The Young Duchess Doesn't Want A Contract Marriage

"So the duke wants to propose a contract marriage to me?"

"That's right."

The woman with silver hair and ruby eyes took a sip of coffee while studying the man in front of her.

It had been eighteen years since she had arrived in that world and become the daughter of Duke Albert Maximillan. It had taken some time for her to adjust to her new appearance and identity.

In her previous life, she was a high school final year student. She was not the best student, but she was one of the most renowned ones. Math and English were her best subjects.

But it all came to an end when she was murdered by her stalker, who she only found out about the day she died. The stalker turned out to be her childhood friend. She was aware that she was being followed, but she had not expected it to be her friend. Before she died, she remembered him saying, "How dare you hug someone else in front of me and a guy at that!"

𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘭! 𝘐 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘪𝘳 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘶𝘵𝘵𝘰𝘯. 𝘞𝘩𝘰 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘸𝘳𝘢𝘱 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘦?

The next thing she knew, she was inside the novel her older brother had written. It was just a manuscript that she forced her brother to let her read.

'Eternal Regret' was a tragedy-romance novel in which the heroine died at the hands of the male lead due to her obsession with power. In the end, the male lead cried as he penetrated the sword into her stomach.

She did not care about the novel, but that was until she found herself in the world of 'Eternal Regret'. She became the character named Alessandra, the daughter of Duke Albert Maximillan of the North.

Their names, as well as their personalities, were the same. Her brother even admitted that he created the character of Alessandra with her in mind. Alessandra Maximillan did not appear in the plot, but she was mentioned several times at key points for being an important figure in the political world. She held a great amount of power despite being very young as she was the heir to the North Maximillan Duchy.

The novel made no mention of Alessandra's personal life. That was why she began living her life as she pleased, unconcerned about the plot. Just like the real Alessandra, she had also become a vital person in the political world.

Everything was going perfectly until he appeared in front of her with a contract marriage offer.

"However, Duke Alexander, why should I accept your offer?" Alessandra inquired.

The man in front of her had long black hair and dead-looking gray eyes. He was the Duke of Terrence Duchy and one of the most handsome and powerful men in the world of the novel. But he had a questionable personality.

"It will be beneficial to both of us. The Maximillan and Terrence duchies are now at odds over the diamond mine in Lostfall Mountain. The diamond mine will greatly benefit the financial system," Alexander said, his arms crossed. "If the young duchess marries me, the Maximillan duchy will have the mine."

"And the duke will find a suitable marriage partner because he is of marriageable age," she added.

"That's correct."

Alexander Terrence was not present in the plot himself as well, but he was mentioned several times. He was known as the mad duke and was assassinated by his younger half-brother, the next duke of the South Terrence Duchy. However, nothing about his murder was mentioned.

"I refuse," Alessandra stated flatly.

"Is there a reason for the young duchess to do so?" he asked without showing any sign of discomfort.

She nodded. "First of all, even if we don't have the mine, we are financially strong enough and besides, it is not easy to take the mine away from the Maximillan duchy. Secondly, our names crash. I don't want my husband's name to seem like my brother's. Thirdly, I don't want to be the duchess of the Terrence duchy."

"If the mine is not enough, after the marriage, magician Dashiell will be handed over to the north duchy as well," he said.

Magician Dashiell was taken prisoner by Duke Alexander when he failed to complete a mission for the north duchy. He was trying to find out more about the Terrence duchy, but failed and was taken prisoner by Duke Alexander. As he was a key figure for the Maximillan duchy, his absence was a hindrance to completing some missions.

"But I'm afraid I cannot do anything about the names, though I wonder why the young duchess doesn't want to be the duchess of the Terrence duchy," he said. "I can guarantee the young duchess will live comfortably there."

𝘐𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘢 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘢 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘺 𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤 𝘣𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘐 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘋𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘢𝘯'𝘵 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳. 𝘖𝘧 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦, 𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘥. 𝘛𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘐 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘺 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘭𝘭, 𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘳.

"I have my reasons. I like the Maximillan duchy better. I wonder why? But now that the duke said it, magician Dashiell- I would like to know if the duke truly will hand him over to us."

"I'm not going to break my word. And, if the young duchess so desires, we can make a deal with the magical contract," he said. "After all, magical contracts are unbreakable, and breaching the contract can result in death."

"But does the duke not know that I am engaged and that's also to the duke's younger brother?"

"Since the young duchess brought it up just now, it can't be that big of a deal," he smirked.

"However, I see that the Duke lacks morals," she said. "But I will pretend not to care since I can annul the engagement any time and I want to as well. But I still don't agree with one point."

"What is it?"

