It’s been a while, and although there was no change in the places, it felt strange to see the familiar streets every day.
‘Have I adapted to a luxurious lifestyle during this time?’
The uncomfortable cushion of the horse-drawn carriage, which I used to ride without any thoughts before marriage, felt very inconvenient.
“This is going to be a problem….”
The carriage continued for a while, finally entering the street where I used to live. Though it was old, the row of houses closely packed together had its own charm, always charming to see.
It was when I finally got off the carriage.
“Hmm?”
There were lots of letters in the mailbox in front of the house. I quickly straightened my appearance and, after grabbing the stack of letters, examined them one by one.
“No sender?”
Despite checking here and there, there was no specified sender. However, in Dochliah, different regions used designated letterhead, so I could only guess that it came from another area because it was my first time seeing such a letterhead.
[Johannes Schultz, don’t marry. He will eventually hurt you.]
[Remember. As soon as you read this letter, stay away from that man. You will learn an unwanted truth.]
It was an unfamiliar handwriting.
The contents of the numerous letters below were mostly similar, full of curses and warnings that I would be unhappy if I married Johannes.
There wasn’t much excitement.
‘Is this from a noble lady who used to like Johannes?’
It was a plausible story.
I didn’t have any friends, and I wasn’t engaging in any significant interactions with anyone.
So, there was no one to threaten me not to marry.
[Please, I beg you. How about living in a different region?]
In the end, they tried to stop our marriage by making a plea in the last letter.
However, to the person who sent the letter, I felt sorry, but I had already gotten married, and there was nothing I could undo.
I casually crumpled the letters and put them in my bag.
The house I visited after a long time was the same when I left. Fortunately, there were no missing items, and nothing had changed in location. There was not a speck of dust to be seen.
But the air was chilly as no one lived in the house anymore.
This house, too, would eventually need to be cleaned up…
As I was about to leave the house, someone greeted me warmly.
“Edith!”
It was Mrs. Penciller. Without waiting for a response, she took me into the house.
“Goodness, Edith. Why is your face like this! No, get a hold of yourself. Wait. I’ll bring something here.”
She thoroughly examined my body and, after arranging me at the dining table, started boiling water. A while later, the savory smell of pie and the fragrant aroma of tea tickled my nose.
It was Mrs. Penciller’s pie again. When I took a bite, the taste, neither too sweet nor bland, filled my mouth. When eating her pie, all worries seemed to disappear.
Even though the chefs at Evanstein Castle were skilled in cooking, they wouldn’t be able to match Mrs. Penciller’s baking skills.
“It’s so delicious, Mrs. Penciller. It hasn’t been long, but I missed this taste.”
Mrs. Penciller said it looked good as she watched me enjoy the food.
Receiving her burdensome gaze, I emptied the prepared food adequately. Then, as if she had been waiting, Mrs. Penciller began talking incessantly.
“I was so surprised that day! Naval officers were all over in front of the house, and you seemed to be inside. I couldn’t even go to meet you.”
“I’m sorry for surprising you. That day, there were too many complicated things going on.”
“I heard. There was trouble with a loan shark? Goodness, forgery documents. It’s absurd. Anyway, when you disappeared by taking the navy carriage… I was actually planning to bring you your favorite Stollen on that day.”
“I’m sorry—”
“Do you know how well-aged the Stollen was on that day? It was truly the best Stollen of my life. If you had tasted it, you would have loved it. But marriage…!”
Without giving me a chance to speak, she continued to chatter incessantly. I couldn’t help but burst into laughter at her unchanged demeanor.
When the news of defeat and the news of fallen neighbors reached me, I couldn’t hide my sad emotions. Now, seeing her back to her old self, I felt relieved.
“That’s how it turned out.”
Penciller looked me up and down slowly as she spoke without a break.
“Well, get a hold of yourself. Now, I should address you as the Duchess.”
It seemed that the news of Johannes and my marriage was not unknown to the marriage announcer.
I touched the teacup and said, “No, please call me comfortably.”
“But still, how can I do that? There’s a clear class difference, you know.”
