“A misunderstanding, you say…”
“……”
“So you’re saying the feelings I have for you are just a temporary result of the suspension bridge effect?”
“Exactly!”
I nodded quickly.
Ian, who had been looking at me with a sour expression, spoke in a cynical tone.
“You almost sound like you’re hoping that’s the case.”
“…Ahem.”
He hit the nail on the head.
Of course, even if the world flipped upside down seven times, the feelings you have right now must be a misunderstanding.
But there was no way Ian could hear the voice in my head.
In the end, I neither nodded nor responded aloud. I just made an ambiguous expression.
Ian, who had been looking at me with an unamused gaze, let out a short sigh.
“Alright, I understand.”
“…What?”
Huh, he accepted it more easily than I thought.
“You understand? Really?”
“You have a point, after all.”
He answered calmly.
It was me who suddenly felt confused.
I had blurted it out in desperation, but I didn’t expect him to agree so quickly.
‘…No, this is good.’
I pulled myself together after being momentarily dazed.
Who knew Ian’s empty-headedness would work to my advantage?
I sighed in relief, feeling like a weight had been lifted.
“I knew you’d understand. Now, let’s just go back to the way things were…”
But Ian wasn’t done.
“Then let’s do this.”
I looked up at the sound of his voice interrupting mine.
When I finally met his gaze, he was still staring at me intently.
His blue eyes were deep and unwavering.
That heavy stare reignited the unease I had just managed to suppress.
What is he going to say now?
“W-What do you mean?”
“I’ll add one more condition to the ones you originally set for me.”
“A condition? What do you…”
“For one year, I’ll follow your lead and try to be a husband you find satisfactory.”
“What?”
Wait, why am I suddenly the target of this?
But Ian continued without pausing, even in the face of my confusion.
“If, within that time, I come to admit my limits and give up, then it’ll mean my feelings were just a misunderstanding, as you said. But if I manage to become a man you like, then it won’t have been a misunderstanding.”
“……”
“So, instead of avoiding me, how about cooperating until we reach a proper conclusion?”
His tone was refined and polite, but the meaning behind his words was clear.
He was suggesting we spend a year testing whose perspective was right.
Even though he was acknowledging the possibility of his feelings being a misunderstanding, his blue eyes still shone with conviction.
“Let’s give it a try for a year. If by then I haven’t changed in your eyes, I’ll stop.”
“So please, cooperate with me.”
I was momentarily stunned as he threw my own words back at me, the ones I had first hurled at him when I stormed into his office.
‘Isn’t this an unnecessary level of quick learning?’
Something about this felt off.
Sensing a dark cloud of impending doom, I quickly shook my head.
‘No, actually, this is better.’
A year is both short and long. It’s enough time to turn today’s events into a passing incident and quietly fade away.
In that time, Ian will likely come to his senses.
My plan hasn’t derailed yet.
Having finished my mental calculations, I clenched my fists and nodded.
“Alright.”
I cautiously glanced at him.
“So, for now… we’re fine like this, right?”
Ian, who had been quietly looking down at me, answered in a steady voice.
“There was never a problem.”
“……”
“I know how I feel.”
Looking at this man, who had confessed his feelings and then immediately drawn a firm line, I wasn’t sure if I should be relieved or frustrated.
While I stared at his indifferent face, he spoke again in a low voice.
“So you should focus on your own feelings.”
“……”
“Because in a year, you’ll have to tell me what you think of me.”
Somehow, those words felt like a declaration of war.
❖ ❖ ❖
The next day.
Although Ian had told me not to avoid him, staying in the same space with him for too long was bound to drive me crazy. So I took the opportunity to visit Madame Zed’s dress shop under the excuse of needing to get a dress fitted.
It was the perfect time to do so, as I had to prepare a dress for the princess’s upcoming birthday banquet in a few weeks.
‘Normally, I would’ve had Madame Zed come to the ducal mansion…’
But doing that would have put me right back in Ian’s line of sight, creating yet another awkward situation.
“Oh my, madam. There are quite a lot of customers at the dress shop today.”
“Is that so?”
Vivi widened her eyes as we arrived at Madame Zed’s shop.
