CHAPTER 10………………………………………………….
Letters and Well-Wishes
Fortunately for Lowell, the inside of the estate was in far better condition than the outside. In particular, the areas that looked like they had been used by Leon were noticeably clean, standing apart from the rest.
“Your bedroom is the room on the far left on the second floor. I’ve already had all your luggage moved there, so once you’re done organizing, come down to the first floor.”
While Lowell was inwardly breathing a sigh of relief, Leon turned and headed toward a room lined with empty bookshelves.
“Ah, yes!”
Leon’s manner was far too dry for someone showing another person around, but at the time, Lowell was so impressed by how clean the interior was that she responded brightly to his retreating back.
A short while later, when Lowell went up to the second floor, she immediately figured out which room was Leon’s. After all, in a dust-covered hallway, there was only one room with a spotless entrance. Anyone could tell it was where Leon stayed.
‘He really takes good care of his own things.’
Thinking of what might or might not count as a positive trait, Lowell lifted her skirt slightly so it wouldn’t drag across the dusty floor.
“By the way, you.”
About thirty minutes after Lowell had started unpacking in her room, a familiar voice came from behind her.
“…You startled me. When did you get here?”
Startled, Lowell turned around to see Leon leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed.
“That reverse-teleportation spell you cast on me when we moved near the duke’s estate before—did you memorize the incantation and cast it?”
“Huh?”
Lowell had clearly asked when he arrived first, but Leon answered her question with another question, making her frown slightly.
Still, seeing Leon stand there silently as if he were genuinely curious, Lowell gave the first answer that came to mind.
“I’d just read about it in a magic book that day, so I kind of tried copying it.”
“‘Kind of’? Then you didn’t memorize an incantation.”
“There’s an incantation for reverse teleportation? It worked without one, so I thought it was just how it worked.”
As she said that, Lowell stood up and tried to pull the curtain cord wound high above. Since it didn’t look like Leon would help her tidy up, she figured she’d do it herself.
But the cord was quite high, and no matter how much she stood on tiptoe, Lowell couldn’t reach it.
“Kh—!”
Should she not have used magic? As she always did when grabbing something high up, she simply used magic to pull the curtain cord—but the thick layer of dust piled above scattered, making her cough.
“…Interesting. You struggle so much with memorizing incantations, yet you can use magic without them so easily.”
After Lowell finally stopped coughing, Leon muttered to himself while looking at the curtain cord floating in midair.
“…Are you, by any chance, saying in a roundabout way that I’m stupid?”
Only then did Lowell lower the hand holding the cord and glare at Leon.
“Didn’t expect you to say it yourself.”
“Huh?”
After that, while Leon came into Lowell’s room and half-heartedly helped her unpack, Lowell kept grumbling about one thing or another, and Leon let it all go in one ear and out the other.
As Leon pondered Lowell’s magical power, none of her complaints made it into his thoughts.
“Ugh, good morning. Did you sleep well?”
The next morning, Lowell stretched as she came down the stairs. Despite it being her first night in a new home, she’d slept deeply and felt refreshed all over.
“Yes. A letter addressed to you arrived, so I put it on the table. Go check it.”
Unlike Lowell, who still looked half-asleep, Leon was neatly dressed. Sitting on the sofa in the study as he spoke, he even looked like someone in the middle of work.
“Huh? It’s already here?”
Rubbing her eyes as she dazedly descended the stairs, Lowell’s eyes lit up at the word letter. She hurried into the study and tore open the letter placed in front of Leon.
Since she’d sent the address as soon as she finished unpacking yesterday, the letter had arrived sooner than expected.
—To Lowell,
Lowell! Or should I call you Lady Riefman now? Are you enjoying married life? I’m getting used to spending my days without you.
…[omitted]…
When things like that happen, I really feel your absence and it makes me sad. This letter’s gotten too long. I’ll write again soon.
—Missing you, Aria Heinstine
It was a letter soaked through with Aria’s kindness. Lowell traced each word with her eyes and smiled softly.
—To Lowell!
Lowell! Your husband is Sir Riefman?! You said he was just an ordinary person! Liar! There’s nothing ordinary about his looks!
…[omitted]…
So next time we meet, you have to tell us everything, starting with how the two of you met!
—Your very angry coworkers!
In contrast, this letter—filled with traces of having been written and erased multiple times—felt as though resentful voices were leaping right off the page.
