Chapter 44
After arriving at the villa, the two of them shut themselves away in their respective rooms and buried themselves in work.
It was a bleak reaction for a wedding day.
By the time night had fallen, Elaina’s door suddenly flew open.
Startled, she turned her head to find Sarah marching toward her with heavy footsteps, lips sticking out in disapproval.
“Miss—no, madam. What are you doing right now?”
“What am I doing?”
“It’s already late at night! Are you really planning to stare at papers all day long?”
“Huh? If this is about dinner, I’m fine. I’m not really hungry.”
“Oh, honestly! Dinner is part of it, sure, but that’s not what I mean!”
Shaking her head in exasperation, Sarah darted over to the wardrobe and pulled something out.
“Hurry up and change. Quickly!”
What she pulled out was a sheer negligee.
Elaina’s lips parted slightly at the sight of the delicate peach-colored satin fabric.
“W-what… is that?”
She was certain she hadn’t packed anything like that herself.
Looking quite pleased with Elaina’s dazed reaction, Sarah replied proudly,
“Why, of course it’s your nightwear, my lady—no, madam. Please, put it on.”
“Wait, Sarah—”
Elaina tried to object, but Sarah was faster.
With practiced hands, she began dressing Elaina in the negligee while scolding her non-stop.
“Now, I may not approve of His Grace the Grand Duke as your match, but still, you are married, aren’t you? Isn’t it a bit much that neither of you seems to realize it’s your wedding night?”
“T-the wedding night? Sarah! Don’t say such ridiculous things!”
Flustered, Elaina waved her hands in the air. The wedding night—what nonsense!
“Yes, yes, I know. You only started this marriage to help Lady Redwood. But a marriage is still a marriage. Even if it’s just the staff here, if you two act distant like this from day one, rumors are bound to spread.”
Apart from the duke and duchess, only Sarah knew about the private deal between Elaina and Lyle.
“You have no idea how much people downstairs are already talking.”
For now, their chatter was just concern over her new married life—but if she gave them even the slightest reason, gossip would spread like wildfire.
“You’re an adult, my lady. You should take responsibility for your actions. You didn’t hold a wedding just to play house, did you?”
Even though a divorce a year later was expected, Sarah couldn’t allow Elaina’s perfect reputation to be tarnished in the meantime.
“Now, go on to His Grace’s room. I’ll bring your dinner there myself.”
And with that, Sarah practically pushed Elaina toward Lyle’s room, knocked on the door for her, and fled downstairs at lightning speed.
Before Elaina could even gather her wits, the door opened.
Because Lyle was tall and broad-shouldered, it felt like a wall had suddenly appeared in front of her.
Lifting her eyes from the floor, she looked up—and froze.
“Eek!”
A startled yelp escaped her lips.
She had come face to face with a bare-chested Lyle.
“W-why aren’t you wearing a shirt?!”
“That’s my question. Why are you standing at my door dressed like that?”
He slipped his arms into the frilled shirt he’d been holding, apparently just out of the bath—his damp hair clung to his forehead, and the muscles of his chest rippled beneath the fabric as he dressed.
“Um, well, that’s…”
Sarah, you’re unbelievable!
Cursing Sarah inwardly, Elaina forced herself to sound calm.
“I thought we should at least have dinner together. It is our wedding day, after all.”
“Ah.”
He blinked slowly, as if the thought hadn’t occurred to him.
“I see. I was being inconsiderate.”
“No, it’s fine. Sarah mentioned that we should be careful around the staff—they don’t know about our… arrangement.”
Lyle nodded seriously.
“You’re right. I’ll keep that in mind.”
He stepped aside and gestured for her to come in, saying it was cold in the hall.
Elaina entered the room. She’d visited this villa many times with her family, and the room wasn’t unfamiliar—yet, seeing Lyle in it made the reality of marriage feel far too real.
Uncomfortable, she twisted a strand of her hair around her fingers.
