Rosie's Games

In fact, Isadora had heard a similar rumor before. Word had it that the new duchess was a sorcerer, but this wasn't her first encounter with such a rumor, particularly within the noble circles.

To tarnish someone's reputation, many would fabricate stories like these. They would commission individuals to craft songs, poems, and tales to disseminate them through the streets. At first, Isadora had presumed that the Duke himself had initiated these rumors for motives only he could comprehend. Yet, the puzzle pieces gradually fell into place in her mind.

The Duke must have been aware of these demons and married the new duchess because of their presence! Then was it possible that the Duchess was the leader of the sorcerers?

Nevertheless, she failed to comprehend why this scenario hadn't occurred in her dream. The Duke had remained single. Even up to Isadora's death, the Duke had not married. What could have triggered these changes?

Ultimately, their encounter concluded with Isadora pondering over the true reason behind the Duke's marriage to Rosalind. That very same night, she learned that the Duchess had departed Rakha to return to Wugari.

On the other hand, Rosalind couldn't contain her delight upon seeing the Duke's reaction.

"A concubine?" Lucas knitted his brows. He studied Rosalind, attempting to discern whether she was joking or serious. "You want me to take on a concubine?"

"Why would I want you to take a concubine?" she queried. At that moment, they were lying in bed. As soon as she arrived, the Duke promptly canceled the remainder of his appointments, informing everyone that he was ill. Then, he locked their bedroom doors and didn't allow Rosalind any opportunity to share her day's happenings before he swooped in on her.

Following a few vigorous hours, Rosalind finally got some respite and seized the moment to relay the events that had transpired in Rakha.

"The Princess wishes to be your concubine," Rosalind shrugged nonchalantly. Pulling the blanket closer to her chin, she blinked at him. "She desires to marry you."

"And?" he inquired. "What does that have to do with me?" He genuinely appeared oblivious as to why she was discussing this issue. Rosalind couldn't determine if he was feigning ignorance or... he genuinely didn't deem this as a matter of significance.

"This pertains to your marriage."

"I already have a wife."

"A good number of people are discontent with your wife."

"That does not matter. I am content with my wife."

Rosalind blinked, feeling her neck heat up. She was undoubtedly blushing at this point. How could he utter those words so casually without even batting an eyelid?

Before long, the Duke initiated further activities that tested her physical resilience and could have left her wounded, had she not possessed a light blessing to aid her healing.

The pair awoke rather tardily the following day. This time around, Rosalind leaped out of bed at once. She didn't want him to initiate anything before breakfast. She was well aware that this man was a rascal, always seizing opportunities to make her plead... in bed.

Regrettably for her, the Duke proved to be exceedingly agile and alert. Before she could vacate the bed, he was already atop her!

She could do nothing but grumble before her moans took over.

Eventually, the two emerged from their room to enjoy their extremely belated brunch in the afternoon.

Catching sight of the hickeys on the Duke's neck, Rosalind shot him a glare before lowering her gaze to concentrate on her dessert. She offered to use her blessing to heal them but the man adamantly refuse!

"Thanks to the new Duchess's endeavors, the beast attacks have dwindled," Lucas remarked with a smile. Moments ago, Denys had presented them with the latest report. It seemed that the frequency of humanoid beast appearances had diminished. She pondered if this was due to Elias and Valentin. Shortly after, Denys confirmed that it was indeed their doing.

"Two men capable of wielding water and fire," the Duke stated. "Oddly, both of them have black hair and do not resemble any members of the seven families. Many are speculating that they might be sorcerers."

"I instructed them to be cautious with their actions," Rosalind disclosed. However, she could not really fault them. In the heat of battle, one is left with two choices - to fight or flee. She was pretty certain that the pair chose to fight. How could they possibly think about refraining from using their blessing when faced with those monsters?

"Here are the invitations the Duchess received..." Magda handed Rosalind a list of the invitations. "Tonight, the Duchess is set to attend a convivial banquet with Madam Etonde, the Matriarch of the Etonde Family. This is for the birthday celebration of the Etonde Prince."

The Etonde Prince that Magda referred to was a grandchild of Fabian Etonde. In the north, they celebrated a child's 100th day as another birthday. It's believed that they do this due to a rather grim history. Previously, many children—newborns—would not survive past their 100th day.

Given this, parents held rather low expectations and took extensive measures to protect the newborn infant until the 100th-day celebration. This event was considered significant and typically grand, with many warriors presenting the child with parts of beasts or other important objects as tokens of well-wishes.

Given that this was a member of the four great pillars, the celebration was even grander, with numerous esteemed nobles invited.

"Do you have the list of attendees who will be present at the party?" Rosalind asked casually.

Magda responded with a nod of understanding. "The Prince and Princess of Cirid will be attending as well as... the new Prince of Lonyth."

"Lonyth just held their coronation. I thought the new King doesn't have a child?" Rosalind directed her question to Lucas.

"He doesn't have a biological child. However, he wed a woman who already had a child and treated that child as his own. Naturally, upon becoming King, the child assumed the title of Prince," Lucas explained.

Rosalind nodded in acknowledgment.

Marrying someone who already had a child was not considered uncommon in the North due to the high mortality rate among young men. There were many attractive women around with children, and most men didn't usually mind this.

However, this matter was often of concern in the South.

Rosalind gave a nod of understanding. "What about the gift?" she inquired.

"Here is a list of potential gifts we can present," Magda responded.

"Let's opt for this one..." Rosalind selected a choice and then returned the list to Magda. Shortly thereafter, Magda and Denys took their leave, providing some privacy to the couple.

"Do you think the Princess of Rakha will attend?" Rosalind questioned.

"Perhaps," the Duke replied noncommittally.

Shortly afterward, the pair wrapped up their meal and decided to take some time to relax in preparation for the evening's festivities.

After considerable preparation, the Duke and Duchess arrived at the Etonde estate just as the other guests began to appear. As Rosalind anticipated, the event was indeed magnificent.

The Etonde Family was always recognized as warriors with sturdy physiques. However, Rosalind hadn't anticipated their estate to be as robust and imposing as their impressive stature.

The grand entrance to the Etonde estate was characterized by imposing gates, a reflection of the family's robust heritage. Made of an ancient black relic, the gates stood tall and stern, like silent sentinels guarding the wealthy estate

Under the cover of the night, the gate's imposing aura was further accentuated. The black relic absorbed the moonlight, casting a pall of darkness that made the gates appear more sinister. Each towering pillar of the gate was shrouded in shadow, its looming presence becoming even more tangible in the dark.

Rosalind shivered inwardly. This marked her first visit to the estate yet she already felt that this place was very intimidating.

"Shall we venture inside?" the Duke suggested, taking her hand and gracing her with a smile. At that moment, the Duke was dressed in a refined three-piece suit, his hair stylishly swept up, accentuating his strikingly handsome features. In contrast, Rosalind has donned a delicate, pale pink tube gown, that emphasized her small waist.

Her grayish hair was curled to perfection which made her features softer.

As the snow had already melted, she hadn't brought a shawl to cover her arms. Seeing her thus, the Duke had insisted she wear his coat as protection against the elements. She naturally dismissed his offer, feeling the cold was bearable. However, the man simply draped the coat around her without a further word. To her surprise, Lucas reclaimed the coat before they stepped into the grand hall where the banquet was in full swing.

Rosalind and the Duke had barely set foot in the grand hall when they were met with the sight of tables, decorated lavishly in royal blue cloth and arrayed with gleaming silverware. Yet, before she could fully take in the spectacle around her, their entrance was heralded with a booming announcement of their arrival.

In an instant, all eyes swiveled their way.