Aiden walked ahead indifferently.
Henry, following him, tilted his head to the side.
Aiden looked quite different from what he knew.
That wasn’t just an act of forbearance.
He appeared genuinely unaffected.
A perfect indifference that seemed to reach nowhere deep within him.
Or perhaps it was a face that mocked an all-too-obvious intention behind the action.
Looking closely at Aiden, Henry asked cautiously,
“My lord. Have you… completely recovered?”
“……”
Aiden affirmed with silence instead of a verbal response.
Henry’s eyes sparkled.
“Since when, my lord! Congratulations! The lady will be so pleased to learn this.”
Henry spoke as if he was even happier himself.
But Aiden’s reaction was subtly off.
With an ambiguous expression as if he were about to smile, Aiden barely opened his mouth.
“She’ll hate it.”
Aiden casually uttered,
Although it was a passing remark, it carried a strong sense of certainty.
“Excuse me…?”
Henry asked in bewilderment.
That couldn’t be true.
Regarding Aiden’s trauma, only a very few within the family were privy to it.
Henry was always by Aiden’s side, that’s how he knew.
And the lady he knew had done her utmost to help Aiden overcome his trauma.
He was certain that she, above all others, eagerly awaited the day the Duke would be well.
The idea that she would dislike it, couldn’t possibly be true.
A sense of mission overcame him, feeling a need to clarify whatever misunderstanding Aiden might have.
“How can that be? If the lady knew…”
Henry hadn’t even finished his sentence when
Aiden opened his mouth with a significant smile.
“It’s a secret from Erin.”
Aiden declared.
Henry took those words lightly.
“Are you perhaps planning to give her a surprise?”
Henry said with a smirk lifting the corners of his mouth.
Aiden turned to him and spoke with determination.
“No. I’m not going to tell.”
“……?”
Henry’s mind became even more perplexed.
If he told the lady about what happened today, she would be pleased, so why isn’t he speaking of it?
Is there a reason for not telling her?
Surely he’s not hiding it on purpose.
As he tried to piece together the incomprehensible statements, his eyes suddenly widened.
“Could it be……”
Henry covered his mouth as he realized something.
At the same time, his face grew troubled.
Hoping it wasn’t so, yet feeling that things wouldn’t go as he wished, he had a premonition.
Watching him, Aiden neither confirmed nor denied.
Henry’s eyes flickered intensely.
Indeed, his suspicions were correct.
“When exactly… did it start?”
“It’s been quite some time.”
Aiden said very calmly.
Henry was shocked once more by the response that suggested it had been so long he couldn’t easily recall.
Unconcerned with Henry’s confusion, Aiden was already lost in his own thoughts.
***
It was about a year after Aiden had married Erin.
Aiden was constantly working hard for Erin.
He diligently tried to mingle with others and even attempted physical contact.
At first, even a touch was dreadful, but as time passed, it became tolerable.
Erin always supported and rewarded him with praise for his efforts.
When it seemed to Erin that Aiden was pushing himself too hard, she would tell him, “Don’t overdo it.”
Aiden really appreciated that.
So, to make Erin feel the reward for her efforts, Aiden was determined to keep trying.
‘She would be happy to see me totally okay.’
He wanted to see Erin happy.
In truth, he still felt a crawling disgust every time he made contact.
But it wasn’t due to trauma.
It was simply that he disliked physical contact with anyone other than Erin.
Therefore, the days where he could casually laugh and joke with other people, especially those of the opposite sex, would probably never come.
But Aiden did not want to render Erin’s efforts in vain.
If he couldn’t genuinely feel comfortable, then pretending was sufficient.
With this resolve, Aiden’s eyes sparkled with determination.
Just then, a banquet was scheduled to take place in the royal palace.
It was a common affair that the palace held regularly, nothing special.
A gathering where numerous people met without any particular purpose and mingled together.
Ordinarily, this was the type of situation Aiden despised the most, but this time it was different.
This time, he had a clear goal in mind.
‘I’ll show Erin a changed version of myself at this banquet.’
