It was a hectic day. Dealing with backlogged work was like that, and even more so because of a message that suddenly arrived from Pervin during the day. I was busy all day with the news that Duke Lilias had postponed his schedule and was going to visit the Empire tomorrow, and that he would be staying at Duke Carlisle’s residence.
“Why are you telling me such an important matter now?”
I worked tirelessly without any time to complain to Pervin. I organized the guest room, cleaned various parts of the mansion, and took care of various things to ensure that Duke Lilias could rest comfortably. Seeing me like that, Mrs. Tilly, Marianne, and everyone else said that it would be nice for my long-awaited brother to come.
“How many times have you said that there is no older brother in the world who is so kind and considerate? We really want to see him too, he has such a good relationship with our lady.”
From what they said, it seemed like Irwen before my possession had a very good relationship with her brother, Duke Lillias. It is said that they had a good relationship, but because he was busy with work, he had not been able to visit where her sister lives. Why was he visiting now? Was this proof that he cared for her half-sister Irwen that much? Or was there something about our marriage that he wanted to find out for himself? It was impossible to guess why Duke Lilia refused the luxurious residence offered by the imperial family and nobles and chose to reside at Carlisle Manor.
After a busy day, it was dinner time and I was hungry. While I was briefly getting dressed in the bedroom with Marianne’s help, the door opened with a light knock.
“Please come down to the dining room, ma’am. Dinner is ready.”
“All right.”
“And…”
Mrs. Tilly’s eyes were unusually bright.
“Master has returned home. He is waiting for you in the dining hall right now.”
“Is it so?”
Now that I think about it, these words were written in Pervin’s message from the imperial family earlier.
[I’m sorry for avoiding you all this time. If you forgive me, I would like to have dinner with you tonight. And if I were to ask you a favor, I would like you to wear a dress that covers your entire body, because the evening air is cold.]
He knew what he did wrong. Although he had a nervous expression on the outside, I still liked his honest appearance. But what on earth was that last line? Since the evening air was cold, did he want me to wear a dress that hugs my body? Weren’t they going to eat indoors anyway? It was a strange request, but I was glad that he apologized first, so I put on a dress that filled my neck as he requested. I stood up with the hem of my skirt brushing against my toes. Then Mrs. Tilly pointed to my loose dress.
“Ma’am, tonight’s dinner will mainly consist of a soupy stew and steaming hot braised pork. Wouldn’t the clothes you’re wearing now be too stuffy to wear to meals?”
I looked at the dress I was wearing. The dark blue dress that was tied up to the neck had a stuffy feel that was not appropriate for a meal. I fluttered my ears at Mrs. Tilly’s words.
“Then let’s change into different clothes and go.”
Mrs. Tilly came out quickly with an expression of interest on her face, thinking, “This is it.” What she recommended was a light blue dress made of cool material. It took a while for my chest to be a bit hollow, but it still felt good on my body. I put on my new dress and went out to the dining hall. We’ll be eating warm food, so Pervin won’t have to worry.
* * *
Entering the restaurant, Pervin was sitting in his seat, waiting impatiently. He clasped his hands, the veins on the back of them, and made a clicking sound. He tried to remain calm, but his eyes seemed to have lost their calm. His lips seemed to be burning and he seemed quite uneasy about drinking water, so I spoke to him kindly.
“Did you wait long?”
He lifted his head up. I was just about to sit down on the seat across from him when a spray of water suddenly hit me.
“Puhup!”
Instead of drinking the water he had in his mouth, he squirted it in my direction. His lips were wet as water squirted in front of him. Pervin looked strange, his face turning red as he looked at me.
“Why is this happening all of a sudden?”
Fortunately, my dress wasn’t wet, but as I was looking around at my bare skin to see if water had splashed on me, I met Pervin’s gaze. He must have been watching my gaze scan over bare skin, so he hurriedly made eye contact with me. An embarrassed voice came out of his mouth.
