Chapter 73
Thanks to the neighboring country of Kasad, which shared a border and could import glass materials relatively cheaply, the duchy had many glass products among its local specialties.
“Ma’am, shall I have this vase wrapped for you?”
At a shop selling glass ornaments, Yulia liked a vase made of glass with red streaks, but she found it difficult to decide to buy it. The money for this vase could be spent on something more practical, and when she considered its value in terms of her estate and the factory workers, everything felt heavy.
“How was your day the other day?”
While pondering whether she should just order sugar instead and share it with the factory workers, Cain appeared out of nowhere and greeted her warmly. Yulia turned to him, unsure how to respond to his greeting.
Even though Cayente disliked him so much…
“Cain, I’m sorry, but let’s just leave it at a greeting. I don’t think I can talk.”
“Why is that?”
It was awkward to tell him directly that her husband had forbidden her from meeting him, so she smiled uneasily. Cain immediately caught on and looked exasperated.
“Count Clu seemed angry, and now he tells you not to even talk to me? This duchy is strange. Just across the river is Kasad, yet the atmosphere is completely different.”
Cain couldn’t understand why a married woman couldn’t even interact openly in public, even though they weren’t sneaking around anywhere. He shook his head in disbelief.
“I thought Count Clu spent his childhood in the Empire. Is that so?”
“Apparently so…”
“Ma’am, what shall we do about the vase? If you don’t want to see anything else here, shall we go to another shop?”
“Ah… yes.”
It was only when Becky, who had been quietly observing nearby, spoke up that Yulia realized her conversation with Cain had become lengthy. It was partly because she had grown up in the Empire and wasn’t familiar with the duchy’s etiquette, but it was also because of Cain.
Even though they had met only twice, he felt like someone she had known for a long time. Perhaps it was because he smiled so freely and was honest with his emotions, making it easy to interact with him.
“Well, I should be going…”
“Already leaving?”
Indeed, that unrestrained smile was the issue. Cayente had mentioned Cain’s complicated relationships with women, and Yulia now understood why. When Cain smiled so brightly, it made her forget her worries and smile along instinctively.
“Unfortunately, there’s nothing I can do about it. It should be better in the Empire, right?”
“Perhaps… if people there see differently, my brother might allow it.”
“Does it even need permission? I thought you were worried about misunderstandings.”
Yulia felt particularly close to Cain’s smile because of Cayente. Her brother used to smile like that too, and seeing it now brought back a sense of longing.
“Ma’am, shall we head out?”
“Yes. Sorry, I’ll be going now.”
Fearing that the conversation would drag on, Yulia quickly finished her greeting and left the shop.
Still… does Cain really have complicated relationships with women…?
He didn’t strike her as someone who would casually flirt, and his boyish charm made it hard to imagine him entangled in messy romances. Perhaps it was also because he had a face more delicate than most women.
She wondered if such a man could become fierce in bed, recalling how her brother Cayente had been terrifyingly intense. Thinking of that, Yulia’s cheeks flushed slightly. Cayente’s imposing presence had always made her feel warm inside.
What foolish thoughts.
“Take this.”
Just as she was hurrying to cool her mind and leave, a hand grabbed her from behind. She turned to see Cain offering her a box wrapped in a ribbon.
“What’s this?”
“It’s the transparent vase you were looking at earlier. I noticed you left without buying it, and I was concerned. I wondered if you needed Count Clu’s permission to spend money, so I bought it for you. Please take it.”
“I… can’t accept this…”
“Consider it a belated wedding gift. If Count Clu had invited me, I’d have given something even more expensive, so don’t worry about the cost. If it’s too burdensome, think of it as a sort of bribe to become friends when you visit the Empire for business soon.”
Yulia shook her hand to refuse, but Cain laughed and handed her the box firmly.
“Then, I’ll see you in the Empire.”
With that, Cain disappeared, leaving only his smile, which seemed genuine and harmless. Yulia, seeing no other option, hugged the box.
Even a married woman could receive such kindness…
If she could become friends with Cain as he suggested, it wouldn’t be bad. Though she hadn’t spoken with him long, their natural conversation had made her feel that they might be well-suited to each other.
“Ma’am, shall we continue? Where would you like to go next?”
“Hmm… I think I’ll look at lighting for the bedroom.”
“This way, please.”
Cayente would probably allow their meeting in the Empire. There, social interactions between men and women were freer, and it was an obligation for noblewomen to interact socially with other nobles.
She decided, let’s be friends. Even if Cain was complicated with women as Cayente claimed, he wouldn’t desire someone like her, whom her husband wasn’t eager to pursue.
Yulia wandered past a restaurant that smelled faintly of Essacudia duchy cuisine and spent the afternoon buying spices. She remembered Cayente had found a restaurant in the Empire specializing in duchy cuisine.
“I didn’t expect to see you here, Countess. I heard you came for your honeymoon, but are you traveling alone?”
“Step aside, ma’am. Before I call the guard.”
While carefully selecting spices, a journalist from Tablzi smiled and spoke to her. Becky instinctively tried to push him away, but he wouldn’t back down.
“I’ve never been told not to get close to the Countess, only to Count Clu himself, right?”
“That’s what it means.”
“Phew, are husband and wife really one? Is that what you think, Countess?”
“Does white pepper taste different?”
“They say spouses resemble each other, yet you’re treating me like I don’t exist.”
Yulia focused solely on the spices, trying to ignore the journalist, but he forced her to respond.
“Does the Count really leave his wife, who resembles him, to wander alone? You’ve known each other since childhood, yet he ignores the woman he loves?”
“I didn’t ignore him. He even let me tour the factory this morning.”
She defended Cayente to prevent the journalist from writing a bad article. The journalist, now with a notebook in hand, looked excited.
“I hear you’ve visited the lake many times. You spend money in the market under the Count’s name. Doesn’t the Count care at all about the money his wife spends?”
Why do people cling to what’s unwanted? Yulia understood why Cayente despised this journalist.
“Did you see previous articles? Everyone was envious of you two. Marrying your first love from childhood is such a beautiful story. It even started a trend among the nobility to arrange marriage partners early.”
She was slightly curious too. What exactly happened to the previous Count Clu? Was it true that the incident was murder, and that the culprit was someone Cayente knew?
“If you have questions, ask me. I’ll answer what I know.”
Though she wasn’t sure the journalist would tell the truth, Yulia wanted to hear him out.
