I Reincarnated As An Evil Duchess - Chapter 129
Translator: Nabi
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Chapter 129
Side Story 2 — Happily Ever After
At the sight of Wanda like that, Min-ha narrowed her eyes and spoke to her teasingly.
“Oh my, is there a decisive move? My goodness, is your husband really the bad guy we’ve heard about?”
“…Bad guy? Even though my husband may be blunt, but he’s not of evil character—”
“Oh, I didn’t mean it that way…! Um, I mean, you shouldn’t take those words literally! Saying someone is ‘bad’ doesn’t mean they’re evil, it’s more like… a person who is cold on the outside but isn’t like that on the inside? That’s right! It’s a term for describing someone like that!”
“…Ah, is that what you meant by that?”
“Yes! I never, ever intend to speak ill about Wanda’s husband!”
In response to Wanda’s answer, Min-ha fumbled with her hands and explained flusteredly.
Perhaps because there was no one to question her true identity anymore, she had become so relaxed these days that she casually used terms he had used in a past life more frequently during conversations like this.
She was always worried that the people in the mansion, who had a history of being hurt by the harsh words and sarcastic tone of Minase Persen, the previous owner of this body, might misunderstand or be hurt by the words or tone she uttered, so she was careful.
Min-ha hastily apologized, blaming herself. However, Wanda, who had been wearing a puzzled expression in response to her words, suddenly responded with a faint smile to her frantic explanation.
“Yes. I know that’s not what you meant, so please don’t apologize anymore, Madam.”
“…Really?”
“Yes.”
“Ha, that’s a relief. Oh, by the way, Wanda!”
“Yes, Madam.”
“I was wondering earlier, but what do you mean by special occasion?”
Fortunately, Wanda let it slide. As she breathed a sigh of relief and, in a natural transition, Min-ha asked about something she had been curious about since a little while ago.
Then, Wanda smiled again, seeming a bit embarrassed, and answered while fiddling with her hairpin.
“The special occasion I mentioned a little while ago refers to when the Lavender Festival is held.”
“Oh, really? When you say Lavender Festival, do you mean the festival held outside the castle right now?”
“Yes, it’s the season for harvesting well-grown lavender, and that’s when Persen Castle becomes the busiest and most prosperous. People from all over the Empire come to buy Persen Castle’s lavender and lavender-based perfumes, soaps, and incense made by artisans. There’s even a saying that during this season, the Empire’s wealth all converges at Persen Castle.”
“Oh, really?”
“Originally, Persen Castle was situated on barren land where only weeds grew, but the Grand Madam, who’s the Duke’s mother, taught the people of the estate how to plant and cultivate lavender on this land. Thanks to that, Persen Castle was able to amass great wealth. The climate of the castle is much more suited for growing top-quality lavender than planting grains.”
“I see. His mother…”
“When a granary is full, people’s hearts tend to relax. And, after all the hard work that has been going on, they want to take a break. So, during this time, the estate residents gather with their families to celebrate this year’s harvest and wish for next year’s prosperity, which eventually became a festival for the entire castle.”
“I see. So, this was such an important time.”
Min-ha listened intently to Wanda’s next words as if she didn’t want to miss a single word.
It had been just under half a year since she came from South Korea to this world. During that time, while she had learned a lot, there were still many things she didn’t know. Like the saying ‘When in Rome, do as the Romans do.’ Since she decided to live by Seth’s side in this world until she died, it was necessary to understand the customs and history of this place.
With that thought in mind, as she was concentrating, Wanda smiled gently at her and continued.
“Yes. Also, during this season, the people of Persen Castle often exchange gifts with their family, friends, loved ones, or someone they hold dear as a way of expressing their feelings. It’s why many marriages and new relationships often blossom around this time.”
“So, did Wanda’s husband also give her that hairpin as a gift?”
“Yes. Even though I told him that something so expensive wasn’t necessary…”
Once again, as the topic turned to her husband, Min-ha chuckled at Wanda, who was now blushing at the tips of her ears.
‘This is the first time I’ve seen Wanda like this.’
Receiving a gift filled with love from someone dear was a joyful experience, regardless of its value, and she was well aware of this, so she could easily guess how Wanda was feeling right now. She could remember how moved she had been when she received a proposal from Seth along with his mother’s ring.
Min-ha, who had been blushing slightly at the thought, suddenly hardened her expression, which was full of excitement at the sudden reminiscence.
‘Wait a moment. She mentioned that during this time, people exchange gifts with family, friends, and loved ones, right? That means…’
She cautiously asked Wanda with an expression that seemed as if she had just realized that the deadline for something she had been putting off was tomorrow.
“Uh, Wanda. You know…”
“Yes. Please go ahead, Madam.”
“A little while ago, you mentioned that people in Persen Castle exchange gifts with their family, friends, and loved ones around this time, right?”
“Yes.”
“Does that mean… Seth and Noah also do that?”
“Hoho. Yes, the Duke prepares gifts every year for Noah and his knights, and Noah himself also uses the allowance he’s saved up over the years to get gifts for the Duke and the knights.”
