For a while, the only sound in the kitchen was the gentle sipping of tea and the faint aroma filled the air.
Alyssa held the teacup delicately, sipping the tea slowly, savoring every drop. Each time her reflection faintly appeared on the surface of the tea, it startled her, but even so, her pace of drinking was slow.
“…Thank you,” she murmured softly as the dark red tea neared the bottom of her cup.
“You’re truly very kind, Your Grace.”
The sweet yet slightly bitter taste lingered vividly in her mouth. As Alyssa fiddled with the teacup, Kieran, noticing her gesture, set his own cup down, his expression turning somewhat uneasy.
“You’re too generous with your words,” he replied, his voice cool, almost to the point of seeming cold. This was how he had always spoken to her.
Kieran didn’t hold any resentment toward Alyssa for the events of his previous life. Whatever faint trace of bitterness he once felt had vanished without a trace as he chose not to cling to it.
That said, he didn’t put much thought into her either. Even after uncovering a small portion of Alyssa’s tragic past, his feelings remained unchanged. While he briefly acknowledged that her circumstances were pitiful and deserving of sympathy, it didn’t stir any deep sense of sorrow within him.
Life had been hard for him as well. Kieran lacked the emotional space to fully mourn someone else’s tragedy when he could barely afford to feel sorry for himself.
“It’s just a cup of tea, nothing more,” he said.
He simply assumed that Alyssa, having lived such a barren life, might interpret even this small gesture of kindness as something far greater than it truly was.
Thus, Kieran’s response was distant. He had learned that guessing at others’ feelings and building expectations only lead to bitter disappointment.
However, Alyssa shook her head slightly. After a moment of hesitation, she finally spoke.
“Of course, I’m grateful for this, too. But that’s not the only reason,” Alyssa replied, her voice sincere.
“You have meals with me.”
When Kieran had been struggling with issues related to the servants, he would still make time to have breakfast with her and discuss matters regarding the head maid and other staff.
After all those issues were resolved, Alyssa had assumed that Kieran would move back to his chambers to eat alone instead of in the main dining hall, but he continued to have meals with her.
“You talk to me, and you don’t raise your voice or get angry.”
Even when there was no particular reason, Kieran often initiated conversations with her. He would ask if she had slept well or smile and mention how nice the weather was. These simple exchanges still felt unfamiliar to Alyssa.
It didn’t matter if there was some hidden motive behind those actions.
“No one has ever treated me like that before”, she added softly.
Even if everything is taken away in the future, he is still a kind person. Alyssa was grateful for the kindness she had already received.
Kieran gazed at her quietly. With an indescribable look in his eyes, he responded calmly.
“Even so, the fact remains that I am not a particularly kind person. Sharing a meal or having a conversation doesn’t make one kind.”
His tone was still blunt, without any hint of comfort or sympathy.
“In time, you will likely come to realize that too.”
“…..”
“Even if no one has treated you that way before, from now on, everyone will.”
He was simply stating the facts.
Alyssa smiled softly. She knew it would never happen as Kieran said. But the mere fact that he said such words only confirmed to her that he was, indeed, a kind person.
“Thank you, young Lord.”
Alyssa sincerely replied, then picked up her teacup again. Just as she regretfully took the last sip of tea.
“And how long do you plan to keep calling me ‘Young Lord’?”
“Cough, cough!”
The tea that had gone down Alyssa’s throat suddenly came back up. Her face turned pale as she stifled a cough, covering her mouth.
“Are you alright? Should I get you some water?”
Kieran was startled by her intense reaction. It had just been a light comment to break the slightly awkward atmosphere, but he hadn’t expected such a response.
“I-I-I’m sorry,” Alyssa stammered, finally managing to swallow the tea again, deeply embarrassed. She extended a trembling hand, which wavered toward Kieran but didn’t quite make contact.
Kieran realized that her hand was gesturing toward his cheek, where a small drop of tea had landed after she had coughed.
“Don’t worry about it,” he said casually, wiping his cheek. “Though, I didn’t think it was something that would surprise you this much.”
He had planned to bring up the topic eventually.
“Is there a problem with the title?” Alyssa asked.
When Alyssa asked with concern, Kieran answered firmly.
“Of course, there is. I am no longer the ‘Young Lord,’ after all.”
“If this were before, I would have thought it meant you still didn’t recognize me as your husband.”
