~Chapter 28~
Meanwhile, Elin’s cheerful expression slowly turned a little uneasy.
After finishing her dance with Juliette and stepping back, she remembered what he had said while holding her hand again, as if reluctant to let go.
“Won’t you come to Castia as well, my lady? It would be a pleasant experience to paint together at her estate.”
“I would like to, but I don’t think I’ll have the time. I’ll write to my great-aunt instead. She’ll be very happy to see you again.”
Elin understood it as simple kindness, but his familiarity made her slightly uncomfortable, so she gently refused with a soft smile.
She didn’t think it was necessary to mention it to the Duke, so she kept it to herself.
The carriage ride back after the party was quiet.
After standing for so long, talking, dancing, and drinking a few glasses, the sofa felt comfortable.
While Elin stared blankly out the dark window, Dominic quietly watched her from beneath his hat.
Her eyelids kept drooping, as if she was struggling to stay awake.
Perhaps she had drunk quite a bit—the area under her eyes was slightly flushed.
He had only ever seen her wide-eyed and tense in front of him, afraid of making mistakes.
Now, seeing her relaxed and slightly loose like this felt unfamiliar.
In the dim carriage light at night, she seemed like a completely different person from the one he saw in daylight.
The dress he had complimented and the jewels shining against her pale skin now looked even more beautiful.
As her heavy eyelids drooped further, she leaned her head gently against the velvet wall beside the window.
Her neatly styled hair had loosened slightly, soft strands falling near her face and curling around her slender neck.
She really looks like a different person.
He faintly remembered her innocent surprise when they met in the greenhouse, and the way she had run boldly through the rain.
Even though she had become a Duchess, her atmosphere then and now felt completely different.
Her determined voice saying she would make this marriage work echoed in his ears again.
Suddenly, he wondered—
What would she be like after their divorce in one year?
The moment he thought of the word “divorce,” a strange numbness spread through his fingertips.
Unaware that he was watching her, Elin finally gave in to sleep.
The steady sound of the carriage wheels lulled her into a deep slumber.
As her mind drifted, a memory from Castia unfolded before her eyes again.
A dangerous gunshot.
A fallen man.
A dark forest.
Her own hands, stained with bright red blood.
‘Ha—!’
Ah…!
Her eyes snapped open.
Elin was no longer in a dark forest at dusk, but inside the soft carriage.
The orange light from the lantern above gently lit the space.
“Are you alright?”
Dominic, sitting across from her, looked at her curiously.
“Did you have a bad dream?”
Elin pressed her forehead lightly and let out a small breath.
“Yes… I must have fallen asleep for a moment.”
She worried that she might have said something strange in her sleep.
But Dominic turned his gaze back toward the window, and she felt relieved.
Why am I having that dream again after so long? And here, of all places… It felt even more real this time.
The sound of the gunshot still echoed in her ears.
Elin carefully looked at Dominic.
Does he ever have the same dream?
She suddenly wondered.
She recalled Melisa’s words.
“We have a villa in Castia. Something unpleasant happened there.”
“Even so, I don’t understand why you like that place.”
Elin quietly watched him as he looked out the window.
His black hair moved slightly in the night breeze.
The forehead that had once been covered in sweat and pain now looked perfectly calm.
He definitely doesn’t recognize me at all.
Well… I was disguised as a man back then.
She had hidden her hair under a hat and even worn a fake mustache.
Of course he wouldn’t recognize her.
Still, she felt a little disappointed.
Did he really not feel even a bit of familiarity?
Her eyes… her voice…
Perhaps she had secretly hoped he would recognize her first.
With a faint, bitter smile, Elin turned her gaze to the other window.
The carriage soon entered the Duke’s estate and stopped in front of the entrance.
Dominic got down first, followed by Elin.
When his white-gloved hand reached out to her, she hesitated for a moment.
“Thank you.”
She lightly took his hand and stepped down.
To him, it was just habitual courtesy—but to Elin, even that small gesture made her heart flutter.
“Welcome back.”
Jeffrey greeted them as they entered, and the servants began moving busily.
“I’ve prepared the bath for you, my lady.”
As Monica took her hat, Elin unconsciously looked at Dominic.
He spoke—not to her, but to Jeffrey.
“I’ll go straight to the study.”
Jeffrey bowed politely as he took his coat.
