Chapter 8
That day, Julietta wasnât the only one who had a good dream. Yezar fell asleep listening to Juliettaâs soft, rhythmic breathing as she slept soundly. And for the first time in a long while, he woke up feeling exceptionally good.
Looking outside the window, he saw the morning mist hanging in the air.
âIf I donât get dressed, the lady might be startledâŚ.â
Yezar picked up his clothes, which had slipped off without him even noticing, and gazed at Juliettaâs faceâso deeply asleep she wouldnât even realize if someone carried her away.
âIt wouldâve been nice if you showed just a little sleepiness, just a small habit.â
He had thought she deliberately answered she had no sleep habits because she was embarrassed. But it seemed that wasnât the case.
Instead of heading out for training, Yezar sat beside Julietta for a while. Her round forehead, sharply defined nose, lips tinged red.
And though hidden now and not visible, her eyes that shone beautifully like a vibrant forest full of life.
As he carefully studied her, it almost felt as if she would open her eyes any moment and ask, âWhy are you staring at my face? Is there something on it?â
âHmph.â
Just the thoughtâso vivid and realâmade Yezar unintentionally smile. Why was it that whenever he looked at her, laughter kept bubbling up?
Not long ago, on the day of the nationally celebrated royal wedding, he had stayed behind in the mansion, making excuses, helplessly swallowing his pain because he couldnât bring himself to attend.
âYouâre strange. You keep occupying my thoughts, making me laugh⌠knocking on my heart.â
Bertisha Hermine. The woman who had now become Bertisha de Cloud. Yezar had been drawn to her as if fated to love her. But that blind emotion, which even he couldnât understand, had brought nothing but excruciating pain and emptiness.
But with Julietta, it was different. Yes, not only nowâbut even back thenâŚ.
âBack then, you made me laugh too. Why canât you recognize me?â
Julietta didnât know, but their first meeting wasnât at the Orbetian household during the contract exchange. When he first visited the countâs estate, he had hoped she might recognize himâbut instead, Julietta treated him like a complete stranger.
That stung a little. For him, it had been a rather intense memory. Yet she seemed completely unaware.
âItâs a shame you donât remember after drinking too much. You also donât seem to recall saying that love at first sight isnât as dangerous as the kind that slowly seeps into your heart.â
He gently stroked her rose-colored hair. Though touching her hair wouldnât hurt her, he did so as carefully as if handling fragile porcelain.
He couldnât bring himself to touch the rest. As she had said, he wasnât a rogue who touched a womanâs body without consent.
The woman sleeping peacefully before him didnât seem to remember their past meeting, yet spoke as if she knew herself better than anyone else.
Come to think of it, it was strange. His contract wife acted as if she would give up everything in the world, yet the moment the contract period ended, sheâd coldly declare they were strangers, annoyingly so. She was a woman who bounced unpredictably, impossible to pin down. Yet he didnât dislike this Julietta. On the contrary, he was slowly melting into her.
The smile that kept surfacing on its own made him look forward to the days ahead with her.
âIâll be back, my lady.â
As if she had truly heard his whisper, Juliettaâs head shifted slightly. Seeing that, Yezar gave a gentle, affectionate smile.
The kind of smile that, if Julietta saw it, would make her close her eyes, claiming a halo was shining behind him.
[This is the timeline separator]
âMmm. Slept well.â
I woke up refreshed and stretched my arms wide. Looking to the side, Yezar seemed to have already left for training.
âMy contract husband is quite diligent.â
Clearly, even after such training, he would spend the rest of his day swamped with various duties, inspecting the estateâhis 24 hours surely wouldnât be enough.
âI wish I could help him a little.â
He wouldnât show a contract wife like me the intricate details of estate affairs, and I didnât expect that much either. But if even my clumsy paws could help lighten his workload, that would be great.
While I was groaning and pondering, I heard a knock.
âMay I come in?â
âCome in.â
At my reply, the bedroom door opened, revealing a rather elderly-looking veteran maid, followed closely by several younger maids who seemed younger than me.
âMadam, did you rest well?â
I vaguely remembered seeing their faces, but after the first night, Iâd been too busy chasing after the runaway Yezarâand suffering from a hangoverâto pay attention.
