BOAD 13

13. Count, Are You Happy?

“If there’s anything uncomfortable during your stay, just let us know on the first floor.”

“Thank you.”

Leopric’s promise that no one would disturb us during our stay in Wayne’s was true.

As soon as he arrived, he said the room was already reserved and headed toward a small hotel tucked away in the corner of the area.

He gave the absurd name “Count and Countess Benhur” to get the room assigned.

Though small, the place was quite neat and tidy inside—not bad at all.

Betty said that since it was a trading city, there were many lodgings, and it was common for rooms to be messy or for guests to be charged unnecessary fees.

Hearing that, I realized just how much care Leopric took in selecting the accommodation.

As soon as the elderly gentleman, who seemed to be the manager, guided us and left the room, I sat on the sofa and quietly chuckled.

“‘Count and Countess Benhur’?”

Benhur—no, more precisely, the name brought to mind a historical figure whose first name was Ben and last name was Hur.

He was a famous general known more as “Benhur” because people didn’t distinguish his first and last names well.

But I never expected my husband to be someone who couldn’t tell apart that famous general’s name.

When I quietly giggled, Leopric smiled sheepishly.

“That was the name that came to mind at the time.”

“You could’ve just said Ben, Your Highness.”

“That would’ve been too obvious. People might think it’s a real first or last name, which they wouldn’t if I said Benhur.”

“And if you said that, people might look down on you. It’s a perfect strategy, Your Highness.”

Since the name is famous from history books, it’s easy to get it wrong.

And since nobles like to boast, even if someone doubted the name, they wouldn’t say it out loud.

As he said, it was a perfect pseudonym to hide our identity.

“If you’re happy with it, that’s good. And here, you’re not Your Highness…”

“I know, Count. Is that what I should call you?”

Leo Benhur and Mela Benhur.

A perfect alias he came up with, hoping for a perfect honeymoon.

I nodded, deciding to play along, though he seemed a little displeased.

“Hmm, do you think calling me this way would seem strange? Do you have another title in mind?”

Usually, people just say Count or Marquis, right?

I tilted my head and asked, and he hummed before speaking.

“You’re my wife, so wouldn’t it be strange if you called me Count like others? Just Leo is enough.”

“But usually…”

“If we say we’re a couple on a trip from a distant rural estate, a term like ‘darling’ wouldn’t be bad either.”

…Is he teasing me right now?

Seeing him happily use such an unusual title made me a bit annoyed.

He smiled gently, looking at me expectantly.

The awkwardness from the carriage earlier had vanished, leaving only playful laughter in this moment.

I looked at him with a slight frown, then suddenly burst out laughing.

“Then shall we, darling?”

He was the one surprised by my calm words.

As he smiled softly and loosened his cravat, his hands stopped moving.

I laughed, watching him freeze.

Why say such things if you can’t handle them?

I chuckled quietly and waved my hand.

“I’m joking, Your Highness. Just call me by my name…”

“No, Mela.”

Mela.

The alias he gave me slipped naturally from his lips.

His expression instantly changed, and he turned his head away.

In his eyes was a feeling I couldn’t tell if it was joy or languor.

Though he didn’t meet my gaze, I could tell I was reflected inside.

We were no longer like before, when we just exchanged business and avoided eye contact.

Instead, there was a desperate longing to meet eyes, to somehow reach out to me.

“Again. Say it one more time, Mela.”

“…What, you mean?”

His gaze made me lose my breath.

No, maybe I was just nervous.

I hid my hand in the folds of my skirt and clenched my fist quietly.

“Just like you said. The word we’ll have to say often from now on.”

“Darling…?”

I shouldn’t have said it aloud.

As soon as the word came out in full, I thought I shouldn’t have spoken it.

Seeing his smile deepen at that word felt like a spell.

“Yes, Mela.”

His gaze, voice, and expression calling me that were filled with an indescribable charm and affection.

The final feeling was overwhelmingly sweet.

I repeated the word ‘darling’ to him until I could no longer bear it.

“Your Highness, no, Count, you seem unusually happy.”

After a simple dinner, we stepped out for a walk, and Betty, following behind me, whispered with a puzzled look.

