'Diana Tristan was a woman he wouldn't like from the beginning till the end.’
It was Richard's first impression of Diana. However, she was a completely different person from Richard's perspective.
It was the same when she first arrived at the manor.
When Diana arrived at the manor, she soon came to meet him and was behaving cordially.
Although they're married for political reasons, technically speaking, Diana was a woman who had been sold to him.
What's more, she was not Duke Tristan's biological daughter, whom Richard wanted.
As such, she should be disheartened considering that she had been sold as a substitute for her younger sister, but it seemed she simply accepted her fate.
Rather, she showed a mysterious behavior as if she was hiding something. Also, the way she looked at Richard was as though she knows something about him.
Somehow Richard didn't like that look.
The fact that he's currently waiting for Diana at dinner was not boring instead, he had felt a combination of curiosity and slight anticipation.
Richard thought Diana wouldn't be feeling depressed because of her remarks in the office. For that reason, he had a renewed opinion of her so he assumed that she'll deliberately be taking her time.
But who knows. She may not appear at dinner even though it's obvious that he's waiting for her.
However, contrary to Richard's assumption, Diana actually appeared. Just like the time she stopped by the office, once again, she completely changed his view of her.
The conversation with her was not at all unpleasant. It was a difficult conversation to follow, but Richard enjoyed talking to her.
Richard couldn't even remember how long it had been since he had talked to someone whom he had only met twice in such a comfortable way.
Truthfully speaking, Diana was just a woman who he paid money for to get in touch with the duke.
Since he didn't even intend to spend the first night with such a woman, he told Diana that it would be better to put the idea aside.
He doesn't have the hobby of spending the night with a woman he didn't love. And there wasn't even a part of Diana that defines a 'loving woman'—perhaps even in the future.
Diana said as if she had seen through him.
"Don't worry. Until I die, I will never love you."
'How would you know that?'
It was natural that he would be feeling embarrassed when he was shot by an unexpected response.
It was House Tristan that wanted this marriage. But he didn't like the way she didn't behave like a miserable woman being sold off.
It was the same now.
Diana's words were unexpected. She didn't say or do anything embarrassing because it seems having a relationship with him wasn't part of her plan.
However, his pride inevitably took a hit.
'Am I unattractive to the point that she would say that to me?'
Richard tried hard to hold in the urge to ask her that question.
* * *
It has already been a week since I came to Theodore's residence.
I suspected that all of the people inside this manor already knew me, and I, too, should begin to know them.
I'm not too inclined in memorizing things. Still, to live in this house, I have to memorize the faces and names of all household vassals and servants.
Whenever I could afford some time, I will meet them and get to know them.
Of course, I never forget to visit Richard's office as well.
"Diana, why are you here?” Richard said as he carefully filed the papers to the side after checking them.
Richard was looking at me with a face that seemed a bit ridiculous.
I took a bite of the madeleine on the plate in front of me before saying,
"I'm bored."
"What...?"
Richard's face after hearing what I said got even more ridiculous. It was quite a spectacle.
It's not because he didn't hear me, but the reason he had such a dumb look must be because of how absurd my words were.
I said I came here because I was bored, but it wasn't actually the case. If I don't register my presence like this, he might forget that I even existed in the first place.
That ending would be obvious if I didn't meet Richard frequently since I don't have a place in this family yet.
"Do you want me to tell you again?"
“…….”
Richard was staring at me with an absurd look and soon turned to sort the papers back.
After finishing the madeleine, I took a sip of my black tea. When I put the teacup down, the aroma of the tea exudes a subtle scent.
I got nothing else to do so I got up from my seat and slowly approached Richard.
Richard glanced at me, but soon lost interest and was back to reading the documents.
"How come you haven't taken a single break since this morning?”
When I was working in my previous life, I will take a break to drink some coffee and do a little stretching, but Richard didn't do anything at all.
He was constantly engaged in his work like a workaholic does.
But sometimes, he would glare at me for giving refreshments to his servants and taking a break, but that was all.
You know, people should relax and take a break sometimes.
"Richard, don't you feel sorry for your aides who have to stay up all night to get these documents approved by you?” I asked just to start up a conversation.
But I also kind of serious about it. I was working in an office in my previous life so I knew full well how unbearable it was to have a boss who only focused on working and nothing else.
And this man was the epitome of such a stressful boss.
"What are you talking about?"
Richard creased his eyebrows as though he didn't understand.
"Also aren't those documents already checked by your subordinates earlier?”