Only then did Elin relax, feeling a bit foolish.
She realized something.
What he said to Jeffrey was actually meant for her.
He was telling her to rest comfortably, as he would not be going to their room.
She felt relieved for now—
But this couldn’t continue.
If things stayed like this, people would begin to doubt their relationship.
Soaking in the warm bath, Elin recalled everything that had happened today.
A small smile appeared on her lips.
No matter how she thought about it, today’s events felt unbelievable.
I actually met Juliette Marin… And I never expected to get along so well with the Nazar princess.
At first, when the Duke asked her to attend the party, she had felt anxious.
She was afraid of making mistakes in a place where she knew no one.
At past parties with her family, she always stayed in quiet corners, avoiding attention.
That was what her family preferred—and she was comfortable with it too.
But today was different.
It was the first time she had truly enjoyed a party in the capital.
I’m glad it seems to have helped the Duke too.
Instead of being a burden, she felt a small sense of happiness that she had fulfilled her role as Duchess, even a little.
She closed her eyes and sank deeper into the warm bath.
After a moment, she rose again, water rippling around her.
“Phew…”
Her expression turned serious.
“No… this won’t do. I should tell him.”
She stood up from the bath, droplets of water falling from her body.
Meanwhile, Dominic sat on the sofa in his study, looking at documents.
But he hadn’t turned a page for a long time.
The words on the paper didn’t enter his mind.
Instead, scenes from the party replayed before his eyes.
Elin laughing brightly.
Dancing with another man.
“Damn it.”
He shook his head, trying to clear the image and focus again.
The village where he planned to build a railway was also where his mine was located.
If the railway was built, it would benefit both his business and the village.
But the villagers seemed strongly opposed.
Thinking about it already gave him a headache.
He closed the document and leaned back into the sofa.
The clock showed it was already midnight.
She must be asleep by now.
It had been a long day—he was tired, and she must be too.
He longed to soak in warm water and rest in a soft bed.
Something that used to be so simple—
Now felt complicated.
Just because one person had entered his life, it felt like his freedom was restricted.
And the one most affected by her presence—
Was himself.
This is something I brought upon myself.
He couldn’t blame anyone.
When he decided on a contract marriage with Elin Nelson, he never expected it would trouble him like this.
She wasn’t even his type.
It had just been a mistake on a drunken night.
He never thought he would start seeing her as a woman.
Mother should return to the villa soon.
If his sharp-eyed mother left, he could live more freely, even use separate rooms without concern.
It would be better for Elin too.
Perhaps it was something she wished for as well.
As Dominic pressed his brow lightly, there was a knock on the door.
It sounded different from Jeffrey’s usual knock.
Who could it be at this hour?
The door opened slightly, and Elin peeked in.
“I have something to tell you.”
“Come in.”
He sat up, watching her approach, curious.
Her damp red hair fell softly to her waist.
Her pale skin was slightly flushed, as if she had just stepped out of the bath.
Instinctively, Dominic felt heat rise in his body.
Startled, he quickly looked away at the documents.
He didn’t want to realize his awareness of her like this.
“What is it?”
Seeing her stand there so innocently—unaware of how tempting she looked—made him instinctively cautious.
The soft scent of soap filled the room, completely driving away his sleepiness.
And yet, she seemed completely unaware of the effect she had on him.
Her serious, clear expression only made it worse.
“I’ve been thinking…”
He wanted her to say it quickly and leave.
Her sweet, strawberry-like scent felt as if it was seeping into him.
This study was a place for ink and paper—not something like this.
Unable to bear it, he stood up and moved to the window.
The cool night air helped calm him.
Then Elin spoke.
“You come straight to the study because of me, don’t you? Even after going out, you always come here instead of the room.”
Dominic wondered why she was bringing this up now.
She already knew he was avoiding her.
What more did she want?
“Please don’t do that anymore. I’ll try to get used to it too.”
He turned to look at her, surprised.
“What do you mean?”
“It’s important to act like a loving couple outside… but the people who see us most closely are the ones in this house.”
Dominic fell into thought.
“Are there rumors in the house that I don’t know about?”
He hadn’t noticed.
But the servants had been whispering—
That the master left on business right after marriage,
That he stayed in his study all night instead of his room,
That the couple seemed awkward together—
Some even said—
That their affection had already faded.
