Chapter 12
“There’s no fat to lose on you, Madam.”
“Wow! The pumpkin soup, rye bread, and lamb stew are so delicious.”
Didn’t she say she doesn’t mind any food?
My wife is a foodie, even when she’s dreaming.
Ruan smiled warmly, watching Mercian quietly mumble and nibble with her small mouth in his arms.
She was charming and beautiful.
After a few hours.
“Ah! Are you crazy?! What on earth did you do…?”
Charles entered the duke’s room and approached Mercian, who was sitting with a desperate look.
“Madam, what’s wrong?”
“Oh, no. Ha… It’s nothing.”
“Did you sleep well last night?”
“No, not really.”
When did I throw off my robe?
And I kicked off the blankets and am sleeping with my arms spread out in the middle of the bed?
That flimsy nightgown revealing skin… Is it possible that Ruan left after seeing this?
We recently got married, and this is just our first night together.
Mercian blushed, thinking she might not be able to look Ruan in the face again.
Ah, should I lose some weight?
My husband is so skinny that I look even fatter—what should I do with this terrible reality…
“Are you feeling unwell?”
“Yes. My whole body feels like I’ve been beaten.”
Mercian frowned, recalling the effects of last night’s massage as she looked at her nightgown, which exposed more of her body than she liked.
“Hohoho. They say the first night is always like that.”
“What? The fi-first night?”
Ah, right. Last night was our wedding night.
Mercian blushed slightly at Charles’s question.
“Charles, don’t you think unmarried girls know too much?”
“Madam, are you feeling shy now?”
Charles laughed and came closer to help Mercian wash up and change into a dress.
“Thank you, Charles.”
“Madam, after breakfast with your husband today, you will greet the servants and tour the duke’s mansion.”
While getting ready with Charles’s help, Mersián smiled and asked,
“A tour of the duke’s mansion? Okay, got it. But who do I eat breakfast with?”
Looking at the clock showing past 9 o’clock, Mercian naturally assumed Ruan had already left for work.
“Since this is your first meal in the duke’s mansion after marriage, you should eat with your husband.”
What? Eat together? So he hasn’t gone to work yet?
Ha, he must have seen me like this when I woke up this morning…
How embarrassing.
Mercian regretted thinking she was a light sleeper.
Smiling awkwardly at Charles’s words, Mercian said,
“Oh? That’s right.”
As Charles quickly finished her grooming, Mercian’s expression darkened more and more, knowing she would soon meet Ruan.
***
In the dining room.
“Welcome, madam.”
Ruan, who was reading the newspaper, stood and approached Mercian, greeting her with a light kiss on the cheek.
“Ah, yes. R-Ruan, did you sleep well, too?”
Ruan pulled out a chair as Mercian stammered, startled by Ruan’s kiss on her cheek.
“Please sit, madam.”
“Th-thank you, Ruan.”
Edward smiled approvingly as he observed them and gave the servants a signal; they then began setting the table with food.
“Madam, this morning’s meal is simple. We have sweet pumpkin soup, lamb stew, salad, and rye bread.”
“Thank you. But… is that all Ruan’s eating?”
Mercian glanced at Ruan’s plate, which had even less food than hers. Ruan nodded as he replied.
“I’m not feeling well, so I can’t digest food properly. This amount is enough, so don’t worry.”
“But I think this is still a lot of food for me.”
“You think it’s a lot?”
Looking at the food in front of her, Mercián, who had decided to lose weight because she felt her body looked huge compared to Luan’s, said,
“I was thinking of losing a bit of weight, so I might eat a little less.”
“Lose weight? Where do you have fat to lose?”
Fat to lose? I feel like I need to reduce my current size by at least half.
Ruan’s face was puzzled as he glanced at Mercian.
Mercian blushed and said,
“Ruan, what kind of joke is that? I have a lot of fat. I think I’m at least twice your size.”
“That doesn’t seem right. I lifted you yesterday, and even though I’m weak from illness, you were still light enough for me to carry easily. So you aren’t fat. Please don’t say that.”
“W-What? R-Ruan, really… ha.”
Carrying me easily?
How embarrassing…
What are you saying?
Mercian’s face turned even redder as she saw Ruan speaking seriously, and Edward, who was nearby, felt awkward and quietly left the dining room without saying a word.
“Madam, I like you just the way you are now. So don’t think about losing weight. Also, today’s breakfast was specially requested by you from the chef, so please eat as much as you want.”
“Huh?”
