Chapter 9. Do You Want to See It?
On the way to see Daniel, following Dominic, Frida’s heart raced. Daniel’s face, now full of life after three years, seemed like a completely different person. She had never seen anyone so handsome. Even among all the people—men and women—she had met, no one compared to him. With his hair cut short and his face clearly visible, he was like a flower, beautiful even without a boyish smile.
‘My heart almost stopped. How did I never notice before? Were my eyes bad, even in the daytime?’
Frida rubbed her eyes hard, blaming herself for not realizing sooner. He was always good-looking, even when he looked gloomy, but now it was almost unbelievable. She wondered if this was really the same man who had said coldly that morning, “I’m uncomfortable with you.” The rumors from the merchants who visited the Harkbourne family suddenly didn’t seem like lies. Everyone said Duke Richard was cruel and bloodthirsty. Even Dominic sometimes hinted at it.
“He’s my master, but I can’t lie and say the Duke has a good personality…”
Even Ricardo, who was always loyal to Daniel, agreed with Dominic on this point.
“Duchess, remember—if the Duke’s eyes start to turn red, just close your mouth and run. If you see them go completely red, it’s hell. Even Dominic almost lost an eye once because he didn’t know better.”
At first, stories like that made Frida scared to touch Daniel. But after one or two months, taking care of a husband who only breathed faintly was like caring for a heavy baby. For three years, Daniel was just a patient—someone she had to take care of for the first time in her life. Now, he had risen from the bed and was shining like a hero from an old legend. Even as she pressed her fist to her chest, her heart wouldn’t calm down.
“Miss.”
Frida jumped at the voice behind her.
“W-what, Muriel?”
“Take a deep breath.”
“Huh?”
“Breathe in and out. Slowly.”
Frida followed Muriel’s slow, circling hand, breathing deeply in and out. Dominic, noticing the two women falling behind, stopped and looked back.
“What are you doing?”
“Miss Frida sometimes forgets to breathe when she’s nervous.”
Muriel signaled Frida to keep going.
“Do it ten more times. You’ve been holding your breath all the way here. You’ll faint if you don’t.”
Dominic frowned, confused by the word “faint,” but asked,
“You’re nervous? Why now? Is it because you’re about to meet the Duke?”
Frida just nodded slightly. Dominic looked surprised that someone could get nervous meeting the Duke after seeing him every day. Frida, face blushing, hurried past them and knocked on the office door. When she heard permission, she slipped inside quickly.
Dominic mumbled,
“Does Sir Rosivalt know why the Duchess is acting this way?”
Muriel replied,
“You’d be a fool if you didn’t.”
She was always calm and cool, and Dominic respected her for it. He finally asked something that had bothered him.
“By the way, Sir Rosivalt, how long will you keep calling her ‘Miss’? She’s the Duchess now.”
Muriel said,
“Maybe when you all start treating her as the Duke’s wife, not just a sick noble girl who might die at any time.”
Dominic protested, but Muriel shut him down.
“You all still see her as a pitiful girl, not the Duke’s true wife. I know.”
Muriel leaned against the door, cold and strong as winter.
“Maybe it’s for the best. Better not to get too attached and cry later.”
Inside the office, Frida stared at the key on the ash wood desk. It was big and heavy, and Daniel slid it closer to her.
“This is the key to my personal vault. Dominic will tell you where it is.”
“Are you giving it to me?”
“Yes,” Daniel replied calmly.
“Why?” Frida asked.
“Dominic told me you used all your dowry to clear the land. I’m giving it back to you.”
Frida nodded, but then looked up curiously.
“But isn’t the wife’s dowry supposed to become the husband’s property after marriage? Is the law different in the south than in the north?”
Daniel didn’t know what to say. He had grown up in mercenary camps, not caring about things like inheritance laws. His mother had always told him not to bother with those details.
“Don’t waste your time on things like that, Daniel. It’ll just shorten your life.”
He answered,
“There shouldn’t be different laws in one empire, so you’re probably right.”
Frida smiled and said,
“Then you don’t have to give the dowry back to me. I spent our money for our land, not for anyone else.”
“Our land?”
Daniel was so surprised, he forgot to speak politely. Frida repeated herself.
“Yes, our land. The Richard duchy where you and I live.”
Daniel almost laughed at the phrase “our land.” He remembered the Empress Dowager giving him the duchy grudgingly, saying it was just temporary and not really his.
“You brought about two million florins’ worth of gold coins, right? If you want, you can check the amount with the Harkbourne family, and I’ll give it back. If you don’t want florins, there are jewels and ducats in the vault, too…”
“Ducats?” Frida’s hand tightened on the key. “Did you say ducats? The gold coin that’s worth the most in the empire?”
Daniel nodded,
“Yes. Ducats from the Duchy of Veneto. They’re worth about—”
“One and a half times more than florins, or even twice as much if they’re new! You have those coins?”
Ducats were more valuable than florins, and Daniel’s vault was full of them, all brand new.
“How many ducats do you have?”
Frida’s eyes shone with excitement, her grip tightening on the key. Daniel felt a strange urge to pull the key back, just to see her reaction. Or maybe he’d rather show her the gold, then take it away for fun. He looked at her pure, noble face and wondered if she’d show her greedy side when she saw the gold.
Daniel’s lips curled ever so slightly as he asked,
“Do you want to see it?”
