“Am I interrupting your pleasant time together?”
At Cedric’s sudden appearance, Adrian and I exchanged bewildered glances. Adrian also looked quite flustered.
“…Cedric?”
“Your Grace.”
However, Cedric was as relaxed and nonchalant as ever. He leaned against the window frame and looked up at me with a face like a sculpted masterpiece.
“Hmm? Rebecca.”
A face so beautiful it looked drawn. And that angle, that tone… My breath hitched as if my heart had been suddenly struck.
‘Wow, our Grand Duke… I thought he was only good with his body in the original story, but now I see he’s good with his face, too. Phew.’
If I fell for that face, Cedric’s affection level, which I had painstakingly raised to ‘friend’ status, might plummet.
‘Snap out of it, Rebecca! Or you’ll end up in the fiery attic of hell!’
I scolded myself and tried to regain my composure. But at the same time, I felt a sense of injustice.
‘He gave her the cold shoulder on their wedding night and for five years after. How could Rebecca not go crazy?’
To think I would live to understand the mind of the ‘mad dog’ Rebecca…
I chanted to myself like a spell.
‘He’s a fox, a nine-tailed fox. I must not be swayed by him.’
Only after I had finally calmed my heart could I turn my head back to Cedric.
“It’s good to see you again, Cedric. But what about this carriage? It doesn’t look like a Twins family carriage.”
At my question, the corner of Cedric’s mouth curled up slightly.
“I bought a new carriage this morning and I’m on my way back.”
“A new carriage, out of the blue? And a carriage with no family crest on it? Why so suddenly…”
Of course, it would be a speck of dust compared to the Twins family’s immense wealth, but the price of a single carriage was by no means a small amount.
As I was looking over the carriage and tilting my head repeatedly, he said, “It just occurred to me that you said you didn’t want to stand out in the city.”
“…What?”
He bought a new carriage right after I said a single thing?
“Even so, it’s just… This is so expensive, and you bought it right away…”
“What’s wrong with that?”
Unlike my bewildered expression, Cedric calmly raised the corners of his lips. It was then that his face somehow reminded me of a wily fox.
“It was what you wanted last night, wasn’t it?”
Cedric’s sharp eyes, which were usually so stern, softened into a gentle curve.
“…It seems you spent the night together. I’m truly glad to see that the two of you are getting along well.”
Adrian lowered his gaze slightly and nodded.
‘Oh no, Adrian seems to have misunderstood something…’
But Cedric was completely unconcerned even after saying something that would lead to a misunderstanding.
“Of course. The relationship between a married couple is often different from what it seems on the outside.”
He even added that.
It seemed that Cedric intended to faithfully carry out my request to act like a ‘display window couple.’ The problem was that he was being too faithful.
‘If he suddenly changes like this, it looks even more suspicious. Why can’t he just be moderate…?’
I furrowed my brow in bewilderment and quickly turned my head to Adrian.
“I know what you’re imagining, Adrian, but it’s not that.”
“Pardon? How do you know what I’m imagining…”
“Anyway, it’s not that. We just happened to run into Cedric while I was out for a walk last night.”
At the same time, a subtle wrinkle appeared on Cedric’s forehead.
“Rebecca, you don’t need to make excuses for what happens between a husband and wife.”
I gave him a silent look with my eyes.
‘Your Grace… I appreciate it, but let’s not overdo it, okay?’
However, Cedric simply turned his head away from my gaze and looked at Adrian.
“Adrian, it’s been a while.”
“Your Grace. Have you been well?”
“Of course. I am grateful that you have managed the House of Darkness so diligently since it was empty.”
“I was only doing my duty, Your Grace.”
Adrian bowed his head slightly once more.
“I heard that the Marquis of Monter’s illness is getting worse every day.”
At Cedric’s words, a shadow fell over Adrian’s turquoise eyes.
“That’s right. But thankfully, my brother and sister-in-law are taking good care of our father.”
“That’s a good thing. But I thought you would have returned to the demon realm because of that. Were you not planning to?”
“No, of course I considered returning, but…”
Adrian paused and his gaze landed on me. He looked at me for a moment and the corner of his lips curled up slightly.
“I found a reason to stay here.”
Following Adrian’s gaze, Cedric’s eyes stopped at me. Cedric’s expression was subtly strange as he looked at me. It was then that I realized that ‘I’ was the reason Adrian had stayed here.
‘I had no idea Adrian had such a reason and I was just thinking of using him later.’
Feeling awkward, I fiddled with my hair.
“Adrian, I didn’t know you had such a reason. I’m truly sorry about your father.”
“It’s alright, Your Highness.”
“Go and see your father while I’m away from the mansion today.”
“No, there’s no need to…”
“This is an order.”
“…Yes, I will do as you say, Your Highness.”
“And if the reason you’re staying at the House of Darkness is because of me…”
“…”
“You don’t have to stay here just for my sake.”
Adrian shook his head with a polite but firm attitude.
“That’s not it. It’s entirely because I want to stay here.”
“But Adrian…”
Just as I was about to say more, feeling a heavy heart, I heard a tap-tap.
