~Chapter 12~
Mortgaged Life
“Where are we going?”
“There’s somewhere I’d like to show you.”
Howard stood still, watching her as if waiting for her to get up properly.
“Right now?”
“As soon as you’re ready.”
Irina groaned quietly.
The creditor was about to make her work.
With a faintly annoyed gesture, Irina waved her hand.
“Call Casey on your way out. It’s not urgent, is it?”
Howard nodded.
“No. We’ll leave once you’re ready.”
“Okay.”
As soon as Howard left, Irina rolled her eyes, realizing her mistake.
It didn’t matter that they had been apart for years — after just a few days together, she had gotten too comfortable and was acting as if things were like before.
It wasn’t because of their talk about age the night before.
The household staff here, having been told certain things beforehand, might have been surprised but didn’t show it. Outsiders wouldn’t be the same.
She couldn’t act that way outside, so she needed to show him at least the respect his title demanded. Irina took a moment to compose herself again.
She sat down in the dressing room, separated from her bedroom by a single wall, and waited for Casey to arrive.
Before long, Casey came bustling in like a busy little bee.
“The sunlight’s weak today — shall I use a pin instead of a hat?”
“Maybe. Oh, but not a heavy one. I don’t think I have many pins, though?”
Casey immediately pulled out an entire drawer from the side table.
“Here you go!”
A dazzling collection of brooches and pins of all colors and designs sparkled before her eyes.
“…These are also from Howard— I mean, um…”
Words like ‘Your Grace’ or ‘My Lord’ still didn’t roll off her tongue easily.
But Casey nodded enthusiastically, understanding perfectly.
“Right. Of course.”
Although Howard called himself a temporary head of the family, to Irina it already seemed definite.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have spent so much money here.
It was as if he had known — no, expected — that she would come.
What on earth is he thinking?
He’d always been the mature, rational one, so Irina couldn’t make sense of his actions now. He wasn’t the type to act on impulse or emotion.
As she examined each brooch and pin, those thoughts lingered.
“None of them to your liking? I think they’d all look good on you…”
Casey’s disappointed tone snapped Irina out of her thoughts.
She looked down and picked up a pin set with amber, exactly the color of her eyes.
“This one. Do my hair to match it.”
“Yes! Leave it to me!”
Casey happily began working on her hair, chattering nonstop as she did.
Anyone else might have found her talkative nature overwhelming, but Irina found herself replying out of politeness, and before she knew it, Casey was done.
“How do you like it?”
Her hair was loosely twisted around a stick, heat-set, and then released for a natural look before the pin was added. It made her look more refined, more mature than usual.
Casey hadn’t forgotten the fashionable Voltier-style touch — pulling a few side strands and lightly setting them with a gel to make her face look slimmer.
It was different from the Arendor-style hair she used to have — where soft padding was used to add volume on top — and it felt a bit unfamiliar.
Finally, it was time to choose shoes.
“Just a moment! I’ll go polish them quickly!”
Casey exclaimed, taking the shoes away, fretting that their shine had dulled since yesterday.
Left alone, Irina sat swinging her legs, noticing her stockings had slipped a little around her ankles.
“Hmm, a bit loose.”
They’d seemed to fit perfectly before — maybe not.
She bent down to adjust them when there was a knock at the door.
“Come in.”
The door opened. Instead of Casey’s lively clatter, she heard the firm, deliberate sound of men’s shoes.
She’d just pulled up one stocking and was checking the other when a polished pair of men’s shoes came into view.
Howard knelt on one knee before her.
In one hand, he held the shoes Casey had taken.
“Why are you here?”
Irina sat up slightly as she asked. Howard placed the shoes neatly before her.
“I thought you might forget your necklace.”
“My necklace? Oh.”
For a moment, she thought he was talking nonsense, but he meant the pendulum necklace he had caught her wearing the first day.
“I’m not wearing that.”
Irina casually finished pulling her stocking up and looked at him.
“I told you before — you should wear it when you go out.”
“That was then. The day you ran away after I confessed to you, that promise became void. Don’t you think?”
Her sharp tone made Howard chuckle softly.
He picked up one of the shoes, apparently intending to put it on her himself.
“Would you wear it if I begged forgiveness?”