“…As expected.”
She had a suspicion, and it turned out to be true.
Min-ha let out a deep sigh and mentally calculated how much money she had.
After spending a significant amount on Noah’s birthday gift, she had a good sum of money saved from cleaning the mansion until they left for Loengram Castle. However, that was all she had since he hadn’t done anything to earn an income since that day.
In other words, no matter how much money was saved, that money would be far from enough to buy gifts for everyone.
‘…What should I do?’
Should she go back and ask to do the mansion cleaning again? However, Seth, who had convinced her to take a few days off, was unlikely to agree to that request. Besides, if she did make such a request, he would probably suggest using the resources in the mansion.
Still, she didn’t like that idea. She wanted to do something for Seth, Noah, and the people who had helped her so far, using her own capabilities even if it was just her own stubborn insistence.
“…How can I earn some money?”
“Madam?”
As she pondered where to get the money, Min-ha suddenly mumbled something to herself, and her eyes met Wanda’s, who was looking at her with a concerned expression.
At that moment, an idea popped into her head… a way to give everyone gifts on her own, without relying on Seth’s assistance.
It was the skill she was good at, making dolls.
‘Since it’s the Lavender Festival, why not make beautiful dolls or potpourri filled with dried lavender to match the purpose and hand them out?’
Then, she could use the money she had on hand to buy the ‘gift for Seth’ she had in mind or to give gifts to express her gratitude to other people in the castle.
Min-ha’s eyes sparkled with anticipation before she reached out and grabbed Wanda’s hand.
“Wanda.”
“Yes, Madam.”
“Can we get some lavender? If possible, it should be dried.”
“Yes? Why are you suddenly looking for lavender…”
“Please, it’s really important. Is it difficult to get it by any chance? Or is it very expensive?”
“Oh, no. The Madam can use as much as you need from the mansion’s storage.”
“Great! Then, please do me a favor. Also, how long does the festival last? It’s not ending today, is it?”
“Well, it probably goes on until this weekend…”
“Thank goodness!”
Min-ha beamed with a wide smile in response to Wanda’s answer.
So, the first condition for what she wanted to do had been met. Now, all she had to do was work diligently when she had some time to herself.
As she secretly decided to do so, she gently patted Wanda’s hand that she was holding.
“Thank you for your answer, Wanda. It was really helpful.”
“Oh, yes. I’m glad it was helpful…”
Seeing her repeatedly saying thank you with a face that seemed to suddenly sullen and then suddenly brimming with life, Wanda looked at her with a somewhat suspicious gaze. On the other hand, Min-ha deliberately ignored Wanda’s gaze and picked up a fork, slicing a small piece of cake and bringing it to her mouth.
To finish sewing within the allotted time, she needed to eat a lot to store energy.
As the strong sweetness spread in his mouth, she wrinkled her brow slightly but continued to cut the cake and bring it to her lips.
After sending Wanda home and locking herself in her bedroom to make dolls and potpourri, she had made enough dolls and potpourri to fill two large baskets.
At first, she thought just a couple of dolls and potpourri for Noah would have been enough, though she suddenly thought that if she sold them and made some money, she could get Seth or Noah something more special, so Min-ha pushed herself a little harder and made dolls as well as potpourri.
Checking the number of dolls and potpourri one last time, she eventually set aside the potpourri and dolls for Seth and Noah on the bed.
Now, in the morning, she would give the things she had made as gifts to the people in the mansion, and whatever was left could be sold through Wanda or Ella.
‘I’m not expecting anything, but… will they be happy to receive them?’
Min-ha gazed proudly at the finished products, imagining the reactions of the people who would receive her surprise gifts the next day.
Then, she turned her head to look out the window. The sun, which had been scorching the world, had now dipped below the horizon, painting the sky in shades of red in the west. She had barely eaten, only taking a few bites between sewing, and her body was now very sore.
“Ugh…”
She let out a short groan, stretching her arms out and yawning. As she did, the tiredness and hunger that she had pushed aside while focused on sewing suddenly rushed over her.
Bringing over a tray she had left haphazardly by the table and tearing a piece of bread that had turned hard, she dipped it into the lukewarm soup. Min-ha took a large bite, stuffing her cheeks full of bread as if they were about to burst. Afterward, she cut a few pieces of cold steak and pushed them into her mouth before finishing her meal by taking a sip of the water that was nearby.
After tidying up the remaining food on the plate and pushing the tray aside, she approached the bedroom door and tilted her head in response to the muffled noises coming from outside the door.
By now, everyone should have gone to dinner, and it should be quiet.
Min-ha strained his ears to listen to the sounds coming from outside.
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Translator’s Note: Hello, it’s Nabi! I’m the translator of this novel ପ( ๑•ᴗ•๑ )ଓ♡ If you like the novel and would like to support me, please feel free to click the button below to go to my kofi~! Thank you so much for always supporting the novels I work on, even if you don’t buy me a coffee, I really do appreciate it a lot. ❤︎
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Velvet03
Thank you for translating, I’m finally caught up 😊