Penciller clapped her hands. While doing so, she subtly hoped that I would ask her again.
“Please. It makes me uncomfortable.”
“Is that so?”
She must have found it awkward to treat me as a duchess all of a sudden, considering she had seen me since childhood.
“I apologize for not telling you in advance. I should have informed you.”
“Oh, no. Schultz, the Duke, how could I easily mention that? Oh, my, but I don’t know how grim the situation has been in the meantime. Don’t say anything.”
Penciller closed her eyes tightly and shivered.
“Grim things happened, and the culprit hasn’t been caught.”
She, who had a wrinkled face, fortunately grabbed my hand, saying that it was a relief anyway.
“It was quite a surprise, but getting married is a blessing. I’m really fortunate. Congratulations, Edith, although it’s a bit late.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Penciller.”
“Oh, but nobles are a mysterious bunch, so be careful. Well, your husband might not be like that.”
“My husband is not like that.”
When I said this with a smile, Mrs. Penciller’s expression became more serious.
“Well, well, I’ll take care of you well. But you never know. It might just be that he’s not showing his true colors in the early days of marriage.”
Mrs. Penciller, who admired and respected Duke Schultz more than anyone, suddenly changed her attitude. I wondered why.
As I silently gazed at the lady, she quickly apologized, sensing that I might be upset.
“Oh no, it’s nothing. I was talking nonsense. Forget about it. I don’t know why I keep babbling like this as I get older.”
She chuckled and laughed.
“By the way, it must be tough to survive in high society… I don’t know much, but Louisa, who recently divorced Count Wagner, said that even noble ladies face trouble over trivial matters. Especially if they are commoners originally.”
I refrained from mentioning facing trouble already, as it might make her upset.
“Anyway.”
As I didn’t show much reaction, she started a different story.
I had forgotten, but Mrs. Penciller was a conversationalist who understood others.
Once she started talking, a conversation would last for at least two or three hours. Even if the other person showed signs of exhaustion, there was no way she would let go. Why didn’t I consider that?
“Well, it was too welcoming…”
As I sighed inwardly, a welcome sound of someone knocking on the door reached my ears. I quickly stood up.
“It seems like a visitor. It’s time to leave, and Mrs. Penciller might feel uncomfortable. Let me move…”
“No, no. Wait a moment. There’s someone to introduce, so just wait. By the way, there’s no one expected to visit today. Who could it be?”
Mrs. Penciller, who had me sit back down, went to the entrance. After a while, I heard the sound of friendly greetings.
A woman with a pale face and rosy cheeks, along with crimson hair, came in. Judging by her well-developed physique, she seemed to be from the Scandia continent.
She looked at me curiously with a face that still seemed young, covered with numerous freckles.
Stunned and blinking, Mrs. Penciller spoke.
“Edith, say hello. I was going to introduce you later, but she’s the lady who recently moved to the house across the street. It’s been only a few days, but we’ve become quite friendly. It’s rare for young people to be so lively.”
“Ah…!”
Those praised by her were generally good people. I was relieved. It seemed like I had found a new companion for conversation.
“Hello. Nice to meet you.”
“…”
“The Edith who lived next door… Edith Schultz, right? Are you from the Scandia continent?”
Sina’s expression twisted.
Did I make a mistake? Should I not greet first in the Scandia continent?
As I pondered about these possibilities, she approached abruptly.
Surprised by the sudden proximity, I took a step back, and Sina looked at me even more curiously. After staring at me for a while as if she didn’t know manners, she asked in a hesitant tone.
“Ma’am, are you really the wife of General Schultz? The commander of the Baltz Fleet?”
Her voice was like transparent glass beads rolling, completely different from her appearance.
But why would she ask that?
“Well, for now…?”
When I answered with a bewildered voice, Sina opened her mouth wide.
What kind of reaction is this?
Trying to understand her reaction, I was taken aback when Sina, picking up a leftover piece of pie, said,
“How can you live together with such a crazy bragging?”
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Translator Note:
This chapter was translated by Bree.
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