‘I should think in advance about what I’ll say when we meet again.’
Thinking that, Lowell let out a small laugh mixed with a sigh.
However, unlike Lowell, who was smiling, Leon—sitting across from her—was feeling anger seep out from beneath his skin. A much shorter letter than Lowell’s began to crumple in his hand.
As if disgrace from the knight order wasn’t enough, now you’ve married a commoner.
It seems you’re determined to tarnish the name of Riefman.
I will send money and servants to staff the estate by noon.
Do not further damage the family’s dignity.
‘Hah. They told me never to live under the Riefman name again, and now they’re talking about family dignity?’
A scoff slipped through Leon’s teeth.
“By the way.”
Just as Leon was about to completely crush the letter, Lowell suddenly popped into his field of view.
“What do you usually eat for breakfast?”
“…What?”
“There don’t seem to be any servants here, so I thought I’d make something. I’m not great at cooking, but I can make something edible.”
At the completely unexpected question, Leon froze, forgetting all about the letter in his hand. He didn’t even notice Lowell’s bright-eyed face drawing closer.
“…You don’t need to make anything. Servants are arriving by noon.”
He only came back to himself when the prolonged silence made Lowell’s gaze drift from his face to the letter he was holding.
“Oh? Is that so?”
At that moment, Lowell had been assuming Leon had spent all his money buying the estate, so she stepped back with an exaggerated look of surprise.
“They’re servants sent by the Riefman family.”
Leon quickly saw through her assumption and added that before a bigger misunderstanding could form.
“Ah.”
Lowell nodded slightly. A thought crossed her mind—that although they’d cast him out, he was still family, after all.
“And I don’t usually eat breakfast.”
With just that, Leon left his seat.
As a result, Lowell almost blurted out, Then what am I supposed to eat for breakfast?—but she managed to keep it to herself.
“……”
After that, when the servants sent by the Riefman family arrived, the first dinner Leon and Lowell shared together was, quite literally, steeped in silence.
Given that they weren’t close, it might have been inevitable—but the servants openly scanning them from head to toe only added to the discomfort.
‘I think I’m going to get indigestion.’
The suffocating atmosphere made Lowell feel like she’d rather stand up and serve the food herself.
Leon, on the other hand, looked completely unfazed when she glanced at him. Either he was used to situations like this—or at least perfectly acting as if he were.
‘Hmm…’
Still, when more dishes were brought out, Lowell gained a sort of realization.
‘Well… if rumors spread about our relationship, it would be troublesome for both of us.’
Watching Leon’s flawless performance made her realize she might have been thinking too lightly about things.
‘It would be a problem if word got back to Lady Aria that my married life is nothing but silent meals.’
That thought made Lowell grip her knife a little tighter as she cut her meat.
Until the meal ended, Lowell—now feeling oddly serious—spent the time thinking deeply about what it meant to put on a perfect act.
“Wait, what did you just say?”
“I said, let’s sleep together.”
So when Lowell said that to Leon that night, it wasn’t strange to her at all. To Lowell, sleeping together was simply another step toward maintaining a perfect act.
But that was her perspective alone. When Leon returned to his room after changing, he couldn’t help but feel dizzy at the sight of a woman in a nightgown standing in front of his door.
“Why would I sleep with—”
“Lower your voice!”
Before Leon could even finish his sentence, Lowell pressed a finger to his lips, cutting him off.
While he stood there blankly, Lowell carefully scanned their surroundings like someone heading into a battlefield. Then she tugged Leon’s clothes, leaned close to his ear, and whispered.
“The servants are watching.”
At that, Leon shifted only his eyes forward from his stiffened posture. Sure enough, he could see gazes watching them intently.
But before Leon could form any judgment about those eyes, Lowell pulled at his sleeve again, drawing closer, and his thoughts were cut short.
“If people hear that a married couple is sleeping in separate rooms, what do you think they’ll say? So let’s sleep together. I won’t do anything.”
For a brief moment, Leon noticed his own eyes reflected in the eyes now right in front of him—trembling slightly.
“……”
“Let’s go in.”
Lowell released the speechless Leon and opened the door, a satisfied smile on her face.
The instant Leon saw that smile, he felt a dizziness he couldn’t explain. But at the time, he didn’t know what that dizziness meant.
“Aren’t you coming in?”
At least, that’s what he firmly believed back then—that he didn’t know.
