Chapter 4
***
The dining room I arrived at was filled with delicious smells that stimulated my stomach.
Hans, the main cook of the Philemon family, had the skills of the imperial cook, which made me look forward to the meal even more.
“Ah! Delias! Please have a seat. Lasha.”
They couldn’t sit across from me, so they sat on the side. They couldn’t easily hold the silverware when the food was served.
“It’s okay, let’s eat.”
“My Lady, no matter how much we want to, we can’t eat like this………..”
“It’s okay.”
“But…”
“Just for today, then.”
Let’s eat together just for today.
It’s a commemoration of the fact that we get to see each other again.
It’s because I missed you.
“…… Okay.”
Seeing my slightly sad face, Delias picked up the fork. I smiled at Lasha, and she picked up her water cup with shaky hands.
She seemed to be thirsty.
“Ah!”
I was going to satisfy my hunger. But I flinched at the sight of an unfamiliar menu.
It was a salad with peanut powder on it.
Oh, I… came here yesterday.
None of the people in the mansion knew much about me yet.
“The food doesn’t fit your taste?”
Delias asked cautiously.
I caught a glimpse of the tip of Hans’ head in the corridor that connected the dining room to the kitchen.
He must be trying to eavesdrop on the hostess’s evaluation of his cooking.
That was very cute, so I said a little louder.
“I’m actually allergic to peanuts. It’s severe, so even if I eat just a little bit of it, something terrible can happen right away.”
“Oh, my… That could’ve been a disaster.”
Lasha stood up quickly and urgently put away the food with peanuts.
From a distance I saw Hans take out a small notepad and write something intently on it.
It would be Hans who would be in trouble if I ate the food he made and got hurt.
‘I don’t think I saw the peanut dish from the beginning before the regression.’
I thought long and hard as I fiddled with my pasta, but nothing in particular came to mind.
I might have passed it on through Lasha without my knowledge.
Seeing that the menu wasn’t the same as before, it seemed that it wasn’t the same life repeating itself.
I used to eat alone in the large dining room. Eating dinner alone wasn’t tasty.
“Does it suit your palate?”
“It’s delicious! It’s really good!”
It was different from now.
Lasha and Delias smiled a little happily when they saw me exclaim.
After filling my stomach to the brim with dessert, I left the dining room.
I had to go through the list of people who had given me gifts today and compose a reply. So I walked to the Duchess’s office.
“Eh? My Lady!”
Halbert waved happily as he walked up the stairs.
He bowed deeply.
“Have you eaten, My Lady?”
“Yes, I just ate and am on my way to my office.”
I stared at Edlade beside Halbert as I replied.
He frowned as soon as he saw me.
Just looking at him seemed to hurt his mood.
“Edlade, did you just get here?”
“I’ve never allowed you to call me by my name.”
“…”
The chilly wind whirled.
No one talked in the cold, subdued air.
I sighed inwardly.
“I was impatient, wasn’t I?”
“….”
“Then allow me to take this opportunity to call your name.”
“…… What?”
A gasping sound came from Halbert.
His startled eyes were wide open like a rabbit’s.
The way he shook his head vigorously seemed to tell me to immediately retreat.
“Please allow me to call you by your name.”
“Why should I do that?”
“Because I want to call your name.”
“…”
“If I can’t even call my husband by his name, who will think of me as the hostess of the Philemon family?”
Edlade’s eyes sharpened as he stared at me.
His big body was enough to overwhelm me, and his cold gaze made me shiver.
But I smiled at him without avoiding his gaze.
Because I decided that if I was given another chance, I would be the first to approach him.
I couldn’t afford to be hurt right now.
“As your wife, I can demand that much from you.”
“…”
“Edlade?”
“…”
“Lord Edlade? Edlade?”
I called his name over and over, and I could hear the people around swallowing their breaths.
This time, Edlade said in a colder voice at my playful spouting.
“Do you want to die?”
“You want to be a cruel Duke who kills his wife after two days of marriage?”
“Do you think I care about such a reputation?”
“Yes.”
“You don’t know me.”
“I say this because I know you well.”
“…”
Edlade stared at my smiling face as if he was going to kill me with his eyes, and then quickly turned away.
I shouted as I watched him walking away.
“I’ll take that as permission, Edlade!”