“That’s absolutely not true!”
At her immediate and passionate denial, Kieran nodded. He already suspected that. It was clear from her attitude that she hadn’t even considered changing the title that had become so familiar to her.
“I doubt I will ever return to being ‘Young Lord’ for the rest of my life, so please address me with the proper title.”
At Kieran’s calm words, Alyssa felt guilty. He was her husband and would remain so until the end of his life.
‘If we were to divorce…’
From the moment the marriage was proposed until now, Alyssa had wanted to free Kieran. Yet, she couldn’t bring herself to do it—neither then nor now.
Even though they had secured some funds by uncovering the servants’ misconduct, the Benoit duchy was still a very small duchy, nowhere near powerful enough to oppose the Emperor.
To annul a marriage sanctioned by the Emperor would require the kind of power that could withstand the backlash. Only a handful of noble families held such strength.
No matter how much they grew, Will they ever become a house of that caliber?
“Is my question difficult to answer?”
Lost in thought, Alyssa suddenly looked up at Kieran’s words. He was watching her quietly, waiting for her to address him.
“Oh, no. Then…”
Alyssa hesitated, ready to address him as he wanted.
‘But… what is the correct title?’
There was no single set title for addressing Kieran as the Duchess Consort, and it varied depending on the speaker’s position.
As she pondered, Alyssa recalled the titles used to address previous duchesses who had held a similar rank. Eliminating those that didn’t suit Kieran, only one remained.
“…My lady?”
Hoping she’d guessed correctly, Alyssa glanced at him, only to see a look of sheer disbelief on his face.
Seeing his reaction, Alyssa quickly looked down, embarrassed, and silence hung between them for a moment.
“My name alone will suffice.”
At Kieran’s weary response, Alyssa froze. Calling him by his name?
Kieran tilted his head as if it was the simplest thing in the world, but Alyssa felt completely thrown off. His name was so familiar, so close… calling him that felt far too intimate.
“…Can’t I just call you ‘husband’ instead?”
She managed to find a compromise. It felt a bit strange but it was the best she could manage.
Fortunately, Kieran nodded in agreement, albeit with a slightly reluctant expression. Alyssa let out a quiet sigh of relief but then stopped short.
She’d chosen this title because she couldn’t bring herself to use his name, yet even this one felt unexpectedly difficult the more she thought about it.
It really feels like I’m calling him my husband…
The thought, so natural to others yet anything but natural to her, made Alyssa’s face flush even more.
A week later.
“… Husband. You called for me?”
Alyssa spoke a beat late as she opened the door to Kieran’s study. She was more accustomed to the title now, though it still felt strange.
“Yes, I did,” Kieran replied smoothly, unbothered by the title, while tapping his fingers on a stack of documents on his desk. It was a habit of his when he was deep in thought.
“Are any of the knights having shortages in their supplies?” Kieran asked, his brow slightly furrowed. Alyssa shook her head in confusion.
The knights had been the most appreciative of Kieran’s redistribution of the estate’s finances. Having previously scrimped and made do with what they had, they relished their new abundance. They even went as far as replacing utensils that didn’t necessarily need changing with new, polished ones.
“Strange… then why…” Kieran muttered in frustration, handing Alyssa the document he was holding. It was a comparison of the knights’ expenditures from last year to now.
“The amount allotted is double than last year’s, yet the actual expenses haven’t significantly increased.”
Alyssa reviewed the document calmly. Kieran was right.
“Funds were allocated to replace all the knights’ armor and equipment, yet nearly the entire amount remains unspent. Their gear must have grown quite worn by now…”
Kieran hadn’t expected a surplus; he assumed there would be a shortfall if anything, this situation left him with a growing headache over the mystery. But Alyssa looked a little more composed than him.
“You don’t need to worry too much about that,” she said calmly. She already knew the reason for the knights’ relatively low expenses, though she hesitated to mention it to Kieran.
“…They’ve been replacing armor and equipment regularly, even before now. They simply haven’t been purchasing new iron, but the supply should still be steady,” she explained.
Kieran looked puzzled. “Iron is essential to make equipment… but you’re saying they’re somehow maintaining supplies without it?”
Alyssa paused, then spoke as if confessing a guilty secret.
“It’s because they’re using by-products from monsters… I know it must sound unpleasant.”
