Iris made her way, as if by habit, to the Mistress’s study within the Grand Duke’s stronghold.
Chief Steward Vincent was already at his post, impeccably dressed and prepared for duty. By all rights, the chief steward should have been in the Grand Duke’s own study.
‘It seems he’s also been handling the affairs of the household mistress to some extent.’
Since Leonteim had long gone without a duchess, the chief steward and head maid had been dividing the responsibilities between them.
The moment he saw Iris arrive, Vincent’s eyes widened in surprise.
Of course, he hadn’t expected the Grand Duchess to show up at such an early hour.
“Madam?”
Iris greeted him with composed warmth.
“A good morning to you, Vincent.”
“Yes. And to you as well, my lady.”
Vincent asked with a note of concern in his voice, “Might you be feeling unwell?”
Iris slowly shook her head.
“There is no discomfort.”
“Then… to what do we owe your presence at this hour…?”
Vincent let his sentence trail off.
It was indeed early in the morning—but more importantly, it was the day after her wedding.
It was customary to rest for at least a few days after such a grand affair.
But Iris was never one to follow “custom.”
“This is not such an early hour.”
“Not early…?”
Vincent’s expression grew even more aghast. Iris responded with a faint smile.
“Yet you, Steward Vincent, are already awake and tending to your duties.”
“How could one compare my role to that of the madam of the house?”
Vincent shook his head in firm denial.
“More importantly, have you not already been busy since the moment you arrived at the Grand Duke’s estate?”
His face was filled with deep concern as he examined her closely.
Even when she first arrived, she seemed exhausted—but now, she looked even more worn.
‘She surely must be fatigued…’
She had come to this austere place without a single soul to rely on. Even the strongest cultivator would find such circumstances tiring.
“My lady… might I suggest that you take today to rest? Simply take it easy for now.”
“No, I cannot,” Iris replied, gracefully shaking her head. “Is this not the day I’ve officially become the Grand Consort?”
“I cannot allow myself to grow slothful.”
“Most would not call it slothful,” Vincent muttered in protest.
“At least, I would call it that,” she replied firmly.
Her answer was so sharp and precise, it made Vincent quietly think of his young master, Cedric.
‘If only our young master were half as diligent as our lady…’
Of course, Grand Duke Cedric was indeed capable.
The problem was that he was so exceptionally talented that he always handled things just adequately—never pushing beyond what he deemed worth the effort.
It was as if he felt no value in exerting more effort than necessary.
‘I hope the Lady will have a good influence on him.’
“Then I shall bring some tea that’s good for relieving fatigue.”
Vincent said earnestly, emphasizing his point.
“Today is your first day, so please don’t overexert yourself. If you feel even the slightest discomfort, you must rest immediately.”
“I’ll take that to heart.”
Iris nodded firmly.
The steward instructed a maid to prepare the tea. The maid responded, “Understood,” and quickly dashed to the kitchen.
‘Such a nostalgic scene.’
Iris was never one to relax.
Compared to Valentine, her workload had lessened, giving her more time. Yet she was busy dedicating herself to cultivation—training her swordsmanship, making up for what she lacked.
Just like always.
‘I never thought they truly regarded me as a legitimate Grand Duchess.’
The Valentine family was one of the imperial faction’s houses hostile to Leontheim.
Having the daughter of such a family come in as the lady of the house made it hard to gain their trust.
Especially whenever Valentine pressured Leontheim, Iris felt like her very existence was a burden.
So she tried her best to avoid drawing their attention.
At the very least, she hoped there would be fewer reasons for them to feel displeased at her.
‘But that wouldn’t have solved anything.’
She was all too familiar with bearing responsibility for everything. Even when things weren’t her fault, she was still hated.
So she habitually turned a blind eye.
That was Cedric’s role—the protagonist’s. It wasn’t something she, a side character never even in the original story, could do.
‘This time will be different.’
Iris skimmed through the documents Vincent was organizing.
Since she had been working in Valentine’s domain until recently, her knowledge of current Leontheim affairs was lacking.
Still, Leontheim was a place she had cared for long and well. Most things were familiar to her eyes.
“These are proposals regarding the Leontheim Lord’s Castle this year.”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
Iris picked up one document and spoke.
“We’ll probably need separate financial records and a budget plan for the Leontheim Lord’s Castle.”
No matter the task, you had to start by checking the current financial status and the budget.
Vincent bowed crisply at Iris’s calm words.
“I will bring them immediately.”
His every action revealed the etiquette unique to someone who had been a steward for many years.
“However, I must apologize, but there are so many related documents that organizing them may take some time.”
“Don’t trouble yourself too much. There’s no need to bring every document in perfect order right away.”
Iris understood the current state of affairs within the Leontheim Domain.
For years, there had been no proper Mistress of the Stronghold, so the internal matters of the territory had been divided among subordinates who were familiar with its affairs.
Naturally, the chief steward and head maid were already overburdened with their own responsibilities.
Anything that didn’t absolutely require documentation was likely left unrecorded for the sake of efficiency.
“First, bring me all the relevant documents you can find.”
“As you command, my lady.”
Vincent immediately began sorting through the documents piled upon the desk in the study.
Without missing a beat, Iris joined him. Her hands moved with astonishing speed and precision as she categorized the papers.
Vincent paused mid-task, staring at her in disbelief.
‘How is she sorting them so quickly?’
Even while flipping through vast stacks of papers, she was classifying them with remarkable clarity and accuracy.
It was something even he—chief steward of Leontheim for many years—found difficult to do.
‘No… even Lord Cedric wouldn’t be able to do this.’
But Vincent quickly shook his head, returning his focus to the task at hand.
‘Her Ladyship is giving this her full attention. I must assist her to the best of my ability.’
