My Sister Took My Fiancé and Now I’m Forced to Marry the Ugly Duke

The Decline of the Duke

“Hmm……”

The Duke of Serravalle was hesitant for some reason.

Then, he turned to Rosa and sounded admonishing.

“Countess Tiriya is a woman who is known as the “Walking Royal Standard”. She was once the nanny to the king, my cousin. That is a very prestigious position, and she is still ranked as one of the highest-ranking noblewomen in the country.”

The Duke of Serravalle persuaded Rosa, who didn’t quite understand what was being said, to bite down and endure it.

“If she scolded you, even someone like the queen has to listen to her. In other words, you should reflect on your behavior and work on improving your manners.”

Rosa’s face turned red with anger.

“What?! But that wasn’t justified, that was just outright bullying!”

The Duke of Serravalle seemed somewhat perplexed by his daughter’s angry outburst.

“What’s the matter? It’s not like you to get angry, Rosa. What’s good about you is that you’re always smiling and getting along with everyone you meet.”

“T-that’s……!”

The only reason Rosa was smiling was because it was her outer appearance. It was when she was a little girl that she realized that if she looked good and was smiling, adults would spoil her.

It was in Rosa’s nature to feel like she was being made to work for free[1] when she didn’t get her way, which made her even more angry.

“And you, you thought that if she was just a countess, she could never go against royalty?”

“It’s true, isn’t it? Her rank is inferior to me!”

“You’ve been watching too many “Threepenny Opera”[2], you fool. The court world is not that simple. Take this opportunity to learn.”

Rosa couldn’t believe that her father had scolded her.

Her father had never scolded her before, but today he was very harsh.

“You must be patient. The ladies may tease you for a while because of the circumstances of the broken engagement, but there’s nothing you can do about it. That’s what it means to steal another’s lover.”

“Steal…. don’t talk nonsense!”

“Listen to me. This is nothing. It is something that others will soon forget. Just keep smiling like you always do and eventually you will blend in.”

Rosa’s father reprimanded her, and she was soon left in her own anger.

‘How terrible! Why do you keep scolding me when I’m hurting so much? I only met Falco-sama a little late, but to call me “stealing him” is just too much!’

Yes, she just met him a little later than her sister. Rosa wasn’t to blame. It’s her sister who was bad. She had a bad personality, was always jealous, and constantly harassed Rosa because she was cute. She could only think that if she had time to harass her, she should have improved herself.

At the next tea party, Rosa told her friends about what happened and was again well received by those around her.

‘You see? There are so many people who hate my sister. I did nothing wrong.’

***

The next day, Lucrezia was brought to the bank by the butler.

At first, the banker was a bit wary of the arrival of the well-dressed noblewoman, but when Lucrezia politely explained that she wanted to withdraw her personal funds, by giving the name of a banker she had known in her home country, he eventually understood.

“I would also like to retrieve the contents of the safe I left at the Illuminati, is it possible?”

“I’m afraid not. Because that is a special safe, we cannot take it out without permission, even if you request us to do so. You will have to withdraw it at your original location.”

“I see. That’s fine. Please give me some cash. Also, make sure that all of the immediate purchases in the future are charged to me. Thank you.”

Lucrezia made arrangements for her purchases, and when the banker left, she stretched out her arms.

“Sure enough, it’s tiring to come to the bank.”

She called out to the butler who was standing nearby, and he gently thanked her for her hard work. She was a little afraid to let a stranger get involved in her personal finances, but he seemed trustworthy.

Lucrezia had assets inherited from her mother, and she had an agent to manage them. Normally, Lucrezia entrusted him with all the complicated procedures, so it was rare that she stopped by the bank herself, but today, she had no choice.

‘I’ll have to contact the agent and ask him to move over here as well.’

The office that managed Lucrezia’s personal finances was located in the Illuminati Kingdom. It would be inconvenient for her, so it was better to move the entire office, but her engagement was still not clearly fixed. She didn’t want them to move and have to go back to Illuminati if it’s cancelled. It seemed that she will have to have the agent travel back and forth between the two countries for the time being.

‘When the agent comes, let’s first request that he dismiss all the servants employed under my name in the Serravalle family, and then I will file a claim against father.’

Since she was already married, there was no need for her to continue supporting her family.

Lucrezia decided quickly and called out to the butler again.

“I’d like to have some dresses made, will you call a tailor for me?”

***

The Duke of Serravalle noticed something was wrong one day after he had drunk and eaten too much at a party and went home in the morning.

No matter how many times he called the servants, they didn’t come.

He went to the trouble of finding the butler and asking him, but the butler’s words weren’t clear.

“I need to eat. Bring me anything.”

“But, sir, the chefs are on strike.”

“Why? I don’t think I’ve ever mistreated them.”

“That’s….”

The Duke of Serravalle looked at the many bills handed to him by the butler, and was stunned.

“…… What’s this?”

“It is the cost of hiring the servants.”

“I know that, but why are you giving it to me now? The employment contracts are not due for renewal yet.”

“A person claiming to be Miss Lucrezia’s representative has sent me the documents for the change of employer, and if you do not sign them, the employment contracts will be terminated immediately with severance pay.”

The Duke of Serravalle rubbed his head, dazed from drunkenness and sleepiness, and tried to understand what the butler was saying.

“It’s too much trouble. Let Lucrezia take care of all these things. Where is Lucrezia?”

“The young lady has already left the mansion.”

At that moment, the Duke of Serravalle’s drunkenness and drowsiness were all gone.

It was none other than the Duke of Serravalle himself who had sent away his daughter Lucrezia.

Translator Notes:

1. This sentence refers to her actions of always smiling. ↵

2. The Threepenny Opera is a play by Bertolt Brecht about socialist critiques of the capitalist world. ↵