Chapter 25
“The scent of coffee… But I clearly saw him drinking orange juice.”
Just a moment ago, Stefan had been reading the newspaper while drinking orange juice. It was as if he deliberately wanted me to see, leaving the transparent glass half full of juice.
‘Did he go to such lengths just to have a cup of coffee? He’s turned into a real con artist.’
I couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity of it all.
It was infuriating to think that the man who had gone to such great lengths to deceive me last night had continued his charade this morning. However, I couldn’t confront Stefan about it. I only had suspicions that he had drunk coffee, without any concrete evidence.
‘There must be an accomplice. If I can bring the accomplice to light, Stefan won’t have any choice.’
Yesterday, I had made a point of instructing the head chef not to serve the Duke any coffee for three days. The chef didn’t seem like someone who would easily disregard the orders of a Duchess who had moved him so deeply.
Moreover, the kitchen was far too distant from the bedroom for the chef to intervene. He had boasted about going to the fish market this morning to buy salmon, leaving him no time to play tricks like this.
On the other hand, what about the butler, whose loyalty knows no bounds?
Stefan is the type of person who could never give up his morning coffee, not even after reluctantly giving up the red wine last night. The butler, who probably considers it his duty to cater to every whim of his master, must have rushed to bring him the coffee.
‘How should I correct this…’
The issues I thought would be resolved once the wedding night was over seemed to be piling up more and more. It was giving me a headache.
Thinking it would be best to tackle these problems after breakfast, I rang the bell on the bedside table. Mary entered swiftly, as if she had been waiting right outside the bedroom.
“My lady, shall I bring in breakfast?”
“Ask the butler to bring breakfast, and you help me get ready.”
“Yes, my lady.”
Mary, quick on the uptake, relayed my order to the maid outside the door and then began helping me with my preparations.
By the time the swift-moving butler arrived in the bedroom with breakfast, I was ready to face him.
“Thank you.”
“It’s my duty, my lady.”
As the butler set the tray on the tea table and reached to clear Stefan’s tray, I quickly grabbed his hand.
“Wait a moment, Thomas. Did you prepare the Duke’s breakfast?”
The butler, surprised by the sudden informal tone and the unexpected use of his name, hesitated. His normally calm green eyes started to waver.
Still met with silence, I asked him again.
“I asked if you prepared the Duke’s breakfast.”
“Yes, my lady.”
His words, though his eyes were unsteady, were not a lie. But there was still more I needed to confirm.
“Did you, by any chance, give him coffee?”
“Yes, I did.”
His straightforward response, without hesitation, left me dumbfounded. I could feel anger rising within me.
“Why? You must have heard the instruction not to serve the Duke coffee for three days.”
“Yes, I did.”
The butler had regained his composure by now, his eyes no longer wavering.
“So, you don’t recognize me as the Duchess?”
“No, my lady.”
“Then why did you defy my order?”
“I apologize, but because it is an order that will soon be broken.”
“What do you mean by that?”
The intense anger made my blue eyes feel like they were burning. However, the butler didn’t flinch and met my gaze head-on.
When even the slight trembling in his eyes calmed, his impassive expression became almost infuriating. So, I pulled his hand and pushed it toward the opposite chair, attempting to cover up my sudden action.
“Sit over there. And give me an honest answer to my question.”
“I will do so.”
The butler, seated across from me, stared into my eyes as he began to speak.
“The Duke would never give up coffee.”
“It’s only for three days.”
“He wouldn’t be able to last a single day.”
“So?”
“If I hadn’t given him coffee, he would have gone out to get it himself. After all, he did say he was going out today.”
He’s right. No one in this world can stop Stefan’s stubborn obsession with coffee. However, I didn’t want to admit that the butler was right so easily.
“You should have let him get it outside. Thomas, you have deceived me, the Duchess.”
“I thought it would be better for me to deceive you instead.”
“What?”
