Chapter 35
It was as if he had forgotten how to speak — his words caught in his throat again and again, and his mind went blank. Dante shook his head and looked at Yvonne once more. Her soft green eyes were as bright and innocent as ever, completely unaware of the tangled emotions inside him.
“Are you arranging the garden?”
“Yes.”
Then Yvonne looked up at him quietly, as though checking his reaction — wondering if he disliked her touching the garden.
He didn’t particularly dislike it. He simply didn’t care much.
But he didn’t have the right words to express that. After a moment’s hesitation, Dante replied in his usual curt tone.
“…Tell me about it while we walk.”
At those words, Yvonne’s face lit up.
“Yes!”
They walked slowly through the garden, talking as they went. Mostly, Yvonne explained how she wanted to redesign it, while Dante only nodded from time to time. Her lively voice sounded like the chirping of a small bird.
“I’m planning to buy and plant echinacea, foxglove, and lilies. Is there a flower color you especially like?”
“Uh… I like them all.”
Dante, who had only been half-listening and mostly glancing at her face, answered awkwardly. He didn’t really have a favorite color anyway.
I don’t even know the names of most flowers.
He knew of foxglove, yes — but only as a poisonous herb. That was the kind of knowledge Dante possessed: which plants could be used for poisons, what was useful for ruling his lands or for warfare — practical things.
If I knew about other things, I could at least say something and keep the conversation going.
For the first time, he regretted the overly pragmatic life he’d led.
Though they walked for quite a while, it felt short to Dante. Before long, the two of them had circled the garden and reached the main building. The butler, who had come out to light the entrance lamps, widened his eyes at the sight of Dante walking side by side with Yvonne.
“Master?”
“It’s been a while, Butler.”
Was “been a while” the right thing to say? If things had gone according to plan, they weren’t supposed to meet for quite some time yet. Dante rarely returned to the mansion, after all.
It was an unusual sight, but the seasoned butler betrayed no sign of surprise and bowed politely.
“So your confinement period has ended. You must have had a hard time.”
“What? Confinement?”
Yvonne, startled, looked between them. Dante realized Rowan hadn’t told her anything about his situation, and he sighed softly. He couldn’t explain the Emperor’s illness or any of the real details, so he gave her a vague answer.
“When you command too many soldiers, your movements become restricted. It’s… unavoidable.”
“So that’s why you went somewhere right after entering the capital. I didn’t know.”
“It’s nothing.”
The butler smiled warmly and opened the door.
“So you’ll be staying the night, sir. Excellent. You can also see how the house has changed.”
As the door opened, the mansion revealed a noticeably different atmosphere.
Hmm?
Even someone as insensitive to such things as Dante could feel the change. The colors and furniture hadn’t been altered much, yet the air was somehow softer, warmer.
Wait, are there more things than before?
He saw furniture that hadn’t been there previously. A large tapestry now hung on the once-empty wall between the central hall and the staircase. It took him a while to remember what it was.
That hung in the annex.
His father had burned everything his mother had made, except that one tapestry — spared by chance. It had been tucked away in the annex all this time.
But the biggest change was in the dining room. A yellow floral tablecloth covered the long dining table, and the dishes the butler placed before them were also bright and flowery.
Did our family ever have such things?
As Dante frowned and tilted his head, Yvonne seemed to read his expression and smiled brightly.
“These lovely dishes were just sleeping in the storage room. Aren’t they adorable?”
“This is…”
“I made the tablecloth to match the dish pattern.”
“You made it?”
He hadn’t thought they owned such a cloth. Apparently, Yvonne had sewn it herself. Dante looked at her, eyes widening — that was a large piece of fabric to cover such a big table. Yvonne smiled shyly, drawing her shoulders in.
“I just bought the fabric and hemmed the edges. It’s nothing.”
“But still…”
Even to his untrained eyes, it was clearly more than “nothing.” The borders were finished with delicate lace.