“I asked you to wear a dress that covers your entire body.”
“Originally I was going to do that, but it was so frustrating. Why, is there any good reason why I have to wear it? Or are those stuffy clothes your style?”
His gaze wavered up and down, and then his face turned red again.
“No.”
“I wonder why you asked me to do that when it’s not to your taste. It’s so warm inside. Personally, I don’t wear designs that cover the neck because it’s hot. It creates a lot of heat in the body.”
At that moment, Marianne next to us handed the two of us dry towels as if to dry us off. But Pervin wet a towel with the cold water left in his water cup and covered his face with it. Cool moisture covered my red face. While wiping my face with a towel, my eyes met through a slightly open gap. He muttered in a low voice as if making an excuse.
“…Because it’s hot.”
“Then take off your clothes. Of course it’s hot because you’re wearing everything.”
He obediently did as I said and took off his coat. He lifted the shirt he was wearing under his outerwear to expose his forearms, and suddenly looked at me. I could see tendons sprouting from my forearm. When I blinked as if asking why, he unbuttoned the nape of his neck. one two three four… As he unbuttoned the buttons one by one, his shirt fluttered so hard that his chest was almost visible. Five, six… The deep clavicle, well-toned chest muscles, and tightly sculpted abs caught my eye. My mind was shaken by the mind-bogglingly beautiful body, but I pretended not to notice anything as Pervin’s gaze seemed to be searching me. Next to him, Alfred tried to say something strange, but Marianne’s hand covered his mouth and he whined. I was at a loss for words, so I just kept licking my lips, and eventually said one thing.
“If it’s that hot, why don’t you take everything off?”
“Would you like that?”
“It’s not even my body.”
To hide my trembling heart, I deliberately responded coldly. A moment of disappointment seemed to have passed in Pervin’s eyes.
“This is how you react even when I take them off.”
“Yes?”
“Or is it that my body isn’t to your taste?”
Was he suddenly asking this question for real? Of course, Pervin Carlisle was my favorite in itself. A lean, muscular build, a slender body and broad shoulders, and above all, a handsome face and voice. But how can I say this in front of myself? Shame on you.
“It’s difficult to answer personal questions.”
“I am your husband. I think I’m qualified to ask this question.”
“Why do you want to know my tastes?”
Pervin leaned towards me.
“Because I’m trying to fit in.”
There was a lot of tension in her living room for some reason. He was embarrassed again. He took off his clothes to embarrass me, and then this time he shook me with a straight ball like that. If this continues, I will have no choice but to continue to misunderstand, Pervin Carlisle. I gathered her heart, which kept shaking, and opened my mouth.
“First, let’s tidy up those clothes. No matter how good your body is, men who take their clothes off at dinner are not my type.”
With a sigh mixed with the sound of his breathing, he slowly began to button up the button. His eyes remained focused on me.
* * *
After some confusion, peace came. After changing the wet tablecloths, the workers began carrying the meals. Marianne, who was carrying food in front of me, whispered next to me.
“Ma’am, please make eye contact with my master. He is only looking at you.”
“Huh?”
As Marieanne said, I turned my gaze and saw Pervin looking at me with his chin resting. His sore face seemed to have finally calmed down, and his skin had returned to its original pale skin. The button he thought was fastened properly was already undone, revealing his chest.
“Hmm.”
He quickly turned his face away. He shrugged and started eating. He had been observing me from before, so it wasn’t anything new to him. Even when I fired the water, when he unbuttoned his clothes as if I was going to take them off, and even now when I was eating. He glanced at me and nibbled while eating. Even if I tried to eat deliciously by myself, I was concerned about the green eyes following me. Did asking for a meal together not mean that we would get along again, but that he would keep an eye on me? He was a little strange today. If you think about it, this change started after the day of the prom. After we kissed that day and his sudden confession, our relationship became inconclusive. I put down the fork.
“How long are you going to keep looking at me?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
A red blush appeared on Pervin’s face. I don’t know why his sharp green eyes are shaking so much.
