Chapter 40
After finishing my conversation with Susan, a thought suddenly crossed my mind.
‘If he has such abilities, he should let my brother know too. Isn’t it a little pitiful that my brother, who’s hopeless with business, is just fumbling around?’
However, this idea stayed only as a thought, and I had never spoken it out loud—if my memory served me correctly.
“Please, try to remember. Did you really say something like that that night? Surely, you didn’t say it that night, did you?”
No matter how much I searched my mind, I couldn’t recall. It was as if someone had cut away that night’s memory with a knife, leaving a gaping emptiness.
“If I drink again, I’ll be Stefan’s daughter, not his wife. His daughter!”
Having made a firm resolution to abstain from alcohol, I felt so uneasy that I decided it was better to check for myself. I made my way to his bedroom.
Although it wasn’t a matter of sharing the bed, it wasn’t unusual for a wife to check on her husband’s resting place.
But there was no sign of him in his room.
‘Could he already be asleep?’
After the tailor incident yesterday, Stefan had been subtly avoiding me. I couldn’t just leave things like this, and with a good excuse now in hand, I thought it better not to let the night pass without addressing it.
Thus, as my cautious knocking grew more insistent, Stefan suddenly opened the door. I nearly ended up punching his chest with the hand that had been knocking.
“If you keep that up, you’ll hit my chest.”
“You should have made a sound before opening the door, Your Grace.”
“Don’t talk back, or stop calling me Your Grace…”
As expected, his tone was cold. His posture at the door was oddly defensive, almost as if he was trying to prevent me from stepping into his bedroom. He seemed to be completely on edge, like he didn’t want me to even set foot in his space.
“Your Grace, I have something to say. May I come in for a moment?”
“If it’s not urgent, I would prefer we talk tomorrow.”
“It’s urgent.”
I forced a big smile toward him with all my might.
It was to show that I hadn’t come into his room with any disrespectful intentions, but it seemed to have the opposite effect. Stefan, startled, instinctively took a step back.
Since things had already come to this, I pushed him gently and stepped inside his room.
“I came to express my gratitude, Your Grace.”
“Gratitude?”
At that, his pale complexion began to warm up.
“I heard you personally sent a steward to the Burke estate. Thank you, Your Grace.”
“Ah… Did Lord Burke tell you?”
“Lord Burke is truly grateful as well. He asked me to convey his thanks in his place.”
“Helping a brother-in-law is only natural.”
At this, I hesitated. His choice of words about helping a brother-in-law reminded me of my earlier thoughts.
So, I decided to be honest with him.
“I know that a significant promissory note was given by the Edmonds Trading Company. I thought you’d consider that sufficient help for the Burke estate.”
“That promissory note was not sent by me. It was taken by my mother, under the pretense of helping her late friend.”
“But Your Grace could have refused to honor it.”
Stefan gave me a warm smile, his gaze full of meaning.
“Would you believe it if I said I felt sorry for the three siblings of the Burke family who lost their parents overnight?”
“For people we’ve never met?”
“Sometimes, I see my own reflection in others going through similar struggles.”
Despite his words, I couldn’t quite empathize. As far as I knew, the Edmonds family had never faced any real hardship.
“Did you hear about the promissory note from the Edmonds Trading Company before the wedding?”
“Ah, yes…”
I answered without thinking, though I had told Leopold that I had heard it from Stefan. I figured the two would never meet and discuss it, so I decided not to worry about it.
“So, is that why you said it?”
“Pardon? What do you mean…?”
“The night before the wedding, you said that as the daughter of a mere marquis, you had no right to refuse this marriage.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
I was relieved that I hadn’t made a mistake in my drunken state. But perhaps my relief showed? Stefan’s curiosity shifted to another matter.
“Then how did you exchange messages with Lord Burke? It’s only been a short time since I sent the steward…”
“I was told that the Countess of Cotta has an excellent messenger, so I asked her to deliver the letter for me.”
Until now, Stefan had been smiling kindly, but he let out a small chuckle.
“It seems the Countess has been quite free lately.”
“Pardon?”
“Not only does she keep you company, but she’s also volunteering to deliver letters.”
It wouldn’t have mattered if he had mocked me, but the problem was that he was mocking the Countess, my first friend.
“Such things can happen between friends.”
“Friends? The Countess is older than your mother.”
“There are friendships that transcend age, Your Grace.”
“Friendships that transcend age…”
As he pondered my words, a bitter smile lingered on his face.
“What about your husband? Is he a relationship more distant than a friend?”
“Pardon?”
“If it’s an excellent messenger, I have one as well.”
“…?”
Not immediately understanding his words, I then heard his gentle voice.
“If you need to send a letter to the Burke estate in the future, you may ask me.”
“Thank you for your kind offer, Your Grace, but the Duke’s important staff should not be used privately by the Duchess.”
I thought I had politely declined his offer, but I realized I couldn’t casually use his messenger. If I did, the confidential conversations between Leopold and me would be relayed directly to the steward at the Burke estate.
I smiled contentedly, but his next suggestion made me stop and take a more serious expression.
“Although it’s not a sleeping arrangement, it’s quite late—would you like to stay the night?”
“No, I’m fine, Your Grace.”
I quickly stood up from my chair, intending to leave his bedroom. But then, feeling as though I couldn’t just leave like that, I came up with a reason.
“Oh, by the way, may I go out with the young lady tomorrow afternoon?”
“You’re going out with Susan?”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
“Where are you going, and what is the purpose?”
“Yesterday, I wasn’t able to get her dress fitted, so I plan to visit Roman’s Tailor tomorrow to get it done.”
This time, Stefan asked with a serious expression.
“Did Susan ask you to go directly to the tailor?”
“No, it was my own idea.”
“I see. Well, then, please do as you wish. I’ll provide the carriage, of course…”
“Thank you, Your Grace. Good night.”
I smiled warmly and quickly exited his bedroom. After exchanging serious looks, I thought it was over. Though unintentionally, I was going to go on my first outing with Susan.
***
“You’re saying we should go to the tailor to have the dress fitted?”
“If you really don’t want to, miss…”
“No, it’s fine. No, I mean, it’s okay.”
She quickly corrected herself, not wanting to seem too eager, and then, as usual, raised her eyes haughtily.
“You begged my brother, so for the sake of the new sister-in-law’s efforts, I’ll go to the tailor with you.”
Anyone who heard that might think I was going to have my dress fitted. And begging? I only mentioned that I had gotten Stefan’s permission.
However, since I didn’t want to upset Susan, I decided to go along with her.
“Thank you, miss.”
“By the way, can Ailen come along too?”
Of course, that’s why I’m going all the way to go with you. I wasn’t about to reveal my thoughts, so I responded politely.
“Do as you wish, miss.”
“Thank you, sister-in-law. Then when Ailen arrives, we’ll go to the tailor together.”
“Yes, miss.”
Susan, excited, sent one of the servants in the carriage to the Blanche’s estate. Seeing the same servant being sent again, it seemed that this maid had become quite adept at fetching Ailen.
Would Ailen be in the carriage Susan sent?
If she came in the Duke’s carriage, it would mean that the potential suitor for Susan had not been prepared yet. On the other hand, if the carriage was sent back, it would mean that not only had her suitor been prepared, but also that an exciting first meeting had been planned.
Thinking this far, I found myself unexpectedly excited.
‘Come soon, in whatever form. I’m really looking forward to it…’
Before long, I saw the carriage entering the Duke’s estate. The movement of the horse seemed lighter than usual today, and the expression on the coachman’s face, darker than normal, made it hard for me to get a clear sense of what was happening.