Though the head maid had yet to arrive, he resolved to at least support Iris with the handover until then.
As they continued checking the documents stacking atop the desk, Iris spoke softly, her eyes never leaving the paper.
“It seems we’ll also need the financial ledgers detailing the estate’s income and the expenditures of the Leontheim stronghold for the past five years.”
“They are kept in the Grand Duke’s study. I’ll retrieve them immediately.”
“I leave it to you.”
Iris watched as Vincent vanished quickly down the corridor.
‘He’s truly reliable.’
Even though House Valentine was far more structured than Leontheim, its work efficiency was sorely lacking.
‘It wasn’t just that they needed to be told what to do—they wouldn’t even move unless ordered.’
Even when tasks were assigned, they would drag their feet or fail to complete them properly.
Though Iris had tried warning and disciplining the more negligent servants, changing the deeply ingrained atmosphere of the estate proved nearly impossible.
That’s why even tasks that could have been resolved swiftly ended up draining unnecessary amounts of her time and energy.
Perhaps because of those memories, her hand faltered as she moved another stack, causing the documents she had just organized to scatter across the floor.
‘Tch.’
The papers fluttered through the air like leaves in the wind.
As she reached to collect them once more, a sharp throb pierced her temple.
‘Is my body running hot…?’
Iris hadn’t noticed it during her morning cultivation, but her body was definitely not in good condition.
She often experienced heat rising in her head or a heavy feeling throughout her body, but today her vision seemed a bit blurred.
Vincent’s advice to rest when feeling even slightly fatigued suddenly made sense.
As the scattered documents settled back down, Iris took a moment to catch her breath and stood up from her seat.
‘Still, this is within a level I can work through.’
In Valentine, she had to work even on days when she felt far worse.
If she took even a single day off there, progress would stall and everything would get tangled up. Sometimes Liliana would cause trouble during those gaps.
Compared to those times, her current state was quite good.
Just as she picked up some papers, Iris paused. One sheet caught her eye.
‘Were the tax standards always this high?’
The calculations didn’t quite match what she remembered.
Knock knock.
“Iris! I’m here to check on you.”
Cedric burst through the door but peeked in cautiously as if reading her expression.
Seeing Iris gathering documents, he quickly stepped fully inside.
Having already grasped the situation, Cedric asked as he looked at her,
“Should I just bring the papers up? I’ll handle it.”
“Oh, no. These need to be sorted separately.”
“Sorted?”
Cedric glanced at the files divided by regions and the scattered papers on the floor.
“Got it. So it’s like this.”
Iris was about to explain the sorting criteria, but Cedric seemed to have already figured it out from just a quick glance.
With swift movements, he grabbed the documents and began tidying them with no mistakes, arranging them exactly as before.
Iris found his skill impressive.
‘Still, to recognize and organize everything immediately like this...’
At that moment, Cedric gently grabbed Iris’s wrist.
“My Lady?”
Her sky-blue eyes met his, and he asked in a worried tone,
“How long has this been going on?”
“Huh?”
“You have a fever right now...”
Cedric’s large hand softly cupped her forehead.
The chill of his palm spread across her skin, causing her to shiver involuntarily. That’s when she realized,
‘Ah, my body is this hot.’
Cedric’s voice mixed with a bit of frustration and concern.
“Damn it. I should’ve noticed this from the morning cultivation. Sorry, why didn’t I realize your condition sooner?”
Iris was startled by Cedric’s anxious state and momentarily held her breath.
“I’ll summon the physician at once. Iris, please rest for now.”
“This much is nothing…”
But just then, a sharp pain pierced her lower abdomen, and her vision whitened. It felt as though a needle had stabbed into her gut.
Cold sweat beaded on her forehead.
Iris exhaled shallowly, then inhaled again.
‘This isn’t good…’
There were still so many matters she needed to check.
Her stomach had long been a source of frequent pain—she was used to enduring it.
‘But something’s strange today.’
She’d endured worse than this before. So why now? Why was her body reacting like this?
At last, the body she had been forcing to hold together wavered in an instant.
“Iris!”
Cedric, who had been watching her closely, caught her as she collapsed.
“Iris, are you alright?”
Just at that moment, Vincent and several maids entered the study and saw the scene unfold.
The maids gasped in alarm at the sight of their lady.
“Heavens! My lady!”
“I’ll fetch the physician immediately!”
Vincent shouted with urgency.
“First, move her to the bedchamber so she can rest! Bring the physician straight there!”
Iris could feel herself being lifted into Cedric’s arms.
Worried voices murmured around her. She tried to speak quietly:
‘I’m fine…’
There’s no need to worry.
But before the words could escape her lips, her consciousness faded into darkness.
That day, even after a full night passed, Iris did not awaken.
Cedric, who had stayed by her side all night, went to summon the physician again as soon as dawn broke.
“My wife has not stirred for a full day,” he said, his voice low and threatening.
“What is going on here?”
The physician, who had just finished checking on Iris again, replied calmly.
“Her body has been overworked and pushed beyond its limits. Combined with prolonged malnourishment, it has resulted in complete exhaustion.”
“Malnourishment?” Cedric repeated, his voice filled with disbelief.
Iris was the highborn daughter of House Valentine—a family so distinguished and steeped in the sacred path that some even said their prestige rivaled that of dukedoms.
How could the young miss of such a noble house suffer from
malnutrition
?
If that were truly the case, then only one conclusion remained.
‘It can’t be…’
Cedric recalled Iris at the dining table.
“She’s always had a light appetite.”
Back then, Iris had answered him gracefully as he watched her closely.
“If I eat for too long, it disrupts my cultivation energy.”
Chapter 17