ILTDAMH |CHAPTER 98

Chapter 98

Just Seeing My Wife Eat Fills Me Up

Early in the morning, Ruan awoke and slowly rose from the bed.

It felt strange.

For decades, he had been plagued by insomnia… yet now, he could sleep soundly. Once, he had only ever slept deeply when lying beside Mercian. But since Mercian had returned to the ducal household, he could rest well even without her by his side.

Could it be that the mere knowledge of Mercian being in the house was like a natural sleep aid for him?

As Ruan returned to bed, Mercian, still half-asleep, crawled into his arms and pressed herself against him.

In the past, he had detested anyone touching him…

But now, he thought quietly: My wife doesn’t want to be away from my side.

Ruan smiled gently, gazing at Mercian nestled in his arms. Every detail of her—the high forehead, the closed eyes, the lips murmuring in sleep—was perfect to him.

A proposal…

He hadn’t expected it.

To think she had prepared a meal just for him, all to lead up to a marriage proposal…

The moment Mercian asked him to marry her, Ruan felt as if his heart would burst from his chest.

My wife has proposed to me. Now she must never leave me.

He muttered this quietly to himself and pressed a short kiss to her forehead.

“Hmm?”

Mercian, roused from her slumber, opened her eyes to see Ruan smiling at her brightly.

“I can’t believe such a handsome man is my husband. This is wonderful,” she murmured, still half-dreaming.

“Lucky for you, then,” Ruan replied with a teasing grin. “You still like my face after all this time. I suppose I must take even better care of it going forward.”

Is this real, or am I dreaming?

Mercian closed her eyes briefly, then opened them again.

“Ruan… weren’t you sleeping?”

“I just woke up. My wife, are you feeling all right?” Ruan asked with concern, carefully checking her over.

“Oh, yes… I’m fine. Probably thanks to you drawing the warm bath yesterday and helping me bathe,” Mercian said, recalling how he had drawn hot water and assisted her in the bath, her cheeks coloring at the memory.

“That’s a relief. I was worried,” Ruan said.

“Worried?”

“I thought you might feel unwell, so I considered holding back a little…”

“Yes?”

Glancing at the dim morning light outside, Ruan drew Mercian closer into his arms and whispered,

“And there’s still some time before sunrise.”

“R-Ruan!”

Watching Mercian’s flustered, flushed face, he gently pressed his lips to hers.

***

“Milady, good morning… Milady? Why do you look so pale overnight? Could it be… did yesterday’s proposal not go well?”

Charles stared in surprise at Mercian’s tired face.

“No, Charles, that’s not it…” she muttered, cheeks coloring as she recalled Ruan keeping her awake until the early morning.

“Charles, milady looks tired because the proposal was successful. I even thought of preparing a special restorative meal for her, but the master beat me to it,” she explained, smiling.

Clea, entering behind Charles, added, “Yes? The lady’s proposal succeeded, so why is milady so exhausted?”

Smiling faintly, she glanced at Charles, who seemed confused.

“Charles, you’re too young to understand. Don’t be too curious. Now hurry and help milady get ready—she’ll be very busy today.”

“Yes?”

“Today, she must go into town to prepare for the home party, and also get her dress fitted for the palace visit next week.”

At Clare’s words, Charles clapped his hands.

“Ah, right. Understood, head maid! I’ll help milady get ready immediately.”

He quickly seated Mercian at the dressing table.

“Milady, please wait! Today, I’ll make you even more beautiful than usual.”

***

“My wife, taste this.”

Mercian gazed at the growing stack of food before her.

“Ruan, I can eat on my own. You should eat as well,” she said.

Ruan smiled. “I’m already full just seeing you eat, my wife.”

“Huh?” Mercian blinked at him, but with no choice, she picked up a fork and ate. Then she served some food onto Ruan’s plate.

“Now that I’ve eaten, you should eat plenty too,” she said.

“Then I shall. Thank you, my wife,” he replied.

He picked up a forkful of salad and meat together and tasted it. It was strange. Though it was the same food as usual, it seemed far more delicious.

Instinctively, Ruan picked up another forkful from the portion Mercian had served him and looked at her.

“Perhaps it tastes better because you served it yourself. Every bite melts in my mouth before I even chew,” he said.

“Oh? Ruan, I feel the same way,” Mercian replied with a smile, taking another bite of the food she had placed on his plate.

“Head maid, it’s always so pleasant to see you two eat together. The master seems so tender toward milady,” Charles remarked from outside the dining area.

Clea nodded, smiling at their cozy scene.

“Yes, it’s rare to see the master smile. He never did, not even once, for an entire year while at the ducal household. But now, milady’s back, and he smiles almost every day. Sometimes cheerful, sometimes pensive—his expressions have become so much richer.”

Charles shook his head, recalling the past with distaste.

“It was remarkable indeed. Even when the master was told he only had six months to live, he never looked sad or gloomy,” Clea added.

“Yes, the household truly needs milady,” Charles said.

“Absolutely. Since milady’s return, the house has felt alive. I especially love when she learns from the head cook and shares her food with us. At first, her cooking was odd… but now, sometimes even better than the cook herself,” Clea said with a chuckle.

“Oh? It seems the meal is over. Quickly, prepare the tea,” she added.

“Yes, head maid,” Charles replied, hurrying to prepare it, while Clea watched Ruan and Mercian fondly before entering the kitchen herself.

***

“This time, with more guests at the home party, we’ll need to buy additional tableware,” Clea noted.

“Yes, let’s try a different store than last time,” Mercian said.

They entered a shopping district just outside the city.

“This place has quite a few beautiful sets,” Clea observed.

“It’s a new store, importing sets from other countries. The nobles love them,” Mercian explained.

“Welcome! We have some newly arrived sets that are wonderful. Would you like to see?” the shop owner greeted warmly.

“Yes, please,” Mercian replied.

While the owner fetched the sets, Mercian explored the shop.

“Oh my, who’s that? Isn’t that the most famous lady in the Empire?”

Turning, Mercian saw Countess Susan Théor and several noblewomen standing there.

“Long time no see, Countess,” she greeted politely.

Although a countess, Susan had never dared approach Mercian directly in the social circle. After Olivia had warned her during the incident with Lucianne, Susan harbored resentment toward Mercian.

Just a six-month duchess… yet she managed to return to the duke. How dare she rise above me, and now with the Crown Princess supporting her, even on equal footing with the royal family…

Susan scanned the shop to see if anyone might help Mercian today. Finding none, she smirked, imagining her moment of triumph if Mercian were embarrassed in public.

“Ah, I understand. She may have been born a countess, but now that she knows what it’s like to be a commoner, she surely wanted to be a duchess even more. But I’m curious… how did she convince the Crown Princess to elevate her to the Allomande royal family?”

“Oh? Why would the Princess grant the duke’s request?” a noblewoman whispered beside her.

“No one knows. Perhaps she trusted the duke’s loyalty, or maybe the Crown Princess had no political support and requested him to act on her behalf,” Susan mused aloud.

“So, Mercian gained royal status through the duke’s loyalty? If true, the Princess was forced into a corner… rumors say she has no influence at court. Had she chosen the countess instead, it might have been easier,” Susan added, laughing brazenly.

Mercian and the noblewomen exchanged polite, controlled smiles, unfazed by their words.