He mumbled something as he disappeared from the end of the corridor, but I couldn’t hear him well.
“My Lady, My Lady….”
“Huh?”
Halbert called me with a pale face.
He asked quietly as he swept his arms.
“Do you have ten lives?”
“Why all of a sudden?”
“What do you want to do with His Highness, calling his name?”
“I can at least call his name.”
“But His Highness ……….”
“He wanted to get rid of me this morning, but I think I can do this.”
My heart sank as I remembered this morning.
The way he treated me as if he didn’t really know me hurt even more than the way he didn’t love me. When Halbert saw me with my shoulders drooping, he tried to say something but shut his lips.
Edlade was a cruel and untouchable man, but he would not throw out a member of his family unless someone committed a crime.
He was not a man who would kill his wife just because she called his name.
“Your permission has been granted, but please be careful.”
“Yes.”
That’s what I was allowed.
His unheard murmur seemed to be the permission.
“You have a really strong heart.”
“Yes..?”
“My Lady will make a wonderful Philemon’s hostess. Please stay long in the family.”
Halbert bowed and disappeared to where Edlade had gone.
Although it was a short time, I was a little happy to talk to Edlade.
Lasha asked as she smiled and couldn’t hide her joy.
“Did the Lady know the Lord before the wedding?”
“Ummm ……Why do you ask?”
“The way you speak to him. It seems like you’ve known him for a long time.”
“Oh.”
I scratched my cheek and shook my head.
Lasha answered me very seriously with a slightly darker complexion.
“The Lord is good at spitting on a smiling face.”
“….”
“It’s his specialty.”
“…”
“… Lady, you act according to your mood, but as Halbert said, if you don’t have 10 lives…I…I think you should be careful.”
Lasha was speaking her mind.
Her darkened complexion showed genuine fear.
‘He’s such a scary person. Why didn’t I know that in my past life?’
Actually, I was afraid of him in the past, until I got to know him properly.
Why was I so afraid of someone I had never even interacted with before?
I wanted to think deeply, but I had a lot of work to do now.
After today’s schedule, I had to reflect on what happened in the past.
“Thank you for your concern, Lasha. I will be careful in the future.”
After saying that, I walked into the office where I spent a long time.
I asked Lasha to lead the way so that I wouldn’t get caught knowing where the office was.
***
My eyes were tired as I stayed up until midnight to write replies.
Even after I got up, I just looked blankly at the ceiling.
The Duchess’ morning started early.
My hair was messy, my body was tired, and I kept yawning.
Oh, I wish I could sleep more.
I slowly got up, amazed at how on earth I lived like that in my previous life.
My 22-year-old body was different from my 19-year-old body.
I was nineteen again, and my body didn’t move as fast as I wanted it to.
(*lol she’s only 19 but she talked like she was 90)
“Lady, are you awake?”
Lasha came in with a light knock, just like yesterday.
The second night of my marriage had passed.
Edlade did not visit me last night either.
I wasn’t even expecting it.
He didn’t even look at me before.
It was a cold stare and a brusque way of speaking.
Sometimes he seemed to care for me, and more often he would turn away coldly.
It wasn’t until much later than now that I realized that he loved me.
‘Maybe not yet.’
When in the world did he feel love?
I don’t know when it was, but it didn’t matter.
I had to approach him first.
“You must be tired from working late last night.”
“Mm …… a little.”
I didn’t say it in a roundabout way.
I was really tired.
“I’ll have a little more time today if I write the rest of the replies.”
If I write all the replies today, I can conclude my work on the wedding.
I’ll be free for a while.
“So why don’t we work hard, finish the work in the morning, and have lunch in the greenhouse?”
“I see you’ve already figured out that the Duke’s mansion has a greenhouse!”
“Oh, yes, I heard the servants say it as they passed by.”
At my awkward response, Lasha did not doubt and spoke happily.
“The mansion’s greenhouse is really beautiful! It’s one of the places that stands out most. If you have a favorite flower, just let me know. I’ll ask the gardener to plant it and you’ll see them all year round.”
I nodded as I listened to Lasha, who spoke with excitement.
The Philemon family’s greenhouse was certainly the best.
It was a greenhouse that was maintained by magic like the one in the Imperial Palace, so the flowers grew regardless of the season.
It was also one of my favorite places in the mansion.