Didn’t I come up with a really great plan?
We don’t even have to hold a wedding ceremony, and this way, even if people talk behind our backs, the ones doing the gossiping will look like the bad guys!
When Father went to war, the towns near the border were already in terrible shape.
Reconstruction takes any amount of money you can throw at it. Even if buildings go up, it takes even longer for agriculture and livestock to recover. You can never have too much money.
It was such a good idea for something thought up on the spot, so I wrote a letter to my younger brother.
Ah, that’s right. The Duke’s mansion served very luxurious meals. There was no moldy bread or soup without ingredients. No mice or bugs were floating in the food.
The rooms are luxurious and the meals are luxurious. There is no way I can call this being treated coldly, no matter how hard I try. Well, now the only thing left is the money.
A reply from the smartest brother in our family arrived quickly.
It seems the Count Blanchard family sent a large amount of timber to the border town first.
“Even though transportation costs money, why did Edil do something like that? Edil, who is usually so focused on saving money. I’m sure Father and the knights were full of energy and gladly carried it, though…”
Everyone is a muscle-head, after all.
However, it is also true that the Count Blanchard family had plenty of extra timber.
“I don’t think you understand, Sister, so I’ll write it down… this is an investment. If you get married, don’t hold tea parties, don’t hold a ceremony, and never show your face, it will invite speculation. If our family provides support and the Duke of Durtal’s family makes a donation, your reputation will naturally go up.”
My brother seems to be thinking about something on my behalf. He also wrote, “Doing things like this early on is crucial. Doing it second or third means nothing. I’m also hoping that this support leads to timber orders, though.”
My brother is smart.
“If I hold a tea party, people will probably think I’m trying to show off to that older sister, right? I’m not sure what kind of mood the servants are in either, so I don’t know if they’ll help me prepare for a tea party.”
Since the older sister was a beauty, I’m sure there are people who are definitely rooting for her relationship with the Duke. They should just get married already.
Could there be terrifying servants thinking, “I’m more suited for the Duke”? I need to make sure I stay away from people like that.
“I should probably send letters to the nobles saying, ‘We got married, but considering the situation, we won’t be holding a ceremony, see you in the social season’… but they know it’s a royal decree. Actually, greetings during the social season might be fine. For now, I need to get along with the servants for a comfortable life.”
Being an invisible wife is surprisingly difficult.
I should have figured out with my brother just how far I should go in becoming invisible. In front of the Duke, I will definitely be completely invisible. I just need to do my best to adapt to the situation.
Even when I woke up the next morning, my breakfast wasn’t skipped, and it wasn’t like no one helped me prepare. The person who took care of me was a maid in her forties named Rosa.
Glancing out the window, I saw the Duke about to go out by himself.
“Is the Duke off to work?”
“That is correct.”
There is neither warmth nor contempt in Rosa’s voice.
“Then, won’t you show me around the mansion? I’ll be in trouble if I don’t know where things are.”
Seizing the chance, I have her show me around the interior of the mansion.
Even though he doesn’t have to push himself, Sebastian the butler, who should be busy, even comes along to guide me. The butler in our family used to get so busy he overworked himself, but will this man be okay?
Even so, the Duke’s mansion is huge.
No matter how much I walk and walk and walk, I never quite reach the end. I walked along, greeting the servants we passed by.
“…Madam, are you going to keep looking around?”
“Eh, we haven’t even seen half of it yet. Ah, Sebastian, you must be busy, right? It’s fine, I’ll look around on my own.”
“No, it’s just that it’s already past noon.”
Looking closely, I could see fatigue on both Sebastian and Rosa.
“Um, I apologize if I’m wrong, but are you not feeling well?”
“No… I am just a little tired.”
“Ah, I get it. Then let’s head back for lunch. Right, it’s so big that it’s tough, so can you just tell me from now on where my husband and the older sister usually spend their time?”
Both Sebastian and Rosa tilt their heads in confusion, saying “Older sister?”, so I added, “I mean Iris.”
“Whatever are you going to do with that information.”
Fear is visible in Sebastian’s eyes.
If I were going to cause a slashing incident the day after getting married, I wouldn’t have gotten married in the first place.
“Of course, it’s so I can avoid them and live like air. It’s tough to stay cooped up in a room all day, so I want to walk in the garden too. But since I said I’d be an invisible wife, I don’t want to meet them openly. If you can tell me their schedule for the day or tell me places I shouldn’t enter, I won’t go near them.”
“…I will ask my husband.”
“Please do.”
“My husband is basically in his office whenever he is at the mansion, so as long as you don’t go to the office, you should be fine.”
“I understand!”
The first step to becoming an invisible wife is staying away from the office!
Perhaps because there are meetings for post-war processing, the Duke goes out every day.
I make it a rule to leave my assigned room only after confirming from my window that the Duke has boarded his carriage and departed.
The Duke’s clothes are purple today. I must make sure not to wear purple. If I match the color of my clothes, people might say I’m acting like a real wife. It would also be rude to the older sister.
Still, such beautiful blond hair.
Isn’t it silkier than mine?
Rosa takes care of it for me, but the Duke’s hair is definitely glossier.
Since Rosa and Sebastian would get tired, exploring the mansion took a whole week.
Starting tomorrow, I’ll start taking walks in the garden. The garden is also huge. It’ll be great exercise.
Rosa recommended, “The flowers in the garden can be seen from the salon, so if you are fine with that, how about some tea there?”, so I head to the salon with gratitude.
There was someone already in the salon.
It was the older sister with black hair and a red dress.