Yvonne smiled widely.
“If you’ll allow it, may I also decorate your room, Duke? I won’t touch your office or library.”
“My room?”
“Yes — I imagine it’s rather empty, isn’t it?”
That was an accurate guess, but Dante deliberately dragged out his words, not wanting her to think of him as a dull, lifeless man.
“There’s… a decorative sword. And the bear pelt from a hunt when I was young…”
The butler cut in before he could continue.
“That was moved to storage long ago, sir.”
“Was it?”
Dante scratched his cheek awkwardly. Yvonne blinked in surprise.
“A bear pelt? You hunted a bear?”
“Yes.”
His answer trailed off. Yvonne had once said she wouldn’t wear rabbit fur gloves after holding a real rabbit. If she saw a bear he’d hunted, she might call him barbaric.
While Dante hesitated, lost in thought, the butler — clearly pleased to boast about his master — spoke up excitedly.
“It wasn’t just any bear, miss! It was a ferocious gray bear called the ‘Butcher of the South’—”
“That’s enough.”
Unable to stand it, Dante grabbed the butler’s sleeve and cut him off.
If she hears that, she’ll be frightened of me.
Just imagining Yvonne avoiding him in fear chilled his heart.
But instead, Yvonne’s eyes sparkled.
“You shouldn’t keep that in storage! It should be hung right in the entry hall — something like that must be rare among noble families!”
Dante frowned at her unexpected reaction.
“Well, that’s true, but… isn’t it scary?”
“What? If you were planning to go hunt it again, I’d be shocked and stop you — but you said you already killed it. Besides, if it was called the Butcher, didn’t it hurt a lot of people?”
“Yes.”
That was true — the bear had attacked villagers until Dante, as the lord, had to personally deal with it.
“Then you should be proud! It would look amazing next to your portrait, Duke.”
“…”
Dante pressed his lips together. It was the same strange feeling he’d had when she once said his rough hands looked “cool.” A tingling warmth in his chest — the urge to puff himself up, just a little.
What on earth…
He forced the strange flutter in his heart down. The unfamiliar emotion ran wild, leaving him utterly bewildered.
The funny thing was — he realized he actually liked this confusion.
My heart’s pounding out of control, and yet I don’t want to leave her side.
He wanted, in fact, to stay with her longer.
It’s dinner time anyway. If I just sit here quietly, it’ll seem natural to eat together.
But at that very moment, just when he thought they’d dine together, Yvonne bowed politely and turned to leave.
“Then, enjoy your meal.”
As she made to go, Dante acted without thinking — he reached out and caught her wrist.
“Where are you going?”
“Pardon?”
“You can eat here, can’t you?”
“But I’m a servant.”
Technically, that had been the excuse to bring her away from Count Clyne’s estate — under the pretense of hiring her. But hearing her call herself a servant now filled him with irritation. His emotions were anything but rational; all he could do was bite his lip.
The one who diffused the tension was the butler. Pulling out a chair, he said cheerfully,
“Please, have a seat, miss.”
“Eh?”
Still bewildered, Yvonne sat down. As two servings of food were brought out, Dante asked casually,
“And what else have you been doing in the house?”
“The annex roof was leaking, so I called someone to fix it. And then…”
Her gentle voice went on and on — soft and pleasant, like music.
For such a small and slender woman, she was remarkably diligent. In his absence, she had managed a surprising amount of work around the house.
“Thank you for the meal. I’ll go help Madam Marsha now.”
After dinner, Yvonne left for the kitchen. Alone at the table, Dante didn’t rise immediately. Instead, he sat there with a faint, content smile.
Seeing this, the butler chuckled.
“That’s the sense of peace marriage brings, sir.”
“…I didn’t say anything.”
“A warm, gentle home… and kind words filled with affection that make one forget the hardships outside.”
“You’ve grown sly while I was away, Butler.”
Dante gave a wry smile.
