A moment later, his lips parted again.
“Hm, that’s a fair point…”
Enrique quickly shook his head.
“That won’t be necessary. We can’t afford to add more people right now. Thanks to our backstory, no one will question why we don’t have companions.”
“True enough.”
Perhaps he hadn’t intended to push the matter too hard, as Albury didn’t press further and simply nodded.
Without any cue, the three stood up at the same time.
As Eugenia began to clear her dishes, Enrique and Albury also started gathering the plates.
“Oh, you’re helping?”
At Eugenia’s question, Enrique glanced down at her with a baffled look and asked,
“How is this considered helping?”
“…Pardon?”
“It’s weirder that you’re doing all the work like it’s a given.”
Enrique carried the empty dishes with both hands and headed to the kitchen.
Eugenia, flustered, hurried after him.
“Enrique! Please, give them to me! I’ll… I’ll do it!”
But he was firm.
“It’s fine. Go back and clean up the table.”
Enrique rolled up his sleeves and placed the dishes into the water tub.
That’s when Eugenia noticed the black gloves he was wearing.
‘Now that I think about it, he’s always wearing those.’
From the moment they met until now, Enrique had never once taken off those black half-gloves.
It was as if he didn’t want to show his bare skin.
“Aren’t the gloves uncomfortable? Maybe it’d be easier if I just did it…”
But Enrique was adamant.
“It’s fine. Just go.”
He clearly had no intention of taking them off in front of her.
“Well, let me know if you need any help. I’ll be in the hall.”
Enrique simply nodded in silence.
His stubbornness was evident, so in the end, Eugenia turned around.
As she walked away, she heard the faint rustle of gloves being removed behind her.
She quietly returned to the hall, softening her steps.
Then, while wiping down the table and straightening the chairs, she asked Albury,
“Why is Enrique so good at cooking and washing dishes?”
It was a natural question—he clearly had the air of a nobleman, maybe even a knight, yet he was extremely skilled at tasks usually left to servants.
“He’s just used to doing things on his own. He’s… not very trusting of others. I mean, he’s just very self-reliant.”
“Hmm, I see.”
Sensing Albury’s discomfort and desire to change the subject, Eugenia followed his lead.
“By the way, you said we’re meeting the merchant group tomorrow, right? Will they really meet with us so readily?”
“Normally, they wouldn’t even consider it. But this is a special situation. They wouldn’t want to miss a chance to make money.”
The longer a merchant group stays in one place, the more their lodging and food costs pile up—making it a loss.
With the city gates closed indefinitely, there was no telling when they’d be able to leave.
So, if someone expressed interest in buying their goods, they had no choice but to sell to minimize losses.
That worked in their favor.
It was a rare chance to freely buy luxury goods that would otherwise be hard to come by in this remote border town.
‘Just like Enrique said, now we can dress up convincingly.’
That alone would be half the battle.
People were often enchanted by the simplest things.
Eugenia nodded in understanding, and Albury continued.
“It’s a good thing there are so many merchant groups stuck here due to the lockdown. If there were only a few, every move we made would’ve drawn attention.”
“When will the lockdown end?”
At that moment, a much lower voice cut smoothly between the two of them.
“When the runaway crown prince is caught.”
Enrique had approached without them noticing, now standing beside Eugenia, having finished the dishes.
“Do you think… he’ll be caught?”
“Doubt it. He’s not an idiot.”
Enrique shrugged indifferently and turned to Eugenia, as if he had more to say.
Sensing it, she faced him as well.
Then, in a low, sweet voice, he spoke, almost as if he had been waiting for the moment.
“Then, Miss Eugenia.”
“Yes, Enrique?”
She looked up at him with a solemn expression, swallowing hard.
“From now on, in front of others, just call me by my name.”
“…Pardon?”
“A couple with two kids shouldn’t look like they’re awkward with each other, don’t you think?”
Eugenia couldn’t even imagine what her face looked like in that moment.
Just that… it must be worse than she feared.