"I'm not interested in a contract marriage," she stated. "We either marry for real or don't marry at all."

"Does the young duchess want to marry me for real?"

"Yes. The Maximillan duchy does not allow divorce and I don't have any plan on giving up my family name," she said. "And besides, I don't plan on ruining my life with a contract marriage. I have reached the age to marry for real, not to fool around."

"... I'll think about it," he said after a brief pause.

"The way the duke is talking, it appears as if I proposed, not the duke," she bitterly chuckled. "Well, the duke shouldn't keep me waiting for too long. I may be the only suitable option for the Duke, but the Duke is not my only option."

"All right, then. I will let the young duchess know in seven days," Alexander said.

"No. The duke needs to give me a reply within three days."

"In three days?"

"Yes. If it's a yes, I'll have to make some plans, including a trip to Terrence dutchy to cancel my engagement to Lord Hayden. And if it's a no, I'll have to go to Terrence duchy to break my engagement to Lord Hayden," Alessandra explained. "I had intended to call off my engagement in the first place and I am planning to do it within three days."

"Will Duke Albert concur?"

"The duke knows what is best for his daughter," she said.

"Ah, then I will take my leave, Young Duchess," he said as he stood up. "I will send my reply within three days, though I still don't understand the reason completely."

𝘞𝘰𝘸, 𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘰 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘭!

"Please do," she said as she stood up as well. "I will be waiting for the duke's reply."

As Duke Alexander left, Alessandra sighed and flopped on the couch. In the novel, Alessandra never married anyone. It was mentioned that the person she loved died and so, she never married anyone. But it was not said who that person was.

Perhaps the real Alessandra was proposed to in the novel by Alexander, but she did not accept. And even if she did accept, it did not matter since, soon after that, Alexander was killed.

𝘛𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘴𝘶𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘈𝘭𝘦𝘹𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘈𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘳𝘢'𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦, 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦. 𝘈𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘭𝘭, 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘮𝘦𝘵...𝘖𝘳 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘢𝘵 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺? 𝘞𝘦𝘭𝘭, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘶𝘯𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘭𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘸𝘢𝘺? 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘈𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘳𝘢 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘭𝘭. 𝘓𝘦𝘵'𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘥𝘰 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘢 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘧𝘶𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘩𝘶𝘴𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘥.

Alessandra had the intention of marrying someone, unlike the real Alessandra. She did not have anyone she liked, but she also wanted to know what it felt like to have a romantic partner.

"Well, he is good-looking and handsome. Besides, he might be mad, but I can't say I am normal either. I think we will fit," she mumbled to herself.

"My lady, are you really going to marry him?" Matt, Alessandra's personal guard, asked.

"Hmm, I will," she replied.

"Are you sure he will agree?" Matt asked as he took a seat next to her.

"Yeah, he has to. Well, thanks to Duke Albert's and my natural-born ability to scheme, I happen to have a good position in the political world. And Duke Alexander must marry because he has reached the marriageable age. I am the most appropriate partner for him. Marrying me will benefit him politically. I am eighteen already. I have to marry sooner or later as well. It better be him. I mean, it's not like I have to, since Duke Albert will do whatever I want to. Even if I don't marry, no one can do anything. But I want to get married."

"You were not going to marry Lord Hayden Terence in the first place. You never even held his hand," he pointed out. "Well, you haven't held any man's hand other than your family and me, I guess."

"Why would I marry him? That idiotic little shit head that can't even be cleaned...," she grumbled.

"Well, the engagement was necessary to gain a bit more power than usual. If I marry Duke Alexander, I will get more power as well," she added. "And besides, he is only six years older than me. He is also handsome. It all fits."

"My lord, are you going to marry the young duchess for real?" Cornelius asked.

Duke Alexander was sitting in his chair in his office as always, while the butler, Cornelius, was giving him updates.

"I wanted to marry her in the first place. I just placed the contract so she would annul her engagement to marry me. But who knew she was planning on annulling her engagement in the first place?" Alexander smirked. "She is the only one I can think of marrying. Unlike other noblewomen, the young duchess is a truly admirable person, I have to admit. Even I was forced to admire her."

"I heard a lot about the young duchess though I have not seen her myself," Cornelius said. "She holds a great amount of power in the political world despite her age. It will help you."

"Isn't that why I am marrying her?"

"But what I don't understand is, when did the lord see the young duchess before?"

"I haven't before," Alexander said. "I just heard about her. Even my spies respect her ability. She has a twin brother as well, but even so, Duke Albert made her the heir."

"Yes, it is indeed quite surprising, since most families prioritize sons before daughters. But no one questions the duke's decision since, in everyone's eyes, the young duchess is doing a great job representing the north duchy. If someone like her becomes the duchess of the south, it will be great," Cornelius said. "But I am worried about something else."

