If I Can’t Be Your Wife

Even though she disappeared as if she had run away from the Imperial Palace banquet again, unexpected responses poured in.

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“Madame, these are all invitations.”

 

Emily came in and set colorful envelopes down.
Kathleen frowned thinking about how to handle the pile of invitations in front of her.

 

“Are you sure they’re for me?”

“Yes, yes.
Your name is clearly written in the recipient’s column here.”

 

Duchess Kathleen Walten.

 

Without a doubt, the large letters were referring to her.

 

‘It wasn’t like this before…’

 

Even when she showed up at a place where she had to attend, the eyes filled with disdain and criticism were aimed towards her.
She could barely hold her seat.
When she returned, the next invitation would come after a month or two.

 

But now……

 

“The Marquis of Cavir has already sent us six invitations to tea time.”

 

Emily, who was sorting invitations by house, asked with admiration.

 

“Are you planning to attend?”

“No.”

 

Kathleen opened and read the invitation from the Marquis of Cavir and put it back in.
Her heart was not moved by the desperate letter as if someone had a knife to the writer’s neck.

 

—She gained status with her body, but would she have thick enough skin to show up in a place like this?

 

The Marchioness of Cavir had publicly spoken about her within Meyer’s social community, the capital of Trivellian.
With the exception of the Empress and the Duchess, she was the pinnacle of social circles and knew well how much influence her own words held.

 

Kathleen used to suffer because she cared about what she said about her.
She somehow wanted to live up to the Duchess of Walten name.
But not anymore.

 

“Get rid of everything.”

 

Emily quickly glanced at the maid, a gesture conveying to burn all the invitations in the fireplace.

 

“Madame, Madame Mettelin sent word saying she’d like to visit.
What should I do?”

“Madame Mettelin?”

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She was a tailor who only dealt with the high-ranking nobles in Meyer.

 

Normally, nobles had tailors who belonged to their families, but some of them, who worked in high-ranking noble families and became free after their contract period, set up  dressing rooms.
Mettelin was one such case.

 

Not only did she deal exclusively with luxurious silks, but she was also known for crafting dresses and accessories with unique designs.
Rumors also circulated that if one wanted to lead the fashion world, they had to go through her hands.
They said that she was so proud of herself that she would not unconditionally accept custom dress requests even if the request was from the imperial family.

 

She couldn’t understand why she suddenly wanted to come here.

 

“As far as I can remember, I have never put in a request for dresses.”

“Ah, Madame Mettelin is trying to expand her range.
I heard that she’s also trying to make baby items other than dresses and accessories.
Baby clothes, bibs, things like that.”

 

Emily unfolded one side of the introduction letter and held it out with an unusually excited expression on her face.

 

“Doesn’t this mean she wants to show it to Madame and Young Master in advance?”

 

The introduction letter detailed the clothes and accessories that a mother and child could wear together.

 

What if she had received this contact three years ago? She might have thought that it was a chance for the Duke of Walten’s child to be recognized, so she would have gladly accepted without further thought.

 

She didn’t know the gender or name yet, but Kathleen loved her child so much and wanted Alexis to love it as much as she did.

 

But now that has changed.
Nothing will come from accepting the attention being given to her child.

 

“Tell her that I appreciate the offer, but I decline.”

“Are you really going to say no?”

 

Emily’s eyes went round and she made a sad face.

 

“I think it would be really pretty when Young Master wears the very first baby clothes that Madame Mettelin makes.”

“What do you think is the reason she made that offer?”

 

When Kathleen’s face didn’t look happy, Emily motioned the other maids out.

 

“Everyone thinks Luci is the heir to Walten, so she came to me.”

“Madame…….”

“You know it as well, Emily.
I won’t be here forever.
Neither will Luci.”

 

The light blue baby clothes in the introduction were really cute.
The mother’s recommended indoor dress was also of the same color but Kathleen turned it over and put it on the table.

 

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“Yes, I understand what you mean.”

 

Her face was slightly disappointed, but Emily nodded her head.

 

“If similar offers come up in the future, please reject them as well.”

 

Kathleen glanced through the list of families that sent her invitations and put them aside.
She was not going to reply.

 

She hoped that this would damage her Duchess reputation and diminish the public interest.

 

***

 

“She rejected all of them?”

“Yes, Master.”

 

The maid in charge of cleaning Kathleen’s bedroom and drawing room carefully pulled out a few pieces of soot-stained paper.

 

It was Tadaman’s party invitation and Madame Mettelin’s costume introduction letter.

 

“She also didn’t seem to reply to the invitations.”

“I see.
Leave.”

 

As soon as the maid left, Alexis rubbed his temple, which was starting to throb.

 

He knew that she was going to ignore the invitation from Marchioness Cavir, the one who spoke nonsense, who was trying to seize the opportunity for redemption.
She had been running wild without knowing her place, and this time he gave Kathleen a chance to trample on her.