Just as she said, the entrance to the shop was bustling with people.
The last time I visited with Ian, I had caught a glimpse of the shop’s brand-new, pristine white sign, and it looked quite impressive now.
I stopped and let out a small “Oh” of surprise.
‘Her reputation must have spread quickly in the meantime.’
After word spread that Madame Zed had made the dress I wore to the season’s party and that she was also designing the princess’s birthday gown, she had gained a lot of attention.
Normally, Madame Zed, as my personal dressmaker, wouldn’t have been able to take on other clients, but what I needed from her was fame, not exclusivity.
‘Making clothes for different people with different tastes and body types is better for her than sticking to just one client.’
I had given her permission to take on other customers, and as a result, people curious about her work had begun flocking to her shop.
I had even heard recently that she was booked up for six months in advance.
‘It’s even better than I expected.’
A smile crept onto my face.
At this rate, she would soon become the top dressmaker in the capital in no time.
I led Vivi through the crowd and into Madame Zed’s dress shop.
As the bell rang, signaling our entrance, the eyes of everyone inside, waiting to have their measurements taken, turned toward me.
“Excuse me, but we’re fully booked for today’s… Oh my! Your Grace, the Duchess!”
Madame Zed, who looked as though she hadn’t slept for days, recognized me and widened her eyes in surprise.
“My goodness, what brings you here?”
“Well, I came to get a dress for the princess’s birthday banquet, of course.”
“You could have just summoned me…!”
Madame Zed seemed flustered that I had come to the shop instead of calling her to the mansion.
Sorry, Madame Zed. I had my reasons.
Meanwhile, the noblewomen and young ladies inside the shop, who had been quietly watching us, began to approach with enthusiasm.
“Oh my, Duchess! What a surprise to see you here! We were worried since you hadn’t attended any social events lately…”
“Are you feeling better now? I heard you were badly injured.”
Unlike at the last season’s party, when they had kept their distance, only stealing glances at me, their behavior now was overly eager and passionate.
‘Come to think of it, I haven’t had a chance to interact with the nobles directly and gauge public opinion. I’ve only been keeping up through newsletters.’
It felt strange to see how their attitudes had shifted so drastically in just a few months.
I responded to their questions with appropriate answers and made my way to a sofa in the waiting room.
The first time I visited Madame Zed’s shop, it was just a tiny one-room space crammed with clothes, with no waiting area at all. But seeing how it had transformed into such a bustling shop filled with customers, I felt a wave of nostalgia.
Madame Zed, who had followed me with a flustered look, seemed a bit overwhelmed.
“I’m so sorry, Your Grace. The shop is full of customers right now. If you could wait a moment, I’ll…”
“No, it’s fine. I came without notice, so go ahead and attend to your other customers. I’ll just sit here and chat with the ladies.”
I waved her off dismissively.
After all, I was just here to pass the time and avoid Ian.
As I sat gracefully sipping the tea a staff member had brought me, I thought to myself, ‘Madame Zed, working all by herself back then, now has staff to help her. She’s come a long way.’
I really do have an eye for talent.
While I was basking in a sense of pride, the noblewomen and young ladies, who had gathered in small groups, began to approach me.
When I lifted my head, the ladies closest to me had already scooted over, chatting excitedly.
“So, Your Grace, you’re here to get your dress fitted for the princess’s birthday banquet?”
“I heard it was you who discovered Madame Zed. You have such a keen eye!”
“That’s right! When I first came to Madame Zed’s shop, I was amazed. Her dresses are so unique and bold.”
Surrounded by admiring gazes, it felt like the cold stares I had received at the season’s party belonged to a distant past life.
“Thank you for the kind words.”
Yes, keep spreading the word.
Let’s make Madame Zed the most sought-after dressmaker in the capital.
However, there was something I had overlooked.
The capital’s biggest source of interest was currently something else entirely.
“Your Grace, may I ask you something?”
“Go ahead.”
“Is it true that the Duke stay by your side, shedding tears for three days and nights while nursing you back to health?”
“Pfft!”
I almost spat out my tea.
♧♧♧
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