Adeline turned her attention to the Duke who was standing stiffly across the room. She didn’t miss the dissatisfaction on his face. He clearly didn’t like them being here and Adeline had every intention of using that to her advantage.
Adeline smirked. The Duke noticed her gaze on him and quickly hid his discontentment.
He looked like he was about to say something but Adeline beat him to it.
"Your Grace," she began, her voice light and friendly, "Thank you for receiving us on such short notice. Dimitri and I are looking forward to our stay in this marvelous estate."
As she spoke, she kept her eyes on the Duke, carefully observing every shift in his expression. She ignored the slight fidgeting from Dimitri at her side, knowing he must have been wondering what she was planning.
He knew her well enough to sense that she was up to something, and she was counting on him to play along for now.
"My father, the Western Marquess, suggested that I study etiquette under the guidance of your wife, the Duchess." She turned towards Dimitri and smiled, "She even insisted that I bring my distant cousin here, Dimitri, along with me."
Her eyes quickly darted towards the Duke, she was hoping he took her words as intended.
The Duke’s eyes narrowed slightly as he processed her words, glancing between the two of them. His expression grew thoughtful, and Adeline could almost see the misunderstanding take root.
"So... This young man," he said slowly, gesturing to Dimitri, "Is your cousin, Lady Adeline?"
Adeline smiled brightly as if she hadn’t come up with a devious plan right away, "Yes, Your Grace," she replied smoothly, holding back a mischievous smile.
She tilted her head to the side, "Unfortunately his parents passed and we have taken him in for the time being. The Duchess seemed quite enthusiastic about his coming along. She mentioned it would be beneficial for him to receive a bit of... refinement."
She saw the gears turning in the Duke’s brain. ’Think about it, Duke. Why would the Duchess call in my distant cousin and teach him etiquette personally...’
He was beginning to suspect his wife might have an agenda he wasn’t aware of, and that was precisely what Adeline had intended.
Dimitri, who looked more and more puzzled, tried to remain composed. When the Duke wasn’t looking she shot him a look and winked.
His lady was always cooking up schemes! But alas, he had already vowed to be her knight, he couldn’t go back on his word now.
The Duke’s gaze hardened as his suspicions were confirmed. The Duchess brought him to teach him personally. How dare she go ahead and make a decision without him?!
They had agreed to adopt a child together, and now she was already bringing in prospective heirs... He won’t be taking this lying down.
If Adeline could read his mind, she would laugh in his face and call him out on his cheating.
It was getting harder and harder for the Duke to maintain his smile. Still, he had years of experience hiding his true face.
"Very well. I welcome you two. As my wife said, the steward here will be taking good care of you." The smile on his face had quickly faded by the end of the sentence.
He couldn’t keep up this charade anymore. He had to leave. He practically sprinted towards his study.
Adeline’s eyes narrowed as she saw him leave. On the very first day, she managed to make an enemy. And he was the Duke no less.
She had to be very careful during this time. She was aware of the position in which she had put Dimitri. Now, he will be the Duke’s target. They were going to be enemies soon anyway.
After all, she planned to unfurl his lies and send him to prison.
Adeline took a deep breath. She wasn’t going to let anything happen to Dimitri, she chanted to herself.
As they followed the steward, Dimitri whispered to Adeline, barely hiding his confusion. "Adeline... What was that about us being cousins? And the Duchess insisting I come here? I thought you were here just for etiquette lessons."
In short, he was asking her what the hell she was up to!
Adeline smiled slyly at him. Her eyes gleamed with amusement. "Dimitri, sometimes it helps to play along. If the Duke believes we’re family and that his wife wanted you here, he wouldn’t dare to mistreat you. You should always try to get to know the opposite person before you associate yourself with them. The Duke and the Duchess are sticklers for rules and maintaining the proper hierarchy."
This was also true. Adeline didn’t want him to be mistreated. If they knew that he wasn’t a noble, who knows what they’d do? Maybe they wouldn’t even give him a room in the same corridor as her!
She wanted to tell him about her plan, but she was worried that it would worry him. So, she decided to tell him the next day. Let this day be a holiday for him. An Adeline-stress-free day!
The Duke left in a huff to his study, Adeline’s eyes followed him as he did. She didn’t dwell too much on what he might do. If her plan worked... She was prepared for what to do next.
She took Dimitri’s hand and headed outside the manor and into the garden. It was their first time there, and for future reference, they needed to know the layout of this manor.
Who knows what might happen in the future.
"Adeline, is it polite for us to do this?" Dimitri said worriedly. He let himself be dragged by Adeline around the huge manor.
While he found it fascinating looking at the art, he wasn’t able to take a good look because she kept dragging him to the next stop.
"Dimitri, we are not sightseeing. Trust me and learn the layout of the house as fast as possible..."
He couldn’t understand her, and even if he asked he knew she wouldn’t tell him anything right now.
Adeline looked back to see Dimitri with a complicated expression on his face. She sighed to herself. She had to tell him... It wouldn’t be right otherwise... Especially since the Duke would now find him an eyesore!
She pulled him into an inconspicuous corner, looking around to see that there was no one there to listen, she finally opened her mouth.
"The etiquette lessons are just a cover. I am here to find evidence against the wrongdoings of the Duke."
Dimitri’s eyes immediately widened. He knew she was up to something but who could’ve guessed that this was why she was here? It went from zero to one hundred very quickly.
"I know, I know. You think I am insane... But, it’s something I have to do." She drooped a bit. She had been carrying around this worry for so long. She was afraid of all the problems she caused her dad.
She wanted to share some of his burdens and deal with the problems that arose because of her.
"If it’s something my lady has to do, then I am at her service."