The Monstrous Grand Duke’s Fake Lady

“Why did your hair revert back to red? Didn’t you just change it with magic back then?”

“The Young Lady had ordered me to go in her stead.”

“No wonder……”

She recalled how Alexia had been drinking away last night, even though she was the one who said that the morning event was rather important. At that time, she had also wondered how Alexia would carry it out, but she immediately understood the moment she laid her eyes on Vivian. Since a substitute had always been there to fill in for her, she must have found it acceptable to use it at least once.

“The Young Lady?”

“She is still sleeping. As it looks like she slept through without knowing that the sun is already at its zenith, she’ll probably wake up late in the afternoon.”

“Is that so?”

“Thanks to that, only the two of us could afford to relax. The others are still busy working, you know.”

Amanda smiled playfully.

She thought that none of those previous thoughts really mattered. For her, the current moment when she could relax was far more important.

“By the way, what happened to your clothes? And what is with that rabbit?”

Finally—When Amanda pointed out the thing that had been worrying Vivian all this while, she immediately voiced out all the things that she had thought about.

“Ah, this. I caught it.”

“You caught it….?”

Amanda’s widened eyes instantly turned to her hand. The white rabbit was only puckering its mouth all the while being inside that small cage. However, no matter how calm the animal had looked, it was still different from all the animals that were released on the wide hunting ground.

Amanda glanced at the rabbit with her pair of concerned eyes before shaking her head soon after. That was because she had already seen with her own eyes before, when she had to run all over the place just to catch chickens for the sake of cooking.

“Yes—for now. That said, the others will look at it as though the Young Lady was the one who caught it.”

“You really have no fear at all. How could you even think of participating in the hunt with Young Lady’s own appearance?”

“I was really swept away by the atmosphere, so—”

Vivian then smiled as naturally as she could.

Somehow or other, Amanda seemed to believe and let that matter go eventually. Actually, her clothes were even more wrinkled on the inside, but it was extremely fortunate that they weren’t visible from the outside.

“Can I get some rest now? I’ve been moving since morning, so I’m just exhausted.”

“Of course. Your hair color and voice was changed anyway, so it must have been hard for you to wander outside freely. Have a good rest, then.”

“Thank you.”

With Amanda’s guide, she straight away headed to the Young Lady’s room. Then, she quickly entered her own room while the others were not aware of her presence.

As she welcomed the twin room that she had been using with Amanda, Vivian finally loosened her shoulder. Following that, she immediately placed the rabbit on the floor. She was concerned about detaining it in a small cage, but still, she couldn’t possibly leave it in other random placers.

If she were to leave it where the maids gather, it would definitely be used as a cooking ingredient soon. On the other hand, if she left it in the Young Lady’s room, that person would definitely be infuriated in allowing a furry beast to wander in her room—without a doubt.

As she stared upon its black—just like those buttonholes—eyes, Vivian slowly drifted off after some time.

I should wash her clothes properly before the maids arrive. Even though her head was full of the things that she should be doing, she just couldn’t escape the somnolence.

Just before she had fallen asleep, she still managed to take off her clothes and put them aside. Then, she covered herself from head to toe with a blanket before welcoming the peaceful slumber.

***

The day was finally over and soon, it had already become last night.

The most gorgeous hall in the mansion was already illuminated. The hall, which gleamed with such colorful lights, was soon filled with a variety of fragrant foods that were dished up by the amazing chefs.

As the sweet melody permeated through the quiet hall, it soon became the perfect venue for a party. People began to fill the hall, all dressed up with the clothes that they had especially prepared for this very day.

Alexia, who attended, was definitely the same as well.

She had donned a dress crafted from some red and other sparkling jewels that were simply extravagant—much like herself. Whenever she breathed, it appeared like those brilliant jewels resonated magnificently.

However, no one was by her side—unlike the usual. Even though the black haired maid who always seemed to follow her was nowhere to be seen, no one actually paid any of that attention to Alexia at all.