: Mori
: Duchess in the Attic: Volume 1
: J-Novel Club
: 9781718336773
: 1
: CHF 6.00
:
: Fantasy
: English
: 250
: DRM
: PC/MAC/eReader/Tablet
: ePUB

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?

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 ot