Chapter 15
When she opened her eyes, the marriage was already confirmed.
Watching the maids bustling around the room, Frisia fully grasped the situation she was in.
“So you’re saying… my sister gave her approval for the marriage?”
“Yes, my lady. The Duke even got down on one knee and personally proposed. And I hear Lady Rose will soon officially be granted the title of Countess.”
Every attempt had previously failed due to Marquis Gondre’s opposition. But now that he was gone, no one could stop Rose from ascending to her rightful position.
Everything she had hoped for had come true—so why did she feel like crying?
“You must still be in pain. I’ll make sure to take the best care of you so there’s not a single scar left on your precious body.”
The marriage preparations began in earnest, with even a high-ranking priest—whom one couldn’t even glimpse without making a massive donation—coming to treat her.
“I need to get a new dress fitted for Lily.”
“You can pick one out while choosing yours, madam. It might be difficult to bring the young lady here, but that much should be allowed.”
“I also want to see what Rose’s new formalwear looks like.”
“Of course. Just say the word.”
Although they forbade her from meeting her family, she was allowed to buy anything she wanted. That oddly made her feel defiant.
Sure, they might be treating the wedding as a done deal—but preparing for a marriage doesn’t happen that easily.
She hoped someone—anyone—would object.
Frisia recalled all the classic breakup reasons she’d read on NayX forums and casually asked the maid doing her nails:
“Do you think the Duke’s mother will dislike me?”
“She’s not his birth mother, so I hear she hasn’t said anything about the marriage.”
“I-Is that so?”
Well, most royal family infighting usually happens between half-siblings anyway. Since she wasn’t his birth mother, it seemed unlikely that a mother-in-law conflict would qualify as a valid breakup excuse.
“Are there any other elders in the Duke’s household?”
“There are some elders on the family council, but the real lady of the house is his aunt.”
“His aunt?”
“Yes. Lady Rasita, wife of Vino, the late Duke’s youngest brother.”
By Korean standards, that would be like a youngest uncle’s wife—in short, an aunt, but only five years older than the current Duke.
As soon as she heard the setup, an entire trashy drama flashed through her mind.
“They must be pretty close, huh?”
“They’re deeply attached. They were close even before Lord Vino passed, and during the family succession crisis, they went through life and death together, day and night.”
Even the Duke—who usually kept others at arm’s length—relied on her completely.
After Vino’s death, Rasita stayed by the Duke’s side, essentially filling all the roles a wife would have played.
“I see…”
Now it was making sense. Things were starting to fall into place.
Now she understood why he was so determined to marry someone as seemingly unremarkable as her.
So that’s what this is. The perfect opportunity to grab some leverage had finally arrived.
“I’d like to meet her soon.”
“Would you? There will be an official family meeting soon, so we’ll make arrangements.”
The maids were already treating her like the future mistress of the house, and Frisia felt guilty about it.
Not only was he tying her down, but even the princess had threatened her using his secrets.
With so many suspicious threads hanging around, breaking off the engagement before the marriage seemed like the better option.
To do that, she needed to make one thing clear:
Frisia Deblanc was no pushover.
If anyone thought they could toy with her, they were gravely mistaken.
Even if the protagonist hadn’t appeared in the story yet, Frisia still knew plenty about the original plot.
And if she ended up opposing the protagonist, even the Duchess of Cromford wouldn’t be safe from shared blame.
The number one traditional reason for calling off an engagement…
The dowry.
“If we’re going to have a wedding worthy of the Cromford name, I’ll need suitable jewels.”
“Is there something specific you have in mind?”
“The Ruby Eye.”
The legendary ruby earrings that had disappeared after being found in a dragon’s lair 100 years ago.
Said to tempt people’s hearts like a demon’s gaze when worn on both ears, they had passed through the hands of many nobles.
After the house of the last known owner burned down, their whereabouts became unknown. Even by Chapter 1021 of the original novel, they were only briefly mentioned—the location still a mystery.
Even for Duke Cromford, obtaining those earrings would be virtually impossible.
