The Duke's Unwanted Wife

“Hello. You must be Grand Duchess Kristen”    

“Indeed I am. This is my older brother, Sebastian Adamantine”    

Natalia pinched the side of her unwilling brother to make him greet the princess kindly. The princess observed them, amused by their antics.    

“Has your highness been enjoying your stay here in the capital?”    

“I haven’t had the chance to go out to the capital yet but I have been treated well in the palace. It really is befitting of the title of one of the two great powers in the continent”    

“If your highness still has time after the celebration…….”    

Sebastian’s eyes widened in horror, hoping she wouldn't say what he thought she would say.    

“........I would be holding a few parties with my friends before I return to my husband’s home. We can take you to the notable places in the capital”    

“Is that so?” the princess’s eyes glistened with excitement.    

“I shall take the Grand Duchess up on your offer then” she smiled.    

“I will send a letter cementing my offer so your highness cannot refuse again”    

“Why would I ?”    

The two exchanged some more pleasantries before Natalia excused herself.    

“Well you’re rude”    

“Isn’t it enough that you dragged me to meet your candidates?”    

“I’m going to see the next one now but it isn’t necessary to come”    

“........I didn’t say anything like that”    

“The Princess of Berinda passed my preliminary judgement. She would be a good wife for you. But if she is not to your linking…….”    

“She’s not the only candidate, is she? Let’s meet the others”    

“I am glad you’re willing to meet them. The next person is the Princess of Polivia. Those are my top two candidates”    

“You want me to marry royalty?”    

“If you do, it would be harder to get rid of you when he ascends the throne. Your standing in the kingdom would be unshakable”    

“Sometimes, I wonder if you’re my younger sister or my mother”    

“I could be both. Be nice to this one, Bastian”    

“Yes, mother Natalia”    

Anyone with two eyes could see what Natalia was trying to do as she moved around the banquet with her brother. Everyone was taking their time to socialize, some were dancing and some were eating. Amongst the people eating was the tired Alana. She knew it was going to be tiring to speak pleasantries with the nobles that would do anything to put her down.    

It was worse when the women of high society were divided into three clear factions; the Grand Duchess’s faction, the Princesses faction and the neutral faction. There were a lot of ladies in the neutral faction and most of them were older ladies who refused to participate in the struggle of the youth.    

Their perspective of her, regardless of faction, was worse than she would expect. She was shooed away with smiling eyes and polite mouths. The young men kept a suitable distance from her, greeting her politely if they were too close by accident. To build her stand in society would be a lot of hard work.    

“You seem to be having a hard time too”    

“Yes, I……” the words hung in her throat as she turned to look at the one who spoke to her. Standing beside the buffet table calmly with a plate in hand was the Saintess Candidate. She didn’t look out of place in the palace as opposed to the bastard princess.    

“I have spoken out of turn. I apologize. I greet her highness the third princess” she bowed. Alana nodded, smiling awkwardly. For someone who had already lived life once, Alana was very familiar with the saintess. Proclaimed to have the heart and body of a goddess, she was someone who shone very brightly under the light. However, the light was bright enough to blind everyone from seeing just what a ugly person she was underneath.    

“This may sound rude but I have been observing your highness for a while now. It would seem we are in the same situation. It would be hard to mingle with the ladies of either factions if we don’t pick who to rely on”    

“......you are right”    

“Since you have dealt with palace politics longer, you would be able to tell which is the better side. I really want to do well as Saintess” she smiled nervously, like a naive girl eager for some friends. If Alana didn’t know the woman’s true nature, she would be fooled like everyone else, just like she was in the first life.    

“If…..you want to pick the best side, then the Grand Duchess is the best to rely on” Alana responded carefully.    

“I think you’re right too. Associating with the flower of the capital would definitely bring one to a higher realm of success. If I can connect to the ladies in that faction, the church would be flooded with more donations and I can raise my standing suitably there”    

“Yes but it is harder to achieve than you might think”    

“Well, I wouldn’t expect nothing less from a woman called the flower of the capital. Now that the flower has been plucked by someone who seems more interested in another flower, I wonder why there hasn’t been any shift whatsoever in the social world”    

Alana’s eyes widened in horror.    

“What are you talking about? It is a crime to blaspheme the only dukedom”    

“Anyone with working eyes can see that from the beginning of the banquet to this moment, the Grand Duke has stared at your highness five more times than he has his wife. I suppose your highness cannot settle for being the mistress of a Grand Duke. Oh, I apologize if I offend you with my words”    

Alana suddenly realized that Adelie’s words seemed to be aimed at making her upset. She didn’t know why but the mere thought that she almost fell for the woman’s trap sent shivers down her back.    

“Marriage is a sacred thing in this kingdom. As a noble, it brings you more obligations and chains than you might expect. Since even you can get married despite being the saintess, I am sure you will be able to understand one day. The Grand duchess is the one I have chosen to follow and I will not be able to listen to any slander about her. I will…..pave my own path from now on”    

Adelie stared at her for a few minutes before she suddenly burst into laughter. The more she laughed, the more uncomfortable Alana felt. The laughing Adelie suddenly drew closer, leaning beside Alana’s ears.    

“Are you sure now is when you want to change, Lana?”    

Alana’s blood ran cold. The only person that had called her that name was the Adelie in her past life.