Since Irina was seated and he was kneeling, her gaze naturally fell downward.
“No. Too late for that.”
“What a shame.”
Thunk.
Irina rested her elbow on her knee, propped her chin, and looked down at him.
“Duke Ringester.”
Just as he was about to take her ankle, Howard lifted his head slightly.
Only half a hand’s width separated their faces.
Her soft lips moved.
“Why are you treating your debtor so generously?”
Howard lowered his gaze again, gently taking her ankle in hand.
He slid her foot into the shoe deftly, then repeated the motion for the other.
After straightening the hem of her dress neatly with his hands, he rested them on his knees and looked up.
“To make you work very hard?”
His tone was unusually playful.
Irina straightened her back, unimpressed.
“Not funny.”
She stood up, went to the vanity, and took out a small box she’d hidden inside.
Inside were keepsakes — and the pendulum necklace.
She handed the pendant to him and turned toward the mirror.
Howard deftly unfastened the clasp and placed it around her neck.
“You really think this suits me?”
The pendant looked like moss growing on a rock against her elegant dress — utterly mismatched.
He must’ve left his sense of style back in Borman.
“I think it suits you perfectly.”
“How? This one’s better, isn’t it?”
Irina pulled out another necklace from the vanity — one that glittered brilliantly.
“To a creditor’s eyes, this one does seem better.”
“You’re being quite blunt.”
“We should leave soon.”
And there he goes, changing the subject again.
Irina looked at the pendulum reflected in the mirror, then turned toward him again.
She could be so stubborn sometimes — just like the old days.
Howard had told her when he gave her the pendant that it was a charm — a stone that would protect her.
It had never once proven true, but she’d believed it back then and worn it every day.
“Okay. Let’s go.”
Outside the door, Casey stood with her hands neatly folded, smiling brightly as she bowed when Irina appeared.
Outside, a carriage was waiting.
Howard offered his hand, and Irina took it, stepping up into the carriage.
“Will it take long?”
“No. It’s within the capital. Depart.”
The door shut, and the carriage started moving with a strong jolt.
“There will be nobles there — people you’ll likely meet often in the future.”
“Ah.”
“I haven’t made an official announcement yet, but I thought it would help to get you acquainted with the atmosphere.”
“Well, whether it’s here or in Arendor, it’s all the same. Hmm… unless they’re territorial?”
“Not at all. More than half of them, including myself, are foreigners.”
Irina nodded thoughtfully.
Then, something occurred to her.
“I heard there was backlash from families connected to the Ringesters.”
“There was.”
“Then wouldn’t having another foreigner — me — make it worse? Wouldn’t a native noblewoman be better suited…?”
She didn’t like saying it, but it seemed closer to the truth.
“Do you really think so?”
Howard’s voice was slightly sharp as he asked back.
Irina glanced at him, but not wanting to fuel his possessive tone, she quickly changed the subject.
“So, where exactly are we going?”
“…”
They were headed to one of the businesses he managed — one that generated a significant portion of the Ringester family’s income.
“How much does it make?”
“Why do you want to know?”
“Maybe we could be friends again?”
That made his expressionless face crack into a small laugh.
“I never thought I’d see the day you became so materialistic.”
“Do you want to die?”
Irina yanked on his tie, tightening it — just as the carriage jolted suddenly.
She stumbled forward, ending up with her hand gripping his collar instead of his tie.
At that exact moment, the carriage door burst open.
“My Lord! Are you all right? There’s been a small— oh?”
The guard froze upon seeing Irina clutching Howard’s collar.
Irina glanced between the two men, then shook her head furiously.
“No, it’s not what it looks like! I wasn’t attacking him—!”
“Oh dear! I forgot to knock! My apologies!”
“If you know, close the door.”
“Yes, sir! We’ll resume the trip at once!”
At Howard’s low voice, the guard bowed again and hurriedly shut the door.
Irina, still frozen with her hand clutching his collar, felt her pupils tremble.
“Wh-what do you mean, ‘if you know, close the door’? Now it really looks suspicious!”
Before she could say more, the carriage lurched again, throwing her forward.
Howard caught her around the waist firmly — and suddenly, their faces were so close their noses nearly brushed.
