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“Let’s go back.”
Lucius spoke in a noticeably subdued voice, his condition clearly not good. He really must be feeling quite unwell.
“All right. Then I’ll go and let Alexandra know before we leave.”
“No, it’s fine. We can have a servant deliver the message.”
“What? No, but shouldn’t we tell her properly, face-to-face?”
At the very least, we should inform Alexandra directly. She’s probably waiting for us outside even now. Leaving like this would be discourteous.
“…Would that not do? I just want to return with you right now…”
“…”
Did he think I’d refuse when he spoke in such a pitiful voice? Of course not.
“Fine. Let’s go back then.”
“Yes, Tiana.”
In the end, I gave in to Lucius’s pleading. He’s not usually like this, so it felt a little awkward… but also endearing. It meant he was relying on me in this moment.
‘It’s a tiny bit disappointing that we’ll miss out on the emperor’s head chef’s cooking, but still. Eating with Lucius back home will be a true feast.’
I’d already accomplished my goal of making him more cautious. A trace of regret lingered, but if it’s for my husband, that much I can easily give up.
All right, time to find a servant to pass along our message. Someone should be nearby. I’d better look.
“Lucius, stay here. I’ll go find a servant and let them know.”
“No, Tiana. I’ll do it.”
“You’re not feeling well, so why make it harder on yourself? I’ll be right back, just wait here.”
“But… then I’ll come with you.”
“No. My sweet husband, you’ll wait here, won’t you? I’ll bring the carriage around too.”
“…All right. Understood.”
Was it because he was ill that he seemed more fragile? It took some effort to persuade Lucius, who insisted on coming along. But just as I was about to leave the drawing room, he wouldn’t let go of my hand.
“…Lucius. You need to let go, or I can’t go.”
“I… don’t want to let go.”
“Then I can’t go. I have to fetch a servant and pass along the message so we can return quickly.”
“…”
“Ha…”
This man, honestly. To think he could be so clingy. It was cute and sweet, but also quite troublesome. I couldn’t just drag along someone who said he was unwell, but he didn’t seem like he’d let me go either.
There was no helping it. Getting home quickly mattered more. I sighed deeply and looked at Lucius still holding my hand tightly.
“All right. Let’s go together then.”
“Yes, Tiana.”
“…”
When had he stopped sulking? His bright smile now felt just a little unfair. It was as if I’d lost to him again.
In any case, time wouldn’t wait for us, so we hurried. At last, we left the drawing room together. I half-expected Alexandra to be waiting outside, but perhaps she had gone to the dining hall first, because she was nowhere in sight.
Had we taken too long, forcing her to leave? Or was she simply being considerate, telling us to take our time? Either way, I couldn’t shake the feeling that we were treating her badly. Perhaps it would be better to tell her directly after all…
But before I could decide, Lucius quickly spotted a passing servant. Well, so much for that.
“You there, a moment please.”
“Eh? Ah—yes! Your Grace. What do you require?”
The page stopped, startled, and hurried over. Glancing at both Lucius and me, his face paled slightly in nervousness.
“Would you deliver a message to Alexandra in the dining hall? Tell her I’m feeling unwell and must return at once. Apologize to her for me as well.”
“Yes, understood. I’ll deliver it immediately.”
“Thank you. Ah, and please summon the ducal carriage here too.”
“Yes, right away. Please wait just a moment.”
The servant bustled off quickly. Lucius, having neatly resolved the matter, looked at me with a content smile. I couldn’t help but smile back at that pure expression.
When we returned to the ducal estate in the carriage, Warren, Jane, and several servants were already waiting outside, having been notified in haste.
“Welcome home, Your Grace, My Lady.”
Warren bowed, then approached us with a puzzled look.
“You’ve returned earlier than expected. We had word you would be dining at the palace, but it seems you didn’t. Did something happen?”
Trust Warren to notice so quickly.
“His Grace wasn’t feeling well, so we didn’t stay for lunch and came straight back.”
“What? His Grace, unwell?”
At the mention of Lucius being sick, Warren looked at him in alarm. From behind, I heard the other servants murmuring in concern.
“Warren, could you fetch some medicine? And please prepare a light meal—something easy to digest, like a thin soup.”
“Yes, at once, My Lady. I’ll prepare—”
“There’s no need, Warren.”
“Pardon?”
Warren stopped mid-motion at Lucius’s words. I blinked at him in surprise too.
“What do you mean, Lucius?”
“Exactly that, Tiana. I don’t need medicine or food.”
“What? But you said you weren’t feeling well. You can’t take medicine on an empty stomach, so you need at least some soup first. That way you’ll feel better—”
“I’m already fine now.”
“What? Already fine? Wait… Lucius?”
