I Accidentally Tamed the Duke

Chapter 2

Lina’s voice rose in surprise after reading Yurania’s note.

“I’m sorry, Your Grace? You want me to call Ophelia?”

When Yurania serenely nodded, Lina left the room, unable to question her further.

Though Lina looked frivolous, she was trustworthy. She wasn’t a bad person—it was just that she couldn’t properly serve Yurania because of how Talia might react. Lina had also been the only person who’d occasionally come to tell Yurania stories about what was going on in the world when she was dying in the tower.

It didn’t take long for Lina to return with Ophelia in tow. Ophelia was a commoner who’d married a baron. She was the former Duchess Euclid’s maid. However, she’d been demoted to a housemaid after forfeiting her noble status post-divorce.

“D-did you want to see me, Your Grace?”

From what Yurania had heard, Ophelia’s stutter had developed after she’d married. Yurania wasn’t sure, but she vaguely assumed that its cause lay in her previous marriage.

Yurania showed Ophelia the note she’d prepared in advance.

—Ophelia, I heard that your child went missing.

“H-how d-did you know about that, Your Grace?” Ophelia’s voice became subdued, laced thick with sadness.

In Yurania’s past life, Ophelia had found the child she’d lost three months from now in her previous husband’s house. Yurania knew this because Lina had told her about it while she was trapped in the tower, so all she had to do was hasten the timeline.

Yurania held out a second note and smiled gently.

—I’ll find your child for you. I’ll also let you live with them in this castle. But there’s something I want you to do for me in return.

Yurania had to bring Ophelia over to her side because she was the only one qualified enough to replace Talia.

“Y-you’ll find my child for me? W-will you really?”

—That’s right. In exchange, keep an eye on Talia and tell me immediately if anything seems off about her.

Despite everything, Yurania was still the duchess until the divorce and intended to take full advantage of the cards she could play.

***

Two days later, Yurania headed down to the drawing room on the first floor with Zyle’s help, where she took a seat on the sofa and dozed off. Her body was so weak that she couldn’t overcome her drowsiness despite her will to change. It didn’t help that she had been born two months prematurely and had been weak all her life.

Yurania had been dozing off for quite some time when her peace was disturbed by a sudden commotion around her. She stood from her seat. Her vision had improved after she’d stopped taking the herb, and though still blurry, she could now see somewhat. It was a light she hadn’t seen in a long while because she’d been imprisoned inside the dark tower when she’d stopped taking the drug in her past life.

The servants were rushing all over the place.

“What do you mean His Grace has already arrived?”

“You over there! Move quicker! The carpet is creased!”

“Light! Light the place up first!”

Urgent calls and footsteps harmonized in strict order. The servants were flying around the place due to their master’s earlier-than-expected arrival.

Yurania gently pressed her palms over her prickling eyelids to brush the sleep away.

“What are you all doing!? His Grace passed the drawbridge ages ago!”

Dead silence filled the air. The sitting room that had looked like a battlefield until a second ago abruptly stilled. Even Yurania’s foggy eyes could make out a faint aura. It was none other than Duke Casius Blair Euclid. He had returned.

Yurania had never seen Casius in person except once when she was very young, so the dim figure before her felt unfamiliar. She’d heard that his black hair and violet eyes were so mesmerizing that they captivated onlookers upon first glance. Even through her cloudy vision, she could tell why Casius was praised as a beautiful man. He had a big, overpowering, and noble silhouette. Perhaps it was because she’d been imprisoned by his hands, but meeting him like this made her feel profound and uncanny.

“Weren’t you aware that I’d be returning? Or did you not have enough time to run away?” a deep, velvet voice abruptly said.

Yurania, who had been standing still, turned to where the sound was coming from and lightly curtsied in greeting. Curtsying in greeting was a gesture shared between lovers. Though they were practically strangers to the point that they’d never exchanged such greetings, they were still a married couple.

A silence even more deafening than the first filled the air when all she’d done was greet her husband as she should. Maybe I acted too uncharacteristically all of a sudden, Yurania thought worriedly.

“I thought you preferred to hide behind your maid’s skirt, but I guess that isn’t the case, Yurania.”

Yurania deliberately gave a small smile at Casius’ words. There was a saying that one couldn’t get angry at a smiling face. It was her way of trying to win over even just a little of his favor. Right, I have to get on his good side first—because she had to live.

“You look like you’re going out to enjoy the evening dew.”

Yurania didn’t reply.

“While trembling pitifully like a rabbit that’s escaped its cage.”

However, Casius’ focus wasn’t on her smile but on the thick shawl carelessly thrown around her shoulders. It seemed like he was criticizing her for not being appropriately dressed, but that was because she hadn’t had any help from her maid before heading to the sitting room.

“Tsk. Did I scare you again?”

Yurania unconsciously cowered at his reproachful tone. It wasn’t her fault that her body shook. She’d been mentally abused by her stepmother, Erika, and her father, Count Vincent, and had lived life as a fearful and slow person who couldn’t do anything alone.

