northern region.

“By the way, did you tell Young Master Kyle about the Archduke’s marriage?” Luches asked, and Marc nodded.

“Young Master Kyle will probably know about that after receiving the letter I sent to the Magic Circle.”

“He must be surprised at the sudden news.”

“I’m sure he will.”

Duke Kyar wasn’t interested in women, so the news might surprise everyone who knew him.

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