She simply couldn’t look away from the corner of Enrique’s lips, pulled into a smile.
“Get some rest.”
He waved a hand lightly and went up to his room first.
Eugenia stared blankly after his retreating figure, and only after he disappeared did her face begin to flush.
Oh no.
A helpless sigh escaped her lips.
For the first time, her mind went completely blank.
Pretending to be a noble lady was one thing—but pretending to be a loving wife to that handsome man suddenly seemed far more daunting.
Chapter 4.
The next day, Eugenia went out with Enrique and Albury.
She walked side by side with Enrique, while Albury followed two steps behind.
When they arrived at the temporary base of the prearranged merchant group, they received a warm welcome.
“Welcome, we’ve been expecting you.”
The head of the merchant group personally received Enrique and Eugenia.
He signaled his staff with a nod.
“What are you waiting for? Take their cloaks!”
At his stern command, the staff moved toward Enrique and Eugenia, but Enrique immediately shook his head.
“We won’t be staying long.”
He casually spoke in informal language, refusing the hospitality.
Thanks to that, Eugenia didn’t remove her robe either, so her commoner’s attire remained hidden from the merchant group.
“As you wish…”
“I’d like to see the items we discussed.”
“Of course. Right this way.”
Following the merchant leader’s guidance, Enrique and Eugenia moved forward.
The room he led them to wasn’t luxurious, but it was clean and neat.
As soon as they sat down, the merchant leader signaled to the outside.
Then, as if waiting for the cue, the staff brought in four black dresses and matching hats.
“As requested, we’ve prepared the mourning clothes, but…”
Trailing off, the merchant leader hesitantly asked,
“May I ask why you’re looking for mourning attire?”
Eugenia lowered her gaze.
‘Now it’s my turn.’
After taking a quiet breath, Eugenia calmly began to speak, mimicking the tone of the Marchioness of Ceraighton.
“My father passed away not long ago. I wish to continue mourning him until the sorrow in my heart fades.”
Her voice trembled slightly—likely from nerves—but the merchant mistook it as a sign of deep sorrow and softened his expression.
“Oh, I’m terribly sorry. I had no idea…”
“…It’s alright.”
Had they pulled it off?
Just as Eugenia began to breathe a sigh of relief—
“…!”
Enrique, sitting beside her, suddenly reached out.
His gloved hand gently wrapped around hers.
She flinched.
To hide her flustered expression, she lowered her gaze and bowed her head.
To the merchant, it must have seemed like a daughter unable to overcome her grief for her late father.
‘W-why now?’
Eugenia nervously curled her fingers under his hand.
She didn’t dislike it, but it had caught her off guard, and she kept fidgeting.
The more she squirmed, the tighter Enrique’s grip became.
‘I can’t pull my hand away. That’d look suspicious.’
Realizing she couldn’t escape, Eugenia finally gave in and relaxed her hand.
Enrique’s large, firm hand enveloped hers completely.
“Hari.”
The name they had agreed upon.
“Yes?”
“…”
But that didn’t seem to be the response Enrique wanted.
He stared at her intently—so much so that her face burned under his gaze.
Then she remembered what he had said the night before, right before leaving.
‘Don’t tell me this is because I didn’t call his name?’
Internally panicking, Eugenia took a deep breath and cautiously opened her mouth.
“What’s wrong? …Enrique.”
She whispered his name like a sigh.
That must have been the correct answer.
He curved his lips in satisfaction.
He played the role of a loving husband quite convincingly.
“Hari, for the children’s sake, you need to pull yourself together. Your father would have wanted that too.”
“…Yes, you’re right. Sorry for worrying you.”
Her voice trembled slightly from the lingering fluster.
But the merchant interpreted it as her being overwhelmed with emotion.
He apologized again, looking genuinely sorry.
“I shouldn’t have asked such an insensitive question. I truly apologize for upsetting you.”
“No, it’s fine. My husband is right—it’s time I moved on.”
Enrique gently patted the back of her hand as if to praise her strength.
