Chapter 11
“Are you exercising together, Your Grace?”
“Yes. Would it be alright if I joined?”
“Of course! Couples’ workouts have become quite popular among nobles lately. You can build stamina and spend some sweet, intimate time together—two birds with one stone!”
Couples’ workout? I doubted my ears.
That solid, well-built body and my frail one working out together?
“There’s no need for that. I can manage just fine on my own.”
My words—despite earlier screaming that I couldn’t do it—had lost all persuasive power.
“You seem to be quite tense since it’s your first day, Madam. Your body may not have loosened up yet. If the two of you work out together, I believe you’ll relax.”
Henson was spouting nonsense. If Chiron were nearby, rather than easing my tension, even my already minimal muscles would stiffen completely!
“Then there’s no need to hesitate. I’ll join as well.”
“Excellent!”
Why are the two of them deciding everything while excluding me from my own workout?!
I glanced sideways at Chiron.
He was wearing a short-sleeved top that was almost sleeveless, with the chest area generously open. Through the exposed fabric, his defined muscles were visible, and I quickly averted my gaze.
How am I supposed to work out with someone like that?
“Now, since you’re a married couple, there’s no need to be shy!”
Henson cheerfully continued, completely unaware of my feelings.
“Please stand side by side! Shall we start with stretching?”
“Very well.”
Chiron moved both arms side to side, warming up his body.
At least the stretching began with movements each of us could do individually. Following Henson’s guidance, Chiron and I each stretched our limbs and loosened our joints.
Of course, I let out groans the entire time. Chiron, on the other hand, didn’t even make a single sound.
“Ow! That hurts!”
“Just bear with it! Three more seconds!”
“Three seconds already passed!”
Henson and I repeated the same lines throughout the entire stretching session.
It was only stretching, yet I was already completely exhausted. Not just physically—my throat hurt from all the screaming as well.
“You look completely drained after just stretching.”
As Chiron said, I looked utterly exhausted. Meanwhile, he seemed perfectly fine, as if he hadn’t moved at all.
“My body isn’t like yours.”
Just when I thought I could rest for a moment, Henson smiled and mercilessly moved on to the next stage.
“Now we’ll begin proper strength training. Before that, may I suggest something to help you enjoy the workout a bit more?”
“No, I’m not curious.”
“I’d like to hear what the suggestion is.”
Once again, my words were neatly ignored.
“The two of you will make a wager. The one who follows today’s session better will win.”
A wager?
“What will we bet?”
“Ha ha, you may choose freely whatever you wish to wager.”
“But even at a glance, Eket is at a severe disadvantage.”
For the first time, I fully agreed with Chiron. My stiff and weak body was no match for his.
“Yes, which is why I’ll set a more difficult standard for Your Grace. The winner will be the one who achieves the target with more accurate form. In this case, a higher target will be set for Your Grace.”
Chiron nodded as if that made sense.
“So, what will you wager?”
Henson clapped his hands, clearly more excited than either of us.
“Hmm… I only have one thing I want.”
It didn’t take long to decide what to wager.
“You already thought of it?”
“Yes. It’s just one thing.”
“What is it?”
“I want to go to the restaurant we visited yesterday again.”
In truth, going to a restaurant is not difficult for a duchess. Or rather, it shouldn’t be.
But Chiron, because of yesterday’s incident, was reluctant to let me go out. He insisted I shouldn’t go anywhere until my illness improved.
How was I supposed to know when that would happen?
My illness wasn’t something that would be cured by staying indoors, nor something that would worsen by going outside. It simply appeared out of nowhere while I lived my daily life.
At times, I even wondered if it wasn’t a disease at all—but some kind of curse.
“A restaurant? No.”
The refusal was immediate and firm. Not even the slightest pretense of consideration.
Did he think I’d suddenly start coughing up blood and disgrace the duchy?
“Why not?”
“Because you’re a patient.”
“If this is a wager, I should be able to bet what I want. I don’t need anything else.”
“Your Grace, accommodating the Madam’s wishes will likely help motivate her exercise efforts as well!”
For once, Henson made a reasonable point.
“That’s right! Henson, you do understand.”
“Hehe, do I?”
Thanks to Henson siding with me, our standoff seemed to be nearing its end.
“…Alright. I’ll allow you to go once.”
I almost clapped in joy… but—
“However, since we don’t know when something like yesterday might happen again, you must go with me.”
My joy was ruthlessly crushed.
What was this sudden talk of going together, from someone who barely spoke to me before? It seemed he was very conscious of public perception. Was he that unwilling for people to find out his wife was ill?
“I can’t compromise on that.”
I gave up.
Fine. At least I could go to the restaurant. We could just sit at different tables.
“Alright.”
“Then if the duchess wins the wager, you’ll go to the restaurant. What will Your Grace wager?”
Did that cold, armor-like man even have anything he wanted?
At most, it would probably be something like “don’t interfere with me.” I wasn’t worried at all about what Chiron would wager.
As expected, he seemed unable to think of anything. After a moment of silence spent in thought, he shook his head.
“I’ll need to think about it more.”
“Yes, of course! Take your time and think it through carefully!”
Henson replied energetically.
“Then, now that the wager is set, let’s begin in earnest!”
Henson brought out a long, thin, flexible yellow object.
“This is a band woven from a special plant. It’s useful for strength training. We’ll be using this today.”
Chiron and I each received a band.
“Stand facing each other. Each of you hold one end with one hand together.”
Why do we have to face each other?
I grumbled inwardly and stood facing Chiron.
Looking at his face felt awkward, and if I lowered my gaze, I kept seeing his firm bare chest.
I didn’t know where to look. Maybe I should just look at Henson instead.
“Don’t look at me—look straight ahead.”
Damn it.
“Spread your legs slightly and bend your knees a little.”
Henson adjusted our posture from the side.
“What if you suddenly start coughing while we’re facing each other? I can’t have your spit flying onto his face. I think we should end today’s session here!”
That was my last-ditch attempt.
“I have a sedative prescribed by a physician, so that shouldn’t be a problem. And as for saliva—on the battlefield, I’ve been hit by dirt, blood, and all manner of things. This is nothing.”
At his calm, low-toned rebuttal, I had nothing left to say.
“Now, in this position, pull the band in rhythm with my count. Madam only needs to do fifteen reps, while Your Grace will then continue with thirty more reps alongside me.”
Henson demonstrated the movement.
It didn’t seem difficult… the problem was the man standing in front of me was extremely muscular.
“Your Grace should adjust the resistance to match the Madam’s strength and pull gently. Now, begin! One! Two!”
At Henson’s count, as we fumbled, Chiron began pulling the band quickly and precisely.
“Ah!”
I nearly got dragged forward and fell. I would have, if Chiron hadn’t swiftly caught me.
I regained my stance and began pulling the band like him. Compared to how it looked, the movement required considerable arm strength.
“Seven! Eight!”
Chiron seemed completely at ease, as if pulling something light, while I struggled so much my hands were slick with sweat.
“Ten! Eleven!”
Ah, I’ve truly reached my limit. My arms felt like they were about to tear apart. I felt like crying.
Just as I was on the verge of tears, suddenly my grip slipped. I had been holding on tightly and pulling with force, but what returned to my hands was nothing.
For a brief moment, I wondered what had happened.
Then—
Smack.
A sharp sound rang out.
The band I had lost flew—straight toward Chiron’s face.