“I didn’t want the Duke to become a man who deceives his wife over a mere cup of coffee.”
His words left me speechless. It felt as though he knew that Stefan was deceiving me in other ways.
“If I may, I’d like to offer you a piece of advice.”
“…”
“It’s not the mighty tree that withstands the strong storm. It’s the weak reed that bends with the wind, swaying this way and that.”
“…”
“A cup of coffee won’t have any impact on a man of his stature. So, please turn a blind eye. Pretend not to know what you know, and let things slide. That’s the only way you’ll survive the strong storm, my lady.”
I thought I understood what the butler was trying to say.
He was asking me to calm Stefan’s storm. At the same time, he was subtly telling me how I should deal with him.
“Thomas, why are you telling me this?”
Without realizing it, I had reverted to speaking formally to him.
“Because you are the Duchess of Edmond.”
“And is there another reason?”
“Do I need another reason?”
“…”
I couldn’t think of anything to say. The warmth in his eyes seemed to reach me as he gave a gentle smile.
“My lady, may I take my leave now?”
“Oh, yes. I’m sorry for keeping such a busy butler for so long.”
“Rest well, my lady.”
“Thank you.”
As the butler left, Mary slipped into the room.
“My lady, you look pale.”
“No, I’m fine. Mary, what kind of person is Thomas?”
“The butler? He’s a quiet and loyal man.”
“Loyal to whom?”
“Well, to the Duke, of course.”
“And to the Dowager Duchess?”
“Um… I suppose he’s loyal to her too.”
Dissatisfied with Mary’s answer, I decided to change my approach.
“How long has the butler been at the estate?”
“I heard he’s been serving since the time of the previous Duke.”
“So, he’s been here for at least 25 years.”
“I suppose so.”
This meant that Thomas was likely the person who knew Stefan best in the entire estate. He had watched over him from birth to marriage without missing a single moment.
Does that mean that he holds great affection for Stefan? Perhaps, out of loyalty to the late Duke, he wishes to protect Stefan. While I couldn’t fully grasp the emotions the butler harbored, I hoped that they were different from the twisted affection that his mother, Rita, had for her son, driven by her own greed and ambition.
“Do you think the butler sees me as the Duchess of Edmond?”
“Of course, my lady.”
“He’s extremely loyal to the Duke, so he might not see me as a fitting Duchess.”
“The cause and effect are reversed, my lady.”
“What?”
“Because of his great loyalty to the Duke, he trusts the Duke’s choice without a doubt.”
Mary’s words suddenly cleared my mind. It meant that the butler accepted me as the Duchess because he had absolute trust in Stefan. It also implied that he wanted me to prove that the Duke’s choice was not mistaken.
“Thank you, Mary. Now I clearly understand what kind of person the butler is.”
“I’m glad I could help, my lady, even with my limited understanding.”
Mary’s bright smile made her seem even more endearing.
In my previous life, if I had opened my heart to them earlier, would our relationships have been different? If I had, perhaps the five years in the Duke’s estate wouldn’t have been so dreadful—this thought briefly crossed my mind.
***
At that moment, the carriage carrying Stefan was heading toward the Bayton Guild. He was going there to personally hear the results of the investigation he had ordered Finn to conduct on Rachel and Hazel.
It had only been two days since he gave the order. Even though Finn was skilled in gathering information, it was not enough time to collect a significant amount.
However, Stefan, unable to bear staying at the estate all day, left in a hurry. He couldn’t shake the image of Rachel’s eyes looking up at him from the night before.
‘It couldn’t be…’
Rachel had been so overwhelmed with pleasure that she couldn’t even open her eyes properly, merely moaning. But as Stefan had pretended to reach his peak, her violet eyes had caught his attention.
The color was so intense that it reminded him of the rhodolite garnet, a gem he had painstakingly obtained from the Huayue Continent.
‘That was definitely the look of someone who saw through my act.’