“Well, maybe you liked the meal today.”

“What do you mean, Miss, no, Ma’am? The knights said the Count doesn’t have any likes or dislikes when it comes to food.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Since he was on the battlefield, he eats anything as long as it’s food. They said he doesn’t have a favorite.”

I knew why he was happy, but I couldn’t say.

I let Betty’s words drift in one ear and out the other and cleared my throat.

“How do you know all that?”

“Me? Well, Ma’am, I was in the luggage carriage while you and the Count were in the coach. The knights took turns resting.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. So, I talked a lot with the knights about you and the Count. I even told them what food you like or what flowers you prefer.”

“Why would you do that…?”

“Oh, sorry. Servants exchange information about their masters. That way, if you two ever fight, we can secretly pass along information…?”

Betty grinned mischievously.

Though it annoyed me a little, I’d heard servants sometimes do that.

I sighed softly.

“Don’t talk about that carelessly anywhere.”

“Of course, Ma’am. I was careful who I told. Only those loyal to the Count. Don’t worry.”

“Good. I trust you were careful.”

Betty smiled and walked a few steps back.

I glanced after her, then looked at Leopric with one lingering thought.

Since the war, he didn’t particularly discriminate with food.

Leopric, who had likes and dislikes, was unfamiliar to me.

Even after years of being married, when I only saw him as a tool, I never tried to know him.

Or maybe I didn’t want to know that he existed as a person.

No wonder I never thought about what he liked.

Suddenly, I felt sorry.

What I did to him, and whether it was okay to act like a loving couple, even briefly, by his side.

Whether it was okay to pretend not to know while he was so purely happy and receiving all his heartfelt care.

Walking with those thoughts, I noticed Leopric still smiling.

That smile lingering in his eyes was sweet.

He was happy because I had answered his request, calling him ‘darling’ as if under a spell.

He seemed to really like the title, greeting everyone with that bright smile.

But I couldn’t shake the feeling I was deceiving him.

Everything, including his care, felt awkward.

“Are you cold?”

After a while, Leopric softly spoke beside me.

“I’m fine.”

“The weather is mild, but the sea breeze is chilly. Let me know if you’re cold.”

“I will.”

He nodded contentedly and looked up again.

Only the footsteps of Betty, who followed us, and the two knights escorting us could be heard during the quiet walk.

For some reason, Leopric didn’t speak afterward.

I didn’t find the silence uncomfortable, but I was strangely unfamiliar with feeling that way.

Would this peaceful time be okay if it lasted longer?

Lost in thought, I kept quiet.

As the silence dragged on, the whispers from behind suggested those following us were uncomfortable.

They spoke quietly, trying not to be heard here.

I smiled softly, amused by their effort.

“Are you happy, Mela?”

Leopric broke the silence and asked after seeing me smile.

Do people usually describe moments like this as happiness?

After a moment’s thought, I nodded lightly.

“Yes, I’m happy. Even this.”

“I’m glad my wife is happy.”

His words were somewhat cliché but full of genuine feeling, so I looked up at him.

Suddenly, I wondered.

Betty said Leopric didn’t have favorite foods.

But at least he liked the word ‘darling.’

He asked if I was happy and said he was glad when I was.

No matter how long the silence lasted between us, he had the skill to make it feel comfortable.

So, what does he enjoy? What does he like?

Feeling his gaze, he lowered his head to meet mine.

Behind his faint smile, glimpses of emotions—were they feelings I knew or ones I had never experienced?

I slowly opened my mouth and asked him.

“Count, are you happy?”

It was such a simple, ordinary question anyone might ask.

But Leopric laughed as if it was the wittiest, most brilliant question in the world.

It wasn’t a laugh of ridicule but of being caught off guard.

After laughing for a while, he stretched his eyes sparkling with amusement.

The sensuality at the corners of his eyes had become natural.

Still maintaining seriousness at the end, he bent slightly and took my hand.

Softly, his lips touched the back of my hand, and a low voice escaped.

Warmly, as if confessing his heart to someone.

So passionately that the knights and Betty following us stopped walking for a moment.

“I am happy. I didn’t know being with you could be this joyful.”