Chapter 10
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—Lily’s POV—
It’s a space where I wonder if I can breathe properly.
That’s what happened in the stuffy carriage.
What the hell is this situation?
‘Your Excellency said he would be with you on your outing.’
Looking at Halbert’s wrinkling eye, I thought it was probably his work.
I had to swallow my breath glancing at Edlade, who was sitting across from me.
He didn’t remember yesterday.
How annoying he must be when he goes out with a stranger. As evidence of that, his forehead was full of wrinkles.
‘Let’s be careful…’
Even on the way out, he did not leave papers in his hand.
He doesn’t have to go out if he has any work.
It was lucky for me, though.
I can’t believe I can be with him like this.
I was a little curious as to what Halbert was saying.
“If you have a lot of work, you don’t have to come together.”
“It’s just if there is a problem with the first outing of the duchess, it will be difficult, so I told you to go out together.”
“……yes?”
“Halbert.”
Only then did I know what Halbert had to say to bring Edlade.
He held a grand ceremony, similar to the wedding of the century.
So, naturally, it was obvious that all eyes of the social circle would be on us.
There would be many eyes upon the duchess’s first outing, and there would certainly be jealousy and envy.
‘If anything happens, you must ask Your Excellency for help.’
Halbert said so, but the first thing that came to my mind was whether this man would really help me.
“I’m sorry, I bothered you.”
“If you know, don’t make it troublesome.”
With an attitude of no interest, I quietly looked out the window.
It was a little funny for me to say formal words that I didn’t mean.
But, in this way, I can be in the same space, have a short conversation with him, and stay together until the end of the day.
Halbert, who frowned with one eye open, looked irritated.
‘Good job, Halbert.’
The carriage ran smoothly, heading to the bustling streets of the nobility.
The duke’s mansion was located in the deep forest outside the capital.
All people working in the mansion stayed there, and Edlade did most of his work in the mansion.
It is said that from generation to generation the head of the Philemon family handled the work like that.
Thanks to that, when he was in a hurry, he drove a horse or carriage to the Imperial Palace, so the road was well maintained.
Thanks to this, the carriage was able to run toward the downtown area without shaking.
‘It was a well-maintained road.’
The path in the forest without a single light was not an easy path to step on.
Thanks to this, Duke Philemon was able to avoid people and even kill them.
I also fell for that rumor.
Of course, I was really embarrassed to find out later that it was a misunderstanding.
Edlade gently hugged me when I was scared and installed a backlight so that I would not be afraid of the dark forest road.
I laughed as I remembered his sweet behavior.
“You know how to laugh.”
“Did you even smile when I said hello?”
“…Do you call me by my first name?”
“Yes.”
“Did I permit you?
“Yes.”
“Call me.”
“What?”
Halbert must have explained that because I kept calling Edlade by his first name.
Every time I saw Edlade, the bags under Halbert;s eyes grew, and I felt sorry for Halbert.
Edlade raised his chin slightly, and seemed to threaten, ‘Call me.’
The attitude seemed to say, ‘I couldn’t have allowed it,’ so I laughed again.
“Is it funny?”
“No, Edlade.”
“……”
“Do you not like me calling you Edlade?”
“I never gave you permission to call me by my name.”
“Yes, you permitted.”
The corners of his lips, which had risen, came down calmly.
He frowned while he stared at me as if he didn’t like something.
“In fact, yesterday you didn’t allow me to call you by name.”
“……”
“You only allowed me on the first day you saw me.”
“Do you resent me for not remembering you?”
Edlade on her third meeting was different from yesterday.
Just like the person I met yesterday was different from the person I met on the first day.
“Why are you asking that?”
“Because you have a face like a baby abandoned by its mother.”
Baby?
Doesn’t matter though.
“I don’t resent you. It’s not your will.”
“I have no desire to find any particular memories.”
“Do you want me to resent you?”
“……”
“If that’s not the case, let it go. This is the third time I hear that word today.”
I smiled softly, and his face twisted as if he stepped on something.
Turning his head, he bit his tongue, perhaps thinking something unpleasant, and then looked back at the paperwork.
“You are expressing your annoyance with your whole body.”
It was cute how he didn’t hide his feelings like a child.
I feel like he doesn’t know where to express his anger.
Before regression, he hid his feelings really thoroughly. I couldn’t even guess what he was thinking.
Unexpectedly, seeing his new appearance made me feel better.
It was because I was a little used to being hurt by his words.
….
There was no conversation after that, and we arrived in front of a salon that was said to be popular with noble ladies.
Because the spring flower ball was just around the corner, the front of the salon was crowded with women.
‘Oh, my God.’
I glanced at Edlade.
It was clear that all those women would look at him when he gets off the carriage.
He hated other people and hated touching other people even more.
“Ahh, shall we go somewhere else?”