Cedric lightly tapped the carriage window frame to get our attention.
“Rebecca, it’s time for us to get going.”
Adrian smiled and nodded, as if agreeing with him.
“I have delayed you too much.”
“…”
“Please get in the carriage, Your Highness. I will assist you.”
Click.
With a quiet sound, the carriage door suddenly opened. Cedric, who had somehow gotten out of the carriage, naturally took my hand from Adrian.
Cedric’s large hand softly enveloped mine. Startled by the unfamiliar but warm touch, I looked up at Cedric.
“From this moment on, Rebecca’s escort is my responsibility as her husband.”
His eyes, a cold shade of blue, stared directly at Adrian.
“So you should be on your way.”
The Twins Grand Duchy castle was close to the Demon Realm forest. Even the nearest city from there was quite a distance away. The scenery of the dense forest flashed by outside the carriage window for a long time. Soon, commoners’ houses began to appear, and the bustling city came into view.
“This is the Northern Central Market. Is this your first time here?”
Cedric asked me, as I was completely captivated by the view outside the window.
“Yes, I’ve never had a reason to come all the way out here.”
That was probably the same for the former Rebecca. The scope of a noblewoman’s activities was generally limited to the family castle, social gatherings, or shopping streets exclusively for nobles.
[Northern Central Market, 1st Street]
I looked up at the sign on the street through the window. The center of the Northern Central Market was the Demon Realm Goods Exchange, and all five roads that converged there were market streets.
We were in the carriage, driving down the 1st Street, the busiest of them all. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the lively scenery outside the window. Formal shops lined both sides of the street, and vendors in the middle of the road were loudly calling out to customers.
“Buy herring! Fresh herring brought in this morning from Ruad pier!”
“The parsnips are good today! What can I get for you? Chae?”
“A cup of milk for 1 loot! I can add rum if you like!”
There were also peddlers carrying all sorts of goods on their backs, roaming the streets. It was a strange and fascinating sight, and I couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration.
“Let’s stop here for a moment.”
Cedric commanded, tapping the window connected to the coachman, and the carriage slowly came to a stop.
“Why are we stopping here? We don’t seem to have reached the Goods Exchange yet.”
“You were looking at the window as if you were fascinated. Weren’t you hoping to look around?”
“Oh… I would like to, but wouldn’t it be too conspicuous?”
“I don’t think so. You and I are dressed appropriately so as not to stand out, aren’t we?”
As I had told him in advance, Cedric was dressed in more modest clothes than usual. Besides, in this place filled with commoners, almost no one would realize that he was the owner of the Twins Grand Duchy.
Of course, that was true, but…
‘…Cedric, your face is what’s too conspicuous.’
His looks were sure to attract attention wherever he went, so I was having a hard time making a decision.
“It’s only a short walk to the Goods Exchange anyway. Let’s walk from here and look around.”
Noticing my hesitation, Cedric immediately opened the carriage door and stepped outside. And he held out his hand to me inside the carriage.
“Huh? Come on.”
I looked at Cedric and hesitated for a moment.
‘It might be a little embarrassing, but it’s true that I want to walk through the market.’
In the end, I took Cedric’s hand and got out of the carriage. At the same time, I felt the eyes of the market vendors turn towards Cedric and me. But Cedric, as if he was used to such attention, seemed unbothered.
“Rebecca, is there a particular shop you’d like to look at?”
I tried to ignore the stares and looked around at the shops.
“Hmm… Instead of a regular shop, that stall selling accessories over there.”
“A stall? I thought you would dislike something like that.”
“I told you. You’ll get used to being surprised by me soon enough.”
Once I was out of the carriage and walking down the market street, I started to feel excited. I approached the stall I had been eyeing, and a middle-aged man greeted us with a welcoming smile.
“Welcome. Are you looking for anything in particular?”
“Hairpins. Something a child would like.”
“Hmm, these ones on this side are popular these days.”
The merchant pointed to the left side of the stall. There were colorful and cute hairpins displayed there.
‘What color would suit Bianca? Blue, I guess? Oh, pink would be cute, too.’
I was excitedly picking up hairpins when the merchant asked, “What’s the relationship between you two? Are you a couple?”
As I had expected, he didn’t recognize Cedric and me.
“The husband is handsome, but the wife is a true beauty! The husband won’t be able to go anywhere in peace! Am I right?”
I was horrified by the merchant’s laughing and casual remarks. Even though Cedric was determined to act like a ‘display window couple’ with me, he wouldn’t react to such embarrassing words.
‘Even if we have to pretend to be a display window couple, he’s crossing a line. I wouldn’t blame Cedric if he got annoyed and couldn’t take it anymore.’
Sure enough, Cedric’s face subtly hardened.
“…You’re asking unnecessary questions.”
His patience seemed to have finally run out.
‘This is so unfair. I didn’t say anything, so why am I the one who’s embarrassed?’
Just as I squeezed my eyes shut and bit my lip, Cedric’s distinctive low voice continued calmly.
“Do you need an answer?”
“My wife is a rare beauty, so it’s only natural that I would be concerned.”
