Chapter 13 A Loving Husband
Pride barely concealed his animalistic rampage, and soon his eyes curved into a graceful, gentle expression.
“…I have a lot of things to sort out.”
“You said you were in charge of the people of District 3.”
She asked.
Her face, scrutinizing herself, showed no sign of fear, unlike ten days ago.
She shot him a provocative glance as he wore a mechanical smile, and soon her full lips parted.
“What exactly are you doing?”
…At this late hour?
Pride smiled bitterly, having no difficulty guessing the omitted question.
What would her face look like if he told her what he had been doing with his hands, what he had been ‘tidying up’ until just now?
“…none of your business, Lady.”
As soon as those words fell out, her proud eyebrows shot up into the sky.
But only for a moment
“…But I am so free these days.”
She looked up at him with a furtive glance and whispered
“Going out. You said you’d take care of it, and then you didn’t say anything.”
And then, as if toasted, she stuck out those red, plump lips.
His fists curled into fists so hard he felt the blood rush to his veins.
Did she have a habit like that?
If it was new, it was a very, very bad habit.
His chest, which had been heaving earlier, was now pounding uncontrollably.
Pride closed his eyes tightly for a moment, barely able to put on the mask of a mild-mannered nobleman before he opened them again.
“…I’m afraid the atmosphere out there is still a little too vicious, My Lady.”
Then her lips parted once more, and she whispered discontentedly.
“But I’m tired of being confined to the mansion, and I’d like some human contact.”
His first reaction to the words was displeasure.
Why?
Pride’s brow furrowed, and the cause of his displeasure was right in front of him.
Beautiful.
This woman standing before him was, to say the least, overly beautiful.
The delicately arched bridge of her nose and the red lips that sat so beautifully beneath it.
Beautiful red hair that cascaded down her back like a waterfall.
Eyes with slightly upturned corners and jewel-like pupils nestled between them.
She was a woman of intense beauty that captivated the soul, a woman that one could not easily look away from if they were to meet her.
It was the title of Countess that protected her until now.
She had been raised as an aristocrat all her life, but she didn’t know it yet.
what the world out there is like for those who have lost their noble titles.
Or how dangerous the world had become for a woman who had been hailed as the most beautiful woman in the empire.
“…The flowers have faded. If it is your pleasure, I will have the garden refreshed.”
His voice cracked despite his will to keep his tone as calm as possible.
It would be a relief if he could just keep her locked up in the mansion.
If she could just stay in the mansion, he’d give her everything she needed, so what was she lacking?
When she didn’t answer, Pride spoke again.
“Or you can write to your friends and have as many parties as you like at the mansion… No. Have a tea party, My Lady.”
Not a dinner party.
That would attract idiots in suits.
Pride didn’t even realize how obsessive he’d become.
But it’s not surprising.
What kind of madman would invite a bunch of thieves into the mansion where my most precious jewels reside?
To him, it was all the right thing to do.
“You mean to tell me that… is not to go out?”
“My Lady.”
Her gaze dropped to the floor at the series of euphemistic refusals.
She bit her red lips tightly with her upper teeth.
It was a habit he knew all too well.
It hurt her pride that she had to ask his permission to go out.
Still, how could she resist biting his lip?
Pride nervously ran a hand through his hair, feeling a nagging tingling sensation in his heart.
The motion was a little rough, and she flinched.
Fear crept back into her eyes as she studied him.
It was the look she’d worn whenever she’d looked at him in the days since the wedding.
When their eyes met, she ducked her head in disbelief, a bitten expression on her face.
‘Shit.’
Pride’s displeasure is instantly muted.
How could I have hurt her?
This isn’t why he pushed for marriage. This isn’t why…
His ugly possessiveness was suddenly irritating and resentful.
“I’ll fix this as soon as I can, My Lady.”
Pride bent slightly on his knees to level with her, then gently brushed his thumb across her lips, which were still chewing.
If he could get him to stop, his brain, which had been paralyzed since the moment he’d entered the room, would return to rational activity.
“As soon as possible, when?”
She looked up quickly, as if to ask when her eyes had stopped watering.
