diff --git a/crates/docx/src/read.rs b/crates/docx/src/read.rs
index 3e6ea5e61..d50625285 100644
--- a/crates/docx/src/read.rs
+++ b/crates/docx/src/read.rs
@@ -197,7 +197,24 @@ fn read_opened_in(pkg: &Package, chunks: ChunkState) -> Result<(Document, usize,
     r.doc.missing_pictures.main = main.clone();
     r.pc.major_font = r.doc.settings.major_font.clone();
     r.pc.minor_font = r.doc.settings.minor_font.clone();
-    let part = |t: &str| rels.by_type(t).filter(|x| !x.external).map(|x| x.target.clone());
+    let part = |t: &str| {
+        let related = rels.by_type(t).filter(|x| !x.external).map(|x| x.target.clone()).filter(|p| pkg.get(p).is_some());
+        related.or_else(|| {
+            // Older DesignCraft imports read these two conventional parts directly. Keep opening
+            // those files when a producer omitted the document relationship; the bounded package
+            // reader still applies the same entry and XML limits. An explicit usable relationship
+            // always wins, including when it points outside the conventional `word/` paths.
+            if !main.eq_ignore_ascii_case("word/document.xml") {
+                return None;
+            }
+            let fallback = match t {
+                rt::STYLES => "word/styles.xml",
+                rt::NUMBERING => "word/numbering.xml",
+                _ => return None,
+            };
+            pkg.get(fallback).map(|_| fallback.to_string())
+        })
+    };
 
     // The font table and the fonts embedded through it ride along as opaque parts.
     if let Some(p) = part(rt::FONT_TABLE) {
diff --git a/crates/docx/tests/it/undefined_style.rs b/crates/docx/tests/it/undefined_style.rs
index c50394a2a..e1a2611cb 100644
--- a/crates/docx/tests/it/undefined_style.rs
+++ b/crates/docx/tests/it/undefined_style.rs
@@ -69,3 +69,37 @@ fn an_undefined_style_is_written_back_as_it_was_named() {
     assert_eq!(footer_para(&again).props.style.as_deref(), Some("Footer"));
     assert_eq!(again.styles.resolve_para(&footer_para(&again).props).space_after, 2.0);
 }
+
+#[test]
+fn conventional_styles_and_numbering_parts_without_relationships_are_read() {
+    // The old DesignCraft reader opened these conventional paths directly. Keep that tolerated
+    // input behavior while preferring OPC relationships whenever they resolve successfully.
+    let doc = format!(
+        r#"<w:document xmlns:w="{W}"><w:body><w:p><w:pPr><w:pStyle w:val="Body"/><w:numPr><w:ilvl w:val="0"/><w:numId w:val="7"/></w:numPr></w:pPr><w:r><w:t>text</w:t></w:r></w:p></w:body></w:document>"#
+    );
+    let styles = format!(r#"<w:styles xmlns:w="{W}"><w:style w:type="paragraph" w:styleId="Body"><w:name w:val="Body"/></w:style></w:styles>"#);
+    let numbering = format!(
+        r#"<w:numbering xmlns:w="{W}"><w:abstractNum w:abstractNumId="0"><w:lvl w:ilvl="0"><w:numFmt w:val="decimal"/><w:lvlText w:val="%1."/></w:lvl></w:abstractNum><w:num w:numId="7"><w:abstractNumId w:val="0"/></w:num></w:numbering>"#
+    );
+    for main_path in ["word/document.xml", "WORD/DOCUMENT.XML"] {
+        let root = format!(
+            r#"<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><Relationships xmlns="http://schemas.openxmlformats.org/package/2006/relationships"><Relationship Id="rId1" Type="http://schemas.openxmlformats.org/officeDocument/2006/relationships/officeDocument" Target="{main_path}"/></Relationships>"#
+        );
+        let mut zw = zip::ZipWriter::new(std::io::Cursor::new(Vec::new()));
+        for (name, body) in [
+            ("_rels/.rels", root.as_str()),
+            (main_path, doc.as_str()),
+            ("word/styles.xml", styles.as_str()),
+            ("word/numbering.xml", numbering.as_str()),
+        ] {
+            zw.start_file(name, zip::write::SimpleFileOptions::default()).unwrap();
+            zw.write_all(body.as_bytes()).unwrap();
+        }
+        let d = craft_docx::read(&zw.finish().unwrap().into_inner()).unwrap();
+        assert!(d.styles.styles.iter().any(|style| style.id == "Body"));
+        let Some(Block::Para(p)) = d.body.first().map(|b| &**b) else { panic!("a body paragraph") };
+        assert_eq!(p.props.style.as_deref(), Some("Body"));
+        assert_eq!(p.props.numbering.map(|n| (n.num, n.level)), Some((7, 0)));
+        assert!(d.numbering.level(7, 0).is_some());
+    }
+}