“It’s been a while, Miss Adelle.”
Estelle’s approach, marked by a gentle smile, caused me to momentarily pause.
Since possessing Adelle’s body, this was the first time someone had approached me so freely, enough to make me wary.
I suppressed such signs of caution and awkwardly replied,
“It’s been a month, Miss Estelle.”
“The two of you seem quite close.”
“…Excuse me?”
I was perplexed by her sudden statement.
Noticing the confusion in my gaze, Estelle continued with a mysterious smile.
“The Duke of Hardenberg is well-known for his cold demeanor.”
‘Is that so?’
After the contractual marriage with Abel, his behavior seemed far from ruthless or cold.
Though it could be dismissed as a mood, there was sincerity in his playful demeanor.
“Yet, to treat one’s fiancée so warmly is quite surprising to many.”
“There is some truth to that with Abel.”
Warmth, is it?
Well, from a third-person perspective, one could perceive it that way.
The Duke, who never used polite language with others, used it with his fiancée.
Also, re-entering a society he disliked so much for the sake of his fiancée.
To outsiders unaware of the contractual marriage, Abel would appear to be someone entirely devoted to his fiancée.
“You call His Grace by his first name?”
Estelle looked at me as if amazed.
‘Ah, has it become a habit?’
With each time the Duke was addressed as “His Grace,” Abel would correct it to his first name, Abel, to the point it now rolled off the tongue.
But wasn’t it natural for an engaged couple to call each other by their first names? Moreover, Abel himself had requested it first, so her question seemed even more incomprehensible.
“What do you..”
Estelle tilted her head briefly at my inquisitive tone before opening her mouth as though understanding something.
“Ah, I see you didn’t know.”
“His Grace doesn’t like being called by his name.”
Her added statement raised another natural question.
Why then had Abel requested that I call him by his name? And, why did he dislike being called by his name?
As if answering my unspoken question, Estelle continued,
“Though I don’t know the reason, it’s quite well-known in society.”
Never call the Iron Duke by his name.
“But why…”
She chuckled softly and replied,
“You should know that better than anyone else. Honey seems to drip from His Grace’s eyes, doesn’t it?”
If only that were the case, my heart might have been at ease.
No matter how dense I might be, I wasn’t oblivious enough to miss the facade of being engaged.
Even though Adelle’s beauty could be dazzling, it wasn’t enough to capture Abel’s attention.
“By the way, now that we’ve met, why don’t we become closer friends?”
Estelle smiled warmly and extended her hand.
It felt heavy with overly-friendly intentions, but it wouldn’t do to turn her away with others watching. Awkwardly extending my hand, she shook it immediately.
The silence after the brief handshake lingered.
“Alright, then…”
“No need to feel so burdened. We are the same age, after all?”
She added, having debuted as a debutante in the same period.
I couldn’t bring myself to say I had no such memory of that time.
Perhaps Estelle had received help from Adelle back then?
‘That seems plausible.’
If true, her unconditional friendliness could be somewhat understood.
“What are your hobbies, Miss Adelle?”
“Hmm… sewing.”
In this world, devoid of the internet and smartphones, it was practically the only hobby available.
Since possessing Adelle’s body, I was practically forced into a dopamine detox, leaving sewing as the only option.
It was one of the few hobbies I learned from my late mother, and while sewing, the usual stress and anxiety seemed to wash away.
“Fantastic. I find it too challenging.”
As Estelle said this, she revealed a towel from within her robes.
The embroidered dragon on the towel was, even by polite standards, low in quality.
Was that meant to be a green worm? Or a snake?
“This is a dragon,” she said.
“…That’s marvelous.”
“Aahaha… it’s not too good, is it?”
She awkwardly laughed, scratching her head.
This was quite different from the flawless image she portrayed in the original story, and somewhat surprising.
Thinking back, in the hunting festival episode from the original novel, Estelle was the only one who didn’t distribute towels to the male characters.
It was the one incident my friend mentioned as the most irritating.
At the time, I thought the author intentionally withheld this to avoid complicating the relationships, but perhaps there was a backstory like this.
“Sewing does have its challenges.”
“Yes… getting the needle through the thread is a hurdle.”
