"I must say, the world has changed a great deal."
Duke Bold, dressed in a luxurious suit, politely set down his teacup. Whether it was because of his tall height and imposing frame, or because of the beautifully tanned skin typical of Southerners, the middle-aged man exuded an arrogant aura.
"Who would have thought the Roman Kingdom—just a small, uncivilized northern country only six years ago—would drive the noble Kathis Empire to an island and build the great Western Empire...?"
"And now everyone is desperate to acquire goods from the demons, who are even more lowly than the northerners...? Haha, if you live long enough, you get to experience all sorts of things."
Duke Bold, continuing his words, slowly crossed his long legs and leaned back on the sofa.
"Furthermore..."
Duke Bold's face, which had held a faint smile, gradually cooled.
"The day has come when Her Highness dares to make me—her own father—wait."
The problem was that I hadn't checked the schedule list.
Somehow, I thought things went too smoothly for someone who's possessed a villainess.
According to Mina, Duke Bold visited his daughter Rebecca once a quarter. Rebecca always wanted to make herself and the mansion look as perfect as possible. That was why the staff had been so busy this morning.
It was just a pity I'd realized it too late. If I'd known in advance, I would have told Mina to stop the cleaning and just prepare cheap tea.
No, I should have just let him wait outside entirely.
The Twins family seemed to think that Duke Bold and Rebecca were a sweet father and daughter, but my thoughts were completely different.
What kind of loving father would so coldly ignore his daughter dying in a tower?
It was midway through the novel, when Camilla, the villainess's rival, went to Duke Bold to ask him to be her ally.
"The cunning Lobelia is now coveting Rebecca's empty position! How heartbroken Rebecca must be, trapped in that tower, when she finds out about this!"
Camilla had risked Rebecca—his own daughter—to win Duke Bold's favor. In fact, Duke Bold's reaction regarding Rebecca had been shockingly cold.
"To think she was forced into a divorce... That stupid girl! If she can't help me in the future, I have no need for such a useless child!"
Nevertheless, Duke Bold eventually became the villainess Camilla's ally—all so he could drive out Lobelia and place his mistress's second daughter in the position of Grand Duchess.
It would be wise to take this opportunity to straighten out my relationship with Duke Bold.
I slowly raised the corners of my mouth, hiding my hostility.
"The higher a culture rises, the sharper its spirit becomes. But when it fades, only useless pride remains."
Duke Bold's brow slowly furrowed at my words.
"Oh, I didn't mean to disrespect my father's age. I just thought that the Kathis Kingdom was pushed aside by the Roman Kingdom and the mixed-blood demons..."
"The Kathis Empire."
Duke Bold pronounced it with force, as if criticizing my phrasing.
"...My goodness. I can't believe the Grand Duchess would speak so carelessly."
"It seems you've become a Northerner. Subversive and dangerous values... and even that vulgar accent."
Duke Bold glanced around the drawing room with a look of disgust toward all things Northern.
"But don't forget. We are Southerners who were the center of the Kathis Empire."
Only then did I realize why Rebecca had put so much effort into decorating the drawing room every time she welcomed Duke Bold.
Every time he came, he must have desperately tried to belittle the culture of the place where Rebecca lived.
Looking at his behavior, one might think the Bold family had been forcibly incorporated into the Western Empire. But the truth was different.
Duke Bold had chosen to become a naturalized citizen of the Western Empire. He was, in short, a turncoat from the defeated Kathis Kingdom. Moreover, as a condition for retaining his dukedom, he'd even returned half of his family fortune to the Western Empire.
It's laughable to talk about such things as if you were a freedom fighter from the Kathis Kingdom.
What about that attitude—pretending to be an elegant Southern aristocrat with every gesture and tone of voice?
He was the illegitimate son of the Bold family. He'd lived a life of starvation in the slums before joining the household. His efforts to hide the inferiority complex from his past were painfully obvious.
It was at that moment, when I could barely hold back the ridicule threatening to escape, that Duke Bold let out a small cough—as if clearing his throat.
"Anyway, how is your night life with the Archduke progressing?"
"...I beg your pardon?"
I asked back in astonishment.
Is that what a father would ask his daughter?
However, Duke Bold frowned, as if frustrated by my reaction.
"You promised me that you would do anything to spend a night with the Archduke within this quarter."
"Don't tell me... you didn't succeed this time either?"
When no clear answer came from me, Duke Bold's face gradually twisted in anger.
"You... you useless...!"
Duke Bold ground his teeth and violently swept his hand across the table.
Crash!
With a sharp noise, the broken pieces of the teacup fell miserably onto the floor.
"You useless girl! Didn't I say one night would be enough? Just one night! You can't even seduce a man with functioning limbs even once?!"
Duke Bold jumped up from his seat and pointed at me, his face red.