"What is it?"

"Will the Lord be able to make the young duchess happy? You don't have any experience," Cornelius sniggered, his green eyes playful. "You have never even held a woman's hand."

"Stop talking," Alexander grumbled.

"Well, the young duchess is at least used to being around men."

"How so? She never let my idiot brother touch even just a hair of hers," Alexander said. "And it is said that the young duchess keeps her distance from everyone- women and men."

"Don't forget, my lord, the young duchess's personal guard is a man. His name is Matt Dorian and he has been guarding the young duchess for as long as their existence. They grew up together. Since then, Sir Matt has been with the young duchess to protect her," Cornelius said. "They are of the same age as well. Sir Matt is more like the young duchess's guard dog though."

Alexander had even seen Matt Dorian standing beside the young duchess the whole time without moving.

Alexander did not have any plan to marry. But it was important to broaden his political power and for a successor. Among all the noblewomen, Alessandra Maximillan was the best option and the only woman who piqued his interest.

Alessandra Maximillan was known for both her beauty and power. She had silver hair and ruby eyes just like her father, Duke Albert Maximillan, and twin brother Alessandro Maximillan. The whole family was famous for their charm. Duke Albert Maximillan was a good-looking man and he did not even look his age. Alessandra and Alessandro, the Maximillan twins, looked the same and they were known for their eye-blinding beauty as well.

The north duchy's work was mostly done by Duke Albert and Young Duchess Alessandra. It was said that Alessandro was not good with paperwork. It was one of the reasons his twin sister was the heir.

The Terrence family was known for their silver eyes. Alexander's black hair and silver eyes did not match and made him look scary. Noblewomen were charmed by his handsomeness, but they feared his personality because of the rumors of him being mad.

"I had better send the young duchess the reply," Alexander muttered and held out his cigar.

"Yes, my lord. Can I ask one thing?" Cornelius asked as he lighted the head of the cigar.

"Go ahead."

"Does the young duchess have two black horizontal marks (-) in her eyes?" Cornelius asked.

Alexander inhaled the smoke until it filled his mouth and then blew it out. "She does," he said. "It is quite strange to have two black marks in ruby eyes. But somehow, it suits her."

"But Duke Albert and Lords Alessandro don't have them."

"It's not strange to have some rare things," Alexander said. "Besides, it doesn't matter what they are. Black marks are called curses. But even if it's a curse, it doesn't mean anything, since curse and madness mix together pretty well."

"By the way, my lord, a new rumor has spread that you're impotent and you have erectile dysfunction," Cornelius said.

"How did this baseless rumor even spread in the first place?" Alexander scoffed.

"It's not totally baseless, since it's half true. Did you even get an..."

"How could I? I haven't ever been near a woman, to begin with."

"That's the problem," Cornelius said. "You don't even go near a woman."

"I'm marrying now, right? That's enough. Why do I need to mock around with women?" Alexander grumbled.

"You literally hate all people, my lord. There is no doubt about that," Cornelius sighed. "But I wish the best for you."

That day, Duke Alexander Terrence had sent the young duchess the reply. She sent a letter back saying that she would annul the engagement with Hayden Terence soon. Two days passed by.

The door of the Duke's office burst open and the butler ran inside, completely breathless.

"Why are you being noisy? Don't you want your head anymore?" Alexander muttered with furrowed brows as he smoked a cigar and did the paperwork.

"Duke, the young duchess is here," Cornelius said with bated breath. The moment he had noticed the carriage of the North Maximillan duchy, he had run all the way to the Duke's office.

"Oh, she must be here to meet Hayden to annul their engagement," Alexander said.

"Did you not know about it?" Cornelius asked.

"It is none of my business what the young duchess does. She is not my fiancée yet," Alexander said. "She feels the same way. That's why she didn't inform me. And besides, she is not visiting my residence, rather the extended residence of Hayden."

"But you are going to meet her, aren't you?"

"Of course. I need to see what she does myself," Alexander smirked. "After all, Hayden is not someone to give up something easily, be it a person or a thing."

"My lord, you're the same, if not more," Cornelius muttered.

Duke Alexander made his way to the extended residence. Hayden Terrence, his half-brother, was two years younger than him. Hayden's mother was the late duchess of the Terrence duchy. It was said that she had committed suicide after their father was murdered by Alexander.

The young duchess had already gone inside Hayden Terrence's residence. As Alexander went in, he found her standing in front of a couple on the couch.

Alexander had to fight not to laugh at the scenario. He could not see the look on the young duchess's face that he yearned to witness more than anything else.