When did I say I wanted to eat this?
Mercian tilted her head at Ruan’s words and took a sip of the sweet pumpkin soup.
“Wow. This is delicious. The duke’s chef must be very skilled.”
If the food tastes this good, the chef could open a restaurant.
Mercian decided she had to learn to cook from the chef while she was savouring the rich soup.
She ripped a piece of rye bread and dipped it into the pumpkin soup to taste it, but her eyes locked with Ruan’s, who was looking at her with a smile.
“Aren’t you eating, Ruan?”
“I’m eating now. How’s the food? Do you like it?”
“Yes, Charles was bragging about the chef’s skills yesterday, and it was great.
Ruan, try dipping the bread in the soup too.
The sweet and savoury pumpkin soup goes well with the bread.”
Following Mercian’s suggestion, Ruan tore some bread, dipped it into the pumpkin soup, and ate it.
After spending a long time on the battlefield, food for Ruan was just a way to fill his hunger.
But…as Mercian mentioned, simply dipping bread into the soup was a delightful combination of the warm, chewy bread and the savoury, sweet flavour of the pumpkin soup.
No, it was delicious.
Was food always this tasty?
For the first time, while eating with Mercian, Ruan could truly enjoy the flavour of food.
After placing the final piece of rye bread in her mouth, Mercian, who had been observing Ruan intently for a while, paused before speaking near the end of the meal.
“Ruan, when I woke up this morning, did I…?”
“Yes?”
“Well, did I, um…”
“Sleep in an embarrassing position in the middle of the bed?”
Mercian hesitated and didn’t say the words out loud.
Ruan smiled subtly without realising it when he saw her expression, which suggested that she wanted to ask a question.
“When you woke up this morning, madam, you were sleeping quietly at the edge of the bed. Did you happen to fall off the bed after I left?”
What?
At the edge, quietly?
He didn’t see me sleeping with my arms spread wide in the middle of the bed, then?
At Ruan’s words, Mercian finally smiled brightly and said,
“Oh, no. Falling off the bed? I have such calm sleeping habits. If I lie down in one spot, I stay there until I wake up. Hohoho.”
“I see. Madam, then if breakfast is finished, shall we get up now?”
Remembering how Mersián had been tossing and turning all night in bed but still ended up in his arms, Ruan smiled.
Mercian nodded and stood up.
“Please come this way, madam.”
Ruan took Mercian’s hand and led her to the first-floor living room, where Edward had already gathered the servants and was waiting with Ruan and Mercian.
“Everyone, thank you for your hard work preparing for yesterday’s wedding. As of today, the new lady of the Canoluf Duke House is Mercian Canoluf. Whether I am here or not, you must all obey her well!”
“Yes, Master. Welcome to the Duke House, Madam.”
“Nice to meet you all. I don’t know much yet, but I will learn the rules quickly. Please take care of me until then.”
“Please speak more humbly, Madam.”
At Clea’s words, Edward came forward, bowed to Mercian, and said,
“I briefly introduced myself yesterday, but I am Edward, the butler of this duke’s house. And this is my wife, Clea, the head maid.”
“Oh? You two are married?”
“Madam, please speak humbly. I am so happy to serve such a kind and beautiful lady.”
Cleas’s compliment made Mercian blush.
“Madam, sorry, but the tour of the duke’s house will be later this evening. Now, we should go to the palace.”
“Ruan, I will look around by myself, so don’t worry and go ahead.”
At Mercian’s words, Ruan kissed her cheek and said,
“Madam, why say such a disappointing thing? Of course, I will show you around. I will be back before 6 o’clock at the latest, so rest well until then.”
Smiling, Mercian replied,
“Yes, I will. Thank you, Ruan.”
“Then let’s have a good day today.”
Ruan hugged Mercian tightly, kissed her forehead, and left the duke’s house.
***
That afternoon.
“You want to learn how to cook?”
“Yes, I’ve wanted to learn for a long time, but I’ve never had the chance. The duke’s chef is skilled. By the way, is it not allowed for the duchess to learn cooking?”
At Mercian’s question, Charles tilted her head and replied,
“I don’t think it’s that the duchess can’t learn cooking, but I should ask the head maid first.”
“Thank you, Charles.”
After hearing this, Clea came to the room.
“If madam wishes, it’s always possible. I’ll talk to the head, and you can visit the kitchen whenever it’s convenient.”
“Thank you, Clea.”
Oh, is he being cured just with her being there? They were talking about emotions before…