Duchess in the Attic: Volume 1 (eBook)

MORI (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2024 | 1. Auflage
250 Seiten
J-Novel Heart (Verlag)
978-1-7183-3677-3 (ISBN)

Infos

Opal Holloway is a determined young lady whose ambition makes her stand out among her peers. When her entire life is seemingly changed overnight, she's left without a man to marry. However, she couldn't be more relieved, since she's been secretly in love with her childhood friend Claude. Opal hoped that she wouldn't be forced to marry a noble other than her childhood friend, but bad news arrives. Wed to a childish duke, whose servants refuse to treat her well, Opal feels like the whole world has turned against her.

But Opal isn't one to take things lying down. She decides to use her wealth to steal Duke McLeod's land and manor away! Now in charge, will she be able to transform the servants and the duke? And will she ever be able to forget her first love?

Textauszug

1. The Beginning

It all started one night at a normal dinner party hosted by Earl Holloway. His daughter, Lady Opal, had just become a debutante, but she had grown a little tired of all the crowds and stepped out into the garden, a space familiar to her. She’d visited the earl’s manor at the royal capital numerous times since she was young, and this garden had been the perfect playground for an energetic little girl like Opal. Even in dim lighting she knew her way and could navigate the garden quite well. However, the garden during this particular party was completely different from a usual afternoon stroll.

Someone suddenly hugged Opal from behind. Before she knew it, she was pushed down onto the grass, and a kiss was forced upon her. Something slimy touched her lips, and she scratched the face of her assailant, completely disgusted by the sensation. The man flinched and groaned in pain, giving Opal time to scream for help. She knew that guards were on standby within the garden.

She screamed without a second thought; the fatal implications of an unmarried woman dragged into such a fuss had never crossed her mind. As the guards drew near, the man hastily made his escape. Only Opal was left behind, her hair and dress a complete mess. As she sat there in a daze, both the guards and the party guests gathered around her. The guests’ eyes were filled not with pity but with curiosity.

Her memory was fuzzy after that. Opal remembered her attendant rushing to her side, carrying her back to her room, and putting her in a bath. Once cleaned, she had been put in bed and had promptly fallen asleep without being able to fully process the situation. The poor lady hadn’t a chance to predict what was to come.

Every year, the season of socializing was from spring to summer. High-ranking nobles gathered at the royal capital as every night, various parties and balls took place. These served as the perfect occasions to discuss politics and economics or to simply chatter away and exchange information.

Naturally, this was a critical time for unmarried men and women—and their parents. On the daily, nobles enacted secret plots against each other, dragging down others in order to secure the best partner they possibly could.

The next morning, Opal woke up and received a message from her father, a summons to his study. She quickly got herself ready and even skipped breakfast as she headed straight for his room and knocked on the door. Upon receiving a word of consent, she immediately entered and saw her father, Earl Holloway, seated at his desk with a look of chagrin.

“Good morning, father,” Opal said. “I heard that you called for me.”

“Why do you sound so carefree?” the earl demanded. “Do you understand what you did last night?”

“Indeed, I apologize for causing a commotion during the party last night. But I was able to make it out safe and sound—”

“That’s not the issue. The issue was your wretched appearance in front of such a huge crowd.”

The anger in his voice caused Opal to jolt in fear. Not once had she been asked if she was all right. In fact, her father wasn’t even interested in what had actually occurred last night. She knew her father quite well, but his blatant callousness lit a fire in her rebellious spirit.

“I didn’t do anything wrong!” Opal insisted. “That man should be to blame!”

“And do you know who this man is?” Earl Holloway asked.

“I do not. He fled when I shrieked and made a fuss.” Opal was proud of herself, lauding her own strength and courage to react in such a frightful situation, but her father only let out a deep sigh.

“And that’s the problem. Had you not made such a fuss, we could’ve kept this a secret from the rest of society.”

“But if I hadn’t, I would’ve been in so much more danger!”

“If we were able to protect your reputation, we would’ve been able to find a good husband for you, despite you losing your virginity. But now, rumors of you being a harlot have spread like wildfire. Only a few men will take you in now. But of course, the brat who visited us this morning is completely out of the question.”

“Pardon?”

Opal was tempted to point out that she was still a virgin, but she was unable to hide her shock at just how little her father cared for her well-being and couldn’t offer a word of rebuttal. She could only eke out another question.

