The Dragon Duke's Wife - Chapter 14
Laura had said she looked elegant, but Ancia couldn’t shake the feeling that she looked like a clown in the mirror, wearing clothes that didn’t suit her.
Yesterday, when Khalid had placed the tiara on her, she had felt like the most beautiful woman in the world in his eyes. But now, in reality, she was just a poor woman wearing an unbearably heavy crown.
* * *
The guests had gathered in the large reception room on the first floor. On the way down, Laura had roughly explained the family relationships to Ancia.
“The Velados family’s direct line has a strong dragon’s bloodline, so it’s rare for them to have many children. Usually, there are no more than three children per generation. The late Duke had two sons, the eldest of whom is Master’s late father. Since both sons were killed in battle, Master inherited the title as the next in line.”
“I see… and his mother has already passed away.”
“Yes. Master has no other siblings, and the closest relative now is his cousin, who is the closest in relation.”
“I understand.”
“The next closest relatives are from a much further branch of the family. The late Duke was an only child, so the family connection only extends upwards. The further away the dragon’s bloodline gets, the more children are born easily, so there are many relatives from the collateral families. Since there are so few close relatives, even distant collateral relatives are treated with great respect, unlike the usual noble families.”
“The number of relatives is directly related to the family’s prestige. I’ll need to be careful.”
Ancia thought to herself.
Several maids who had been waiting in the second-floor lobby followed her. Niro was also waiting in front of the reception room.
“Did you sleep well, Madam?”
“You mentioned guests.”
“Yes. How to treat the relatives is up to you, so I guided them to the reception room first. The master said it was fine to refuse them at the door, though…”
“I can’t do that on our first day of marriage. Thanks for telling me, Niro.”
“I thought you might still be unwell, so I took the liberty of serving tea to all the guests, as I did before. I will report later.”
“Alright.”
Ancia was certain that Niro had done a better job of hosting than she could have. However, she resolved to prepare better next time.
“Most of them are here to protest. Since the master didn’t announce his intention to marry you, they only learned about your marriage after receiving legal notifications about inheritance and other matters yesterday afternoon.”
“I understand. It’s only natural that they would rush here when the head of the family marries like that.”
“But the master has firmly stated that you don’t need to understand. He even said that those with complaints should direct them to him personally. Since the master has made all the decisions, it’s not something for you to take responsibility for.”
Ancia smiled. This wasn’t a problem that could be solved just because Khalid would protect and shield her.
“But for now, I am the Duchess, and I’m a party to this marriage. I can’t just hide behind the Duke. This is something we will have to face eventually.”
“That’s true.”
Niro nodded with a warm face.
Ancia felt a little reassured. Khalid was kindly trying to be a shield for her until she became a full Duchess, but she couldn’t rely on that kindness forever. Looking at Niro’s face, she felt she hadn’t made a wrong choice.
“Don’t worry about the criticism. From the start, many of the distant relatives believed that the idea of the master even putting out a marriage advertisement was ridiculous. They’re not criticizing you as a person, so don’t let it bother you, no matter what they say.”
“That’s probably true.”
Ancia gave a wry smile. She could understand how they felt.
Niro politely bowed his head.
“I’ll inform the Master to come over as soon as he returns.”
Ancia nodded and then dismissed him. Since this was her first time greeting her husband’s family, she didn’t need a servant to be present.
Laura opened the door first and announced, “The Duchess is here.” The thirty or so middle-aged men and women who had been gathered in the reception room immediately fell silent and stared at Ancia.
Their eyes seemed to scrutinize her from head to toe, evaluating her. Ancia felt her toes curl inward. Despite having prepared herself, the sudden onslaught of coldness was difficult to endure.
She tried to convince herself that the trembling of her body was just a physical reaction to that.
With a rustling sound, a middle-aged woman, dressed in a magnificent gown, opened a fan adorned with jewels and pretended to cover her mouth and face as she whispered to the man seated next to her.
“Lord Ronald, have you heard of Baron Filermon’s family?”
At the mention of that name, the gazes that had been focused on Ancia dispersed, and the casual conversation resumed.
