[The Lady and the Stableman: the Former Lady of Fortrion and the Little Duke of Lexion]
Edith, reclining on a soft couch near the fireplace, had been reading newspapers with similar content for the past few days.
People were more excited about the fact that the Little Duke of Lexion had shown sincere interest in a lady than by the fact that he had won the swordsmanship tournament by defeating Count Gerturk’s knight.
Of course, the news that poison was mixed in the food given to Walter, and the fact that the poison was the same as the one used by Gerturk’s assassins, also had a huge impact.
However, many people thought that the fact that he won the swordsmanship tournament while being poisoned was an excellent seasoning for the romance.
Unable to repeatedly publish the fact that he passionately kissed the lady’s hand for a long time, the newspapers started publishing more provocative headlines.
“The Little Duke of Lexion’s taste in women is beautiful married women…”
Walter, who was standing behind the couch reading the newspaper together, looked at Edith’s face as if appreciating her beauty and then smiled.
“It’s not wrong.”
“Walter.”
Edith glanced at him slightly. Even though the doctors said he would be fine, she wished he would take a break, especially since he coughed up blood. However, Walter stayed by her side, refraining from going out under the pretext of resting.
Walter actually found this situation enjoyable. The more provocative headlines the journalists came up with, the more people in the capital city would read and reread the stories about their special relationship.
It had been a few days since the swordsmanship tournament had ended, and now even a six-year-old child would know that he had kissed Edith.
It was undoubtedly abnormal for him to smile so sillily at the thought of becoming Edith’s official lover, whether or not his reputation was tarnished.
Franz, who was sitting across from him, spoke to him.
“It is considered dishonorable for a Little Duke to be attracted to a married woman.”
Edith turned her gaze to him in his stern voice. Lately, he had been very kind to her, but he still felt distant when it came to weighing importance.
『 I suppose that the news of the family heir being involved with a married woman might be a bit crazy.』
As she pondered what to say in response, Franz suggested as if it were a matter of no great difficulty.
“If M’lady allows, how about having Lexion’s attorneys work to nullify the marriage?”
In fact, after receiving Walter’s hint, Vane had already prepared all the documents for Edith’s divorce, so if she gave her permission, the issue could be resolved within a week.
However, Edith was unable to readily agree. As her lips moved a little, Walter and Franz’s nervousness was reaching its peak.
“Besides, you didn’t receive the inheritance anyway. Even if there is money to settle, me or that rich old man sitting over there would have taken care of it.”
“That’s right. We have plenty of money.”
Franz, feeling desperate, momentarily forgot his authority as a high noble and responded almost reflexively.
Franz believed he was slowly earning forgiveness for his past errors. Just a short while ago, Edith took his hand, guiding it to her belly, sharing the sensation of the baby’s movements. She mentioned that he would soon become a great-grandfather.
However, seeing Edith still clinging to her status as Lady Fortrion, he had a bitter taste form in his mouth as he wondered if it was because of him that she was not happy with Lexion.
“It’s not because of inheritance issues.”
Edith spoke softly, and only then did Walter realize what she was worrying about.
“Are you afraid that if we nullify your marriage to Nicholas Fortrion, it would affect your application for deferral of admission to the Academy?”
Walter took classes for heir education in his spare time and heard how much money Lexion was pouring into the Academy.
Even if Edith had failed her entrance exam, the money Lexion was pouring was an astronomical amount that would be enough to secure her admission.
Walter, who was about to say that he would put pressure on the Academy to be flexible, paused for a moment and then changed his mind.
“Indeed. You applied for deferral of admission by citing the fact that you married a nobleman, so it’s possible that your deferral application could be canceled according to the rules.”
Walter continued speaking shamelessly before Edith could express her disappointment.
“But I think the Academy will understand if we ride in Lexion’s carriage together, with a nice ring on your finger, and announce that we got engaged. Even if we do it after the baby is born, it should be fine.”
“That sounds like a good idea, M’lady.”
Edith was quite surprised when Franz agreed. She expected discussions about an engagement to arise soon, especially after Walter publicly kissed her hand and did not deny the romance rumors.
However, she had planned to wait until the rumors about the late Viscount Fortrion marrying a woman he bought with money and later becoming the Duchess of Lexion had died down before proceeding with the formalities of the engagement or marriage. She hadn’t expected that they would let her use the family’s significant matters to be utilized just for her document processing.
