How to Survive as the Wife of The Monster Duke

Aden caught his meaning immediately.
His mouth opened slightly, his thoughts half-formed.
This way of thinking was new to him – indirect, cunning – but he was coming to it quickly.
This was a good excuse to guard the Elo’s territory, and one only Delrose, as Master of the house, could make – though it made the Elo’s gratitude for his defense of their territory seem suddenly empty.

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Still, there was nothing to lose in it, and much to gain.
Any information they gleaned would be wonderful, but even if they learned nothing, it set a precedent.
Delrose would have grounds to station soldiers in the territory of other house’s, without even the unofficial permission of the elders.

“Make sure they pay special attention not to irritate the Elo’s maids,” he said with a smile.
Emil bowed.

“We have already been doing so, per ma’am’s order.”

Of course, Aden thought.
His smile widened.

“We were making the reports of information collected to ma’am first, but now we will make them to you.”

“No, Aden said, raising his hand.
“Let Ilyin’s order be Ilyin’s only.”

Don’t want to steal her credit, he thought, chuckling to himself.

“Was there anything else?” he asked.

Emil seemed to shift nervously.

“The…the Green Mille is asking to meet with you,” he said.

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“The Mille?” Aden asked, tilting his head, “who from Mille?”

“The elder’s daughter, Rippo de Mille.”

“In April?”

“Yes, and…” Emil suddenly stopped, just as they reached the Delrose’s territory on the 7th floor.
He dropped suddenly to his knees.

“Spare me, lord!”

Aden was taken aback by the sudden act.
Emil wouldn’t lift his eyes from the floor.

“The intruder slipped past us.
We couldn’t stop her from entering ma’am’s room!”

***

As soon as Emil had blurted out his words, Aden rushed to Ilyin’s room.

“Ilyin?!”

Breathless, he managed to catch himself at the door just before entering.
With pure effort, he pulled his hand back from the doorknob.

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He wanted to burst into the room, see that she was alright.
He hadn’t taken the second to ask Emil, and Idith had cut him off when Aden dashed away.

He heard no movement inside.
His lips tightened.

“Your Majesty! Ma’am is -, “ Emil called out behind him.
Old-fashioned, Emil was lost in unexpected events like this.
His sense of timing was off.

“Your majesty!”

A passing maid cut Emil off with a look that said she knew who was the stronger between the two of them.

“Ma’am went to the 6th floor to attend a guest,” she said to Aden.

A guest?

Aden hurried to the 6th floor.
Meeting a guest there meant that it was not someone from Delrose, but an important guest from another house.
Which also meant, though he didn’t yet know why, that the lady from Mille had changed from intruder to guest.

He left Emil and Idith trailing behind.
Seeing Ilyin was safe was more important than the scolding of knights.

“Il -,” Aden started to call out as he neared the meeting room door.

“Your Majesty,” Idith interrupted calmly, and again Aden caught himself, took a deep breath.

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Right, he thought.
If there is someone else in there, I must be Grandmaster Den.
So flustered he was in worry for Ilyin, he almost forgot the roles he had to play.

“Ma’am,” he called out.
“It’s Grandmaster Den.”

“Den?” Ilyin’s voice answered back, tinged with surprise.
Aden felt his face loosen for the first time since Emil’s outburst, though he flashed him an icy stare.

If Emil had thought himself hardened to the cold after meeting the Duke of Biflten’s eyes for over 10 years, that stare – and the chill it sent down his spine – taught him better.

“Rippo, may I let the Grandmaster of Delrose in for a moment?” Ilyin’s voice came from behind the door.

“Ah, yes.
Of course,” another female voice – younger, lighter – replied.

Aden could hear rustling from within.
Rippo was moving – the sound was very different from Ilyin’s movements.

“… I came to see the Grandmaster anyway,” Rippo added.

Aden’s eyes narrowed.
She came to see the Grandmaster? Or did she simply mean someone who represented the master of Delrose?

The door clicked, and Etra opened it.
She bowed subtly as he passed.
He controlled his steps, careful not to rush into the room as he went to Ilyin.

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“Greetings, ma’am,” he said.
“I heard the report.
Are you ok?”

“Of course,” Ilyin replied lightly, “there was no problem.”

She could sense his surprise.
She smiled, waved both hands as if to dismiss his anxiety.

“I heard you came to see me, Rippo de Mille,” he said.
Officially, the girl had no title, but has the direct descendant of the Mille family, he had no choice but to use her honorific.

“And you should note,” he continued sternly, “I will be putting responsibility on the Mille family for this intrusion into ma’am’s room without any official procedure.”

“Den,” Ilyin cut in, raising a hand to calm him, “It’s ok.”

Rippo had heard much of the Grandmaster of Delrose – the deputy of the Duke of Winter.
The one who handled the Master Who Was Cold – and was quite cold himself.
He certainly had no problem retaliating for acts against Delrose.

But then she noticed his reaction to Ilyin.
At her gesture, he did seem to grow calmer, almost like…

Like a beast on a leash, she thought.
 But no leash, just the Mistress of Delrose.
She knew how to handle the Grandmaster.

“Den,” Ilyin said calmly, “She’s the guest of Delrose first.”

If he were the Duke right now, she would have spoken differently.
But “Den, Grandmaster of Delrose,” had to follow the will of the Mistress.
She hoped it didn’t make Aden too uncomfortable.