However, Casius blatantly expressed his discontent to Yurania. She supposed that the way she rushed off to run away from him every time he was nearby must have looked pathetic. She also knew that everyone talked behind her back and said things like how she was only a duchess in name and that she wouldn’t have been able to become one if she hadn’t thrown herself into the flames. Yurania took a deep breath and tried to calm her anxious heart because she was aware of all this.

“Looks like I’ll have to leave before you burst into tears.”

Talia’s voice sounded from beside her as soon as Casius said these heartless words.

“Lady Yurania. What are you doing over here?”

Yurania flinched at Talia’s sharp questioning. She recoiled reflexively, expecting a wet rag to fly at her from somewhere.

“Lady Yurania,” Talia said in a low voice through gritted teeth.

She roughly pulled Yurania by the arm behind herself. Her fragile body lightly swayed like a paper doll at the force.

“I beg your pardon, Your Grace. I was sure I checked that Lady Yurania was asleep, but I don’t know how she came down here. Forgive me for the shortcoming. Please, I will take whatever punishment you give me.”

“Talia, I see that you haven’t fixed how you address her yet.”

“I beg your pardon, Your Grace? I missed what you said.”

Talia’s voice trembled faintly as she dared to question Casius. At that moment, Yurania didn’t miss her chance to shake her arm free from Talia’s forceful grip. Then she stretched the wrist that Talia had taken hold of a while ago and pulled up her sleeve to reveal her pale skin, which was already swelling red. She didn’t feel entirely comfortable using her weak body as a weapon. Still, she wasn’t just going to let Talia walk all over her anymore. Yurania defiantly raised her wrist before Talia’s eyes.

“I’m sure that I held her very gently. That isn’t my fault, Your Grace.”

Talia sounded aghast, at a loss for what to do. Yurania heard the trembling in her voice, and for the first time ever, felt like Talia was getting what she deserved. She’s never bowed to me in front of so many people before. But this was enough—if Yurania pushed it too far, she could become the weird one out.

Yurania turned around and promptly headed toward the direction Casius’ voice was coming from. She didn’t care how ridiculous she might have looked as she stretched her arms out midair and staggered forward. What was important right now was to act the part of the wife welcoming her husband, who was returning from his expedition. It was Yurania’s hope that Casius would act a little more favorably toward her if she put her heart into it so that she could get even just a bit closer to a peaceful divorce. However, Casius was more focused on how she could walk than her sincerity behind the action.

“I thought you couldn’t move on your own without help, but now I see you can even run somewhat.”

Yurania stopped walking and, waving her arms around, caught a hold of something. It was Casius’ armor. She could hear someone gasp in shock, but she needed to take this risk.

“Yurania.”

Her heart shriveled at his icy voice. Yurania awkwardly groped down Casius’ arm, then found his hand and flipped it over palm side up. His hand was big, heavy, and had a different weight from a woman’s hand. Yurania hadn’t meant to, but she found herself massaging and feeling his hand, marveling at how long and elegant his fingers were despite their hard calluses.

“They say people change when death is imminent. And right now, it appears you’ve lost all of your sense of fear.”

She really might have gotten braver after experiencing death. She took a deep breath, then slowly traced words on his palm.

—The evening dew you mentioned a while ago, I want to feel it.

Yurania couldn’t go outside unless somebody helped her. This made it impossible for her to have proper walks when the maids blatantly ignored her, which was why she was asking Casius.

“Are you saying you want to take an evening stroll with me?” Casius asked rigidly.

It sounded like he was threatening her to give the right answer, and she didn’t think it was her imagination playing tricks on her because he was a cold and heartless person. However, she’d be living the same life that she did if she froze up right now.

Mustering her courage, Yurania nodded and raised her finger to trace out the words,

—Can’t we?

“What are you scheming?”

There was no warmth in Casius’ dry voice. His violet eyes turned dark and persistent as if trying to see right through her. That was when she heard the voice of Zyle, the butler, coming from the back.

“Welcome home, Your Grace.”

“I’m sure I told you I wanted to return quietly, but what is this fuss?”

“My apologies, sir, for the late welcome. Zyle Desmond, your humble servant, at your service. I pray you’ve had a safe journey.”

“Return to your positions, all of you. I will get your reports tomorrow,” Casius ordered.

Zyle backed a step away from Casius and addressed Yurania this time.

“Your Grace.”

Yurania turned her head toward the voice and politely gave a small smile. When she did, Zyle sucked in a breath and froze. Yurania strangely gave off an illusion of silence that swept over her surroundings every time she smiled.

Zyle, who had been momentarily speechless, shortly recalled his duty and reported, “We’ve cleared the path to the Lake of Clarity as best as we could, Your Grace, but we couldn’t get near the paths deeper inside the woods because we’re prohibited from going that far.”

Even as he spoke, Zyle couldn’t take his eyes off the rare smile on Yurania’s face. However, the peace was broken by Casius’ heavy voice.

“The Lake of Clarity?”