NLBM CH 07

Chapter 7

“Your hands are soft.”

“Oh my, dear.”

At Cassian’s sudden action, Evelyn’s cheeks turned red.

Since she didn’t pull away, Cassian was able to carefully observe her hand.

No calluses.

A knight’s palm or knuckles would naturally have calluses from training.

But there was no trace of that on Evelyn’s hand.

No matter how well someone maintained their hands, there would usually be some sign of wear.

Unless she was a once-in-a-generation genius who showed outstanding skill without effort, or someone blessed with a miraculous body, there should at least be blisters or rough skin from training.

But Evelyn’s hands were smooth and glossy, as if they had never suffered hardship.

Are a lady’s hands always this delicate?

They fit perfectly into one of his hands.

They even smelled nice.

And when he lightly brushed his finger across the back of her hand, the sensation was… pleasant.

“I’ve lost my mind.”

“Pardon?”

“It’s nothing. Let’s eat together.”

To chase away his improper thoughts, Cassian quickly stood up.

He pulled out the chair beside him for Evelyn.

She’s another man’s woman. Get a grip.

He repeated the words in his mind, trying to calm his racing heart.

But no matter how hard he tried not to look at her, his gaze kept drifting back.

“What is it, dear?”

“Nothing.”

He had always been able to look at her face without issue.

Why couldn’t he now?

Confusion crossed Cassian’s expression as he turned his head away.

What is this feeling?

An impulsive desire.

An unfamiliar emotion.

The more he thought about it, the more it felt like sinking into unknown waters.

Though questions swirled in his mind, one thing was certain.

For now, he needed distance from the bait.

He wasn’t running away.

He just needed to cool his head.

After escorting Evelyn back to her room, Cassian immediately summoned Hans and tossed him a robe.

“Prepare for an inspection.”

***

“Hmmm… something feels off.”

Cassian had been acting strange lately.

Since they ate together in the dining room, she hadn’t seen him at all.

Was he uncomfortable because of their conversation?

There had been a small disagreement when she asked about the account books, but it hadn’t been serious.

He had even held her hand in the dining room.

She thought they understood each other and would return to the room together.

“Rest well, wife.”

Instead, he had vanished like the wind.

She still hadn’t settled the matter about the accounts, and now she couldn’t even see his face.

She had wanted to at least have tea together, but she couldn’t even catch a glimpse of his shadow.

According to the head maid, Cassian had gone on an inspection of the territory.

He was harder to see than the moon in the sky.

Evelyn let out a big sigh.

“Madam sits on the sofa, pauses while drinking tea, and lets out a deep sigh.”

“And a very loud one!”

The maids’ eyes lit up as they began recording again.

Did they think she couldn’t hear them?

If they spoke like that, of course she could hear.

“I can hear you.”

“Gasp!”

Mary and Rose covered their mouths at the same time, staring at her in shock.

She didn’t want to bother explaining, so she answered lazily.

“I can actually read people’s minds.”

“Oh my! That explains it!”

“Hmmm~ So that’s why His Grace is avoiding Madam.”

These little—

She had been trying to forget about that.

Should she take out a switch and discipline them?

Wait. That sounds way too villainous.

She shook off the dark thought.

“Ahem. Mary, Rose. What does my dear like?”

“His Grace? I don’t think he particularly likes anything.”

“Hmmm~ He’s always rather indifferent about food.”

“What about dislikes?”

“Sweet fruit.”

“I think he especially dislikes orange-colored fruit.”

“What? Orange-colored fruit?”

But she had fed him plenty of that in the dining room.

“Dear, jamón tastes even better with sweet fruit.”

She had wanted him to enjoy it more, so she had offered him fruit that looked similar to melon.

He hadn’t reacted much at the time.

No approval, no refusal.

Then suddenly he had grabbed her hand.

His grip had tightened.

For a moment, she had almost twisted his wrist out of reflex, but when she realized it was Cassian, she blushed instead.

He must want me to feed him.

He couldn’t even meet her eyes and just stared at their hands.

Since he had initiated the skinship, she thought she should match his mood.

To create that sweet newlywed atmosphere, she wrapped slices of red jamón around the orange fruit and fed it to him.

It had been inconvenient using only one hand, but Cassian had eaten everything she gave him.

When about half the fruit was gone, he had suddenly stood up and invited her to eat.

“Wife, please join me.”

When he pulled out her chair, she had thought their hearts were in sync.

“No wonder he was so quiet.”

He must have been enduring food he hated just to look cool in front of his wife.

When he lightly stroked the back of her hand, she thought it meant he wanted more.

But apparently not.

“I messed up.”

She thought he loved it, but she had only been doing things he disliked.

No wonder he felt uncomfortable.

She should apologize first.

The problem was she had no idea when Cassian would return.

“What should I do?”

Just then—

“Excuse me, Madam.”

With a knock, Butler Sebastian entered.

***

Sebastian, his white hair neatly tied back, bowed politely.

He seemed puzzled but didn’t appear to suspect anything.

He had been avoiding Evelyn, who kept asking for the account books.

Now that a fake set had been completed, he finally appeared.

“I heard you wished to see the account books.”

“Yes. Is that what you’re holding under your arm?”

How sharp.

He had deliberately rolled them up, yet she noticed immediately.

It’s been a while since I felt this kind of tension.

Sebastian’s hands were sweating inside his white gloves.

It felt like facing a superior predator.

I don’t know how long we can deceive her, but we cannot hand over the real accounts.

Though she was treated as the duchess, her true identity was Lady Seldian and Viscount Hetus’ beloved fiancée.

If her memory returned, who knew how she would act?

To prepare for the worst, Sebastian placed a fake ledger—similar to the real one—on the table.

“This is the account book.”

“You’re handing it over so easily?”

“Yes. I was stubborn before, but I now believe it is right for you to have it.”

Instead of replying, Evelyn picked it up.

Her eyes scanned it like a predator judging prey.

“For an account book, it’s very clean. The ink doesn’t look very old.”

Oh no.

Her sharp comment struck like an arrow.

In their rush to create it, they had overlooked something.

Still, Sebastian kept his composure.

He subtly signaled the maids beside her to support him.

“A preservation spell keeps it looking new, Madam.”

“That’s right! The preservation magic of the ducal house is excellent!”

“It rivals the imperial family’s magic!”

“I see.”

Her gaze said she was suspicious but would let it slide for now.

She waved her hand, dismissing him.

Sebastian bowed and stepped into the corridor.

“Well?”

Sophia, who had been pacing nervously, rushed to him.

“It should be fine for now.”

He reassured her and explained what happened.

Sophia’s expression relaxed.

“We’ve passed one crisis.”

“Yes. Even if she suspects something later, aside from important secrets, the numbers are mostly true.”

“Still, there’s a problem.”

To cover the maids’ mistake, they had filled the ledger with heavy deficits.

Future expenses, unpaid taxes, various outstanding debts.

Though there were profits, the losses were significant.

If she saw all those negatives—

“Aaaaah!”

She would definitely scream like that.

Wait. That scream sounded familiar.

Both of them froze, then realized where it came from.

“Madam!”