“Let’s be honest. After we went to the imperial ball last time, things between us became this awkward.”
He bit his mouth as if he couldn’t deny it.
“I can’t stand awkwardness, Pervin. So, let’s go back to how it was before.”
“What does it mean to go back to the way it was before?”
“A peaceful life where you respect me and I respect you.”
He opened his mouth after a moment of silence.
“We can’t go back to the way it was before.”
As he continued speaking, he stared at me.
“Because as much as you have changed, I have also changed.”
Meal time, which was already quiet, was now covered with silence. I wanted to ask what had changed, but I couldn’t get the word out. I seemed to know it from the look in his eyes. An unfamiliar feeling that had not been seen before appeared clearly. At that time, my heart, which had been hard-armed, tried to lean towards him.
Clink!
A loud sound like falling dishes rang out. Alfred, who was serving us, looked at us with a look on his face.
“I’m sorry, I dared to break the mood… Huh!”
“You clueless Alfred, the atmosphere is going well. Cut the candle!”
Beside him, Marieanne was scolding Alfred as she got angrier. She was a little commotion, but it took away the silence that had made her heart pound. Both I and Pervin continued eating. Unlike in the beginning when I was only looking at myself, I am now eating actively. No, to be precise, I drink alcohol like a meal. While I was trying to figure out the timing to stop him, he emptied two bottles of wine. He hurriedly asked Marieanne who was next to him.
“He is weak to alcohol, so is it okay to drink like that?”
“Master, is he not good at drinking?”
“It seemed like he got drunk right away even after drinking a glass of wine.”
I spoke to Marianne because I remembered him coming into my arms after drinking a glass of wine at the ball, but Marianne looked blank. Eh? She glanced at Pervin with an expression of interest, and with her cheeks quivering, she hurriedly answered me.
“Yes, he is really weak at drinking. He is so weak that he can make love shots with Alfred after just one drink.”
“What?”
A man who was not good at drinking can drink two bottles of wine. It’s crazy, crazy! I hastily crossed over to Pervin and snatched the goblet from him.
“Tomorrow Lilias… Why do you drink like this when you know my brother is coming? Do you want to greet him drunk? No, why is your face so white? It’s like you’re not drunk.”
He gave me a lazy look.
“Yes, Lord Lilias will come tomorrow. You know what, do you?”
He took the glass from me, placed it far away, and pulled my waist towards him. Even when I pushed him away, he stuck to me again, so it seemed like he had developed a drinking habit. He must have been drunk.
“For the sake of Lord Lilias, you will have to show a good image with me. Like this, you have to look like you don’t feel awkward at all when you get close to each other.”
I gently brushed a strand of hair from his forehead and shrugged his shoulders.
“I’m ready, you just have to be good.”
For a moment, it seemed like he trembled at my touch, but was it an illusion? His voice became deep and deep.
“We have to look really good. You know? Have you forgotten that our marriage is not simply a personal matter, but an agreement between two countries? My wife and I are the product of diplomatic peace.”
I bit my lip. The agreements between those countries appeared as soon as we could forget them. Pervin looked at me and continued his words.
“The imperial family and other noble houses said they would provide a good place to stay, but the fact that he turned down all the invitations and came to our house means he is looking into our couple’s private life.”
“I guess so. Then let’s fully cooperate in that direction.”
As I nodded obediently, Pervin touched his lips.
“Cooperating?”
“I’m saying that you should do the duty that wives do to their husbands. Well, is that difficult?”
“So you’re saying we cooperate with other obligations as well?”
“What is it?”
He sat me down on his thighs. As if tempting me, he whispered unexpected words against the back of my neck.
“Sex, I mean.”
The word that always makes my heart pound, sex. I looked down at his face. The dark green eyes were moving towards me. The strange night in the remote cabin came to mind again. My voice was shaking without me realizing it.
“It’s like it happened a while ago, right?”