When Lyle heard that dinner would be brought up, he began tidying the table piled high with papers.
“Did you have something to say?”
Their eyes met, and Elaina shook her head vigorously.
“N-no? Nothing at all.”
Was it Sarah’s words still echoing in her head—or the sight of Lyle in casual clothes?
His damp hair fell naturally over his forehead, and through the open laces of his shirt, she could see the firm lines of his chest.
She had thought she understood the meaning of the word marriage, but suddenly she became painfully aware of it.
From today onward, she and that man were legally a family.
“Why don’t you sit? You’ll get tired standing there.”
Lyle gestured toward a chair.
When Elaina hesitated, he smirked lightly.
“Should I pull it out for you like a gentleman?”
“Please, it’s not like that!”
Flustered, she quickly took a seat, unable to admit she was too self-conscious to face him directly.
“Did you finish your work?” she asked, averting her gaze.
“Mm. More or less. Once we return to the capital, I’ll submit the paperwork and the petition to the Noble Council. Then my part is done.”
The conversation began to flow more easily.
“When will you leave for the Mabel mountain region?”
“As soon as the knights are assembled. For the sake of the territory, the sooner we stabilize the area, the better.”
Lyle hung a towel loosely around his neck and looked back at her.
“Have you finished everything you were reviewing today?”
“Well, more or less. I still have to choose the wallpaper, chandeliers, and flooring materials, though.”
“You don’t have to worry that much.”
“No, I do. If I’ve started something, I want to finish it perfectly. Once the weather gets warmer, I plan to begin construction on the ballroom.”
Lyle raised an eyebrow. “Ballroom?”
“Yes. I’m going to host a ball—one that will leave everyone speechless.”
“A ball, huh?”
“At least two large ones. I’m thinking summer and winter.”
Elaina explained her plan for their one-year marriage.
“First, I want to sponsor Nathan. Remember? The skilled botanist I mentioned before?”
“Ah, yes. The one who married the Marquess of Redwood’s daughter.”
“He’s the one who’ll find crops suitable for the Mabel region.”
Lyle gave her a thoughtful look, surprise flickering briefly across his face. Elaina narrowed her eyes.
“What’s that look for?”
“Nothing. I just didn’t expect you to have thought it through so seriously.”
“Of course I did. I made a promise. If it were only about Diane’s marriage, I wouldn’t have needed to marry you. Her wedding took place sooner than I expected, anyway.”
Even if the terms had changed, a deal was a deal.
“By next spring, the Grant Duchy’s reputation will be completely different from now.”
But that wasn’t something Elaina could accomplish alone.
“For the settlers to take root in the Mabel region, eliminating the monsters is top priority. I’ll leave that part to you.”
The Duke of Winchester would handle the Noble Council’s approval; all that remained was for Lyle to form a proper knight order and lead them.
“Understood.”
“The sooner, the better. I don’t know when Nathan can supply the crops, but we’ll need to finish the monster cleanup before planting season.”
As their serious discussion continued, a knock came at the door.
Sarah entered, pushing a trolley.
“Pardon the interruption. I’ve brought your meal. Please, enjoy it while you talk.”
Her demeanor was suddenly demure and polite in front of Lyle, which made Elaina stare at her in disbelief.
Sarah had even lit the candles in the silver holders, creating a soft, romantic glow.
“The wine is a wedding gift from Lord Bonaparte, and the bouquet is from Lady Hennet—her congratulations to you, madam.”
“What? Why are you only bringing those out now?”
“Well, because it’s most fitting to open them at such a lovely time as this.”
The flowers were fresh and fragrant, clearly chosen with care—Diane’s warm personality was written all over the gift.
The wine, too, was expensive—undoubtedly the finest bottle Leo owned.
“Then, I wish you both a pleasant evening,” Sarah said with a knowing smile before stepping out.
Clack.
The door closed with a sound that seemed to warn them not to come out until morning.
