“…What sense of danger?”
“New clothes! Romance novels! What do you think this means?”
Kyle snapped in frustration.
“It means the Grand Duchess has had a change of heart. Who knows? She might already have her eyes on another gentleman!”
Dress shopping, and romance novels in hand—quite unusual for her.
‘Another man?’
For some reason, that thought stirred a strange sense of displeasure in Ian.
It was a fleeting feeling, though.
Ian quickly pushed it aside and responded flatly, “It seems there has been a change in her feelings.”
Kyle clenched his fists in frustration, trembling.
“You shouldn’t be so nonchalant about it! Honestly, even if the Grand Duchess already had another lover, you wouldn’t have a leg to stand on!”
Kyle fiercely criticized Ian.
“Anyway, I can’t do this anymore. If you and the Grand Duchess divorce, I’m quitting on the spot!”
Ian’s eyes turned cold, his gaze chilling enough to freeze the air.
“Kyle.”
“What now?!”
“I don’t believe you’ve been paid for this quarter yet.”
“…”
“If you’re so eager to quit, I can help you pack your things right now.”
Kyle blinked rapidly, realizing his mistake.
“…What did I just say? Once a lord, always a lord. I’ll serve you loyally forever!”
“You’re noisy. Get out.”
“Aye! With loyalty!”
Recognizing the veiled threat in Ian’s words, Kyle hurriedly retreated from the office.
Ian, watching him leave, turned his gaze back to the towering pile of documents.
“For the love of God! At least for the sake of the grand duchy, please treat the Grand Duchess better!”
“I’ve held back for the sake of His Majesty and my father, but I can’t do it anymore.”
“…Annoying.”
After a long silence, Ian’s pen finally started moving again, albeit slowly.
❖ ❖ ❖
Maybe it was because I had been out all day yesterday and even took a walk in the middle of the night.
I had completely passed out without realizing it.
When I opened my eyes, it was already far past my usual wake-up time.
“Ah!”
I jolted up in bed and blinked in surprise.
“I really slept like the dead.”
I didn’t even dream.
Yesterday must have been exhausting.
“Even if I get ready now, I’ll be late for breakfast.”
Breakfast starts at nine, and it was already past eight-thirty.
Even if I hurried, I’d end up being late by at least half an hour.
I stared at the clock for a moment before flopping back down.
“…Might as well take my time getting ready.”
Ian always left the dining hall promptly after breakfast, anyway.
Why should I bother aligning my mealtime with his?
Especially after yesterday’s huge fight—it’s better if we don’t see each other.
“Yawn, I’m still sleepy.”
I don’t like skipping meals, so I’ll head down a little later and grab a light salad.
I lazily burrowed back under the blankets.
“Ah, beds are the best.”
One of the things I’ve appreciated the most since coming to this world is the luxurious bedding that practically puts me to sleep as soon as my head hits the pillow.
Whatever’s inside the mattress isn’t just regular cotton—it’s soft and cozy, like a cloud.
I hugged the pillow tightly and closed my eyes.
“I should enjoy this laziness while I’m still the Grand Duchess. When else will I get the chance?”
Rolling around, savoring the soft sheets, I finally rang the bell to call the maids after some time had passed.
I leisurely bathed and dressed, and as expected, by the time I was done, it was well past ten.
‘Good, Ian should be gone by now.’
Today, I could eat in peace.
“Great, great.”
With a light step, I headed down to the dining hall, only to stop abruptly at the unexpected sight before me.
“Huh?”
The large dining hall, which I expected to be empty, had Ian sitting there, clear as day.
He was holding a newspaper.
‘Why is he still here?’
I peeked at the hallway clock to make sure I hadn’t misread the time.
It was indeed well past ten.
Considering his usual breakfast time lasted no more than thirty minutes, he should have left a long time ago.
‘Did he oversleep?’
