Chapter 37
The Marquis quickly composed himself and extended his hand to me.
“It’s an honor to meet you, Duchess. My wife has spoken so highly of you, and I’ve been looking forward to this moment.”
The Marchioness nudged her husband with her elbow, silently warning him to stop with unnecessary comments. I bit the inside of my cheek to keep my lips from curling into a smile.
“It’s an honor to meet you as well. I’ve heard so much about you from the Marchioness, and I’ve been eager to talk with you.”
“Ha-ha, my wife talks about me?” the Marquis asked, amused.
“Yes, she says you’re a kind and caring husband.”
“Oh dear, that’s embarrassing. She doesn’t often praise me directly, but I love her for that too.”
The Marquis chuckled softly, his demeanor as refined as his appearance. The Marchioness, perhaps embarrassed by the conversation, cleared her throat and spoke.
“It’s hot out here. Let’s move to the dining room. We’ve prepared a meal for the Duke and Duchess, and I hope you’ll enjoy it.”
As we walked to the dining room, I glanced at the Marquis and Marchioness. The Marquis gently held his wife’s hand, and though she shot him a quick look, she said nothing.
I admired their bond, imagining my own future family someday. When I start a new life in another country, I’d love to experience a romance like that. Of course, that future felt distant—Harold’s recovery would take years.
Lost in these vague dreams, I was startled when Harold suddenly grabbed my hand.
“…!”
My heart raced, and I looked up at him with wide eyes. He smiled lazily, his gaze soft.
“I just felt like holding your hand. Do you mind?”
“No… I was just surprised,” I murmured.
“You still get surprised, even after all the things we’ve done together?” His teasing tone made my face flush as memories of this morning rushed back.
“Harold…!” I whispered, flustered.
“Is there a problem?” he asked, feigning innocence.
“What if the Marquis and Marchioness hear us?”
“That’s why I whispered it to you.”
“…”
Did he? His voice had sounded as loud as thunder to me. I tilted my head, confused, and glanced ahead. Even as I looked forward, Harold’s presence loomed large in my mind.
His words brought back vivid memories of this morning, leaving my thoughts in chaos.
Ah, seriously. Getting used to this? Not happening.
Even after days together, I still couldn’t get used to being close to him.
I still genuinely wanted Harold to recover quickly, but my sensitive nerves were struggling to handle his presence.
I had completely misjudged myself, thinking I would eventually get used to it. Come to think of it, even with his perfect face, I hadn’t fully adjusted to it, so what made me so confident before?
“Duchess, you look tired. Are you okay?”
The Marchioness’s concerned voice snapped me back to reality.
We were enjoying tea after the meal while Harold and the Marquis discussed business.
“I guess I didn’t sleep well last night.” I said, giving her a reassuring smile.
The Marchioness studied my face closely and narrowed her eyes.
“Is the Duke being too demanding with you?”
I gasped in surprise, my eyes widening. “What?”
“I know the Duke well. When he wants something, he’ll stop at nothing to get it. If you’re not careful when talking with him, the situation will always go his way.”
“Yes, that’s true.” I admitted hesitantly.
Harold had a way of convincing me to go along with his suggestions, even when I hesitated. And every time, I’d regret it later.
But, to be fair, Harold wasn’t exactly bothering me. His goal was to make sure I was well during the treatment, and it was I who couldn’t adapt and was struggling.
So the problem is really me, I thought, feeling discouraged.
The Marchioness clicked her tongue in disapproval.
“Still, making his wife look this worn out? This is what happens with those dark-haired men.”
To her, I probably looked exhausted. I didn’t bother checking my reflection in the tea’s surface. I already knew I’d gained a bit of weight recently, judging by how tight my clothes had become.
“If you ever feel you can’t stay by his side, come to me anytime,” she said sincerely, squeezing my hand.
“Thank you for your kind words,” I replied.
The Marchioness left when a servant arrived to speak with her, leaving me alone in the sunlit garden. I was sipping tea when I felt a presence.
Had the Marchioness returned already? But it wasn’t her—it was Dante. He smiled warmly when he spotted me.
“I heard the Marchioness was here, but I see we have a delightful guest instead!”
“The Marchioness stepped away briefly. She’ll be back soon,” I explained.
“Ah, I see. Duchess, may I keep you company in the meantime?”
“Of course.”
Dante sat in the Marchioness’s seat, surprisingly managing not to trip or stumble for once.
He shared stories of his journey to the capital, most of them centered on people’s happy moments.
“On my way, I saw a farmer couple caring for a newborn calf. They named it ‘Gold’ because it was so precious to them. The mother cow had given birth late in life, so they were overjoyed it was healthy. Isn’t that sweet?”
I recalled how Dante’s eyes sparkled when he volunteered to help others. Even now, as he shared this story, his eyes gleamed with the same warmth.
“Sir Dante, you seem to vividly remember the joyful moments of others better than anyone.”
I spoke my thoughts aloud, and Dante’s crimson eyes widened.
“You’re the first person to react like this to my stories! Usually, people find them boring for some reason.”
“I enjoyed it. I like peaceful stories like these.”
“Right? I never thought I’d meet someone who gets me so well…!”
Dante looked genuinely thrilled to have someone appreciate his stories. If he had a tail, it would be wagging furiously right now.
“Oh, speaking of which, the festival is coming up soon. How do you plan to spend it?”
Soon, the largest festival of the year in the Empire, the Demer Festival, would begin. It was a celebration of the harvest season, lasting for three days of eating, drinking, and festivities.
Just thinking about the upcoming festival made my lips curl up slightly.
“I’m going with some new friends I’ve made. They’re great people; when I told them I hadn’t been to the capital’s festival since I was a child, they eagerly offered to guide me.”
“They sound like good people.”
“Yes. I felt bad since they’re skipping time with their families for me. But then they jokingly said I should pay them a fee, so I agreed.”
…Wait, a fee?
I looked up sharply from my tea.
“How much did they ask for?”
“They said a hundred gold coins. Why do you ask?”
“….”
A hundred gold coins? That’s about a month’s living expenses for a middle-class commoner.
No matter how I looked at it, these “friends” didn’t seem like friends at all—they were clearly taking advantage of him.
“Sir Dante, why not go with someone from the Mayer household staff instead?”
“I’d rather go with someone who’d enjoy the festival with me.”
“…Then, would you like to go with me? I’ll be going alone this time.”
I would have a bodyguard accompanying me, just in case something unexpected happened, of course.
“I’d be honored to go with you, but are you sure the Duke won’t be accompanying you?”
“Harold is too busy to come with me.”
To be honest, I hadn’t even asked Harold if he wanted to go to the festival.
It wasn’t that I was avoiding him. Despite feeling flustered by his constant affection, I preferred spending time with others rather than being alone. And Harold was the person I was closest to here.
But lately, I’d been too unsettled at night to bring it up, and before I could suggest it, I learned that Harold was busy with work.
It wasn’t like Harold could suddenly clear his schedule to attend the festival with me, right?
He’d become so busy lately that we couldn’t even share meals together.
When did this start exactly?
Ah, I remember now—it was about a week ago when I started asking the staff for festival recommendations.
