Chapter 18
Eden opened the envelope with some doubt.
“Ha.”
Then he let out a short laugh.
“What is it?”
Miller, unable to hold back his curiosity, peeked at the contents.
“Gasp…!”
A shocked gasp escaped his lips too.
What was written inside was not about money or social status.
It said Eden Bertenon must always openly show his love for Godell Hildegard, no matter the situation.
“This should be enough,” I said, wiping the sweat from my forehead after organizing the last of the luggage.
Even though the house was old and worn, I’d lived there a long time, so there was quite a bit to sort.
If we had more time, we could’ve prepared more calmly.
But with less than two weeks before the will went into effect, we had no choice but to rush.
“Still, Eden works so fast,” I thought.
With just a word from Eden, everything related to Louis and Gilbert’s death was settled all at once.
Louis was handled for illegal gambling, and Gilbert’s death was marked as a simple accident.
It really was an accident, but it was surprising how neatly it was closed without any questioning.
“He’s a scary man…”
Though I had agreed to marry him, so I shouldn’t be saying that.
With all the organizing done, I looked toward the other room. If we wanted to arrive on time, we had to leave soon.
“Echo, are you ready?”
“Yes…!”
After a bit of noise, Echo came out of the room.
Her long golden hair was neatly braided to one side, making her look even more kind and gentle.
She looked beautiful today too. I smiled proudly but then noticed the coat she was wearing.
It was a winter coat I had bought for special outings. Since she hadn’t worn it yet, I thought she might not like it.
“I didn’t wear it on purpose until now,” Echo said shyly, noticing my gaze.
“Since you bought it for me, I wanted to wear it on a really special day…”
She trailed off, blushing and looking down.
She glanced at me shyly, and her drooped hair looked like puppy ears.
“So cute…!”
I wanted to poke her pink cheeks, but I resisted and cleared my throat.
“It looks great on you. But there’s one thing you forgot.”
Echo, who looked happy at the compliment, widened her eyes at those words.
“D-Did I do something wrong?”
“Who bought you that coat?”
“The coat…?”
She looked confused, then suddenly went quiet.
Her cheeks turned even redder, and after some hesitation, she spoke.
“M-My aunt did…”
“Right.”
I nodded, pleased. Since we decided to become a family, I started by changing how we called each other.
Calling your own family with honorifics was too much.
It was just a title, but Echo still felt awkward. I fixed her messy hair and said,
“You’ll get used to it soon.”
“Yes…!”
She answered brightly. She still seemed shy, but compared to before—when she saw herself as a burden—she had become much more cheerful. It was a good change.
I smiled as well.
Just then, I heard a sound outside. Wheels rolling and horses trotting. It must have been people from the Bertenon estate.
We didn’t have much luggage, but since the capital was far, a cart was necessary.
But…
“Isn’t that too many carts?”
And they looked too fancy to be just moving carts.
One carriage stopped in front of us. It was much larger than the others.
The door opened slowly, and someone stepped out.
It was Eden. Surprised, I widened my eyes. Eden smiled.
“Good. I’m glad I wasn’t late.”
“Why are you here, Duke?”
“Do I need a reason to come pick up my fiancée?”
He smiled. Then tilted his head slightly, looking at something.
Curious onlookers were staring, wondering about the fancy carriages. When they saw Eden, they covered their mouths in shock.
“He’s really getting married? It wasn’t a rumor?”
“Didn’t you hear? He just called her his fiancée!”
“Wow, never thought I’d see something like this.”
People whispered in disbelief.
Then I realized why Eden came in person. By showing up himself, he completely silenced the rumors.
But he could’ve told me beforehand. He just wanted to see my reaction.
His smug smile said it all. A bit annoyed, I smiled sweetly.
“I didn’t expect you to come. It would’ve been nice if you let me know.”
If he was sharp, Eden would get my real meaning:
‘Showing up without a word? That’s not very considerate, is it?’
Eden replied,
“I hope you’ll forgive me. I just couldn’t wait to see you.”
He lowered his eyebrows and looked at me with sincere eyes, as if begging for forgiveness.
“Oh my…”
“So romantic!”
“Men in love are like that. My husband was too.”
People around us sighed in admiration. Their eyes were filled with joy and envy.
I just wanted to make him flustered, but now it looked like everyone adored him even more. I forced a smile.
“…I see, that’s very kind of you.”
“Thank you for understanding. Shall we go, then?”
Eden reached out his hand toward me.
“There’s so much I want to talk to you about.”
He added in a sweet voice.
But I knew exactly what he meant by “talk.”
I nodded and placed my hand in his. I turned to bring Echo along, but she was staring elsewhere.
She was looking at a carriage behind us. It had a unique color.
Most carriages were painted in black, navy, or brown. But this one was a clear blue.
Ah, now I understand Echo’s expression. That bright color was hard to make in this era.
Echo, who loved painting, must’ve been fascinated.
“That carriage caught your eye?”
“…!”
Eden noticed too and spoke to her. Even though Echo was just a child, he still used polite words.
Echo flinched slightly, feeling shy for being distracted in front of guests.
“Do you like painting, Miss Echo?”
“Just… I’m a bit interested.”
She answered carefully. Eden still felt unfamiliar to her.
“That’s good. I actually bought a few famous paintings at an auction.”
“…!”
“The artist is known for using many colors.”
Hearing this, Echo’s eyes sparkled.
“If you want, you can go take a look.”
Eden smiled warmly as he offered.
Echo’s face brightened but then dimmed again.
She looked at me nervously. Even if she liked the paintings, it would be rude to leave guests and go look.
So there was only one option—we’d ride in separate carriages.
Seeing Echo hesitate, I said,
“If you want to go, it’s okay.”
“But…”
“It’s fine. Nothing will happen.”
She looked so interested—I couldn’t say no.
Also, letting her enjoy the paintings alone would be a nice treat.
When I reassured her, her face brightened again. She softly said, “T-Then…” and walked toward the blue carriage. The attendants guided her kindly.
“Shall we go too?”
Eden turned to me.
I took his hand and got into the carriage.
“Let’s go.”
Eden gave a short order and shut the door. The coachman shouted, and the carriage began to move.
As the village slowly disappeared outside the window, I spoke.
“I didn’t expect you to get paintings too.”
“When I’m spending time with my precious fiancée, this much effort is only natural.”
He replied right away.
I looked away from the window and faced forward.
Eden sat with his arm resting on the window, his finger brushing his lips. From the moment we got in, he hadn’t taken his eyes off me.
When our eyes met, he smiled.
“The mansion has too many ears listening. To speak alone with you, this was the best chance.”
“So that’s why you went to the auction.”
“I hate hassle, but once in a while, it’s not so bad.”
He leaned back comfortably and tilted his head.
“I enjoy finding valuable things that others miss.”
