Chapter 14.1

The place where Melchor led Roseline was on the second floor. It was the Grand Duke’s bedroom. Roseline’s room only had a drawing-room inside but Melchor’s bedroom was huge. It had a drawing room, a separate office for work, and a study. The bathroom was also bigger.

“From today, you will use this room.”

“But what about you, Melchor?”

“I don’t stay in the mansion much so it doesn’t matter which room I use.”

“I can’t do that. This is the Grand Duke’s room.”

“You are the consort of the Grand Duke.”

As a partner of the Grand Duke, the Grand Duchess was equal in power to him. She could even take over the responsibility of the Grand Duke wholly if he didn’t oppose it. Therefore, it was not such a big deal for her to occupy his bedroom and his office. They were married after all.

“You don’t like the room?”

“It’s not that.”

Roseline loved his room. She loved the office and the big desk. Maybe because her dormitory at the academy was for two people to share and she didn’t have such a big room at the Crimson Rose Mansion, she loved the size of this room. She preferred large spaces.

“I can’t make your room this way! I will maybe use your office or the study sometimes.”

“Of course, if you like.”

Melchor didn’t protest further. He always made great suggestions to her. And he had a habit of doing things his way. But whenever she voiced her opinion, even if it was contrary to his, he was surprisingly accepting of it. That made Roseline curious to know more about him.

He was the first person who listened to Roseline without judgment. Maybe that was why she felt courageous to voice out her thoughts.

“Melchor, I’d like to learn about the family business.”

“The family business?  What do you want to know about it?”

“Anything! Maybe beginning with the responsibilities of the hostess.”

“You can do whatever you want.”

That was his only response. Roseline was a little embarrassed. She had expected more information from him.

“Who should I learn from?”

“You don’t have to learn from anyone. You can do whatever you want.”

“But how?”

“You must have learned how to run a family at the academy.”

“That’s just theoretical knowledge.”

“So, you can start fresh. However, you want it to be.”

Roseline still looked confused. Melchor explained gently, “The theory and reality might be different. You will only know it when you apply yourself. Start small. When you come across a problem, you can always think of a solution to tackle it in the way it feels comfortable to you.”

“That will mean a lot of trial and error!”

“Of course. That’s how it is for everyone in the beginning.”

“But I have a reputation to take care of as the Grand Duchess of Postenmeyer. If I make a mistake like that…”

“The Postenmeyer family isn’t in such a bad position that a little mistake would ruin the family’s reputation.”

Roseline finally saw what he meant. She had thought that she needed to be strict and rigid in following protocols and doing things accurately to avoid making a mistake because of the reputation Postenmeyer held. She was afraid of being criticized.

But Melchor was entirely the opposite. He was confident that the reputation of the Postenmeyer family could not be shaken by small mistakes the current Duchess would make. So, Roseline had the freedom to make mistakes as she went on to learn about the management of the estate.

“You can make a mistake. Hell, it’s okay to fail as well. The position of the Grand Duke will provide strong support for whatever you do.”

The Crimson Rose family was easily affected when the head of their family made a mistake. As soon as the business was ruined, the family had to sell a part of the estate to stay afloat. If they made one small mistake, their reputation was ruined in society. However, it was not so for the Grand Duke of Postenmeyer.

“No matter how many mistakes you make, you can keep trying. Isn’t that convenient?”

A family that ruled the broadest eastern territories of the empire, a distinguished family with several aristocrats loyal to the Grand Duke, even more than the emperor himself. With such a foundation, the Postenmeyer family progressed with each passing generation. It was said that they continually gathered loyal people because of their formidable reputation.