“It’s a matter of time. I can’t promise when…”
Pride swallowed sharply.
Because she had touched his forearm, just slightly, her tiny hand.
The shawl wrapped around her round, tiny shoulders rustled in the breeze.
It was getting cold, and she was dressed so thinly today that the curves of her body peeked out from beneath the fluttering fabric.
Pride swept his burning gaze over her entire body.
It took all the willpower he could muster, but he couldn’t tear his gaze away from the untamed flesh.
She stared up at him with watery eyes and shook her head.
The wind blew her red hair away from her chest.
She was doing this on purpose, to see him lose his mind.
“… Four days, no, three days.”
Pride stared at her, mouth open in mesmerisation.
“I’ll have it sorted out by that time, …My Lady.”
Her face lit up as the answer fell.
At that moment, a wave of realization washed over Pride.
For that smile, he would give his entire empire.
He would sacrifice anything for it.
It was a full moon tonight, and the light was unusually bright.
In its light, in their chamber, he fixed his gaze on her eyes and muttered an oath.
“Anything you want, I’ll give you in it, My Lady …”
***
The next day.
When Delphine opened her eyes, a man in full uniform was sitting at the tea table in the quarters.
He hadn’t been out since dawn, pretending to be busy today.
He smiled at her as she groggily sat up, and they shared a simple breakfast.
Only then did he mount his massive warhorse and leave the manor.
“Goodbye, My Lady.”
“Yes, goodbye.”
Left alone in the manor, Delphine did not go to the window of the quarters as usual, but went straight to her study.
She sat down, her jaw clenched in a somewhat disturbed manner.
As usual, he left early and returned late to avoid her.
But for a man who had avoided her with such fervor and sincerity, last night he had broken down so easily.
His gentle façade cracked as he deliberately approached her and pretended to be pitiful.
Recalling the events of yesterday, Delphine was certain.
For some reason, she couldn’t quite fathom, this man was too weak for her.
And she intended to take full advantage of that fact to discover his identity.
‘Three days. He said three days…’
Now that she’s finally allowed to go out, she wonders where to start.
Where is she going to find out anything about this man…
Delphine was sitting in her study, lost in thought.
“My Lady.”
A servant announced, knocking softly on the closed door of her study.
“You have a visitor, My Lady, and she has been shown to the parlor.”
“A …guest?”
“The seamstress master sent for.”
A sudden thought flashed through her mind: Why…, a seamstress?
Apparently, the man remembered the excuse she had given him at the dinner table earlier about needing a dress.
Delphine, who had just been thinking about how to uncover his identity, suddenly felt a little sick.
“That was just an… excuse…”
Still, she couldn’t turn away a visitor, so she left the study and made her way to the parlor.
“Good evening, My Lady. My name is Isabella, and I run the salon in District 2.”
And so she arrived in the parlor.
Delphine was surprised to see a woman bowing to her, dressed in glamor.
This was Isabella, the owner of one of the most sought-after costume shops in the capital.
She has a reputation for having a high nose, so much so that she never visits a guest’s home unless they are a member of the royal family.
Delphine has a few dresses from her shop, but they’re all ready-made.
It was the first time she had ever been dressed separately in a mansion like this.
“Lord Pride has left a special request for you to be treated well, and today, I will serve you with the utmost respect.”
Madame Isabella even bowed low and softly.
Had she been threatened by the man…?
Delphine searched her thickly painted face suspiciously for any sign of fright.
But Madame was merely very cautious in her demeanor, and there was nothing threatening about her face.
“Very well. I’ll be good.”
Delphine nodded slightly and moved closer to her.
Casually picking up a tape measure and beginning to take some quick measurements, Madame Isabella asked.
“Do you have a particular outfit, or design in mind?”
“Well, I don’t know. A dress for going out would be nice.”
“One dress?”
Delphine’s answer caused a puzzled look to cross Madame’s face as she measured the length of her arm.
“One dress would be difficult to deduct from… the advance I received from Lord Pride, My Lady.”
Delphine blinked, trying to look unconcerned at the comment, then asked cautiously.
“An… advance?”