âYes. I slept well. Sorry, but Iâve been so busy adjusting. Could you introduce yourselves properly again?â
I asked apologetically, feeling oddly guilty. But the maid in front smoothly replied without a hint of annoyance.
âNo need to apologize. I should be the one sorry for not attending to you sooner. I am Ember, your personal maid. The girls behind me are, in order, May, Brinny, and Chelsea.â
Then the visibly nervous girls introduced themselves. One of them seemed to trip over her tongue while speaking. The look Ember gave her was razor-sharp.
She was clearly in for a scolding later.
âNow that I think about it, the atmosphere here is stricter than at the countâs estate. I thought this mansion, ruled by Yezar, would be gentler.â
âItâs late for greetings, but Iâm glad to meet you all. I look forward to working with you.â
When I smiled, the girlsâ tension visibly eased, and they responded brightly.
âYes, Madam!â
Only then did Ember lower her stern gaze and smile.
Strict about mistakes, yet praising and guiding when they did well. Well, they didnât know my personality yet.
I tended to be easygoingâunless it was a major mistake, I usually let things slide. But other noble ladies? Who knows⌠some would scold and even punish for the smallest errors.
âThen, Madam, shall we prepare your bath?â
âThank you. Ah, has the Duke already had breakfast?â
I asked, thinking he probably had since he woke so early for training. But Ember shook her head.
âNo, he hasnât eaten yet.â
âOh? I thought heâd already finished, waking up so early.â
At my reply, the maids behind exchanged glances. But Ember in front answered firmly.
âHe usually eats breakfast late, after finishing all his training. So you can wash up and eat together with him.â
Something felt off. Emberâs kind smile seemed suspicious, so I quickly glanced behind.
âYouâre May, right?â+
âY-yes! Madam.â+
âAre you sure the Duke really eats late?â+
It was already past the time he shouldâve finished breakfast, so I asked. But strangely, Mayâs eyes darted not to me, but to Ember.+
âUmâŚ.â+
May stammered for a moment before hastily replying.+
âYes, he usually eats late! Isnât it perfect? You can eat together every day.â+
âWouldnât it be fine to eat separately sometimes?â+
Even in our mansion, family meals were rare. Father and the eldest brother were busy, and Weaslet would sometimes eat with me, but often went off with his fiancĂŠe to restaurants she liked due to their romance business.+
But my thoughtless comment seemed to shock them deeply.+
âThatâs absolutely unacceptable!â+
âYes! The Duke is already so busyâhe barely gets to eat with you except at breakfast!â+
The quiet maids suddenly raised their voices.+
âBut on the first and second day, I ate alone just fineâŚ.â+
âThatâs exactly why! We understood at first because the Duke was busy and you were suffering from a hangover, but now itâs different!â+
I couldnât understand why they cared so much about eating together. I thought they were quiet and easygoing at first, but apparently theyâd been holding back out of consideration.+
Ember joined in.+
âExactly. As your personal maid, I will ensure from now on that you and the Duke have breakfast together. So please, no more⌠comments that feel like my soul is being ripped outâŚ.â+
Emberâs expression looked strangely exhausted as she spoke.+
âWas my comment really that shocking?â+
I knew some of the dukeâs staff were aware of our contract marriage. But apparently not.+
Seeing how deeply my personal maid was shaken into silence, I began to suspect that perhaps only the two of us knew about the contract.+
âThen⌠does that mean we have to act like a loving couple within the ducal household?â+
Thank goodness weâd agreed in advance to allow physical contact with mutual consent.+
If rumors ever spread that we werenât getting along, we could simply hold hands and walk affectionately in the garden.+
Even a contract marriage was still a marriage, it seemed. I hadnât expected so many complicated, awkward moments.+
âMaybe I shouldnât have signed so blindly. But then again, where else could I find a husband like Yezar?â+
Besides, it was only two years before divorce. I should talk to Yezar properly when weâre alone later.+
Seeing Ember still dazed, I quickly apologized for my mistake. I had no intention of throwing around the authority of a duchess.+
âIn the countâs household, I often ate alone, so I mustâve misspoken. Iâm sorry.â
When I smiled lightly, the maidsâ eyes widened in surprise.
âAlone?â
âHmm?â
