Marriage with a Suspiciously Demure Husband - Chapter 83
Chapter 83
The Emperor and Empress would have readily accepted the offer had it been made, for they were well aware that the Duke and Duchess of Hadid would be a valuable asset to the Empire.
However, Jed and Lily were not so easily swayed.
Firstly, we had a close relationship, and even a small misunderstanding could lead to a great deal of trouble.
I pulled the cord to summon a maid. Soon, a maid entered the room. It was not common for me to ask for help from the maids, even in the Viscount’s mansion, but the Duke’s mansion was so large, and I wasn’t yet familiar with it, so I needed help.
“Did you call, Madam?”
“I need a bath. I don’t need anything else, so please just prepare the bath and some clothes.”
“Yes, is there anything else you need?”
“I’ll call you if I need anything.”
“Yes. I’ll prepare the bath and let you know when it’s ready.”
The maid bowed politely and left. I couldn’t help but notice her demeanor.
‘She doesn’t seem to be the easily frightened type.’
In both the Viscount’s and Duke’s mansions, the servants always kept their heads bowed and looked nervous as if they had done something wrong, even when I told them repeatedly that it was fine and that they didn’t need to worry. It took them quite a while to get used to it.
The first three months of my marriage in the Viscount’s mansion were truly difficult. However, the maid I met when I came to the Duke’s mansion was very quiet and only spoke when necessary. She was not at all intimidated and said what she needed to say. Sometimes, she would stare at me from behind in a rather persistent way, but I just assumed it was out of curiosity.
When I came out of the bath, there were papers on the table in the bedroom, just like in the Ferrarium.
Since my return to the Ferrarium, Nigella had been giving me reports every morning, which Kairos would bring to me. I had told him several times that the Soul Guild was no longer mine and that he didn’t need to show me the reports, but they kept coming.
Nigella, who had no memory of me or the previous Guild Master, was still as meticulous and diligent as ever.
I suppose it was only natural, given her abilities, but it still bothered me.
I yawned, tired from waking up earlier than usual. I needed to finish getting dressed, but I was too tired to even think about drying my wet hair.
Just as I was about to leave it, Kairos entered the room.
I was astonished to see him calmly bringing in breakfast, just as he had done in the Viscount’s mansion. It was one thing for him to put on that ridiculous show in the Ferrarium, but this was the Duke of Hadid’s townhouse. He had actually gone into the kitchen, rolled up his sleeves, and cooked, all while dressed in his finery.
I could practically see the head chef’s jaw drop.
“Kairos.”
“Hmm?”
“Did you… ever go hungry when you were a child?”
Kairos looked at me as if he had never heard such a thing before.
“Me?”
“…Nothing.”
Of course not. He must have been served the most exquisite meals every day. Then and now, he must have been rolling in money. It was a needless worry. Besides, the man didn’t even eat the food he prepared for me.
Had he chosen the wrong career path?
My stomach was rumbling, and I didn’t feel like arguing, so I headed towards the table where the food was laid out.
“Here you go.”
He handed me a spoon, took the towel from me, and gently placed it on my head. He was going to dry and style my hair, just like he used to.
“You can ask a maid to do it.”
“Your husband’s hands are good enough. Consider it part of my duty as the Duke.”
“There’s no Duchess in the Empire who asks her husband to dry her hair.”
“There’s you.”
“…I’m going to meet the Crown Prince and Princess Lily today.”
“I’ll prepare anything you need.”
“I don’t need anything.”
Even if I did, I didn’t want his help. I had eaten enough. As I watched him continue to dry and then brush my hair, I couldn’t help but notice the satisfied look on his face.
“Are you enjoying this?”
I asked, still with my head in his hands. His hands stopped moving.
“…I’ve never thought of it that way.”
His voice was somewhat subdued, and I waved my hand dismissively.
His expression was so fragile, as though it could shatter at any moment. It was just a simple question, but he seemed to take it as me asking if he was enjoying teasing me. I couldn’t understand why he was so sensitive to my words.
“No, I was just curious. I didn’t mean anything else. It just looks like you’re having fun.”
He paused for a moment as if trying to understand my meaning and then started moving his hands again.
“To be honest….”
“You’re enjoying it?”
