She sat beside the bed, holding a book as she was reading a fairy tale to the litte boy eagerly listening to her. His eyes would sparkle that would often remind her of the puppy she had once. His hand would never leave hers whenever he was near her.
"Lady I- Imogen.. " He tries to utter her name.
"Please call me Avianna."
"Would you stay with me? Avi?" He looks uneasy but there was a sliver of hope in his eyes.
"Avi?"
"Jackson said that the way to get close with my wife is to show affection." She could not resist his cuteness so she agreed.
"A- Alphon?" Avianna sounded unsure if the boy would accept the name but seeing how his face shyly stared from afar and lips trying so hard not to stretch upwards, she was certain.
"Can I call you that?"
"Hmm.. mmm.. " He nods rather enthusiastically. Alphonso's heart thumps loudly in excitement for the first time.
The viscountess' daughter was a stranger to him and yet he still hold onto her. It was something new to the both of them. They could only both rely on each other to surive.
In her head, she slowly starting to incorporate plans to revive the dukedom of its former glory. Through it not only she could fill her responsibility as the duchess but also avoid the death flag that the novel had set her up.
Servants were busily dusting and sweeping off of a lot of unsused places, including the library that she'll be using from today onwards. They had also prepared a snack and a tea for whenever she takes a break. Some had still doubts in her capabilities but couldn't do anything knowing that their future lies on the duchess' hands.
She sat on the former duke's office, spending her time reading accounting books and revising the taxes.The butler could only stare in awe as she rummaged through the heavy books and papers, as he had assisted her on the entirety of her work. She was chosen based solely from her mother's background but who would've thought that her management skills would pass on to her.
Her handwriting was neat, elegant and proud that could only be a work of a scholarly noble.
"The problem now is how the estate would make its income." The businesses they used to own were sucked dry down to its own products. The store clerks that were designated had stole from their owners and were now abandoned.
"The duke used to have fabric business until the supplier withdrawn because of the debts we have."
She unfolded the map and pointed a few various places.
"There's a lot that we need to work on, after the records are all sorted." She handed him various implementation plans from improving the farming system, creating an improved tax system, along with generating income through the use of the household's barren lands but everything would only be set into motion after she hires experts from various fields.
"I need a craftsman, an accountant, a researcher, a manager preferably one that deals with people management and the other on financial matters."
"Actually Lady Imogen, we used to hire all of them but most of them fled because of-" She shakes her head in disdain.
"But we also had these candidates." Another files were bundled together, along with their faces and written information. Some pictures might be inaccurate because they were hand drawn.
She had prioritized the duke's well being, taking small baby steps by making him accustomed to the estate. Avianna had taken him out on walks, read him stories and taught him the basics. She was very good at tutoring since she had previously tutored her nephew from her past life. She had given him tests and would mostly tackle on the subjects that he had find the most difficult.
He wasn't a child that was hard to teach. In fact, he was very diligent and smart just as she had expected from the male lead.
When she had first saw him, he was in a much more pitiful condition than her. He was recently sent back to his home given that the clothes he wore came from the orphanage. She was the only person that he had allowed to help him bathe and change, eyes still on her form. Scars and bruises were enough evidence to know of how much he had went through.
In accordance to the novel, the orphanage had been run down and the money they got from donations were spent privately by the person in charge, leaving nothing but gruel and water for them to survive. To make matters worse, they forced the children to work on the streets, asking for alms while a trusted person would watch them from afar. The kid with the most earned money could only get one freshly made bread and cold milk but that was it.
However, since he was abandoned by his parents. He had spent his days silent, submissive and mute. The money he had earned was always stolen by the person in charge so he would often get beaten up. She was surprised that he had actually spoken to her. Someone whose younger than him.
"It's because your grace thinks that Lady Imogen is safe to be around. Unlike us, you young miss is the only person that had almost the same age as him." Jackson had once told her.
It felt so uneasy that everything fell into place as she was sure that her sudden takeover would be met with some resistance. Just as the All-Seeing had sent her to another world is akin to a stone being thrown into the calm waters. Her reincarnation would create ripples as to offset the knowledge and the memories she holds.
Just as she thought of those multiple possibilities, an eye was spying through a hole.
YOU ARE READING
doki doki, my hearteu
خيال (فانتازيا)From the novel I read, the male lead's duchy was left in shambles after years of neglect by the former duke. In order to protect his life, the butler had sent him to an orphanage where he would be abused for years. He would go back to his home, go t...
