Chapter 20
An Unavoidable Fate
It had been about a week since the marriage announcement.
Irina was spending her days so idly that she wondered if this was really okay.
Rather than a newlywed enjoying married life, she was more like a sloth dying of boredom.
Because neither of them went out much, there were rumors spreading that the Lancaster mansion was practically on fire with passion. But Irina herself was the only one who didn’t know that.
Howard looked so busy that even two bodies wouldn’t be enough for him.
Still, since he made sure to have meals with her every day, that was the one thing that eased her boredom a little.
But today seemed to be the peak of her boredom.
“Casey?”
Irina stood up and her eyes sparkled.
There was a soft knock outside the office door.
The door opened before anyone said “come in.”
“What are you doing?”
“You haven’t told me to come in yet,” Howard said dryly, looking exasperated.
“Yeah! That’s why I didn’t come in yet.”
Irina poked her face through the small gap in the door and stuck out her tongue.
He was still grumpy — probably because yesterday she’d spent all day pestering him out of boredom.
“I came to clean.”
Irina poked a white cloth through the door and waved it.
Howard pressed a hand to his forehead.
If she had come to make him clean, that would’ve made sense. But her doing the cleaning?
Apparently, she’d snatched a rag from Casey out of sheer boredom.
When Howard nodded in resignation, Irina immediately swung the door open and came inside.
He turned his eyes back to his work, ignoring her.
She began half-heartedly wiping the furniture with a damp cloth, sneaking glances at him as she did.
There had been a time when she’d coveted that ash-gray hair of his.
In Arendor, black or gray hair was extremely rare — a color so uncommon it could be considered a personal asset.
Irina’s hair was beautiful too, but somewhat ordinary.
If not for her amber eyes, she would have easily blended into a crowd.
Being unremarkable meant she had to work twice, three times harder than others — especially in places like balls or social gatherings where connections were made.
“Now that I think about it,” she said lightly, “didn’t I once ask you for a strand of that hair?”
“Yes. And I told you I’d just pull it all out instead. I actually started to, remember?” he replied indifferently.
“What?”
Irina blinked. She couldn’t believe she’d said something that cruel.
She searched his face for any sign of deceit, but he was only telling the truth.
She laughed awkwardly.
“R–Really? Did I say that? Oh my, how terrible of me.”
She tried to brush it off, but Howard added,
“You also said my skin was too pale and tried to dye it with fruit juice. Remember that?”
Flustered, Irina waved her hands in protest.
“That was for your sake! I really liked you, you know?”
“How much did you like me, if your way of showing affection was tormenting me? All I remember from those days is suffering.”
That stung.
To her, he had been her one and only childhood friend.
She’d liked one Howard more than ten other people.
Well… at least back then.
But to call it “torment”? That was too much.
Although… she couldn’t remember very clearly, which didn’t help.
She grabbed onto the clearest fragment she could recall.
“But you’re the one who wanted to climb that tree! …Wait, or was it me who told you to?”
“……”
Howard only looked down at her wordlessly.
He had grown so tall. Once upon a time, he had been shorter than her.
Now, even when she stood on tiptoe, it made no difference.
Irina twisted her fingers together, wondering if her childhood memories were warped.
“You said you wanted the fruit, so I just— Wait, didn’t you say that?”
Judging by his expression, he had said it.
Apparently.
At that moment, Howard stood up and walked over to her.
“W-What!”
Irina quickly took a defensive stance.
Howard gave her a look of pity.
“I’m just getting this.”
He reached up and took an envelope from the top of a high shelf.
Irina rolled her eyes.
“Did you imagine something else, perhaps?”
Instead of stepping aside, Howard bent down toward her.
His shadow fell over her as the distance between them closed.
“Who said I did? Just move already.”
Howard then gently took the damp cloth from her hand.
“Your hands are too delicate for this kind of work. Why do you keep doing things like this?”
Her hands were already red and wrinkled from the water.
“Who says I’m delicate,” Irina muttered defensively.
Howard, holding the envelope, seemed ready to head out.
She quickly grabbed his collar.
“Where are you going?”
“To work.”