"My lady, it's vulgar," Matt Dorian, Alessandra's personal guard, said who was standing right beside her. "You need to play chess with me twice for making me witness something so uncouth."

"I don't understand why you like chess so much..." she muttered.

"It's not just me. You like to play chess too when you do something psychotic," Matt said.

"That's to look cool," she said. "Anyway, separate the gentleman and gentlewoman in front of us. The sound of their lips is strangely unnecessary for my ears."

It did not take much longer for Matt Dorian to separate them. Hayden was surprised to see Alessandra Maximillan, while the woman was perplexed and afraid, thinking of what to do.

"Cover yourselves please," Alessandra said. "And before Lord Hayden says something completely superfluous, let me remind the lord that I have sent a letter saying that I will visit today, to which the Lord replied positively as well."

"Young Duchess Alessandra," Hayden said as he quickly stood up while putting on his clothes. Thankfully, he was still wearing his pants. "It's the first time my darling fiancée has visited me. Have you come to hang out with me?"

Alexander was surprised to see his guts that he even managed to say something like this when he was caught cheating red-handed by his fiancée, though Alexander had a good idea that the young duchess knew all about his doing long ago.

"Lord Hayden, perhaps it is high time we needed to have a heart-to-heart chat with our minds as fresh as newly bloomed flowers," Alessandra said calmly. Perhaps her face was dangerously calmer than it should be as the woman with Hayden flinched and ran away, glancing at her.

"Ah, Duke Alexander is also here," Alessandra said as she glanced at the duke who was standing behind her. "The heir of the North Maximillan duchy greets you."

"It is indeed good to see you, Young Duchess," Alexander said while glancing at Hayden, who was surprised to see them talking casually even though it was the first time the young duchess visited the Terrence duchy. "Is the young duchess here to spend time with her fiancé? If so, then I will gladly leave you two alone."

"No need, Duke Alexander," she said. "It will be great if the duke is present as well, since it will need the duke's permission."

"What is it, Alessandra?" Hayden asked. "I don't think we need to talk about anything that requires the duke's present."

"Lord Hayden, please button your shirt properly before talking," Alessandra said. "Or do you need my guard to help you?"

"My hand is working perfectly fine," Hayden grumbled. "No need to help."

"Oh, is that so?" Alessandra muttered. "I thought your hand might be slippery since you were doing something with that noble lady behind your fiancée's back and even in front of her."

Alexander almost choked, but he controlled himself as he noticed the young duchess's unmoving face.

"Young Duchess, your words are vulgar," Hayden said with a shocked look on his face.

"I agree. I feel like I need to puke," Matt mumbled.

Alessandra shrugged. "Perhaps the lord's hand has gone dry. Anyway, I don't have much time on my hand. Let me be clear," she said. "Lord Hayden, I want to annul our engagement due to some inconvenience."

"What?" Hayden almost yelled.

"I have brought Duke Albert's permission," she said nonchalantly. "Now please sign the paper."

"I refuse!" Hayden yelled.

"Who cares?" she muttered. "Duke Alexander is the one who will need to agree."

"Can you give me a proper reason, Young Duchess?" Alexander asked, even though it was unnecessary. But since Hayden did not know about their plan, they needed to pretend not to know anything either. It was a silent agreement between them.

"My fiancé is cheating on me," Alessandra said. "Is that reason valid enough?"

"What are you saying?" Hayden yelled. "I was just taking care of my boredom since my fiancée would not even let me hold her hand. You have never even made a public appearance with me."

"So the Lord is saying that this reason isn't enough?" she asked.

"Of course not! Every man does this," Hayden said. Alexander sighed as he witnessed his brother arguing like an idiot with his fiancée.

"Well then, I have another reason," Alessandra said. "I am simply bored and the lord's charm isn't enough to compete with my beauty."

"What?"

"Now please sign the annulment paper," she said as she handed a paper to Hayden along with a pen.

"Tear it. I have more," she added before Hayden could do exactly what she guessed.

"What's up with that pen?" Alexander asked.

"Oh, that one? It can hold ink within it so you don't need to dip it again and again to write something," she explained.

"Wow, that one is good," Alexander muttered. For someone as workaholic as him, it was indeed a very useful thing.

"Yeah," she said.

I will perhaps gift one to Duke Alexander sometime.

"What the hell are you two talking about now? And what is with this engagement annulment?" Hayden asked angrily. His blue eyes were full of dread, as if he would tear both Alexander and Alessandra. "You mad..."

Matt grabbed his mouth before he could utter another word and kicked his leg, so he fell to the ground. Everyone remained in their place with a calm look on their faces while Hayden groaned in pain.

