Chapter 4: Establishing Boundaries
After finishing my greeting with Lady Paula, the butler Glen Peltra was assigned to guide me around the mansion.
Having served as the family butler since the previous generation, Glen was already quite elderly, and apparently he was considering handing over his current position to his son in the near future.
His son was entrusted with managing a manor house located within the ducal territory, and it seemed their family had served for generations as aides to the ducal house’s internal administration.
Since my marriage to Lord Olivier was effectively connected to the royal family as well, our wedding had been held at the grand cathedral in the royal capital.
With the railway project underway, my father was constantly away in the territory handling affairs, while I remained in the capital to serve as a bridge between our territory and the royal palace.
Originally, Lord Olivier had worked as a royal guard in the palace.
However, once the railway project became fully operational, he resigned from the royal guard and returned home to support the business.
Though honestly, I had absolutely no idea what kind of work he actually did.
And so, while being shown around the ducal residence in the capital—
“Glen, may I have a moment?”
I called out to the elderly butler, whose back remained perfectly straight despite his age.
“As I am merely a servant, there is no need to address me so politely.”
Turning back, Glen bowed with impeccable formality.
Though honestly, this man clearly disliked me from the very beginning.
I had no idea how much longer this old butler intended to continue working here, but since we would inevitably have dealings with one another for the foreseeable future, I decided it was best to establish certain things immediately.
“Glen, as the head butler, there is something I wish to request from you as Lord Olivier’s wife.”
I looked directly into the old man’s eyes as I spoke sincerely.
“You likely heard my conversation with Lady Paula earlier, so I believe you already understand.”
“The single most important thing that must be protected within this ducal house is the sibling relationship between Lord Olivier, Lord Niklas, and Lady Yuliana.”
Even Glen appeared slightly startled by my words and widened his eyes a little.
Lady Paula had phrased things delicately, but he had probably expected me to say something like:
‘Do something about that mere viscount’s illegitimate daughter.’
‘Teach her proper behavior within this household.’
He had likely assumed I would complain like that.
“Protecting that precious sibling bond is absolutely essential.”
“I have no intention whatsoever of approaching those siblings, but judging from Lady Yuliana’s behavior yesterday, I believe there is no telling where we may unexpectedly cross paths.”
Ordinary people do not suddenly burst into the dressing room of a woman they have never even met before.
Honestly, she seemed like the type who might even barge into the bath.
“You and the others who have known Lady Yuliana for years likely understand perfectly well how to interact with her.”
“But I know absolutely nothing.”
“And if I were to unintentionally behave in a manner that displeased Lady Yuliana, would that not place strain upon the siblings’ relationship?”
That woman would almost certainly twist any interaction with me into a tragic tale where she played the victim.
I had only observed this household for half a day, yet it was already obvious that the duchess and both sons adored Yuliana completely.
Naturally, the servants must also constantly cater to her.
The wariness the butler had shown toward me earlier made it clear he feared I might bully Lady Yuliana.
“Of course, ideally I should simply learn how to respond to Lady Yuliana in ways she prefers.”
“But such understanding cannot possibly be mastered overnight.”
“And furthermore, as a wife newly married into the ducal house, there are countless duties I must first learn.”
“So before anything else, I wish to prioritize what is best for this family as its new bride.”
A woman protecting the household she married into is only natural.
I was not saying anything unreasonable.
“Even if Lady Yuliana comes to my room again like she did yesterday, I have no desire whatsoever to make anyone uncomfortable.”
“That is precisely why I wish to avoid interacting with her entirely.”
“This is not due to hostility or malice.”
“I simply wish to focus first on learning my responsibilities properly.”
“I would like you to consider this my own personal resolve.”
A woman protecting the household she married into is only natural.
There was nothing strange about what I was saying.
“So, Glen.”
“Until I have properly learned my duties, please keep Lady Yuliana away from me.”
“And should she approach me, I would like you to handle things exactly as you did yesterday.”
I was clearly stating that I wished to avoid involvement entirely so that their precious young lady would never be hurt.
The request probably left him with mixed feelings, but since nothing I said was unreasonable, Glen had no choice but to accept it.
“As you wish, Madam.”
Glen bowed respectfully.
Afterward, I had Glen prepare a collection of books that I believed necessary for learning about the ducal house and had them carried to the room assigned to me.
My chambers naturally included a bed, and there was even a room suitable for office work.
Since noblewomen marrying into ducal houses were expected to assist with internal administration, such facilities had likely been prepared as a matter of course.
Claiming that I had developed a fever from exhaustion after the wedding ceremony, I secluded myself within my room.
Without stepping outside even once, I spent my time reading the books Glen prepared and organizing the document formats used by the ducal house.
The door connecting to the bedroom used a lock that required a key inserted directly into the keyhole.
If the key remained inserted on my side, it could not be turned from the opposite side.
I doubted that man would come into my room anyway, but just in case, I kept the key inserted at all times.
Since I had announced that I developed a fever from exhaustion, the ducal family physician came to examine me.
“At present, her fever appears to have subsided, but this is most likely simple fatigue.”
That was his conclusion.
Even so, because there remained a possibility of catching a cold, all visitors were turned away completely, allowing me to spend my time without annoyance.
Rather than pocketing the silver coins for herself, Aira apparently distributed them properly to three trustworthy friends.
As a result, two maids and one lower servant girl came to greet me while I was supposedly bedridden from illness.
“I’m Helka.”
“I’m Eli.”
“And I’m Ria!”
Since Aira herself was the simple, harmless type, the three girls she brought also seemed harmless enough.
I had specifically instructed Aira to avoid bringing anyone who might be an overly devoted follower of Lady Yuliana.
That alone would have caused me trouble.
I had already decided from the beginning that I would remain secluded for exactly five days.
And during that time, invitations to tea parties piled up like mountains.
Thus, once I announced that my condition had fully recovered, I visited Duchess Paula to greet her.
Then, spreading the stack of invitations across the table, I asked in a slightly spoiled tone:
“So many invitations have arrived for me as Lord Olivier’s wife.”
“Would it be alright if I consulted with you regarding which tea parties I should attend?”
Lady Paula happily helped sort through the invitations for me.