“Yes. I want to keep touching it. You know how soft your hair is, don’t you?”
“I’ve never thought about it deeply.”
“From behind, your left hand’s index finger is slightly crooked. You have a lot of hair on the back of your neck.”
“…Are you criticizing my flaws now?”
“It was a compliment.”
I turned my body sideways and looked at him with a strange look.
With that build, was what he was saying now while touching my hair really true? What used to be nothing when it was Noah now caught my eye. Even so, Kairos nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders and touched my hair again.
* * *
After finishing my preparations, I headed to the Imperial Palace.
There was another thing that changed after I made a contract that wasn’t a contract with Kairos for a year. It was that I now had a maid and a knight escort.
Honestly, I didn’t know if they were guards, escorts, or attendants, but their names were Hizan and Liam. They were both quiet, so they felt like shadows beside me. I refused to have Nigella attached to me as well, as I don’t have the heart to face her yet.
As I was guided to the Crown Prince’s Palace, which was also the promised meeting place, I had to face the couple’s faces as if they were waiting for me.
There were piles of newspapers on the table. Including gossip magazines, my marriage articles were published in almost every newspaper, so even if I only collected a few days’ worth, it was that much. If his plan was to make me feel like a criminal by selling my face to the entire empire and preventing me from walking around with my head held high, then Kairos’ plan was a huge success. Damn it.
“Welcome.”
Lily’s face, which was grinning from ear to ear, was filled with so many questions that I was a little scared. Unlike usual, instead of greeting me with ‘Welcome,’ the Crown Prince stared at me intently.
“I hope you’ve been well, Your Highness, Princess.”
Since I had nothing to say, I decided to greet them first. Even though I was clearly sitting on a fluffy sofa, it felt like thorns were digging into my buttocks.
“Oh, right… So, Dame Love, no, Duchess Hadid?”
The Crown Prince gulped, and my eyes involuntarily closed. If it had been the usual, Lily would have stopped Jed’s way of speaking, but the fact that she didn’t seem to mean that she was deeply disappointed.
“That… Your Highness, Princess. I had some circumstances… I have nothing to say. I’m sorry. It was never my intention to deceive you two. Really.”
“So, the husband you talked about a few months ago was Duke Hadid, right? You said he farms on a small scale…”
As Lily asked, I nodded like a criminal. With a one-year contract in place, I couldn’t say I was deceived either. Really!
“That, I really have a good reason… I’m sorry.”
“I understand to some extent. He said it took a lot of effort to persuade you. Yes, it must have been hard to persuade you, as Duke Hadid isn’t just anyone. Right?”
“Huh?”
I couldn’t help but let out a stupid voice at Jed’s question. His question seemed to be a summary of the conversation he had with His Majesty the Emperor and the events that had transpired since then.
“I heard it was because of us. He said he hoped we would understand because his wife was worried a lot.”
“…Huh? Huh?”
“Duke Hadid.”
“But you should have told us. If you hadn’t been persuaded, were you going to hide it for the rest of your life?”
“No, that’s absolutely not…”
“Seeing that Duke Hadid came to me personally and told me, I know it’s not a simple change of heart. Still, it’s disappointing.”
Following Jed, I just parroted Lily’s words. Who came to whom and said what? And that was yesterday. Last night. Did he go out after dinner? I didn’t know because I deliberately got up right away and did my own thing, trying not to care.
“Dame Love, no…”
“You can call me Hazel.”
“Yes, we’re friends, so I’ll call you that in private. Anyway, I’ve heard everything. I called you because I wanted to hear it directly. I’m not trying to blame you.”
“…Yes. As you know, he is my husband. I’m truly sorry for deceiving you two.”
“Yes. Now that I hear it from your own mouth, I finally realize it. Even when His Majesty told me, and Duke Hadid came to see me, I felt like I was dreaming.”
“Me too.”
“Duchess Hadid. That’s a word that could exist in the Empire.”
“Haha…”
Was it good or bad?
I was expecting to hear something like betrayal, so I was really relieved. What on earth did they talk about, and how? It was unbelievable to see how he managed to turn things around and resolve them like this. And again, I had no idea what kind of heart this was, as I faced things without even a little shock.
“Now that I’ve heard it myself, let’s talk about the real story.”
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