“Can I really do that? Even so, it’s Lexion…”
When she asked, Walter gently stroked her blonde hair and replied.
“What’s the use if I can’t give you what you need?”
Walter said it in an affectionate tone. Franz also nodded as if there were no issues at all.
Edith, delighted at the thought of being able to escape from being called ‘Lady Fortrion,’ smiled with her cheeks turning red.
“I’m relieved. I didn’t want to be called another man’s wife anymore.”
“…”
For a moment, Walter felt as if his heart had been briefly dipped into the fireplace and then removed. Edith’s lightly spoken words felt to him like a sacred and precious prayer recited by a saint in a holy voice.
The Duke smiled happily as he watched the two of them standing next to each other.
“After the New Year’s festival, you will go to the manor in the Lexion’s territory prepared for childbirth, so it would be better to get engaged before leaving. It is natural for the heir of the family to stay at the domain with his fiancée for a few months.”
“Thank you, Your Grace.”
When the topic of childbirth came up, Edith unconsciously placed her hand on her stomach. For a mother who had just entered a stable period, her stomach was quite protruding, so it seemed it would be difficult to hide the pregnancy from the next month onwards.
Moreover, there was something she wanted to investigate at the Lexion’s territory.
“And if possible, could you please send people along with me?”
“People?”
Franz expressed confusion.
“Yes. I feel a bit uneasy about Baron Humphrey, who borders Lexion’s domain. I think it would be of great help if I went with some reliable Intelligence officers.”
“Are you saying that because Baron Humphrey is on friendly terms with Gerturk?”
To Franz, Baron Humphrey was nothing more than a man not worth worrying about. Although he had assigned people to investigate when he noticed his attempts to get closer to Gerturk, no special findings had been discovered.
Edith shared with Franz what she had seen and heard in the tea room.
“What? Is he a pedophile?”
“Yes. I heard it from Countess Coben, the half-sister of Countess Gerturk.”
He wondered how Edith managed to obtain such information from the centrist Countess Coben, who is known to be cautious and not very sociable.
Franz was a little curious about that too, but for now, he focused on her explanation.
“Count Gerturk and his wife, with nothing to lose, must have a reason for engaging with Baron Humphrey, who has a bad reputation and nothing notable to offer.”
“I understand your suspicion. If they’ve managed to conceal something to the extent that even Lexion’s intelligence officers haven’t noticed, it’s likely not a trivial matter.”
When Franz saw Edith asking for a favor, he thought of his wife and Leah, who had left this world before him.
The women he loved also helped him a lot on several occasions by observing the gossip floating around in the social circles.
『 Leah made it possible for me to connect with a lady like her.』
Franz looked at Walter and Edith with a gentle smile on his lips.
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After a leisurely evening tea time, Edith did not go straight back to her room but followed Walter to his bedroom.
“Walter, is your magic really okay?”
Working in the medical field gives one a knack for finding out when sick people are lying. When she asked the question dozens of times over the past few days, Walter answered calmly, even though he felt a pang inside.
“If I’m not really fine, how can I share my magic with our little one?”
“Really?”
“Yes. I received permission and guidance from the mages. My magical power has fully awakened, so I just need to share it with our little one for a week.”
Creak—
Walter opened his bedroom door and politely gestured to get inside as if he were a hotel employee.
“But how do you share magic? I don’t have any magic power, so I don’t know how to receive it…”
Edith, who entered the room while asking him a question, sensed that there was something strange about the air that filled the bedroom.
Why are there so many rare roses that are hard to find during winter in a room that is used by a man alone, and why are there so many lit candles emitting soft light?
“Herbal oil?”
On the desk, various opened bottles of oil were neatly arranged, creating a unique atmosphere.
When Edith asked, Walter scratched his head for no reason.
⋙“The method of sharing awakened magic is simple. One just needs to continuously emit magic energy while a part of one’s body is in contact with another person’s body.”⋘
⋙“The bodies have to touch?”⋘
⋙“That’s right. You need to let the magic flow for about three hours, so I recommend holding hands for convenience—.”⋘
⋙“I’ll take care of that, so don’t worry.”⋘
“…”
The moment Walter heard the doctor tell him how to share his magic energy, he realized what an insidious bastard he was.
“I prepared it because they say the more skin contact, the better.”
He calmly took the shawl Edith was wearing and placed it on the sofa, then added in a low voice.
“Or maybe I was just a little hungry.”
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