At the banquet, Aiden wished to meet Erin’s expectations and impress her.
So, he was pushing himself a bit.
Unlike usual, he separated himself from Erin for a moment.
Surrounded by people, he continued the conversation with a nonchalant and relaxed facade.
The moment was approaching when holding back the souring expression on his face was becoming too much to bear.
Aiden utilized a method he had thought of in advance.
Just thinking of Erin brought an involuntary smile to his face.
Consequently, it was when Aiden was mingling and laughing brightly with others.
Instinctively, he turned his gaze in search of Erin.
“…?”
But there was something off about Erin’s expression.
He noticed her slightly biting her lower lip.
Why was she doing that?
From that moment, Aiden’s eyes followed Erin.
She seemed to smile briefly, but quickly her expression darkened.
He was so concerned that he couldn’t just let it be.
Just as Aiden was about to approach Erin, he felt a cautious touch on his shoulder.
A reflexive, slight irritation surged within him, along with an impulse to ignore and shake off the interruption.
However, it was a gathering with all eyes watching.
Such a place was no arena to reveal any sign of weakness.
Especially, he remembered the resolution he had made before attending the banquet today.
Aiden had determined to show Erin a different side of himself.
But not being able to endure this moment would render it all pointless.
Aiden, managing to compose his twisted expression, slowly turned around.
The ones who had caught his attention were siblings.
“We are from the House of Windría. This is my younger sibling.”
“Hello. This is my first time greeting you.”
Aiden nodded slightly as he returned the greeting.
“As part of an event with other young nobles from different houses…”
While the young noble of the Windría House spoke earnestly, Aiden kept up an appropriate smile.
Even then, his gaze kept straying towards Erin.
The truth was, he couldn’t really hear what the people in front of him were saying, as he was too preoccupied with Erin.
A peculiar thing was that during that brief time, his eyes met Erin’s several times.
Moreover, each time their eyes met, Erin immediately looked away.
Strangely, this made Aiden anxious.
His gaze persistently followed Erin.
In fact, all the conversations happening at the moment felt meaningless to Aiden.
So, giving appropriate responses but soon tiring of it, he covered up with a polite laugh.
And when nearly all his attention focused completely on Erin, that’s when it happened.
At that moment, Erin’s face contorted.
Seeing this, Aiden felt as if he had just witnessed something monumental.
Forgetting the people before him, he rubbed his eyes.
He wanted to check again, to be certain.
Erin wore a look of discomfort.
While trying not to look at Aiden, she was still stealing glances at him.
It was then that Aiden instinctively realized.
The change in Erin’s mood seemed connected to him.
The corners of Aiden’s mouth twitched slightly.
Erin was clearly conscious of the people around Aiden.
Every time Aiden smiled at them, a frown marred Erin’s brow.
‘Could it be that Erin is…jealous?’
Aiden felt a rush at his own conjecture.
Surely, Erin’s behavior was that of jealousy, watching him mingle with others.
Although she should have felt pleased to see him, who always clung to her side, effortlessly mingling with others, she inexplicably couldn’t.
Aiden could recognize by Erin’s subtle expressions that her emotions were of jealousy.
It made sense. It was a thought Aiden often entertained while looking at Erin.
It was an emotion all too familiar to him; he recognized it at a glance.
The desire not to be just one of many to someone else but to be special, only to them.
The corners of Aiden’s lips lifted into a wide smile.
Unaware of the reason, the people who saw his radiant smile responded with smiles of their own.
***
It was after the banquet had ended and they had returned to the mansion.
Aiden and Erin always made a point of having tea and conversation alone after attending a soiree.
TL/N: A soiree is an elegant evening gathering, usually at someone’s home
“Aiden, I’m relieved it seems to really be getting better,” Erin said with a smile, referring to what she observed at the royal banquet.
Aiden scrutinized Erin’s face.
She was making eye contact and smiling, but there was a shadow of something hidden beneath her eyes.
Aiden’s lips parted reflexively.
“What do you mean getting better?” he asked, frowning in denial.
“No, today was really tough,” she admitted.
