Chapter 33
Just as I was tearing up, thinking about the children, Emily appeared with a tray of hot chocolate. Dorothy, startled by the stranger’s entrance, hurriedly tried to put her hat back on, but I gently stopped her.
“It’s alright, Lady Dorothy. You’re beautiful just as you are. Have confidence.”
“I’ll… I’ll try.”
Encouraging her with a warm gaze, I turned my attention to Emily.
“My Lady, I brought the hot chocolate.”
“Thank you, Emily. Please serve the Marchioness first.”
“Yes, My Lady.”
Dorothy elegantly lifted the white teacup, steam gently rising from it. While watching in fascination as her pinky finger naturally raised, I was surprised when her face twisted the moment she took a sip.
“Ugh….”
“What’s wrong?”
“I’ve never had such awful hot chocolate in my life. This isn’t hot chocolate—it tastes more like bitter coffee….”
She glanced at Emily with disdain, as if this was the worst maid she’d ever encountered for making such a terrible drink.
Shocked by her reaction, I quickly took a sip of the hot chocolate myself.
“Goodness… Emily, you’re a genius!”
“My Lady, are you really alright with this?”
Dorothy looked at me and Emily with a puzzled expression as both of us were clearly pleased.
“What in the world is going on?”
“I’m working on developing a chocolate drink to replace coffee. The Duke is excessively fond of coffee, so I’m trying to make an alternative.”
“Oh…”
Finally understanding, she let out an awkward laugh.
“You should have said so earlier.”
“I’m sorry. I wanted your honest feedback.”
“But how are you going to mask the smell?”
“We still need to work on that. There’s a long way to go.”
Dorothy’s eyes softened as she looked at me, smiling brightly. I too felt comforted and happy to spend time with her.
Knowing that she would visit often, I felt reassured that the time I had to endure in the Duke’s residence wouldn’t be as miserable.
***
“You… you’re here already, Your Grace?”
“I hurried because tonight is our last night together.”
“What?”
His sudden change overnight was unsettling. What used to be a mere obligation now felt like something he anticipated.
‘What on earth did I do to make him act like this?’
Perhaps I should have drunk more tonight as well. Though I couldn’t remember anything from the previous night, my body would at least react accordingly.
Not wanting to waste this rare opportunity, I tried to focus. I considered attempting some techniques Dorothy had taught me, but it was futile.
“How should I help you?”
“What?”
“Should I raise my hips? Or maybe lift myself up a bit?”
“…”
Before I could even begin, his barrage of questions made me feel embarrassed and flustered, completely throwing off my focus.
‘Even when I first learned ballroom dancing with Leopold, I wasn’t this humiliated….’
I had felt nervous and embarrassed when I had to clumsily practice with my brother, awkwardly held in his arms for my debut, but I wasn’t too ashamed since my dancing skills were terrible anyway.
But I didn’t want to show any clumsiness to Stefan. I was afraid that awkwardly demonstrating the techniques I had learned might reveal all my shortcomings.
‘It’s still too soon. I need to practice more and try again next month.’
And so, I let the last night together pass without much incident, not even caring whether he finished or not. The real trouble started the next morning, when Susan came to visit me while I was having a late breakfast in the bedroom.
“Sister-in-law, isn’t your breakfast a bit late?”
“…I overslept.”
“Even so, I’ve never seen a wife not even come out to see her husband off when he’s leaving the house. Is this how you manage the household?”
“The Duke gave me permission.”
At the mention of Stefan’s consent, Susan’s lips curled into a crooked smile. Then she finally got to the real reason she came.
“Well, at least you seem to be good in bed. Seeing my brother, who’s always so expressionless, with a satisfied smile on his face says a lot.”
“…”
There hadn’t been anything special the night before. Yet somehow, it seemed I had managed to satisfy him. How else could I explain Susan’s grumbling whio is obviously irritated by our married life?
“Would you share some of those techniques with me? I’ll be getting married soon, after all.”
