Chapter 151 – Contract Extension (2)
“Um, so…”
I cleared my throat lightly.
“Our contract. I’m talking about that.”
Loic stiffened instantly, as if every muscle in his body tightened.
Chirr—
A faint insect sound settled into the awkward silence of the training grounds.
Loic stared at me without breathing, waiting for whatever I would say next.
His thick eyelashes trembled above his dark eyes.
I didn’t know how to continue and awkwardly glanced around.
Then my eyes fell on the West Annex, where the maids’ dormitory was located.
“Well… you know how we decided to build a new staff dining hall next spring.”
“…The dining hall?”
Loic frowned slightly at the sudden topic.
The current dining hall beside the West Annex was small and old.
After hearing there weren’t enough tables, forcing the servants to eat in shifts, I suggested we build a bigger one everyone could use.
Loic agreed immediately. Today, I even signed the finalized budget.
The completion date was next spring.
“I just thought… it’s only right for me to stay until it’s completed.”
At that, Loic flinched and slowly stood up.
His large hand gently landed on my shoulder.
“Loic?”
“Please… continue.”
His low voice brushed my ear like thick honey.
Feeling suddenly too embarrassed to look up, I stared at my fingertips and continued talking.
“And we’re supposed to renovate the greenhouse too.”
The glass-domed greenhouse was beautiful with its moss and vines, but aside from the nefres flowers, there weren’t many things to see.
Because I visited often, Loic told me to change the greenhouse however I wanted and even assigned a gardener just for me.
The gardener had told me that ‘spring’ was the best time for planting new flowers.
“So we decided to plant new flowers once winter ends. They say the seedlings that come out then are the healthiest.”
Which meant… if I wanted to see the greenhouse after it changed, I had to stay until next spring.
Thinking about flowers reminded me of something else.
“I also made a promise to the children at the orphanage. We said we’d go on a picnic to the lakeside in spring…”
I added quietly that the kids would be really disappointed if I broke the promise.
Loic still didn’t react.
“We agreed on a one-year contract, but…”
Growing anxious, I rushed to explain.
“I checked the contract. It says the exact divorce date depends on mutual agreement. Since we didn’t pick a fixed date anyway… I thought we could delay it a bit.”
By now, he should have said something.
‘Why is he not saying anything?’
I glanced up, but with the torchlight behind him casting shadows, I couldn’t see his expression clearly.
“Why aren’t you saying anything?”
I couldn’t hold back my frustration.
“Loic, weren’t you trying to woo me? Weren’t the necklace and everything for that?”
“…?”
“So I assumed you were courting me or something.”
Haa—
Loic finally exhaled, dragging a hand over his face.
“How do you always….”
He lowered his head slightly and whispered something I couldn’t catch.
“…do this to me…”
When he brushed his messy bangs back, his entire handsome face was revealed under the moonlight.
And then—
I could finally see his expression clearly.
Loic was biting back a smile overflowing with emotion.
“Loic?”
When our eyes met, he quickly covered his mouth with his hand, trying to control his expression.
Ahem.
After clearing his throat, he spoke in a serious tone.
“Come to think of it, you’ve started many projects.”
His tone was calm, but the glint in his eyes was not.
“The lakeside market is still stabilizing… and the opera, well, no one can handle that except Annette. And with the wine business—you’re the merchant leader, are you not?”
“That’s true…”
“I believed in Annette and invested.”
Loic stroked his chin with a troubled expression.
“T-that…”
Hearing him bring up money made my heart thump anxiously.
“Don’t worry.”
I raised my voice to cover the embarrassment.
“I won’t run away until you get all of that back.”
“Really? Then…”
Loic lifted one hand and gently cupped my cheek.
“If I keep investing, does that mean Annette can never escape for the rest of your life?”
“…What?”
He gave a soft smile.
“I wondered if I could win you over with money.”
“O-of course not!”
“Then what should I use to win you over?”
His thumb slowly brushed the tender skin beneath my eye.
His tone was playful, but his gaze was unwavering and deep.
“I didn’t mean you should actually try to woo me…”
His smile gradually faded.
The firm gaze fixed on me made it impossible to move.
Heat crept up my face.
“Annette, I truly intended to wait.”
He murmured as he gently brushed my hair back.
“What do you mean?”
His long fingers softly wrapped around my fingertips.
“I was prepared to wait as long as needed…”
Loic spoke quietly, almost tenderly.
“But since you’ve given me hope… staying still would no longer be respectful to you.”
“I’m not sure what you mean—”
He lifted my hand and pressed a warm kiss onto the back of it.
Then he looked straight at me—his gaze deep and consuming.
“From now on, I will court Annette.”
“…”
“So you can never run away from my side.”
Inside his calm eyes, a heated fire flickered.
The moment our eyes locked, my heart tightened painfully.
“Loic. I’m not yet—”
“I know. Annette only said you want to stay a little longer.”
He lowered his gaze.
“That’s fine.”
He slid one arm around my waist and drew me gently into his arms.
The closeness was overwhelming; I could barely breathe.
“Just follow your heart, Annette.”
His warm breath tingled against my neck.
“But I’ll tempt you properly.”
He lifted his face, smiling slowly.
The damp edge of his shirt brushed my waist, spreading heat under my skin.
My whole body tingled, and I couldn’t even answer—only blush.
***
The gardener’s hands trembled around the straw hat he was holding.
Only two months after being hired as the greenhouse gardener for the Grand Duchy, he had been summoned by the Duke himself.
When he first arrived, he was shocked that he was the only gardener in the enormous castle.
—“You don’t need to touch the other gardens. Just focus on the greenhouse, exactly as Her Grace wishes.”
That was what the butler told him the day he arrived.
But the Duchess was incredibly busy, so he rarely had a chance to ask for her opinion.
—“There might be new flowers blooming in autumn.”
—“Oh? Then we shouldn’t replace the soil too quickly. We’ll plant new flowers after winter.”
So for two months, all he had done was trim the vines covering the greenhouse and recommend flowers that could be planted in spring.
‘That’s literally all I did…’
“You seem to be taking good care of the Duchess.”
“…S-sir?”
The startled gardener bowed deeply.
‘When did I ever ‘take good care’ of Her Grace?’
No matter how hard he tried to recall, he couldn’t think of a single thing worthy of praise.
“You plan to plant seedlings in spring?”
“Yes. Since we have nefres, I suggested planting lunnensiana or crimpforte alongside them.”
But the Duke didn’t look very interested in seedlings.
“If you add blueveil or rabelra, it would be even better… but the seedlings for those are very hard to obtain. Even if ordered in spring, they say they only arrive by early summer…”
He began explaining why he hadn’t recommended those rare eastern flowers.
“That sounds good.”
A faint gleam crossed the Duke’s cool, indifferent eyes.
“…Pardon?”
“That rabelra or whatever it is. Plant that.”
Loic stroked his chin lazily as he spoke.
“Ah—then I’ll try my best to order them as early as possible in spring.”
“There’s no need to rush.”
Loic’s gaze drifted slightly, as if thinking of something far away.
“I’ll increase the budget. Acquire more high-quality seedlings.”
Rare eastern flowers, exotic varieties—he ordered the gardener to get anything, without worrying about time or cost.
“I—I’ll do my best!”
But Loic still seemed mildly dissatisfied.
He tapped the edge of his wide desk lightly.
“Just the greenhouse… isn’t enough to keep her here for long…”
He murmured softly, then smacked the desk firmly.
