~Chapter 6~
“Yawn, my whole body feels stiff.”
As I stretched and woke up, I suddenly stopped what I was doing and slowly turned my head.
I quickly shut my mouth as I noticed the blue eyes staring right at me, interrupting my yawn.
I had definitely been lying face down, but now I was lying on my back. When did that happen? But that wasn’t the important part.
“Y-Your Grace? Since when… Are you okay?”
“As you can see, I’m perfectly fine.”
“That’s a relief. I’m really sorry for causing you trouble.”
I lowered my head deeply. I couldn’t bear to look at him.
We had almost gotten into serious trouble. I tried to help him but ended up causing more problems.
Cedric stared at me silently for a while before raising his hand and placing it on my forehead.
“Luckily, you don’t have a fever. Are you hungry?”
“My stomach…”
I was about to say that I wasn’t hungry, but—
Growl
At that exact moment, my stomach let out a loud rumble, and my face flushed red.
In my embarrassment, I completely forgot that his hand was still on my forehead and panicked.
“P-Please pretend you didn’t hear that.”
Quickly, I moved away from him, clutching my stomach.
‘Why now? You’ve never acted like this before!’
My stomach, which usually never betrayed me, had let me down this time.
“I’ve already heard plenty of things, but alright.”
Plenty of things?
Did I say something strange in my sleep? I tried to recall, but nothing came to mind—except for the image of Cedric walking away, leaving me behind with Isabel.
“There’s probably a lot to talk about. How about we continue over a meal?”
I nodded vigorously. I was so embarrassed that I couldn’t even look him in the eye.
***
“Eat this too.”
I blinked at the plate suddenly placed in front of me as I chewed on some meat.
Why was he being so nice all of a sudden? I felt uneasy, like something was off.
“I-I can manage on my own.”
“These are fresh fruits picked today. They should help you recover your strength.”
“Aren’t you going to eat, Your Grace?”
“I am eating.”
Even as he ate, his gaze never left me. His slightly strained expression made me nervous.
‘If you have something to say, just say it. Why are you staring at me like that?’
I was already on edge because of him, and now I was losing my appetite under his intense gaze.
Hack
Eventually, the food got stuck in my throat. As I pounded on my chest, Cedric quickly handed me some water.
“You must have been really hungry.”
I gulped down the water and set the glass down on the table.
“It’s because Your Grace keeps staring at me. If you have something to say, just say it! Stop glaring at me like that!”
“There’s nothing to say.”
“Anyone can tell you have something on your mind.”
Cedric blinked, resting his chin on his hand. He stared at me for a long while, looking deep in thought.
‘Did I do something wrong?’
If I had, maybe it would be for the best. If he got disappointed in me, he might agree to a divorce!
I blinked my eyes in surprise.
As if he noticed right away, Cedric’s once relaxed expression suddenly turned stiff.
“It seems like you’re hoping I’ll be disappointed in you.”
“…Was it that obvious?”
“Why are you so eager to divorce me?”
He asked, genuinely curious. From his perspective, my actions must have made no sense, which was understandable. It wasn’t easy to become the Grand Duchess, after all.
‘That’s only true if I stay by his side forever.’
Who could enjoy a marriage peacefully, knowing their husband would cheat in the future?
“Well, marriage should be with someone you love…”
I started to say but hesitated, remembering the passionate night we had shared.
“I mean, it’s true that you should, but people can marry without love too. I don’t know what kind of deal was made for our marriage, but…”
“But?”
He echoed my words, tapping his fingers on the table. His lake-like blue eyes sparkled like a predator eyeing its prey.
“…I-I’m freezing, I can’t stand the cold!”
“If it’s as simple as that, I can easily fix it by raising the temperature with more magic stones.”
That wasn’t what I meant.
“I don’t have any friends, and I’m really bored.”
“If you have friends in the capital, you can invite them over. We have plenty of rooms for guests and plenty of food.”
Friends? I didn’t have any. My only friends were animals. Suddenly, I was hit with the sad reality of my limited social life.
“…No, that’s fine.”
“More importantly, why were you trying to go into the forest? It seemed like you saw something and ran toward it.”
“I thought I saw an animal, and I acted without thinking. I was just surprised to see an animal in a snowy forest…”
“Hm.”