 

However, he didn’t expect for her to ignore the other invitations.
No, rather, it was closer to dismissing them.
The Duchess of Walten could have regained her original authority in the social circles, but she did not.

 

She even refused a visit from a designer who was considered one of Meyer’s best.
They were opportunities for her and her child to regain high authority, and she turned it down without hesitation.

 

‘What the hell can I do to keep you?’

 

He couldn’t quite figure it out.

A way to change her mind, someone who could leave at any moment.

 

Alexis felt like he was being strangled and unwrapped the cravat that was squeezing his neck in a rather rough manner.

 

“My lord, a visitor has arrived.”

 

Alsdorf entered the office with a slightly stiff face.
Alexis took a glass of water and said angrily.

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“I think Kathleen would have rejected them all already.
Who even bothered to come?”

 

Seeing things like garbage that didn’t know their place and dared to insult Walten, he thought about crushing the capital instead of the South.

 

However, on the visitor’s certificate Alsdorf presented, an unexpected family crest was stamped on it.

 

“Winston?”

“Yes.
Miss Isabella Winston has arrived at the front door.
She wants to see Madame…”

“Send her back.”

 

Without further thought, Alexis cut him off.
After she returned from the party, her complexion became paler.
Cabel said it was because of the heightened psychological tension.
There was no doubt that Count Winston was the cause.
She had no reason to see her half-sister’s face in these circumstances.

 

“She said that if she can’t see Madame, she will go to the Imperial Palace.
She will formally accuse you of retaliating against Count Winston.”

“This father and daughter are doing disgraceful things in pairs.”

 

Since she is the Crown Prince’s former fiancée, she knows that the Empress would not be able to turn away.
It didn’t matter much to Alexis if she ran straight to the court meeting and put his disposition on the agenda, but then Kathleen would find out too.

 

Alexis got up annoyed.

 

“I’m going out.
What about Kathleen?”

“She is in the bedroom.
She won’t come out for a while since it’s the young master’s time for a nap.”

“Good.
Make sure everyone keeps their mouths shut.”

 

He felt like breaking Count Winston’s arm was not enough.
Alexis left the main building and headed towards the main gate.

 

“I told you I need to meet the Duchess!”

“We can’t open this gate until permission is granted, Lady Winston.
Please step back.”

 

Isabella, who got off her carriage, raised her voice against the knight who was controlling visitor entry through the iron bars behind him.
As Alexis approached, the knight withdrew.

 

“Open the gate.”

“Yes, my lord.”

 

Isabella was delighted when she saw him, but her face hardened in embarrassment when Alexis stepped out of the gap and instructed him to close the door again.

 

“M-My Lord.”

“Do you have something to say?”

 

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He had no intention of wasting time on the annoying garbage.
Besides, Isabella Winston wouldn’t be much different from her father in the North.

 

“I want to go in and tell you.
As a daughter of Count Winston, I don’t think it’s an excessive request.
It is not polite to leave me outside on the road.”

 

The stubbornness in her eyes looked so persistent that he wondered where her confidence came from.
He laughed out loud.

 

“Lady Winston, why should I be courteous to you?”

 

Despite her trembling, Isabella lifted her head and spoke.

 

“I came here to give Your Grace a chance.
Did you know that Kathleen’s name is going to be erased from the Winston family tree?”

 

Kathleen could become a Duchess despite her shortcomings of being a kitchen maid because she was the Count’s daughter.
However, if that status is taken away, the hostess of Walten will be reduced to a commoner.

 

He viciously broke and maimed one arm of the veteran guarding the northern frontier, so Isabella thought that this would be a huge blow for him.

 

Contrary to expectations, however, Duke Walten did not respond much.
He didn’t seem shaken in the slightest.

 

“So?”

“Are you planning to just wait and see? Do you not think of the heir? If his birth mother is a commoner, it would be difficult to succeed and become the next Duke of Walten.”

“Stop the nonsense, I asked what you wanted to say?”

 

The golden eyes of Duke Walten, who had suddenly come closer, were gleaming strangely.
Isabella faltered and unknowingly stepped back from him.
She thought Kathleen was his weakness, but the Duke’s reaction was not what she expected.

 

Still, she had to bring out the words she had prepared.
If she went back like this, the Winston family would collapse.

 

“Please cancel the decrease of the Margrave’s authority that Your Grace proposed.
My father was injured in an accident, but he will recover soon.

“Did Count Winston say it was an accident?”

“Th-That’s……”

 

Her father was still unconscious from the shock of losing his arm.
So of course she thought it was an accident, but when he pointed it out, she was speechless.

 

“Unfortunately, Lady Winston.
Your father didn’t have an accident.
He paid the price.”

“Pardon? What do you mean?”

“No.
Thinking of it now, I suppose it wasn’t enough.
I should have broken both arms, not just one.”

“Your Grace!”

 

She was about to ask if it was him who made the Margrave’s arm like that, but she was grabbed by the collar and pushed against the wall of the carriage in an instant.

 

“Ack…”