Richard was looking at the pile of documents, lost in thought for a moment, and soon breathed a long sigh.
"But I need to do this.”
"Are you a Type A or something? You're such a workaholic.”
I looked at him disapprovingly and picked a folder among the pile. I turned to the next page of the report and saw that it contained detailed numbers in full order.
It was boring just by looking at it.
"Type A—what?"
"I was just thinking that you might have work addiction since you haven't taken a break this whole time," I said as I looked pointedly at the two documents Richard was holding at the same time.
Richard noticed and put the documents down. Then he put his two fingers on the part between his eyes and massaged it. Seeing him dead tired like this seemed like he's doing it not because he liked working.
"I have to take care of all these documents by tomorrow. That way I can pay my taxes to the Empire."
"Tomorrow?"
It suddenly occurred to me that June had just ended. And looking at the figures on the document I saw, I finally understood what he was so absorbed in.
"Ah, so you're closing the half-year.”
"……How do you know that?"
"I just... know a little?"
I worked on the finance team in my previous life, so I wasn't too ignorant on the matter.
However, I have never encountered such documents before since coming into this world, so if he asks me to take a look at them right away then I'm doomed. Still, I could more or less understand what Richard was doing.
"But why are you reviewing all of these documents by yourself?”
"Well... something happened.”
"I see..." I said as I casually handed over the document back to Richard and he put it on top of the pile.
That "something happened" was obviously an incident that transpired in the past—Richard's past.
He hasn't told me yet, but I already knew.
The young Richard, who had lost his parents too early, had to fight alone against his relatives who tried to take away his vast mansion, properties, and title.
Richard originally believed in those people without knowing anything and got betrayed. He lost more than half of his wealth being swindled by them.
He was even stabbed by a spy who was commissioned by his relatives and subsequently fell into a coma for a week.
That's why he had to review these documents one by one and again and again.
No matter how many people belong to him, he cannot easily trust them. It made sense that he would not trust others because he had such a past.
"You should take it a little easy. Or else you're going to get a herniated disk."
"Herniated—what now?"
"There's this thing here—" I said as I turned around and was pointing at my lower back spinal cord but before I could explain more, he cut me off.
"Diana, the more I see you, the more I feel like I'm inside a maze."
"What? Why do you say that?"
“…….”
In response to my question, Richard only shook his head and smiled slightly, refusing to give me an answer.
I'm too tired to urge Richard for an answer so I turned my attention away from him and returned to my seat.
Tea time was almost over, so I should head out soon but I don't know what to do with the rest of my time.
However, Richard's words stopped me when I was about to stand.
"At that time, what did you mean when you said it would only take a year?”
I paused and slowly looked back at Richard. His eyes were still glued to the papers.
"Did you think I'll divorce you in a year?"
Fortunately, Richard seemed to know nothing about my illness.
As I opened my mouth, I felt a stinging sensation like there's a thorn inside my throat. I closed my mouth tightly for a while and opened it again.
"Will you?”
"Diana."
Listening to Richard's irritated voice, I quickly followed up.
"Then how are you going to divorce me?”
"Well, surely you don't know how much money I had to pay just to be acquainted with Duke Tristan."
With that much money, my stepfather, Duke Tristan, was able to escape from debt.
There's no way I couldn't have known this.
"I know."
"Then we shouldn't talk about divorce that easily."
After he finished speaking, he turned his head for a moment and looked out the window.
It was impressive to see the sun hanging on the western ridge.
As time passes, the sun will set completely and darkness will engulf the red sky.
For a moment, I looked at it with a heavy heart as if it was my own future.After a while, I looked back at Richard and smiled.
"What if someone you like showed up?"
"Don't try to make it sound romantic. I can't just divorce you for that reason."
It was a year after I died that Richard got directly involved with the heroine, Eileen. It would be two years from now.
But somehow I wanted to know what he thinks.
If he meets Eileen while he's married to me, he would probably divorce me.
If it was the Richard I know, he would quickly settle his matter with me and dedicate everything to Eileen.
Suddenly I looked away as Richard's piercing blue eyes became uncomfortable.
"Do you think I'll be easily influenced by love?"
"That can happen. Who knows, you might be the type to give his all for love."
"Hah. That's a funny story. It was interesting, but I suggest you drop it." Richard said as if he couldn't even entertain the very idea of it.
Richard only had distrust in his life. He had the belief that everything is intertwined with interests. But I don't know.
Will it be the same if Eileen shows up ahead of time? I shouldn't be thinking of pointless things.
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