He didn’t seem convinced, but what could he say? That was my story, and he had no choice but to accept it.
“Still, it’s dangerous, so don’t do it again.”
“I’ll remember that.”
I nodded immediately.
“I promise I won’t do anything dangerous.”
I didn’t care if I got hurt, but I had no intention of putting him in danger.
“But there’s something strange. I could’ve sworn I was injured, but my body’s perfectly fine.”
“R-Really? That’s strange. Were you hurt, Your Grace? I must’ve been too out of it from the cold to remember…”
This was bad. It seemed like he was suspicious of why his body was unscathed. I quickly mumbled and glanced around nervously.
“But are you really okay, Your Grace?”
I jumped up and moved closer to him, grabbing his broad shoulders and inspecting him exaggeratedly. I raised my voice and overreacted.
“Where does it hurt? Tell me, and I’ll check for you.”
“…”
“Is it your back?! Or your waist?!”
I checked his back, tapping it a couple of times, then grabbed his face and looked into his eyes.
“You hit your head when you fell. Did you tell the doctor?!”
I turned his head left and right, only to be met with his piercing blue eyes staring straight at me. Embarrassed, I slowly let go and smiled awkwardly.
“It… it seems like you’re fine.”
Then I hurried back to my seat and sat down with a thud.
For a moment, I thought I saw the corner of his lips twitch. Did I imagine it? Suddenly, looking surprised, he stood up abruptly.
“I have a lot of work to do, so I’ll leave first.”
That was a relief to hear.
“You’re busy? Then go right ahead!”
I waved with a bright smile. After Cedric finally left the dining room, I let out a sigh of relief and slumped in my chair.
“…I’d better eat my meals separately. At this rate, I’ll choke every time.”
I chewed on the remaining meat in my mouth and squinted my eyes.
If I wanted to get divorced quickly, I’d need to build up my strength first.
***
Cedric was troubled. He had almost laughed at her behavior.
“Cute,” he muttered.
Who would have thought that he’d find his wife, who was trying so hard to get a divorce, cute? Strange feelings seemed to be creeping up inside him.
“Maybe she’s right. Something must be wrong with my head.”
He turned again to look at the dining room where Claire was. What was this odd feeling, and why was he so curious about what she was doing?
“I’m just worried about whatever scheme she’s plotting to get the divorce,” he told himself, nodding in agreement with his own reasoning and about to walk away.
But then, he stopped in his tracks, recalling the small hand that had touched his cheek. It had been quite warm.
‘Does she like animals?’ he wondered. If she was lonely because she had no friends, he could solve that problem easily. He had no intention of divorcing her, anyway. The emperor wouldn’t allow it, so it was never going to happen.
“Your Grace!”
A large figure came running toward him, and Cedric frowned. If it weren’t for this man, none of this would’ve happened.
“This is all your fault.”
“…Pardon?”
“So, you’ll take responsibility.”
“R-Responsibility for what?”
“For whatever.”
Caben’s mouth hung open. ‘Whatever’? Did His Grace have some other feelings toward him? Of course, as a knight, it was his duty to protect his lord, but…
“I’m sorry! Your Grace, I like women! Please reconsider!”
“What… are you talking about?”
“I don’t think I can take responsibility for everything about Your Grace. If you really want me to, I’ll try my best. As a knight, it’s my duty to protect you, but if I must protect you in another way…”
“Enough, enough. I think you’re very confused right now.”
Cedric’s expression turned cold.
Finally, Caben looked up, blinking in confusion. When he met Cedric’s icy stare, his eyes shook with panic.
“I was only joking because you didn’t seem in a good mood.”
“You sounded serious.”
Caben shook his head vigorously in denial, though his reaction only made him look more suspicious. Cedric clicked his tongue and walked past him.
“Please, from now on, stay out of things.”
“…Did you have a fight with the Grand Duchess?”
“Does it look that way?”
“Doesn’t Her Grace dislike you? I was just trying to help you two get closer by stepping in.”
“Stop worrying about pointless things. Just go to the forest and bring back an animal.”
“An animal? Why all of a sudden… Never mind! I’ll catch one right away.”
“Make sure it doesn’t get hurt. I’ll release it into the garden.”
Caben nodded, fully determined now. Somehow, he felt like he had gotten on Cedric’s bad side.