“And I’m thinking twenty dresses per season. I’d like the same number for my sister Lily for the reception party. As for Rose, make her a formal outfit in a similar tone.”
“Twenty dresses for each, you said?”
“Yes, twenty each—for all three of us.”
In the novel, the characters changed dresses constantly, so it didn’t seem like a big deal—but reality was harsh.
Even for the reasonably well-off Deblanc family, buying a new party dress each time was a heavy burden.
Frisia could get away with recycling old dresses, but as Lily’s older sister, she wanted her to wear something new every time.
Thinking she had made quite the excessive demand, Frisia was feeling secretly proud—until the maid asked with concern:
“Are you certain about this, my lady?”
“Tell the Duke—if he doesn’t meet my demands, I won’t sit quietly.”
“As you command.”
If she became a symbol of extravagance, the Duke might have no choice but to reconsider the engagement.
Humming a tune, Frisia happily lay down on the massage bed.
* * *
When the Duke’s engagement was confirmed, Jade—the Cromford family’s chief steward—furrowed his brow.
“The Ruby Eye? How could she possibly know about that?”
“And she only asked for twenty dresses.”
“I understand. I’ll report this directly to His Grace.”
Jade had never had a good impression of Frisia Deblanc. But the moment she mentioned the Ruby Eye, chills ran down his spine.
How on earth did she know that the Ruby Eye was in the Duke’s possession?
After disappearing in a fire decades ago, the jewel had been safely kept in the Duke’s private vault, known only to a handful of people within the estate.
“Your Grace, it’s Jade.”
The late Marquis Gondre had met a fittingly brutal end—tied to a pillar and executed by a barrage of arrows, under the Duke’s strict “an eye for an eye” principle.
In front of the Duke, who was now reviewing casino-related documents and property liquidation plans, Jade cautiously spoke up.
“How are things progressing?”
“She’s surprisingly cooperative, but I must report some concerns.”
“Concerns?”
The Duke hated surprises. Jade tread carefully, choosing his words.
“For a reception of this scale, we’d usually prepare at least a hundred dresses, but Lady Frisia only requested twenty.”
“Is that so?”
“She also requested the Ruby Eye. Did you, perhaps, hint at it to her?”
“Of course not.”
Despite no hint from him, she somehow knew about the Ruby Eye’s existence.
The Duke let out a quiet chuckle and began counting the days.
“Double everything we had planned for my predecessor’s wedding—dresses and jewels. A frugal nature is admirable, but it wouldn’t do for the future Duchess of Cromford to appear lacking.”
It wasn’t just any family—it was Cromford. Even Jade was startled by how modest her requests had been.
“She also asked to meet your aunt.”
“Aunt Rasita?”
Contrary to expectations that she would resist the marriage, Frisia was proceeding surprisingly smoothly.
Her request to meet the aunt, rather than the Duke’s nominal mother, piqued his interest.
“So she knows who really holds the power?”
“I assumed Your Grace had given her a hint.”
“Not at all.”
The inner workings of the household were a tightly guarded secret.
Even Rose Deblanc wouldn’t know the details—but somehow, Frisia was hitting the mark every time.
“She didn’t just overhear my conversation with the princess. Now she knows about the Ruby Eye too.”
Duke Cromford, usually so stoic, chuckled softly, flexing his fingers.
“She’s quite the mystery.”
Perhaps other women might find the Duke’s smile charming—but to Jade, as another man, it only ever spelled trouble.
Whether the Duke’s growing interest would be a blessing or a curse for the young lady, he didn’t know. But one thing was certain:
The woman the Duke had chosen as his future Duchess… was anything but ordinary.
“I thought you weren’t fond of marriage.”
“My brother was the one who insisted. He said if it wasn’t me, she wouldn’t marry anyone.”
“About that… the Marquis of Napier expressed considerable displeasure.”
The letter sent by the Marchioness of Napier was long, but its core message was simple: I had dibs on Frisia first. Taking her like this is extremely rude.
“That woman is far too much for someone like Napier to handle.”
Even after reading the entire letter, the Duke dismissed it with just one line.
