Episode 13
At first, Eleonore did not understand Walter’s question and looked confused.
She had never imagined that Walter would ask what “acting like a husband and wife” meant.
Eleonore stared at him, waiting for him to say it was a joke.
But no matter how much time passed, Walter did not say a single word about joking.
He simply stared at her with a stiff expression.
“You don’t seriously mean you don’t know, right?”
“……”
Walter fell silent again.
Eleonore hated his silence more than anything.
But strangely, this time she did not feel angry.
Wait… does he really not know?
Instead of anger, she felt disbelief.
“How can you not know that?”
“No one has ever taught me about it.”
Walter answered in a rigid voice.
“You must have received education as the heir. Surely the duties of husband and wife were included in that!”
“My mother did not dare to teach me. The people who taught me how to rule the territory were the retainers. They taught me many things, but they never spoke about marital relations.”
“Ah…”
Eleonore let out a small exclamation.
Well, if it’s Katarina, that makes sense.
Katarina adored her son Walter deeply, but she never tried to discipline him or advise him.
So it made sense that she never gave him proper education as an heir.
“But…”
Eleonore still had one question.
“Your father, the former Duke, was still alive until a few years ago.”
As far as she knew, the former duke had died eight years ago.
It wasn’t recent, but he still had plenty of time to teach Walter.
And unlike the retainers, the former duke could have spoken freely about marital duties.
“……”
The moment Eleonore mentioned the former duke, Walter’s face hardened.
“…My father was a man of indulgence.”
He said shortly.
The sentence carried a lot of meaning.
Eleonore quickly covered her mouth in surprise.
If even this man calls him indulgent… then it must have been really serious.
In her previous life, Walter had never been someone who lived luxuriously.
Except for the time he brought the saint to the castle, he always acted with strict efficiency and discipline.
I thought he learned that from watching his father.
But apparently that was not the case.
Now that I think about it, this is the first time he has ever talked about his father.
It revealed how little conversation they had during their four years of marriage.
“Anyway, because of that, I cannot understand what kind of marital relationship Miss Vianello wants.”
Walter said, as if shaking off the topic.
“So please tell me what you want.”
Eleonore was momentarily stunned.
You want me to decide everything?
She had never expected Walter to actively discuss marital relations.
But now that things had turned out this way, even Eleonore found it hard to speak immediately.
For a moment, silence filled the room.
Wait… maybe this is actually an opportunity.
Suddenly, an idea flashed in Eleonore’s mind.
If this man knows nothing, then I can explain it the way I want.
Of course, she could not make unreasonable demands like asking him to obey everything she said.
But maybe she could at least plant a little information that would help her position in the future.
“Alright. I’ll explain what being husband and wife means.”
Eleonore finally spoke.
Walter’s eyes showed interest.
Seeing that he was paying attention, Eleonore carefully chose her words.
“The most important thing is sharing a bed.”
Without hesitation, the words left her mouth.
“Because the duty of nobles is…”
Eleonore paused before finishing her sentence.
She had been about to say producing an heir.
In my previous life, this man talked about love every day, and in the end he went to the Saint of Habikh.
She suddenly remembered that Walter had rejected her because of love.
Then instead of pressuring him about heirs, maybe I should use another bait.
Eleonore’s mind began working quickly.
She carefully watched Walter’s expression.
He was still silent, but he seemed to be trying to accept her statement that sharing a bed was important.
Seeing that, Eleonore realized something.
This is the only chance. If not now, I will never break his stubborn belief in love.
This moment was the perfect opportunity.
Alright… let’s try it.
Eleonore spoke in a calm, ordinary tone.
“Husband and wife are people who love each other.”
Talking about love in front of Walter made her feel slightly uncomfortable.
“Especially nobles. They must set an example for the common people by loving each other passionately.”
But when she saw Walter nodding as if he understood, her words flowed more easily.
“So we must share a bed.”
She emphasized the words again.
“Because sharing a bed is the best way to prove love and show it to others.”
After finishing her explanation, Eleonore looked directly into Walter’s eyes while her heart beat quickly.
Even for someone who had returned from death, this moment made her nervous.
Walter stared at her for a long time with his deep blue eyes.
Did he realize… I’m lying?
Just when Eleonore was about to give up persuading him—
“…What you said is correct.”
Hearing Walter’s answer, Eleonore let out a deep sigh of relief.
“We will share a bed as soon as possible. And as often as possible.”
Hearing those words, Eleonore almost wanted to cheer.
If I share a bed with him, fewer people in the castle will dare to treat me badly. And maybe I can even have an heir.
If she gave birth to the heir of Pertitz, then even if the Saint appeared later, her position as the Duchess would not be threatened.
And when everything is over, I can leave the heir behind in Pertitz and leave freely.
Eleonore had never given birth before and had never been loved as a child.
So she believed that even if she had a child, she would be able to leave without much difficulty.
“So Miss Vianello will return to the castle now?”
Walter asked about her plans, unaware of her thoughts.
“Yes. I told them I was going out for a walk, so it’s about time to go back.”
After saying that, Eleonore left the room with light steps.
She could feel Walter’s strange gaze following her, but she did not turn back.
— Under the eyes of the great god, the hero seeks justice and repeats life again and again.
When she went down to the first floor to find Becky, cheerful singing could be heard.
The traveling musicians were singing for the knights.
Eleonore was about to leave the inn when something suddenly came to mind.
She looked carefully around the hall.
About three musicians were singing, while the others were eating the food the inn had given them.
What about Peter? Is he alright?
Eleonore searched the hall.
She wanted to check on the boy before leaving.
There he is.
Soon she found Peter sitting in a corner with other children, warming themselves by the fireplace.
Eleonore slowly walked across the hall toward them.
“…!”
When she appeared, the musicians suddenly stopped singing.
Even the knights lowered their beer mugs.
Eleonore did not realize it, but she had the same ability as Walter to make people feel tense.
“H-hello, noble lady.”
“Greetings, noble lady.”
The children hurriedly greeted her.
Behind them, Peter also bowed carefully.
He’s wary of me. Well, this is our first meeting in this life.
Eleonore thought as she looked at the nervous boy.
While she was quietly observing Peter—
Grrr…
A loud stomach growling sound suddenly echoed.
“S-sorry.”
A red-haired boy with freckles lowered his head in embarrassment.
“Why aren’t you children eating?”
Only then did Eleonore notice there was no food in front of them.
“Well… we have to wait until the adults finish eating first. Then it’s our turn.”
The freckled boy answered hesitantly.
“What?”
Eleonore frowned.