I tilted my head, examining him closely, but it didn’t seem like he had overslept. Judging by the fact that his meal was already long finished and there was only a cold cup of coffee left in front of him.
Sensing my presence, Ian lowered his newspaper and looked up at me.
“You’re late.”
“…Yes.…What?”
I was so startled that my voice cracked.
Feeling my face flush with embarrassment, I cleared my throat awkwardly, but Ian’s gaze had already returned to his newspaper long before.
“…Ahem.”
I awkwardly made my way over and sat down to his right.
‘He usually leaves right on time, so why is he sitting here, sipping coffee for nearly an hour?’
Even the coffee in front of him had long gone cold, and there were no signs that he had actually drunk it.
Hiding my bewilderment, I cautiously asked while watching his expression.
“Um… why are you still here?”
“Why shouldn’t I be?”
His response was as curt and ungracious as ever.
‘Should I stab him with a fork?’
A brief moment of violent thought crossed my mind.
I seriously considered it, but then I remembered the knife next to him was also a weapon, so I quietly gave up on the idea.
I’ll let it slide since he’s a swordmaster.
I shot him a disgruntled look.
“So, why are you still here?”
“As you can see, I’ve had breakfast.”
I wondered if perhaps he had been waiting to apologize, but of course, that wasn’t the case. This cold-hearted man wasn’t going to change overnight just because we had one argument.
“Ahem.”
I cleared my throat a few times awkwardly and adjusted my posture.
Not long after, the servants brought my portion of the meal.
Just as I was about to pick up my utensils—
“Madam.”
“Yes?”
The moment he turned his head and looked at me, I froze. I completely forgot about the utensils in my hand and just stared blankly at him.
‘Why does he have to be annoyingly good-looking, even now?’
With the sunlight pouring into the dining hall so brightly, Ian’s appearance looked especially radiant this morning.
We locked eyes for a while, and then he set down his coffee cup and folded his newspaper.
“I’ve thought about that ‘training’ you mentioned.”
“Oh, yes.”
I responded cautiously while inwardly clicking my tongue.
It seemed like he was about to cancel the plans right from the start.
‘What excuse is he going to use? The imperial capital? Or maybe a business meeting?’
Whatever his reasoning, it wasn’t going to
work.
I was prepared to stand my ground no matter what he said. I tightened my grip on my fork.
But what he said next was completely unexpected.
“Let’s do it the way you first suggested—both days of the weekend.”
“That won’t… wait, what?”
I stopped mid-sentence, utterly surprised.
Did I hear that right?
“You’re saying you’ll dedicate both days of the weekend?”
“Isn’t that what you originally proposed?”
“Well, yes, but…”
I had fully expected him to reject the offer, so I had inflated the terms by doubling them.
Despite my startled reaction, Ian remained calm, merely watching me with an unreadable expression.
‘Why is he suddenly like this?’
What kind of wind blew through his head to make him act this way?
‘Did he hit his head somewhere?’
I studied him seriously, but his face looked annoyingly normal.
“If you don’t want to, we can drop it.”
“No, that’s not it.”
“Then I’ll take it as settled.”
“Wait, what?”
Before I could even finish speaking, Ian stood up from his seat.
Now that I looked, he was dressed in his uniform, not just a shirt.
Wait a minute—so, he’s been delaying his trip to the imperial palace just to tell me this?
‘Does he have extra time to kill or something?’
In my astonishment, the fork slipped from my hand.
Luckily, I managed to catch it before it hit the plate.
Ian, oblivious to my inner turmoil, adjusted his clothes and looked down at me.
“And Madam.”
“Yes?”
“Let’s try it—that ‘effort’ you spoke of.”
“…What?”
“The give-and-take you mentioned. Let’s give it a shot.”
His tone sounded like a declaration of war, something very unlike him.
“I’ll be going now.”
I watched, mouth agape, as Ian left the dining hall with an air of nonchalance.
“…What is up with him?”
♧♧♧
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