“It’s not difficult. Just apply a bit of saliva.”
As we chatted about sewing, I sensed a presence approaching.
Turning my head, I noticed a knight in armor.
A man with black hair and black eyes was walking toward Estelle. The lion crest on his shoulder and the crest of the royal family on his chest marked him as the knight who was the sole knight among the original story’s male leads and the captain of the royal knights known as the Blue Lion Knights: Carl.
“Miss Estelle, do you have a moment?”
“Yes, of course.”
“I have a task I’d like to ask of you.”
“Hold on for a moment, please.”
She slowly rose, gesturing lightly to me.
“See you next time, Miss Adelle.”
“Yes, see you next time, Miss Estelle.”
We awkwardly waved to each other. Smiling briefly, she followed Carl.
I don’t know why Estelle has been so friendly to me.
Perhaps the past Adelle had been kind to her. I’m not certain now what that kindness entailed.
“Phew…”
This wasn’t going to be easy.
As I was lost in thought, the ground seemed to tremble slightly.
At first, I thought it was just my imagination, but everyone around me began murmuring, feeling the same disturbance.
Though this was the venue for the Hunting Festival, it was still close to a monster’s den.
Occasional footsteps from passing monsters weren’t uncommon.
Considering the barrier surrounding this place aimed to deceive rather than outright destroy monsters.
BOOM!
The ground began to shake, far more intensely than before. Panic and fear flickered across the faces of the people.
Knights from the royal court quickly drew their weapons.
“Miss, please be careful.”
Evan, my bodyguard knight who always talks too much but whose skills are impeccable, stepped forward protectively, sword in hand.
Despite his defense, the ominous feeling lingered.
BOOM!
From beyond the mountains, a monstrous figure emerged. Two enormous horns, each the size of two adult men, and a form as towering as a strong castle wall.
Stunned silence spread across the crowd.
ROOOOAAARR!
‘Is it going to penetrate the barrier?’
The monster’s roar sent the crowd scattering in terror. The knights stood firm, gathering energy to face the creature.
I pulled out a few scrolls from within my robes, grateful that I had taken the precaution of bringing them.
The monster glared at the royal knights before dismissing them with a disinterested turn of its head. Suddenly, our eyes met and the monster…
‘…What the?’
GRRAWL!
Before I could register the situation, it charged at me in an instant.
Evan exhaled calmly and held up his gauntlet, glowing with blue energy, managing to withstand the monster’s charge.
“Graagh!”
Not only did he stop the monster’s charge with one arm, but with the other, he swung his sword.
The sword, imbued with blue energy, slashed across the monster’s thick skin, drawing blood.
However, the monster’s ferocity showed no sign of abating.
“Huff…!”
Evan caught his breath and began to push the monster slowly back. The sight of him overpowering such a beast solely with his energy was awe-inspiring.
Still, his furrowed brow betrayed his struggle, prompting me to raise one of the scrolls.
SIZZLE.
A blue magical circle formed in the air and disappeared into Evan, enhancing his abilities.
“Ah, thank you, Miss!”
With renewed strength from the buff, the monster retaliated with a monstrous roar. Evan struck the monster’s legs with his fist.
BOOM!
The monster crumbled to its knees but quickly tried to rise again.
“Isn’t it too tenacious?”
Evan gathered energy once again.
Yet the monster’s gaze remained locked on me. Come to think of it, this monster has been targeting me with surprising persistence.
ROOOAARR!
In a panic, I grabbed multiple scrolls. Evan’s attack didn’t faze the monster, which continued its charge toward me.
CLANG!
Though I unfolded three layers of shield magic scrolls, the monster’s horn pierced through two easily.
Hardly having time to breathe after the last intact shield held up, my retreating step found nothing but empty air.
“Uh..?”
The chilling sensation finally dawned on me. Behind me was a cliff.
My vision flipped in an instant.
‘Falling death is quite painful.’
I disliked the idea of bones breaking and internal organs being torn apart by the rocks.
With that thought, I braced for the impending pain and squeezed my eyes shut. But the pain never came, and after a moment, I cautiously opened my eyes again.
“Adelle. Are you alright?”
To my eyes appeared Abel’s face, solemn and cool as ever.