"Now, now, Lord Hayden, you have been talking without showing proper respect for a while now. Do you think I am your drinking buddy or something? Or do you think that I am here to play with you?" Alessandra said coldly.

The drastic change of her tone from playful to serious surprised both Hayden and Alexander, but Matt remained the same, checking out the painting of a tree in the opposite direction of the wall while holding Hayden down.

"And does my proposition to annul our engagement look like a joke to the lord? Or does the lord want to be straight up shameless while blabbering tactless nonsense with that dung-making mouth? It is alright if the lord doesn't want to annul our engagement. But that doesn't mean the annulment won't take place."

"I will never sign the annulment paper!" Hayden said loudly.

"Ah," Alessandra mumbled, "Alright. I will take my leave then. Since the Lord wants from the deepest shallow part of his heart to not annul our engagement for some unnecessarily strange reasons, I don't think I can do anything to change the lord's binky heart's voice. For now."

"What?" Hayden asked, surprised. He did not expect the young duchess to give up so quickly, neither did he expect her to have a sour mouth. He slightly understood why both men and women feared the young duchess.

She turned her back on Hayden Terrence without another word, along with Duke Alexander.

"Will you be leaving now, Young Duchess?" Alexander asked on the way. "If there are no pressing matters in hand, I would like to invite the young duchess for some coffee and small talk."

Alessandra smiled. Her brother from her previous life had made sure that this world had all types of coffee. It was good for her since she liked to drink coffee more than anything else, especially as she only worked almost all day long.

"Of course, every type is available," Alexander added with a smirk.

"I cannot possibly refuse such an invitation," she said with a smile.

Alexander led the young duchess and her guard to the duke's residence. He noticed her steps were elegant and very shallow, as if she did not trust even the ground. And the ruby eyes with two black marks in the middle were fixed on his moves as if she did not want to miss even the slight movement.

"Duke, Young Duchess, what a pleasant sight!" Cornelius exclaimed as he ran towards them the moment he noticed them. To his surprise, the young duchess was more beautiful and elegant than he had imagined.

"You must be Cornelius Bradford, the south duchy butler," Alessandra said.

"Yes, Young Duchess. It is my pleasure to meet you," Cornelius said and bowed. He was surprised that the young duchess recognized him even though they had never met before.

"It's alright. I have come here for some business that did not go so well, for now, but now the duke generously invited me for some coffee," she smiled.

"Ah, that is wonderful," Cornelius said, and looked at Duke Alexander. "Please let me lead you to the drawing-room."

Cornelius led them to the drawing-room. Alessandra walked side by side with Alexander. Alessandra was of average height while Alexander was unnecessarily tall. Matt, who was walking a step behind them, was dumbfounded to notice their height difference.

"Please make yourself comfortable, Young Duchess," Cornelius said.

Alessandra looked around the room. As she expected, the room spoke of Duke Alexander's lavish taste. She smiled as it fit her taste perfectly. After all, spending money was one of her favorite hobbies.

"My lady, Duke Alexander is the perfect match for you," Matt whispered into Alessandra's ear.

She grinned in her head. Alexander understands the importance of unnecessarily expensive things. As expected of the mad duke. I am glad. Thumbs up to you, young man. After living for almost thirty-six years, watching the kids play is quite fun, especially when it matches my taste.

Even though Alessandra lived for a long time, she had not yet had a romantic relationship with anyone. In her first life, she was busy studying and doing many freelance jobs. And in her second life, she was busy working as the heir of the North Maximillan duchy. In her first life, she did not have a chance to experience romance, but as she had earned a lot of money, she was pretty lavish for her age. Since the money kept growing only, her habits did not change. And her parents did not stop her since she was spending her own money. In her second life, as the duke's daughter, she was even richer. Thus, her extravagant habits did not change, only grew.

Since she could not live long in her first life, she decided to be the perfect woman she always wanted in her second life. Part of the plan was to find a romantic partner. Because of that, she was quite interested in marriage as she reached the age.

"Latte?" Alexander asked as they both sat on the couch. Alessandra was sitting on the opposite side of him with Matt sitting beside her.

"Yes, thank you," she said. She was glad that Duke Alexander remembered her preference even though they had met only once before.

Alexander told the butler to bring them coffee and some refreshments. His stiff silver eyes fell on her ruby eyes.

"I am surprised that the duke went to Lord Hayden's residence," she stated. "After all, I heard the duke and Lord Hayden do not share a good sibling bond."

"You're right," Alexander said. "I heard that the young duchess has come to the duchy. I wanted to see how the young duchess annuls her engagement."