Chapter 110
Come to think of it, there wasn’t really anything to be so nervous about.
“Just by his expression, you’d think a robber had broken in.”
Of course, the fact that he would have to meet other members of his wife’s family for the first time did bring a slight tension.
But that was his problem, not something his wife needed to be afraid of.
Above all…
“You weren’t close with your sister?”
Wasn’t her face when she brought up her sister looking quite happy?
Yuri asked with a puzzled expression.
Cecilia still nodded, unable to hide her lingering worry. Yuri tilted his head slightly at her contradictory reaction.
“There’s no need to be this nervous, right? Unless you’re worried about whether they’ll be pleased to see us.”
“Of course I’m pleased. It’s been a while since we last met.”
“Then why are you hesitating like this?”
The hand Cecilia had been holding gripped his tighter.
She squeezed his hand firmly once, as if to give him courage, then hesitated before speaking.
“This is such an unexpected meeting. I know you might be nervous in front of your family.”
“…….”
So she was thinking of him, huh?
His lips tried to twitch upward in an uncalled-for smile.
Quickly forcing his mouth into a calm expression, Yuri continued.
“That’s a needless worry.”
“Let’s solve the trembling hands first, then we’ll talk.”
He lowered his head hastily at her words, and only when he met his wife’s eyes—who was mischievously scrunching her nose—did he realize she had been joking.
“See? You’re secretly worried too.”
“……I only looked because I thought there was no way it would actually happen.”
Instead of letting go of her hand, Yuri linked arms firmly with Cecilia and nodded.
“It’s fine. Let’s go. Better to greet them and catch up before it gets any later.”
“Are you sure you’re okay? We could wait a little longer before going in.”
“That won’t do.”
At the end of Cecilia’s soft voice, his brisk reply followed.
Startled by the unfamiliar voice, Yuri reflexively turned his head to locate its source.
A woman holding a bag of bread in one hand and a child’s hand in the other was looking at them.
Her pale green eyes, similar to Cecilia’s, sparkled with curiosity.
“I’ve actually been looking forward to this moment.”
“Leona?”
The question slipped from Cecilia’s lips, full of evident embarrassment.
That question confirmed the woman’s identity for Yuri as well.
Cecilia was tall, but the Count Gwen’s eldest daughter seemed about half a head taller than her younger sister.
“Long time no see, Cecile. Glad to see you’re well.”
At the greeting, the child immediately let go of her mother’s hand and ran to her aunt, hugging her tightly.
The little one wrapped her legs around her aunt but was soon led back by her mother, pouting.
“Cecile!”
“You should call me Aunt.”
Leona, speaking in a quiet voice, raised the corners of her lips.
“So… did you have fun while you were out?”
A normal question, yet Yuri felt a stiff shiver run down his spine.
He swallowed nervously, then remembered his wife was watching, and managed to greet calmly.
“I’ve heard a lot from my wife. That you’ve been staying in Triosa.”
“Oh my. You don’t need to speak so formally.”
Her voice was gentle, yet strangely, it did nothing to ease the tension.
“Please, speak freely. You are the Grand Duke, after all.”
“……No. I just don’t wish to speak down to my wife’s family.”
Leona raised her eyebrows, surprised, though the smile on her lips didn’t disappear.
“You’re quite different from the rumors. Ah, was that a bit rude?”
“Sister.”
“Sorry, I’ve been doing this a lot lately.”
Leona laughed lightly, pretending to bite her lips at Cecilia’s warning.
Though apologetic, she didn’t really seem to be feeling overly cautious.
Of course, if the sister-in-law had been cautious in response, that might have been uncomfortable as well.
Yuri bowed his head, imagining Leona’s playful behavior, then focused on the continuing conversation.
“Let’s go inside; other family members are probably waiting too.”
Leona lifted the bag of bread slightly and led the way into the Count’s residence.
The child clung tightly to her mother’s hand, glancing back at Cecilia with longing eyes.
Cecilia hesitated at the sight, then, trying not to be obvious, met Yuri’s gaze.
“If you want to run, now’s your chance.”
“I’m fine.”
Even as they moved a fair distance away, Yuri had the strange feeling that Leona was still listening to their conversation.
Trying not to show it, he slowly walked arm-in-arm with Cecilia.
Leona slowed her pace briefly to allow the younger couple to catch up, then once inside, spoke suddenly.
“Turns out we ran out of bread, so I took the child for some fresh air and went to the town. There’s a bakery in Eldova that’s been around a long time; their bread is really good.”
“The one on that corner? Is it still in business?”
“Yep. Though I think the owner changed. Looks like the son’s running it now.”
While Yuri hesitated, unsure how to reply, Cecilia quickly answered for him.
Even as he inwardly felt grateful for her help, the sisters’ conversation continued naturally.
“What a shame. The old owner was really skilled too.”
“Can’t be helped. He got older. Mom’s hair has gone quite gray too.”
“She worries too much. Even when I got married…”
Cecilia, about to continue, awkwardly closed her lips.
Though Yuri didn’t hear the rest, he could guess what she had meant.
He felt like he was sitting on a bed of needles and quietly said,
“I’m sorry.”
“No, there’s no need to apologize. I understand the situation at Lotreben.”
She was referring to the monsters and border disputes he had mentioned as reasons not to invite the in-laws to the wedding.
Though Leona smiled kindly, that didn’t entirely remove the prickling discomfort in Yuri’s chest.
Perhaps it was because he alone knew he had been nitpicking unnecessarily.
“Aging is natural. I don’t know why you’re apologizing.”
“……Yes.”
“Cecilia seems to have been doing well too. She looks much healthier now.”
Leona’s voice softened slightly.
“That must be thanks to your kindness toward your younger sister.”
Wrong. He hadn’t been a good husband to Cecilia from the start.
Yuri struggled briefly to figure out how to phrase his response.
“Yeah. My husband has supported me a lot.”
Cecilia, quietly excited, joined in their conversation again.
“He even went along with some reckless plans, helping me push them through.”
“Oh, right. You even made deals with Ortho?”
“It would have been difficult if my husband hadn’t trusted me.”
“You gave the good ideas. I was the one who received the help.”
The previously tense marital story flowed naturally without any awkwardness.
Yuri, interjecting at the right moment, smiled faintly.
Leona, watching, rolled her eyes playfully.
“Ah, can’t play alone because I’m lonely.”
Muttering as if to be heard, she swung the dining room door open with gusto and concluded,
“I need to bring a husband who’ll side with me too.”
The man sitting next to the Count and Countess, seemingly at a loss with his eldest daughter’s behavior, turned his head toward the entrance.