"You are now the wife of the most powerful person in this Empire, second only to the Emperor! Do you have any idea how hard I—a noble from a fallen country—worked to put you in that position?!"
Rebecca had been unable to spend a night with Cedric throughout her entire marriage. There was no way Duke Bold, who visited Rebecca every quarter, wouldn't have known this—and it seemed he'd berated her each time.
"You can't help your father by consolidating your position, but you always disappoint me like this! And throughout the entire marriage!"
"How much effort I put into raising you while you played the elegant Princess of the Bold Duchy! How are you going to repay it all?! Repay me! Pay the price!"
I quietly watched Duke Bold rage. If this had been the old Rebecca, she might have cowered in fear every time her father frothed at the mouth.
To me, Duke Bold just seemed like a pathetic middle-aged man blinded by greed—shallow and desperate.
"...Father."
I took a sip of tea, then slowly parted my lips.
"Close your mouth."
As I spoke those words, a huge ripple appeared in Duke Bold's eyes.
"What... what?"
I gently raised the corners of my mouth and continued speaking leisurely.
"It would be unfortunate if my father's true origins—which you barely managed to hide with your dukedom—were revealed. The way you're acting right now..."
"It's so vulgar."
Duke Bold just blinked for a moment, as if he couldn't believe it.
He must be shocked.
No matter how erratic Rebecca had been, she'd always been too busy trembling in fear or panicking in front of Duke Bold. But his surprise was fleeting.
Duke Bold leaped over the table at once, his face swollen and red, as if about to explode. And without giving me any time to escape, he immediately grabbed me by the collar.
"How dare you..!"
I continued speaking calmly, looking straight into the furious red eyes of Duke Bold.
"How dare I? Did you forget what I just told you?"
"You—! You...!"
"I am the mistress of the Twins Grand Duchy, second only to the imperial family in this Empire."
I gripped the back of Duke Bold's hand—the one clutching my collar—and slowly dug my nails into his skin.
"Do you think some southern noble from a defeated country can dare threaten me like this?"
My sharp nails gradually dug deeper. Duke Bold's jaw—straining to endure both pain and rage—began to tremble.
"No matter how much I failed to consummate my marriage with the Grand Duke, I am still the mistress of the Twins Grand Duchy. You should follow basic manners, shouldn't you?"
I warned softly, as if admonishing a child. Duke Bold glared at me, looking utterly incredulous, then roughly released his grip on my collar.
"...Very well. Now please return to your seat and sit down."
Duke Bold laughed bitterly at my words.
"How dare you treat your own father like a child...!"
"It would be better for Father to sit down quickly and stop making unnecessary excuses. Now it's your turn to listen to me."
When I spoke with a cold expression, Duke Bold pressed his lips together in exasperation and returned to his seat.
To this father and daughter, the words "father" and "daughter" were just titles. To Duke Bold, their relationship was purely transactional—a means to mutual benefit, nothing more or less. I decided to use that to my advantage.
Anyone can see that I'm the one with power right now, so there's no reason for me to continue submitting to Duke Bold.
If anything, it should be the other way around. In the past, Rebecca might have longed for her father's affection and accepted the subordinate role, but I had no reason to do so. In fact, I just wanted to reduce these unnecessary meetings and cut ties with him as soon as possible—before the divorce was announced.
That way, no unnecessary trouble will come my way later.
I drank my tea and calmly collected my thoughts. Then I slowly set down the teacup and spoke again.
"From now on, don't come to me unless I call for you."
"Ha! What kind of nonsense...!"
"The only reason I tolerated your behavior until now was because you're my father."
"Don't make me address my own father as 'Duke Bold.'"
Duke Bold's eyes slowly widened at my cold warning.
How much time passed?
As if trying to calm his anger, Duke Bold slowly raised the corners of his mouth. A slight tremor ran through his lips.
"...Yes, I see. This poor father has been very rude, Your Highness."
Duke Bold nodded slowly and let out a long breath.
"Then, at the very least, please maintain your current position until the Grand Duke's succession is settled. When that happens, I'll simply take what I'm owed."
"However, if you're unable to repair your estranged relationship and end up getting divorced before then..."
Duke Bold's muscles bulged fiercely along his angular jaw as he suppressed his rage.
"The divorce alimony paid to me—the head of the family—will not go to Your Highness. Not even a single penny."
I couldn't believe my ears and frowned.
"I beg your pardon? What right do you have to...!"
"Isn't that imperial law? If a woman divorces, the alimony is passed first to the head of her family. I can also dispose of it as I wish."
Duke Bold, having said that, stood up as if to leave the drawing room. Then he leaned close to me across the table and whispered lowly.
"As the Grand Duchess, I will tolerate as much arrogance as you display."
"So in return, do what we promised. If not..."
A sinister blue glow gradually appeared in Duke Bold's eyes.
"I will make certain you wander through the mud like a beggar."