Chapter 38
After Harold and Diana left, the Marquis headed to his wife’s room.
The reflection of Lady Mayer, deep in thought while holding a luxurious small box in her hands, was visible in the mirror.
Her lashes hinted at longing, and the Marquis sat beside her, gently covering the back of her hand with his.
“When I saw the Duchess, to be honest, I was quite surprised. She looks so much like your younger sister Natalie. It’s not the first time I’ve seen her, but I can’t figure out why this thought only occurred to me now.”
As a noble returning to the capital, it wasn’t rare to see her at imperial banquets or other events.
Yet back then, seeing Diana never reminded him of Natalie, his wife’s younger sister and former fiancée.
He had only thought of her as a young lady with the same pink hair as his wife.
But strangely enough, this time, the moment he saw her, Natalie immediately came to mind.
That was why he couldn’t hide his initial surprise.
Was it because her style of dress had changed, altering her aura? Or had her expression softened compared to when she was unmarried? He wasn’t sure. But he could guess why his wife was sitting here, deep in thought, with that box in hand, which was why he had come to her.
“Is it because the Duchess reminds you of Natalie that you’ve taken more of an interest in her?”
The usually selective Lady Mayer, who was quite reserved when it came to forming relationships, had quickly opened her heart to Diana.
Before he had seen Diana himself, the Marquis found this surprising. But if his wife was reminded of her younger sister, then her soft affection toward the Duchess made sense.
Gently patting the back of her hand, the Marquis looked at her warmly.
Lady Mayer placed the box down and looked at her husband.
The sharp gaze that other noble ladies found intimidating always softened when directed toward him.
“That may be part of it, but that’s not the whole reason.”
“Is that so?”
“Now that I’m older, I find it admirable to see how much a young woman has changed. Imagine how hard she must have worked to change at such a young age.”
Change was never easy, even as one grows older.
It takes effort, as if one were cutting through flesh and bone, to finally bring about change.
That’s why she found it commendable that a noblewoman, after being thrown out of her family and facing hardships, had chosen to embrace positive change rather than resentment.
“And also…”
Lady Mayer could not forget how Diana had expressed gratitude, even while sharing a story that could tarnish her own reputation.
“It’s nothing.”
It was better not to speak recklessly about such things.
Choosing her words carefully, Lady Mayer opened the box with a cautious touch.
“Diana.”
As soon as I got out of the carriage and was about to head straight into the mansion, Harold called me.
“Would you like to take a walk for a moment?”
Harold’s sharp chin motioned toward the garden.
“Aren’t you busy?”
He was so busy that he couldn’t even join me for meals, so how could he spare time for this?
“I can spare enough time for a short walk in the garden.”
“Then sure.”
I wasn’t busy like Harold, so I readily agreed.
I glanced at Harold’s outstretched hand, then looked down at my own.
Whenever I went out, I always wore long-sleeved clothing and gloves to hide my abilities from others.
But since this wasn’t outside but the Duke’s residence, it should be fine to take them off.
Removing my gloves, I held them in one hand and offered my bare hand to Harold.
Harold looked at me intently, then let out a short laugh and took off his gloves as well.
His large hand gently wrapped around mine, and divine energy began to flow into him slowly.
“Earlier, you were startled just from holding hands.”
“That’s because you grabbed me suddenly back then.”
I looked at Harold’s profile—his straight nose, long lashes, and distinctly masculine features caught my eye.
Thankfully, I was able to look at Harold now without being overly conscious or flustered.
Well, earlier, it was more because he had done something even more startling.
It reminded me of the treatment session in the morning, which had left me even more aware of him.
‘Ugh, I thought of it again.’
Stupid brain! I bit my cheek to shake off the memory of Harold’s bare upper body.
I couldn’t believe I still hadn’t gotten used to this after weeks.
I couldn’t go on struggling like this for years while treating Harold—I had to figure out a way to adapt it.
“Diana, I heard you’re planning to go to the festival. Is that true?”
“You heard about it?”
“You’ve been asking everyone about the must-visit places at the festival, so of course it reached my ears.”
“I see. I didn’t realize you’d heard. I was planning to talk to you about it soon, but I guess I was a bit late.”
Feeling awkward, I glanced at Harold but quickly looked away.
His face, tilted and smirking with one eyebrow raised, exuded blatant sarcasm.
“…”
A bead of sweat ran down my back.
‘Did I do something wrong just now?’
While I rolled my eyes, racking my brain to figure out what I might have done wrong, Harold let out a low sigh.
“What do you want to do at the festival?”
Thinking he’d decided to overlook whatever it was (though I still didn’t know), I quickly answered.
“First, I want to eat chicken skewers! Anna and the other servants told me it’s a must-have at the festival! And then…”
I started chatting away, listing the foods I wanted to try and the places the servants had told me I must visit, counting them off on my fingers.
The more I spoke, the more excited I became, as if I were already at the festival, and my steps grew light.
I was so focused on my words that I ignored the amused looks of passing servants as they glanced at Harold and me.
“Most of all, I’m looking forward to the fireworks.”
“Fireworks?”
“Yes, the fireworks.”
I vividly remembered Diana’s memories of last year’s festival.
Ella, disdainful of the festival enjoyed by commoners, had gone there to appeal to Kaiden with its unique charm.
While they built sweet memories together, “Diana” had attended a party to see Kaiden, only to discover later that he had gone to the festival with Ella.
Panicked at the thought of losing Kaiden to Ella, Diana, dressed to the nines for the party, had hurried to the bustling festival streets in search of him.
She ran through the crowds, ignoring the pain in her blistered feet and her swelling ankles, but in the end, she couldn’t find him.
Exhausted and unable to walk any further, she turned back, only to collapse after a few steps, holding her ankle.
Diana had lowered her head and sobbed silently, overwhelmed by fear of losing the man she’d loved for so long to her friend and becoming the second wife of an old Marquis instead.
At that moment, a burst of fireworks lit up the sky, filling it so completely that it seemed there was no room left for darkness.
Startled, Diana had looked up and forgotten her tears, staring blankly at the dazzling display.
While I couldn’t fully grasp her emotions, I could tell that the fireworks had offered her some comfort that night.
That’s why I was curious.
What would it feel like to see the sky she saw that night with my own eyes?
“Fireworks, huh… Is that what you want to see?”
Before I knew it, we had arrived at the sculpture of the angel at the fountain.
We’d walked quite a distance.
I was about to propose that we should go back when Harold interrupted.
“Diana, don’t you have something to tell me?”
“Hmm, something to tell you?”
I should probably mention that I’d be going to the festival with Young Master Dante.
Although our relationship was contractual, it felt right to inform him about things like this to avoid any potential misunderstandings. But since Harold didn’t seem fond of Dante, I’d planned to tell him when he was in a good mood.
“Not really, I don’t think!”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes!”
“Well, fine. If you won’t say it, I’ll just say it myself.”
Say what?
I had been gazing at the sunlight sparkling off the fountain’s water when I turned to Harold.
A breeze swayed his hair to the right, and droplets from the fountain lightly splashed onto the bridge of my nose.
Ah, cold.
I reflexively closed my eyes and opened them again, only to find Harold standing between me and the fountain.
And then he dropped a bombshell.
“Diana, let’s go to the festival together.”
