Chapter 7
Liliot, the senior maid of the mansion and the woman closest to the Duchess, was old enough to be like an aunt to Adelia.
She had also been a kind and reliable person who had helped Adelia with all sorts of things ever since she first came to the mansion.
Even so, Adelia still hadn’t gotten used to having someone else wash her body for her.
Because of that, every time she took a bath, she always had to listen to at least one round of nagging from Liliot.
“How was the research laboratory?”
“Oh, it was…! It was really good! No, no. It was… very good.”
“I’m glad to hear that. The Young Master… I mean, our Master was very worried about you.”
Adelia’s eyes widened.
“Senior was worried about me?”
“Of course. What husband wouldn’t worry about his wife spending several hours studying and working with other people?”
Liliot even gave a small laugh, as if she had just said something completely obvious.
But to Adelia, those words felt so unfamiliar that they were almost awkward.
No, but earlier too…
Adelia remembered what Roerston had said about getting jealous if she talked about another man, even though he was only her fake husband.
She also remembered how he had called her “Honey” while speaking to her politely and gently.
And the warmth of his hand when he held hers and kissed her cheek, telling her that she needed to get used to being kissed.
As she remembered each thing one by one, her heart began pounding, and her face became bright red.
No! What am I thinking about?!
Senior is only doing those things because of the contract. Why am I the only one getting carried away like this?!
Adelia mentally pulled at her own hair in frustration before finally coming to her senses.
She spoke quietly.
“It’s strange to think that someone actually worries about me.”
“Your Grace, you used polite speech again.”
“Oh! Right. Yes… I mean… anyway, that’s what I meant.”
Liliot spoke gently.
“I’m sure there have been many people who worried about you before. Your teachers at the Academy, for example… Isn’t that true?”
“Ah, of course. I know that. But Senior is… how should I put it…? He’s someone close to me. Someone very… close.”
As she watched Adelia struggle to describe what most people would simply call a husband or family member as merely “someone close,” Liliot felt a quiet sadness.
She felt sorry for the innocent and kind young lady, who seemed to have been made unhappy by being separated from her family and living almost like an orphan from such a young age.
“That’s why it feels strange and surprising that someone so close to me worries about me.”
“There’s nothing strange about it at all. You two are married.”
Adelia, who had been hugging her knees and tilting her head to one side, gave a quiet laugh.
“Mm. That’s right. We’re married.”
…For now, anyway.
Sometimes, Adelia felt guilty knowing that she even had to deceive kind-hearted Liliot.
How betrayed will she feel when she eventually finds out the truth?
She probably won’t ever want to see me again.
No. Once I’m no longer the Duchess, I won’t even be living in this house. When would we have a chance to meet again anyway?
If that was the case, there was only one thing she could do now.
Don’t look so depressed! I’ll treat Liliot as well as I possibly can while I’m here!
Adelia clenched her fists underwater.
After taking her bath, having her hair brushed again, and changing into her evening dress, Adelia behaved like a completely different person from the energetic researcher she had been in the laboratory.
Part of the reason was that she didn’t want to ruin the hairstyle Liliot had worked so hard to create.
But Adelia also believed that a Duchess was supposed to be quiet, well-mannered, cultured, and…
“You don’t have to do that.”
Adelia, who had been politely looking down with her eyes lowered, wrinkled her nose and looked up.
“Pardon?”
“You don’t have to be so formal. This isn’t the royal palace. You can’t keep acting like that even inside your own home. You can relax a little.”
Roerston’s words immediately made some of the tension leave her body.
Even so, Adelia carefully gathered the wide skirt of her dress before sitting down.
I wish I knew exactly how relaxed he means.
“Being a Duchess isn’t easy, is it?”
At Roerston’s amused question, Adelia sighed.
“I didn’t know it would be this difficult.”
“Still, I don’t think it could be harder than spending fourteen years at the Academy without ever seeing a grade below A+.”
“No! There were times when I didn’t get an A+! Only once… When was it again…?”
“You mean the time you got one question wrong in mathematics because the professor marked your answer incorrectly?”
Adelia’s eyes widened.
“How do you know that?”
“Of course I know. It took less than ten minutes for the rumor that ‘Adelia Whitton got one question wrong in mathematics’ to spread throughout the Academy.”
“What? You’re joking, right?”
“No. I’m serious.”
That’s impossible!
Adelia covered her bright red cheeks with both hands.
Roerston watched her and continued.
“But your answer wasn’t actually wrong. The professor had made a mistake while grading it, so your grade was eventually changed back to A+.”
How does he even know something that detailed?!
Not only that, but the fact that her grade had been changed was a secret known only to Adelia and the professor.
How had Roerston found out about it?
“How did you even know about that…?”
“Are you joking with me right now? You told my father all about it.”
Only then did Adelia finally understand.
“Oh…”
She was surprised all over again.
Roerston’s father, the previous Duke of Ipsel, had originally been the anonymous sponsor who supported her.
At the time, Adelia had no idea who was helping her, so she had no way to repay his kindness.
So she came up with the idea of occasionally writing him letters.
“You called my father ‘Friend of Summer,’ didn’t you?”
Adelia’s face turned bright red again.
It felt as though someone had discovered her diary.
She became unnecessarily defensive.
“I sent those letters to the previous Duke! How could you read them?”
“My father proudly spread them out for everyone to see. What was I supposed to do, not look?”
“Even so, you shouldn’t have read them!”
Roerston looked as though he wanted to ask Why?, but thankfully, he didn’t say it aloud.
“Anyway, for various reasons, I know quite a lot about your school days. I even know about the time you caught a snake with one hand when you were in third grade of the elementary course.”
He knows even that?!
Adelia’s face turned pale.
Roerston chuckled as though he couldn’t understand why she was so surprised.
“Back then, all the students called you ‘Adelia who caught a snake at nine years old.’ Didn’t you know?”
“I-I had absolutely no idea.”
“Well, now you do.”
Adelia felt as though the entire room was spinning, so she simply closed her eyes.
A story from more than ten years ago had suddenly come crawling out of nowhere.
I guess this is why people should always live good lives.
You never know when some embarrassing memory from your past will suddenly come back to haunt you.
“What’s wrong? Don’t you like the food?”
Roerston asked as he watched Adelia looking exhausted. His expression was worried.
“Oh, no. Of course not.”
“If there’s anything you don’t like, tell me immediately. I’ll have them bring you something else.”
It sounded like a joke, but Adelia knew he was completely serious.
Once, deer meat had been served at the dinner table, and Adelia had struggled to eat it.
Roerston had noticed her expression alone, called the chef, and ordered him to prepare something else.
It had taken less than five minutes for the new dish to arrive.
It had probably already been prepared separately just for Adelia.
“I’m just embarrassed that you knew about the snake.”
“Why be embarrassed about something like that?”
Roerston chuckled.
Only then did his expression relax as he continued eating and quietly muttered,
“It’s a cute memory. You don’t need to be embarrassed.”
At those words, Adelia’s cheeks became red again.
As dinner was coming to an end, Rudolph quietly entered the dining room.
He handed something to Roerston and then politely bowed toward Adelia.
Adelia tilted her head in confusion.
“Senior, about that person named Rudolph…”
“Yes. What about him?”
“I feel like I’ve seen him somewhere before. I’m probably mistaken, right?”
“Oh, I don’t think you’re mistaken. He’s actually your senior too. He was my classmate. He’s the guy who defeated the chess champion of Encilia Academy in just three minutes when he was in his first year of high school.”