“A brat came forward, claiming to be the one who met you last night,” the earl said. “He said he wants to take responsibility and marry you.”

“He stepped forward?” Opal asked. “After fleeing last night? He attacked me, and yet he has the gall to claim that it was a meeting?”

“You wandering out by yourself in the garden must have been a perfect opportunity for him. He’s the second son of a poor viscount’s house, after all. He claimed to have fled when you caused a fuss. Good grief,” Earl Holloway groaned. “I made a huge mistake inviting that cheeky kid to my manor.”

“A poor viscount’s house...”

Opal was dazed as she recalled a young man who’d been chasing after her recently. She came from a wealthy family and had quite a bit of dowry to offer, and those who heard this often targeted her for marriage. Opal, however, was always on guard. She’d lost her mother when she was young, and her father, who was obsessed with making money, paid no attention to her. Her brother, two years older than her, had entered a boarding school, and her family had been hardly present within the earldom. She had been raised all alone.

The servants within the manor were kind to her, of course. Still, Opal envied close-knit families and had dreamed that one day, when the time came, she’d create the warm household and loving family she had never had. And so, she yearned to marry a man she loved. She didn’t want to marry into a house for money and took it upon herself to find a partner that would see her true self.

While she did have a childhood friend she was close with, he was unfortunately the third son of a baron—her father wouldn’t permit her to marry a man like him. Opal had realized that early on and had quietly suppressed the burgeoning love she felt for him. With her heart full of hope, she’d made her way to the royal capital to meet the man of her dreams. But no one had attracted her.

No, there was one... Opal thought. She remembered the man that she had danced with just once. He was a young duke who had just graduated from university and rarely attended these dinner parties. Due to his high rank, the women at the party were embroiled in a vicious battle to claim him for their own, and it had been difficult to even get close to him.

However, when Earl Holloway had introduced his daughter to the duke, the young man had invited Opal to dance as an act of exchanging pleasantries. He was a man of few words, but the hands that touched hers had been very gentle, and the rare smile he had given still revealed his boyish innocence. Opal thought that her life would be filled with joy if she spent her days with him.

“Listen well,” Opal’s father said. “Truth be told, you can no longer hope for a good relationship. But there will certainly be someone who requires your money. I’ll inspect each man carefully and decide your marriage partner for you. Until then, you’d best not create another commotion. Is that clear?”

“Yes, father...” Opal replied. Her tone was meek, but she was so lost in her thoughts that she barely heard his words.

The earl, satisfied with her reply, gave a wave of his hand to send her back. The famished Opal obediently stepped out and headed to have some breakfast.

That night, Opal attended a dinner party hosted by a certain marquis. Only then did she truly understand what her father had said. The noblewomen who had been so friendly with her just the night before ignored her completely. The young men who had gathered around her the moment she’d made her appearance were nowhere to be seen. A few men still approached her, but a single glance at their attire made it clear that they weren’t wearing the latest fashion.

The ladies glared at her with contempt while whispering nasty rumors. Any normal noble lady would’ve been unable to tolerate this humiliation and would’ve fled from the scene, but Opal was stronghearted and stubborn. She stayed. She hadn’t done anything wrong; the blame should’ve gone to the man who’d tried to assault a frail lady like her. The viscount’s second son, who had confessed to the crime, wasn’t present.

He likely couldn’t appear in front of others for a while—Opal’s sharp nails had scratched his face. During the carriage ride home, her attendant grumbled about just how humiliated she’d been, but Opal ignored it all. If you don’t want to serve me, just quit.

She no longer had her mother, and there was no other woman of age within her family that could look after her. The attendant had simply been hired, and she was free to quit at any time. Ultimately, it seemed she couldn’t resist the fat paycheck and continued to tag along with Opal to societal occasions.

Opal remained proud and confident despite the rumors that swirled around her. However, she found it difficult to handle the men who were after her money or looking to indulge themselves in a night of debaucherous pleasure. Every time she managed...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 25.9.2024
• Reihe/Serie: Duchess in the Attic
• Illustrationen: MORI
• Übersetzer: MORI
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Literatur ► Fantasy / Science Fiction ► Fantasy
• Schlagworte: aristocracy • Contract Marriage • female protagonist • Historical • Light Novel • marriage • Politics
• ISBN-10: 1-7183-3677-2 / 1718336772
• ISBN-13: 978-1-7183-3677-3 / 9781718336773