“The adults in the family have predicted that an auspicious day for conception will soon be determined. How old Bocelli and Sullebar told me that I would receive a good day from the astrologer. This is not my personal opinion, but the entire Carlisle family is watching, so I can’t help it.”
“…”
“I hope you don’t run away to the cabin for no reason. If there is a rumor that something happened there, it would be difficult for all of us.”
“All right.”
He looked at me and spoke slowly.
“I won’t force you to hug me, so you can rest assured.”
“It definitely has to be that way.”
I kept my eyes straight. I could feel the heat rising to my face, but I decided to deal with it as calmly as possible.
“I won’t use musk bags or anything this time, so your self-control won’t be shaken.”
“In the first place, I wasn’t shaken by that, but by you…”
Instead of finishing his sentence, he leaned his face into my arms. He blinked slowly and seemed to be looking at me, and then he quietly asked me a question.
“Aren’t you going to stop me?”
“Hugging someone is your drinking habit. I’ll just look after it this time, so just stay.”
He pursed his lips as if to make an excuse, then closed his mouth. The moment I held his waist and rested his head in my arms, I could hear his breathing rhythmically. When I looked around, Marianne and Alfred had already disappeared somewhere. It was a quiet silence that surrounded us, but somehow it felt warm. So I decided to stay like this. I just wanted to do this for some reason.
* * *
Next day. This place was unusually crowded with people, Theresia’s imperial palace. The nobles who had gone to work at the imperial palace early in the morning were gathered in a large room. In this room, which seemed to be several times more ornately decorated than usual, nobles were constantly looking at the entrance door.
“When will he be arriving?”
“I think His Majesty said that he would personally welcome me at the entrance and walk with me here.”
In response to Marquis Celestine’s answer, several nobles asked him as if everything went well.
“But why can’t I see the Duke of Carlisle here? Sir, you know, I saw the Duke of Carlisle’s message with His Majesty the Emperor earlier. What exactly did it say?”
“I thought he said he wasn’t feeling well…”
The nobles around him were genuinely worried about Marquis Celestine’s excuses, which were slurred at the end of his words.
“The Duke of Carlisle is not feeling well? Is he suffering from a serious illness?”
“No, it’s not like that…”
“Maybe we should welcome Duke Lilias and go visit him at the hospital together. I am telling you this out of sincere concern. Isn’t he a pillar of the empire?”
“Visiting the sick, don’t you all know that the Duke of Carlisle hates hassle? And it won’t be that serious.”
Hearing the noise of the nobles next to him, Marquis Celestine looked embarrassed and embarrassed. He was also embarrassed that Pervin had sent a message saying he was not feeling well. The day after he broke his arm, he was recovering well and doing personal training, so why couldn’t he come because he was in pain? He could only assume it was an excuse. Either something is being prepared at his mansion, or there are circumstances that make him reluctant to face Duke Lilias. Just then, the door opened and a beautiful man appeared. It was Leon Lilias, a man with an appearance comparable to Irwen. The Emperor, who was walking next to him, patted his arm enthusiastically.
“You look better, Lord Lilias. I heard your wife is pregnant. Congratulations.”
“The joy is even greater because it’s a child who had a hard time.”
Lord Lilias looked around him with a bright smile. After politely greeting several people, he looked around as if looking for someone else. When he didn’t see the person he was looking for, he seemed somewhat disappointed.
“But I can’t see the Duke of Carlisle.”
The Emperor swallowed his embarrassment inside. It actually makes no sense that Duke Lilias’s brother-in-law, Pervin, was not here. After all, this was Duke Lilia’s first visit since their wedding! He had no idea what happened. The Duke ended up sending a letter saying he couldn’t go because he was sick. Since he knew that Pervin was a strong drinker, he found it difficult to believe such a letter. How much alcohol did he have to drink to get sick? The Emperor quickly said, trying to divert Lord Lilias’ gaze.