He carefully pried her fingers off — only for them to latch on again.
“…Without me?”
“Of course. You said watching me work was boring, remember?”
One eyebrow arched in mild annoyance, but she refused to let go.
“…Still, I’m bored.”
In the end, Irina won the tug-of-war. Dressed and ready, she followed Howard out.
“Just promise you’ll stay somewhere safe,” he said.
“I’m not a child. And you said Arena is always safe anyway.”
Howard still didn’t look happy as he helped her into the carriage.
As the carriage began to move, Irina slid closer to him.
“How’s work going? No trouble with the succession?”
What she really wanted to know was whether he’d be imprisoned or exiled.
“It’s proceeding smoothly. So far.”
“So far? Hmm, well, at least that’s not bad news. His Grace the Grand Duke seems to like you, though. Still not going to tell me everything, are you?”
The day of their marriage announcement, Irina had asked Howard about the Grand Duke’s unusual hair color.
He hadn’t given her a clear answer then — and it seemed he wasn’t planning to now, either.
“Later…”
“Mm-hmm.”
“When everything is perfectly in place, I’ll tell you everything.”
“Alright. Not like it’s anything important between us anyway. But do you think it’ll rain today? The sky looks cloudy.”
She glanced out the window, changing the subject.
In Arendor, clouds like that almost always meant rain or snow.
Boltear was usually bright and sunny, so a cloudy day looked strange.
“You’re right. The weather’s not great.”
“Yeah. Looks just like your hair.”
Of course, it wasn’t because he still wouldn’t tell her what she wanted to know.
She wasn’t being petty. Not exactly.
Soon, familiar buildings began to appear outside the window.
“We’re here!”
As soon as they entered the Arena, Irina spotted a familiar figure ahead of them.
“Huh? Bevin?”
At the sound of her name, the girl with pink hair turned around.
She was, as usual, accompanied by Sir Gerta.
It seemed they were regular visitors here, even when there weren’t any bets going on.
“Your Grace! You’ve come again today!” Bevin said brightly, her face lighting up.
“Sir Gerta. Nice to see you again.”
Bevin gestured animatedly toward Gerta, who smiled lovingly at her and burst into laughter.
“What is it?” Irina asked.
“Ah, Bevin says you looked absolutely stunning at your wedding announcement — and she’s so happy to see you again today.”
“My goodness. Thank you.”
Bevin was perhaps the most delicate, angelic person Irina had ever met — someone who seemed truly grateful for even the smallest kindness.
Meeting her in Boltear, where Irina had no connections, felt like good fortune.
“Are you here to make another bet today?” Irina asked.
Gerta shook his head.
“No, not today! The knightly salary isn’t much. If I kept gambling, I’d have to sell my house.”
Irina gave a wry smile.
Bevin had told her she came to the Arena whenever she felt frustrated.
Because of her difficulty communicating, she often struggled even when invited to tea parties.
She only attended when close friends were there — and even that was sometimes too much.
“Um… forgive me for asking,” Gerta began hesitantly.
“Yes?”
“May I ask the Duchess for a favor?”
It felt strange hearing that title, but Irina nodded.
“What is it? If it’s something I can do.”
“Would you be Bevin’s friend for the day?”
He explained that it was rare for Bevin to take such a liking to someone first, so he was asking shamelessly.
Irina hesitated for a moment.
Of course, she wanted to befriend sweet, lovely Bevin.
But what if, a year later, she disappeared?
Wouldn’t that fragile woman cry?
Still, looking at Bevin’s flushed, hopeful cheeks — Irina couldn’t say no.
“Of course.”
When she agreed, Howard also gave a small nod.
Bevin’s face lit up instantly, blooming like a flower.
Gerta thanked Irina profusely.
He seemed like the kind of man who would do anything for his beloved.
Irina was glad too — it meant she wouldn’t be in Howard’s way while he worked.
“Howard, we’ll spend some time together here. Come find me when you’re done.”
Howard didn’t seem to mind that she had made a friend; he nodded easily.
When Howard and Gerta were gone, only Bevin and Irina were left.
Irina rolled her eyes playfully.
“So… what do we do now?”
