Chapter 40
“Hmm, let’s see, what do we have here…”
Nothing that takes too long…
‘Alright, I’ll make sandwiches and a salad.’
While I went to the food storage to get cabbage, tomatoes, cheese, ham, and bread, the Duke lit the oven in the kitchen.
“The heat level is okay like this, right?”
“Yes. Thank you for helping, Your Grace.”
“I should be the one thanking you. You’re making this for me. You need to slice all of that, right? Hand it over. I’ll do it.”
“You can cook too, Your Grace?”
“Just simple things. When I worked as a mercenary in the North, I had to cook for myself often.”
To prove he wasn’t lying, the Duke skillfully sliced the tomatoes and ham into even pieces.
“Wow, you’re better with a knife than me.”
“A knife is still a knife, right?”
The Duke tossed the kitchen knife into the air and caught it again before dramatically chopping up the cabbage.
Then, as if a thought suddenly struck him, he winked at me.
“Good kids like Airi shouldn’t try this, okay?”
I couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
After that, the Duke stood right next to me, helping with the cooking.
No, to be honest, it was more accurate to say that I helped the Duke cook.
He stood at the stove, buttering the iron pan, grilling the bread and ham—all of it was done by him.
“But, Your Grace, if you do all the cooking, doesn’t that mean you’re making it for yourself?”
“Not at all. Who brought the bread, veggies, and ham?”
“I… guess I did bring them?”
“And who put the tomato, egg, and ham on the bread and spread the sauce?”
“I did do that, but…”
“Then this sandwich is one that you made for me.”
No matter how I looked at it, he was the one who made everything. But the Duke smiled and thanked me as if it was the best meal ever.
“Ah, it’s delicious. I think it tastes even better because Airi made it thinking of me.”
“No way, I still think you’re the one who made this…”
“If it bothers you, should we just say we made it together?”
That still felt like a stretch, but it was better than saying I made it all alone, so I nodded.
“This reminds me of the old days. I haven’t cooked for myself even once since I inherited the dukedom.”
“Well, of course. You hardly have time to eat, let alone cook.”
The Duke looked genuinely happy as he grilled ham and chopped vegetables, reminiscing about his mercenary days.
Even though I hesitated, thinking the question might be rude, I asked him anyway.
“Do you ever miss those days?”
“Back then? Before I became the Duke?”
“Yes. I’m sure it wasn’t easy, but maybe there were fewer responsibilities or duties on your shoulders than now…”
“Well, it was easier just following orders from above. These days, if something goes wrong, I’m the one held responsible.”
His voice was light, but the weight of what he said was anything but.
“Still, I like how things are now.”
“…Really?”
“Yes, really.”
The Duke smiled at me.
And it was such a genuinely happy smile that I couldn’t imagine he was lying.
“I really, truly like how things are now.”
Thanks to him, I felt comfortable smiling too.
“I’m glad. Because I like Pennington with you in it, Your Grace.”
“Really?”
“Of course! I love how things are right now. Thanks to you, my grandmother is getting treated safely.”
Just yesterday, I received a letter from Daisy saying everything was going well.
She even joked about how the portrait Lady Belle painted of me still looked like a loaf of bread, no matter how she looked at it.
“Besides your grandmother’s treatment, how is everything else? Any regrets about coming here just to receive an envelope of money?”
“None at all. Honestly, I’m living so comfortably right now that it feels like I’m on a long vacation.”
The food was delicious, the house was spacious and cozy, and everyone around me was kind.
I expected to be treated coldly or bullied for being a commoner aiming to be a duke’s wife. But it was so comfortable it almost felt suspicious.
Thankfully, the dowager duchess didn’t seem to like me… but her disapproval manifested as ignoring me of all things.
“But Your Grace, the dowager still refuses to meet me. What if I can’t receive the envelope of money at this rate?”
I’ve tried so hard to get on her nerves. What more can I do to be even more annoying?
“Don’t worry. My mother will soon have a reason to summon you.”
“Me? For what?”
“There’s going to be a banquet at the mansion. To announce my sister’s marriage.”
“Really? The second young lady and Sir Adrian?”
“Yes. They’ve been engaged for such a long time, so instead of holding an engagement party, they’ve decided to go straight to the wedding.”
“Wow, that’s wonderful!”
I was genuinely happy, like it was my own matter, to see their love finally come to fruition after 25 years.
“But what does that have to do with the dowager summoning me?”
“Well, right now, the House of Rudian officially has no hostess.”
“But isn’t the dowager still here?”
“She’s the duchess of the previous, even pre-previous generation. She’s long retired.”
“But in the absence of a current duchess, can’t she act as a temporary stand-in…?”
Or not?
I tilted my head, unsure of how noble families operated. The Duke kindly explained.
“If the Duchess’s position was vacant, sure. But Airi, what do people at the mansion call you now?”
“…Prospective Duchess?”
“Right. In the Rudian family, when there’s no duchess, the prospective duchess is the first in line to act in her place.”
…Huh?
Me? I get to have something like that?
“Of course. You may not have had the wedding yet, but you’re already treated like the duchess.”
“Huh? But isn’t that a bit wrong?”
“Well, what can we do now? It’s already happened.”
The Duke clasped both of my hands. Then, with those moist puppy-dog eyes again, he went into full heartthrob mode.
“It would be amazing if my sister, finally standing up after 25 years, and Sir Adrian, who waited for her all his life without ever looking at another woman, could be united with everyone’s blessings.”
“I’d like that too…”
“So, Airi, could you help make that happen?”
There was no way I could say no.
His glittering, handsome attack was just too strong…
“Would it be alright for me to shoulder such a big responsibility?”
“Of course. You’ll have plenty of people helping you.”
The Duke reached into his coat and placed something in my hand.
It was a key—adorned with a blue gemstone shaped like a flower and gleaming silver. It looked incredibly valuable.
“All you need to do is nod or shake your head while holding this.”
“What is it?”
“It’s like a symbol of the duchess. Even if someone else asks for it, don’t give it to them. Got it?”
“Yes. I think I can do that.”
I wasn’t the Duke’s real lover or fiancée, so I wasn’t sure if it was okay for me to have something symbolic of the duchess…
‘Still, if I’m holding this, the dowager can’t just pretend I don’t exist anymore.’
Maybe this time, I really will be able to get that envelope of money!