“……”
After hearing my words, Edlade looked out the window and looked at me.
“Would you like to get your outfit here?”
“Yes? Ah… Yes. But, just because I want to have Engel’s clothes doesn’t mean I can easily get them……”
“How could the Philemon hostess say such pathetic things?”
“……”
With that said, Edlade opened the carriage door and got off before I could say anything.
The eyes were focused on the carriage that was stamped with the Philemon family’s crest.
“Ugh.”
“Hey!”
“Oh my, my!”
Duke Philemon, who was said to be difficult to see at a banquet came down from the carriage, so the reaction was great.
“Your Excellency the Duke.”
“Oh my… how…”
When women ogled Edlade, they looked at his wide shoulders and tight muscles, they pretended to have a perfect body that kept their clothes fit.
The women who had gathered to enter the salon blushed.
The soft, dark gray hair swaying in the spring breeze, and his eyes gently lowered made me swallow my saliva.
That’s what a walking monster is.’
Perhaps this is what the devil entices a woman to recover her soul is like.
I narrowed my eyes at Edlade and stared blankly at the hand that was out in front of me.
“… Are you going to escort me?”
“Then shall I throw you away?”
There was a possibility.
It was a suspicious move, but I carefully placed my hand on his. He hated touching other people and reaching out my hand to escort me came as a bit of a shock.
But soon, realizing that he was doing this for the family, I bitterly pushed my emotion away.
Thanks to his dedication to his family, he escorted me outside where it was filled with terrified eyes.
“That woman is…”
“Duchess Philemon.”
“Didn’t you say they had a simple first night?”
“She is rumored to be ignored by Your Excellency……”
Occasionally I could hear the words of people.
How could such accurate rumors spread?
In admiration, I looked at Edlade holding my hand.
He walked in front of the salon with me as if he didn’t care about the surrounding gaze and noise at all.
“Your Excellency!”
The door to the salon the women wanted so much to enter swung open.
“Since you’re here, I’m so inspired! Oh! I didn’t know Your Excellency would come to see us! Ah, is this what happiness is?”
It was a little embarrassing to see the owner’s face blushing and trembling.
Edlade looked at him with indifferent eyes and said.
“This woman… bu……”
“Yes?”
“I’m looking for an outfit for the Duchess.”
He can’t say ‘this woman’ in front of people. ‘My wife.’ I guess I didn’t fit the word.
The owner of the salon, Engel, opened his mouth awkwardly as Edlade called me by my position.
“Oh, you’re the duchess and Your Excellency’s wife!”
“I’ve heard a lot of rumors, Engel. I want to entrust you with a dress for the upcoming spring flower ball.”
I smiled softly and said.
Envy was heard around us, but Engel kept his mouth shut and hurriedly opened the door to the salon to guide us.
The power of Duke Philemon was great.
The atmosphere in the salon that followed Engel’s guidance was quite different from the outside.
The elegant and antique interior and the costumes hung on the hanger were all beautiful.
‘I’ve been scolded for not wearing a proper dress since I became a duchess.’
It was because of a small commotion at the tea party of a noble girl.
The esteemed daughters who wore Engel’s dress openly ignored me in a dress made by a designer they had never heard of.
Halbert, who heard the news, said that the dress was like a woman’s armor.
‘I should’ve worn it before.’
The Rayburns always gave me shabby and worn-out clothes.
When there was a hole, a new patch was added, and it looked awful.
Because I lived such a life, I was often ignored in the beginning after marrying Edlade.
Of course, after the tea party incident, Edlade invited Engel to her mansion to match her outfit without a shortage.
Engel was a designer who reached the pinnacle of noble women’s costumes with a man’s body.
Even the imperial family said that it was not easy to obtain the clothes he designed.
At the banquets and parties I went to after the tea party incident, everyone was envious and I was no more disregarded.
‘Above all, Engel’s outfit is expensive.’
I looked at Edlade, who was sitting with his legs crossed proudly on the sofa in the center of the dressing room with a nonchalant attitude.
It was an attitude of arrogance, but he was behaving as such so that I wouldn’t be ignored by people.
‘Don’t come to my sight.’ He didn’t say anything like that.
Even though he had no memory of me, he recognized me as the hostess of the Philemon family.
‘It’s probably because of Halbert.’
I thought I should say thank you by all means to Halbert who suffered so much that his eyes were full of dark circles.
He’s been paying careful attention up to this point, so I should pay more attention too.
Edlade was annoyed the whole time. If I sit next to him for no reason, he might explode.
I took a seat on the edge of the sofa, far away from him.
It’s the distance, it won’t be noticeable even if I secretly spy on his face.
Then his fierce gaze turned to me.
As I flinched at the terrifying gaze, he let out a smirk as if it was very absurd.
“What are you trying to do?”