“First of all, there are refreshments in the reception room, so let’s talk slowly, Lord Lilias. Pervin will appear soon.”
“Let’s do that.”
Lord Lilia smiled and followed the Emperor. Inside the wall that looked exactly like Irwen, an unknown determination stood out.
* * *
The Emperor and Duke Lilias had a drink and talked about various things. I deliberately left out the story about Pervin, but introduced gifts prepared by the Empress, books said to be good for prenatal education, and books said to be good for pregnancy. Duke Lilia, who was calmly participating in the conversation, carefully got to the point.
“You know why I came here, Your Majesty.”
The Emperor closed his eyes tightly, thinking that what was coming had come. Duke Lilias’ face was clearly distraught upon hearing the news about his sister and his wife.
“My wife and I had a child after three years of marriage, but Irwen has no child even after four years of marriage.”
“Those two are still young, and there is much time. I don’t think you need to worry that much.”
“I’m saying this because they are more energetic than anyone else. It’s definitely not a woman’s problem. We sent Irwen to a medical examination before her marriage to prove that she was a virgin and that there were no problems with her conception.”
“I don’t know if you’ve heard, but things weren’t going well between the two until recently. There were no such opposites.”
“So you’re saying those two have never had a relationship? As far as I know, the day of annexation was consistently set by Carlisle’s vassals.”
The Emperor nodded and sighed. Duke Lilias added with a particular pause.
“I really want to ask you something very carefully…”
“Tell me.”
“I am speaking based on reasonable suspicion, so please do not misunderstand what I am saying.”
“Well, just say it first.”
Duke Lilias’s brow furrowed deeply.
“I couldn’t confirm it at the time because I was in a hurry to get married, but maybe… Isn’t there a problem on the man’s side?”
The Emperor’s face became even paler.
“I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about, Lord.”
“On Lord Carlisle’s part, a man named Mr. Doppari enclosed only the report of the Duke’s medical examination when he was an adolescent.”
“Wouldn’t it be nice to see a health checkup from your active adolescence? How can he prove that he is more prolific than that?”
“You cannot judge your current health based on a medical checkup from adolescence. And, how can a strong adult man leave Irwen as a natural monument? I worked so hard to get her married. I thought he would take care of Irwen, but they haven’t had any children so far.”
Despite his elegant appearance, his honest words poured out. The Emperor was somewhat irritated by Duke Lilias’ attitude of openly protecting Irwen. He felt the need to make an excuse by acting as a substitute for Pervin, who was not present, as if he were a protector.
“Since their relationship has been bad for a while, it is natural that they did not have children. I don’t know, but Lord Carlisle has been very patient with his wife’s irritable behavior. Last week was the first time she attended a ball that everyone else went to, and every day he went to work at the palace, I was so hurt by how hurt his face was.”
“Irwen is understandably annoyed. Isn’t it like she was forced to marry someone she didn’t want? No matter how much of an agreement we made or even if the war ended, Perwin Carlyle was the marshal who brought our empire to the brink of occupation.”
The Emperor answered nervously.
“You should be glad she didn’t get married to a bastard like Sibelom. It is a matter of fortune that Lord Carlyle pushed for her marriage to the Duchess, and you must not be unaware of it.”
“That’s right.”
As soon as the story of Sibelom comes out, those two will achieve world peace. Before they knew it, the two had come to a conclusion about Sibelom. Both the Emperor, his own brother, and Duke Lillias, Irwen’s older brother, were negative about Sibelom. Not only was he a flirtatious person who touched a married woman, but also a frivolous person who only believes in his appearance and pokes around here and there, a promiscuous night life, and multiple assault cases, etc. Duke Lilias cleared his throat and struggled to resume the conversation.
“Perhaps Lord Carlisle doesn’t know that?
—————————————————————
Translator Note:
Hello there! This is RJR. I hope you liked it <3
If you like my work please support me with Ko-fi or Patreon. Next post will be released on January, 9.
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