If I shared anything, I’d be called vulgar, but if I didn’t, she’d paint me as a selfish sister-in-law keeping everything to myself. I had no intention of falling for such an obvious trap.
“Oh, I didn’t know you were engaged.”
“I’m not engaged yet. My brother just got married, so how could I have gotten engaged first?”
“Then, which family’s son are you currently discussing a marriage with?”
“There’s… no one like that yet.”
“Oh, I see…”
I exaggerated my sympathy, which made Susan narrow her eyes in irritation.
“What’s with that reaction?”
“Oh dear, did I offend you? It was just a sympathetic sigh…”
“Are you implying that I’ll never get married?”
“I didn’t mean that at all, Miss.”
Her face flushed red as she realized she’d fallen into her own trap. It seems even Susan has instincts, though she probably doesn’t remember. In our previous life, she never received a single marriage proposal, let alone got married before I gave birth and died.
‘Well, who would want to marry someone so arrogant and disrespectful?’
On top of that, she looked exactly like Rita. Rita’s sharp personality was said to have caused the downfall of the former Duke Edmond, and Susan was her spitting image.
“Marriage is nice, but you should enjoy romance first, Miss.”
“Romance?”
“Abroad, they’re no longer tied down by the institution of marriage. People are free to enjoy love, and they can choose partners who suit them perfectly.”
“Partners who suit them?”
“If a couple is going to spend their lives together, it’s best if they share similar interests. And by similar interests, I mean not just emotional compatibility but also compatibility in the bedroom.”
Susan’s face turned bright red as she caught the meaning of my words. Now it was time to find out what was really on her mind, so I leaned in with a sly smile and took her hand.
“Is there anyone you’ve set your heart on?”
“There’s… no one like that.”
“Do you at least have a type?”
“Well… I’ve never really thought about it.”
But as I listened closely, I could barely keep myself from laughing.
‘If I said my brother was my ideal type, my sister-in-law would mock me, wouldn’t she?’
Blood may be thicker than water, but who in their right mind would consider someone cold, unfeeling, and utterly heartless as their ideal type?
‘Sure, he’s handsome enough to show off, but Susan, aren’t you going to think about what’s rotting inside? Tsk, tsk, tsk…’
I clicked my tongue inwardly and then asked the real question I’d been waiting to bring up.
“What about Lady Blanche?”
“Why are you bringing up Aileen now?” Susan glared at me, clearly displeased.
“Hasn’t Lady Blanche still not gotten engaged?”
“Of course not, that’s obvious…”
“She could be secretly dating someone, you never know.”
“There’s absolutely no way. If there were any secrets, Aileen would’ve told me already.”
I purposely gave her a small, knowing smile. I wanted to plant a seed of doubt about her only friend, Aileen.
“What… what does that smile mean?”
“The more you hide a romance, the more passionate it becomes.”
“Speak plainly.”
“Why do you think married men keep mistresses?”
“…”
“There’s a thrill in keeping something hidden and enjoying it alone. It’s human nature to want something more when it’s forbidden.”
“What… what does that have to do with Aileen’s secret love affair?”
I gave her a sly smile and let the silence stretch, just long enough to let all kinds of thoughts swirl through her mind. It was amusing to watch her confusion.
“You’ve never imagined that Lady Blanche might get engaged and married before you, have you?”
“Of course not. Aileen is just a count’s daughter, and I’m a duke’s daughter.”
“Well, in that case, I’m even more insignificant, being just a marquis’s daughter.”
At my words, Susan’s face went pale, and her entire body started to tremble. To her, Aileen was more than just a friend—she was a tool to enhance her own status. There was no way she could allow her to surpass her in anything—not in engagement, not in marriage, and certainly not in a secret romance.
***
The three obligatory nights of bedding were over. Stefan was on his way to the Bayton Guild, feeling lighter. He couldn’t help but smile as he recalled Rachel’s flustered expressions on the bed last night.
‘She has an unexpectedly innocent side.’