Just moments ago he’d looked deathly pale, but now he was perfectly composed. His complexion had cleared, almost glowing with health. He even seemed… invigorated.
Could he really have recovered so suddenly? Or—had he lied to me?
Before I could question him, Lucius suddenly smiled slyly and swept me into his arms.
“Wait, Lucius?! What are you—”
“Hold still. You’ll fall.”
“That’s not the problem! Why are you carrying me? Where are you—don’t tell me…”
“You’ve already guessed, haven’t you, Tiana?”
“No way…”
His mischievous grin confirmed my suspicion—he meant to carry me straight to our bedroom. At this hour? With Warren, Jane, and the servants all watching? My face flushed crimson as my heart pounded.
I tried wriggling free, but his grip didn’t budge.
“Tiana, if you move like that you’ll really fall.”
“Then put me down, Lucius! Everyone is watching, what are you doing?”
“Is it strange for a husband to carry his wife? It’s only natural.”
“No, it’s not natural at all!”
This husband of mine—twisting logic in the strangest way. Things were only spiraling further out of hand.
The servants, of course, quickly realized what was happening. Though embarrassed, their faces were full of barely contained smiles. Warren and Jane tried to keep order, but even they couldn’t hide their amusement.
‘Stop smiling and help me, someone…’
But who could possibly wrest me from Lucius’s arms? No one. Which meant… I really was going to be carried off like this.
“…Ha…”
“Tiana. Do you dislike this?”
Lucius leaned in, golden eyes shimmering close to mine. Flustered, I turned my gaze aside and murmured,
“It’s not that I dislike it. But doing this so suddenly… it’s embarrassing with others watching.”
“Shall I put you down, then?”
“…”
Why was he so obedient at moments like this? Did he have awareness or not? At this point, what could I even say? Swallowing a sigh, I shook my head slowly and rested my face against his shoulder, whispering,
“Just hurry up and go. Stop showing my embarrassed face to everyone.”
“…Yes, Tiana.”
Satisfied, he kissed my forehead with a smile and carried me inside.
“So, was Brother Lucius all right?”
“Huh? Ah… yes, he was fine. Ha… ha…”
Nothing could be more mortifying. Alexandra asked after Lucius, but all I could do was mumble vaguely in reply.
Yes, Lucius had been fine—but I certainly hadn’t been.
That night, I’d been pushed to exhaustion until I practically fainted into sleep. The next day, I was forced to stay abed again. Really, body of mine—couldn’t you hold up a little better?
It took several days before I could finally come out again. Even now, I still didn’t feel fully recovered. But I couldn’t miss this gathering with Alexandra and Angelica.
“Was His Grace feeling unwell?”
Angelica, sitting on the sofa to my left, asked gently. Guilt pricked at me as I forced an answer.
“Yes, a few days ago he had some stomach trouble. That’s why we had to leave in a hurry and couldn’t dine with Alexandra.”
“Oh my, I see. And he’s all right now?”
“Yes. He’s completely fine.”
Of course, he’d never really been sick to begin with. But I couldn’t very well say that. I had to keep a straight face.
“I was so worried when I heard Brother Lucius was ill, but it’s a relief he recovered quickly. Still, it was such a shame, Tiana. The food that day was truly incredible.”
“Really? That good?”
“Of course! Even better than the first time I tried his cooking. Every dish was so exquisite I thought my tongue would melt. Right, Angelica?”
Alexandra, waxing poetic about the imperial chef’s food, turned to Angelica. The quiet young woman nodded firmly.
“Yes, it was delicious. I haven’t eaten his dishes many times yet, but I think those were the best so far.”
“Exactly. He must have put extra effort into them that day. It’s such a pity you couldn’t join us, Tiana.”
“Even His Majesty said so. He really wanted you to experience his chef’s cooking.”
“Ah… ha ha… hearing how delicious it was makes me regret it even more.”
Listening to both Alexandra and Angelica rave about the dishes, my mouth watered helplessly. Even His Majesty had regretted it? Just how incredible must it have been?
Back then, I’d told myself it was only a tiny disappointment—but thinking about it now, it was at least thumb-sized… maybe even palm-sized.
‘Well, there’ll be other chances. No use lamenting now.’
Still, I couldn’t suppress the sigh rising inside. I sipped from my teacup to soothe the frustration. The blue rose tea swirled in the cup Angelica had once gifted me, the one painted with a delicate blue rose motif.
As I inhaled the fragrance and raised the cup again, Angelica suddenly spoke, as if remembering something.
“Come to think of it, the imperial head chef… I heard he originally worked for a noble household.”
“Oh? Which one?”
“His Majesty told me he came from the Marquis of Iven’s household.”
“…The Marquis of Iven?”
The name was so familiar that my hand trembled around the teacup.
