Chapter 108
“What… what is that flower?”
Yuri, unusually stumbling over his words, raised a finger.
Cecilia, with her hair loosely braided, had a freshly bloomed rose tucked behind her ear.
A drop or two of dew still clung to the petals, so it was obvious that the flower had just been picked.
She probably didn’t pick it herself.
There wouldn’t have been enough time to go out into the garden and pick it in the few moments since they arrived.
Moreover, the stem looked neatly trimmed at a glance.
It must have been a gift from someone who had picked the flower for her.
Yuri’s eyebrows instantly drew together.
Narrowing his eyes, he crossed his arms.
A spark of jealousy flared in his chest at the thought of the unknown giver.
Yet Cecilia remained calm, her voice serene as she answered nonchalantly.
“Oh, Elio gave it to me.”
“Elio?”
That sounded like a man’s name.
Yuri, unfamiliar with Eldovan naming conventions, could still easily guess that it belonged to a boy.
His dark brown eyes sank heavily.
Worried that he might seem petty, he hesitated, but he couldn’t let it go without asking.
“Who’s Elio?”
Cecilia, watching her husband’s clouded expression shift in real time, finally understood why he asked—and she burst into laughter.
Seeing his mix of irritation and anxiety, she gently plucked the rose from her ear. His tense expression softened slightly as she carefully placed the flower into the front pocket of his shirt.
With a coquettish smile, Cecilia said,
“It’s the son of one of the maids… I used to be a little eager to see him more often…”
“What?”
“He’s eleven years old this year.”
Cecilia gestured from her chest to indicate his height, softening her gaze.
“Whenever I had the time or was feeling up to it, I would play with him. We hadn’t seen each other for almost a year, so I guess he missed me. He came by this morning to give me this flower.”
Chattering about how cute it was, Cecilia linked her arm through Yuri’s.
Regardless, Yuri was silently replaying his earlier words, feeling a twinge of regret.
Jealous over a boy who hadn’t even hit puberty yet…
I’ve really gone too far.
Even so, the strange part was that it still felt good.
Cecilia glanced at her husband, who was awkwardly clearing his throat, and smiled.
“Why? Were you worried? That I received it from another man?”
“…Stop teasing me.”
Raising his hand, Yuri lightly pinched her nose before turning his head.
In the distance, a small boy was staring at them with a look as if the world had collapsed.
That must be him.
Judging from his expression, it wasn’t as if he had no feelings for his mother.
Yuri, scowling at the boy, pressed closer to Cecilia, lowering his head.
“Let’s get going. If we want to see everything today, we need to keep moving.”
“Hmm? I thought since you might be tired, we’d just go see the ocean today.”
“No. We’ll go wherever you want.”
Leading Cecilia along despite her protests, Yuri cast another glance toward where Elio had been.
He saw the little boy, utterly devastated by unrequited feelings.
A prepubescent child, a petty jealousy—he admitted to himself how narrow-minded he was.
Snorting lightly, Yuri strode forward.
Cecilia, puzzled, followed, but eventually overtook him.
Her skirt swayed lightly with her brisk steps.
Seeing her hair shimmer brilliantly in the sunlight as it slid along her neck, Yuri swallowed hard.
Isn’t it a bit too revealing?
Though she isn’t the only one dressed like this…
He had thought of draping a coat over her shoulders, but realized he had nothing on but his shirt.
And taking his shirt off for her wasn’t really an option.
Rolling his eyes and groaning, Yuri realized he could only stick close to her.
Tensing his arm around hers, he let out a small sigh.
“What’s got you so worried?”
“…Your outfit is too thin.”
“Huh, is this unbecoming of a Grand Duchess?”
That wasn’t the real issue.
For a moment, Yuri considered agreeing but shook his head.
He didn’t want to restrict his wife’s actions for such a trivial reason.
As for dignity… I’m not even concerned about it myself, so I can’t demand it of her.
“What if someone looks?”
There was no choice but to be honest about his feelings.
Cecilia, rounding her lips in an “O” of surprise, formed a long, elegant line.
“Probably nothing to worry about? It’s not unusual attire in Eldova anyway.”
Cecilia glanced around at the women bouncing past them and shrugged.
“And who would watch me that closely?”
She added playfully, noting how thin she looked, and then turned her gaze leisurely.
Yuri, on the other hand, felt a pang of frustration.
“Why do you say that?”
She was thin, yes, but that was due to her frequent illness and modest appetite.
He had never thought she was unattractive. He had only ever worried.
“Don’t you see? I’m worried that someone might bring me flowers too, just like that Elio kid did earlier.”
“Good grief.”
Listening to Yuri’s barrage of words, Cecilia laughed, clearly amused.
Yet she didn’t seem upset.
“Fine, as long as it pleases you.”
“I’d even like to show it openly.”
“How?”
He hadn’t thought that far ahead.
After a brief silence, Yuri murmured hesitantly,
“Kissing you on the cheek.”
“Bold of you.”
Cecilia teased as before.
Frowning and thinking hard, Yuri continued,
“Or changing what we call each other.”
“Isn’t it fine as it is? ‘Honey.’”
Of course, it was fine, but Yuri felt his ears heat up. Clearing his throat, he tried to sound calm.
“But wouldn’t it be nice to seem closer? Like when you spoke casually to your brother.”
Saying this, he realized Cecilia only needed to change her own form of address.
Cecilia, who hadn’t considered this before, thought carefully.
“Then will you change how you address me too?”
“Do you want me to?”
He had never done it before, but if she wanted it…
Yuri opened his mouth with a solemn expression.
“Nunim.”
“Hmm.”
A brief pause removed the smile from Cecilia’s face.
She muttered, slightly regretful,
I don’t recall having such a rugged younger brother…
Pouting, Yuri leaned on her for support.
Cecilia, laughing as if teasing, then added seriously,
“It’s better to seal that form of address for now.”
“Agreed.”
Having said it aloud, Yuri also felt embarrassed, so he readily agreed.
“I’ll think more about speaking casually. I’m not used to it yet.”
As they walked jokingly, the blue ocean appeared in the distance.
Cecilia’s face lit up with uncontainable excitement as she gazed down the hill, then looked back at Yuri with a happy smile.
“What do you think? Isn’t the color beautiful? When I feel well, I often came here to play with my sister or brother. I really wanted to show it to you too.”
Cecilia’s eyes sparkled like sunlight on the waves.
Though she didn’t know it, Yuri felt that, at this moment, her green eyes shining with joy were even more dazzling than Eldova’s ocean.
