15 - Not Your Son, But Your Father
Chapter 15
Grand Duke Kallakis's residence was clean. No, it felt empty, as if there was too little.
There were no servants, and no maids in sight. Only Edith's subordinates, who appeared to be knights, were bustling about.
Well, it wasn't exactly incomprehensible. Gilbert must have broken everything, hit everyone, and chased them all away.
But why did I smell food at this hour?
"Huh?"
I paused briefly while passing through the hall.
What was that?
Incredibly, a grand banquet was laid out in the dining room connected to the first-floor hall.
Whoever had cooked it seemed to have completely forgotten that it was midnight.
Did they expect me to be touched and devour it deliciously?
I was so dumbfounded that I didn't even glance at the whole roasted turkey and walked past it.
"Sniff, I worked so hard to make it..."
Suddenly, Procyon, a young man with green hair who looked like a boy, teared up.
Vega whispered to him.
"See, I told you she wouldn't eat it."
I can hear you, you know.
I narrowed my eyes.
I only knew a little about Procyon and Vega, who were mere supporting characters in the novel.
I remembered that they were knights who followed Edith and later became Rigen's confidants, but I learned today for the first time that Procyon was talented in cooking and Vega didn't know how to lower his decibel level.
In the novel, Procyon had the nickname "boy knight," and now that Rigen was only eight years old, he looked even younger.
His skin was tanned, probably because he hadn't lived in the North for long, and his cheeks were covered in freckles. His drooping eyes and round eyes were reminiscent of a puppy, giving him a rather cute impression.
Still, this was too much. Your passion was a little too much, kid.
When am I supposed to digest a turkey at midnight?
My voice came out slightly sulky.
"The room?"
"The Grand Duchess's bedroom is on the third floor, which is neither too high nor too low, with the best sunlight, moonlight, and morning dew..."
Write a poem.
I could see Sera pinching herself to avoid laughing, but I pretended not to notice.
"Besides that."
"Yes?"
Procyon asked, bewildered.
Vega, who was relatively quick-witted, pushed him back.
"Shall we... escort you to the Grand Duke's bedroom, or, shall we?"
Those knights from the frontier were really trying hard.
The reason there were no servants in the Grand Duke's residence was because Gilbert had been tyrannical, and the reason for that was me, so I decided to be lenient this time. Of course, that didn't mean Gilbert wasn't still a jerk.
"Please."
I smiled brightly, and the two of them rushed to guide me to Edith's bedroom. It was at the end of the fifth-floor hallway.
Hmm, quite a distance from my temporary bedroom.
Sensing my gaze, Procyon blushed and tried to explain.
"Well... it might not be familiar to you yet. Our lord's impression is, well, a bit, uh, yeah."
You serving a turkey at midnight is more unfamiliar...
I sighed without realizing it and knocked on the door.
"Edith? It's me, your wife."
"Come in."
It was a refined tone of consent. Edith had raised his speech to match mine, but he didn't use a commanding tone.
As I grabbed the doorknob, Procyon thumped his chest.
"Cough, hack, wh, what..."
The two people who had guided me suddenly coughed as if something was stuck in their throats.
"Cough... Captain, I think my time to die has come."
"I'm hearing things too."
Even though they were whispering in disbelief, I could hear everything because they were so close.
Were all the knights from the North like this?
I felt a little uneasy, but I opened the door anyway.
* * *
A desk, a bed, and a small tea table. The bedroom, furnished with only the bare essentials, came into view.
The sculpted man with long eyes was sitting askew on the desk chair.
As I put my luggage on the floor, Edith's expression turned strange.
"I thought you would naturally want separate rooms."
Huh? Why?
I tilted my head.
"I only had one request, and it wasn't to have separate rooms."
At my words, which indicated an active willingness to share a room, Edith drew a curve with his lips as if he was smiling.
"Is it because of the heir issue? I remember you saying it would be difficult to have children. Isn't there no need to negotiate?"
I asked, voicing my question, and opened my bag.
I didn't have many personal belongings that I had packed myself. All I had was a simple-designed set of pajamas to wear tonight, a locked jewelry box, and a few decorations.
"That's true, but."
Then what's the problem?
This time, I picked up the pajamas and asked.
"Dear Edith, do you enjoy sadistic play?"
"Perhaps."
Ah, so that was your taste.
I smiled at him.
"I doubt it's as much as mine."
"..."
"I'll go change. Or should I change here?"
"Over there."
Edith immediately gestured with his chin towards the direction of the powder room.
The more I knew this man, the more different he seemed from Rigen's indifferent and nonchalant adoptive father in the novel.
Was it just because he was a supporting character and his emotions weren't described?
Or.
Just in case, Sera was waiting nearby, but I hadn't worn a dress that was so complicated that I needed help undressing, so I roughly took it off and ran my fingers through my hair. As soon as I went outside, Edith opened his mouth as if he had been waiting.
"Marquess Morgana wasn't surprised to see me."
"I told you in advance that the person I wanted to marry wasn't a dying old man."
I continued to comb my hair without much thought and answered.
Ouch, it's tangled.
"Aren't you going to ask how much I know?"
It was a question Edith had already asked at the imperial ball.
I had avoided it then, but now that we were married and partners, I was willing to answer with some truth mixed in.
Edith smiled, his eyes crinkling.
"It's fun right now, so it's fine."
"I'm glad I could entertain you."
I stood there blankly for a moment, then pulled a chair from the table and sat next to Edith.
Seeing that, Edith smiled again.
"About the wedding. What would you like to do, my wife?"
Hmm? I raised an eyebrow.
"Are we going to have one?"
"If that's what my wife wants."
"You're going to hate walking down the aisle, but you're worried about my reputation? You're really subtly considerate, aren't you?"
"Edith."
You really hate not being called by your name.
"Considerate Edith, do you like being called by your name that much?"
"It's not bad."
"There's no rush for a wedding. I want to have it at the right time."
"The right time."
Did he think I didn't have any romantic ideas about weddings?
I had no intention of linking arms with a groom who was bored to death.
But I didn't say it out loud and said something else.
"By the way, where did the servants go?"
I asked, just in case, and got the answer I expected.
"They were begging me to fire them. So I kindly sent them away."
"Then only Edith's people are left?"
"Well, yes. I'm hiring new ones, but the rumors are so realistic that no one applies, no matter how high the salary I offer."
"That's an unfortunate expression."
"Two people died, and thirty were assaulted. The first thing I did when I came here was clean up the corpses."
He really didn't deviate from my expectations at all.
"I thought my wife would ask about Gilbert's room first."
"He's not going to run away if I leave him alone for one night, and it would be more fun if he did, but anyway, today is our wedding night. I know my priorities too."
"So?"
"What do you want to do? I'll make it special for you today."
Even though I smiled softly, Edith only stared at me with deep, blue eyes.
"Eve."
"Yes."
"Your expression is fierce."
I forced the corners of my lips up.
"How about now?"
"I'm afraid you'll appear in my dreams."
Hoo.
I sighed deeply and leaned back in the chair.
"Honestly, I'm very angry. I should smash that pathetic head right now, but it wouldn't be a wise choice in the long run."
No matter how wild I was, I didn't want to be seen as a stepmother who caught her stepson as soon as she got married.
Besides, that stepson was a cruel and pathetic villain, both in the novel and in the reality that had become.
I had lived a better life than that guy, and I didn't want to be seen as a perpetrator.
There were already rumors that I had rejected Gilbert's proposal outright and humiliated him publicly at the party.
Was there any need to create more rumors related to Gilbert here?
So I came to Edith right away. To ask him to stop me.
"That unlucky bastard."
Edith chuckled and asked.
"Eve, you're a noble, right?"
"Of course."
Nobles can swear too, you know? And occasionally find their ancestors too.
Ah, really, I have a lot to say to my ancestors.
I made a somewhat sulky expression and tried to smooth out the tangled part of my hair when Edith suddenly reached out. He seemed to be trying to feed me something, so I opened my mouth without thinking.
Huh?
"Candy?"
I asked, chewing on something small and round. Edith shook the candy jar. The sugar-coated red candies shook back and forth at Edith's touch.
I think he gave it to me to cheer me up, but the taste...
"Shouldn't red candies taste like cherry or strawberry? This tastes like boiled tomatoes."
It was a taste that was subtly off the commercial market.
