Chapter 20
Morning came — the day when Diasi and Ella were supposed to fulfill their “duties” as husband and wife.
Just as he had declared the night before, Diasi came to find Ella first thing in the morning.
“Did you sleep well?”
“Thanks to you, yes.”
“That’s a little hurtful. I couldn’t sleep a wink thinking about you.”
He shamelessly spoke such an embarrassing line with a straight face, then reached out his hand toward her. Ella simply stared at that hand.
The hand she thought she would never hold again. The hand that, whenever she touched it, made her heart race uncontrollably.
…And now, the hand she could only hold by suppressing her disgust.
‘I really hate this…’
But she had to take it.
Slowly, her pale hand rested on his palm.
Ariane and Daniel, who were standing behind their respective masters, widened their eyes in surprise — though neither showed it openly.
Holding hands they didn’t want to, the two exchanged meaningless small talk all the way to the dining room.
“You’ve been here quite a while, yet we’re only now having a meal together. That’s my oversight.”
“I understand. You’ve been busy, Your Grace.”
“As a sign of reflection on the past, let’s have meals together every day from now on.”
“I’m really looking forward to it.”
On the surface, it was the sort of warm exchange any couple might have had.
Indeed, Ariane and Daniel, walking quietly behind them, noticed nothing odd about it.
If anything, they were happy — When did they grow so close?!
But for the two people actually having the conversation, it brought entirely different thoughts.
‘What terrible acting.’
‘Loosen your expression a bit when you talk, Diasi.’
Their voices and faces were dry, brittle, devoid of warmth. The touch of their joined hands grew increasingly unpleasant.
“Oh my…!”
The servants in the dining room gasped, hands covering their mouths, when they saw Diasi and Ella walk in holding hands tightly.
Diasi had always seemed like someone who would never love anyone in his entire life.
Yet the day Ella had arrived, he had gone out of his way to travel a long distance just to see her — despite having to leave again before dawn on a tight schedule.
And on that day, he had spent all his remaining hours in her room until it was time to depart.
Not only that — a week later, when he returned to the capital mansion, he had rushed to check on her upon hearing she was sick.
The servants all knew Diasi was always attentive to news about Ella.
Still, they had doubted it. Until they saw it with their own eyes, they couldn’t believe their master was in love.
But now, Diasi appeared before them shattering that disbelief — looking every bit the man deeply in love.
During the meal, he couldn’t contain his overflowing affection for her.
Whenever something tasted good, he would take a portion and place it on her plate first. He frequently offered her water, worried she might choke.
Normally, Diasi never touched desserts — to the point that the household didn’t even prepare them when he was at the table.
But not today. At dawn, Diasi had gone to the kitchen and ordered the chef to prepare every dessert made with peaches — Ella’s favorite.
As a result, far more desserts than she usually ate were set before her. Seeing them, Ella smiled shyly.
To others, it looked like the blissful smile of a wife loved by her husband. But the reality was entirely different.
Is this his way of messing with me?
Gripping her fork tightly, Ella took a bite of the peach cake before her.
The sheer amount of desserts was staggering.
The chef had a tendency to prepare far more than Ella could ever finish, so she often shared them with Ariane or the other maids.
But technically, that was improper etiquette.
In the Lasiéra Empire, with its rigid class system, maids could not share a table with their masters. Even if the master allowed it, the master would be the one criticized, not the servants.
Ella knew that — and yet she still ate with her maids. She didn’t care what strangers might say about her.
But at a meal with Diasi, she couldn’t do that. It would be tantamount to disgracing the Duke of Myers.
Which meant she would have to eat this mountain of desserts all on her own.
Of course, she could leave them. No one would criticize her for not finishing.
In fact, finishing every bite would be seen as ungentlemanly, unbecoming of a noble.
But Ella’s nature wouldn’t allow that.
They made this for me.
The kitchen staff had been up before dawn preparing them for her — and that alone was reason enough for her to eat them all.
Haa… She couldn’t even taste the flavor anymore; just looking at them made her tongue feel sweet.
“…How did you know I like peaches so much?”
“Everyone in the house knows. How could I not?”
Diasi replied leisurely, sipping his steaming tea.
“I was a little hurt, though.”
“…Hurt by what?”
Having lost count of how many slices she had eaten, Ella swallowed the last bite of cake and dabbed her lips with a napkin.
The clink of his teacup being set down echoed in the quiet dining room.
“That you didn’t tell me your tastes first.”
Ella gave a small scoff. Shameless man.
“Don’t be hurt over such things. From now on, you’ll be the first to know everything about me.”
This time, Diasi chuckled — though his expression outwardly remained gentle.
“Those words…”
“…?”
“I like them very much. I guess this is why people fall in love.”
Ah… Diasi truly was a man who had a knack for getting under her skin.
Her hand tightened around her teacup of bitter black tea.
After finishing breakfast with Diasi, Ella returned to her room and collapsed onto the sofa.
With Ariane gone to follow Lane’s summons, Ella was thankfully alone.
Leaning back against the sofa, she gazed up at the ceiling. Her chest felt heavy.
All she had done was share a meal with Diasi, yet she felt utterly drained.
I have to live like this every day from now on?
Just thinking about the dark days ahead made her dizzy.
Although she and Diasi had planned this, the servants of the Myers household reacted far more enthusiastically than she had expected.
They blushed at the way Diasi treated her and cheered at the things she said to him.
It was exhausting. She was already tired of it after only one time.
But regardless of how she felt, she would have to keep this up for the next three years.
Endure it. You can do this.
After all, she had been the one to propose this ridiculous arrangement in the first place — in order to gain her freedom.
I should go out soon.
The only reason she hadn’t left the Myers estate until now was simple — she didn’t have Diasi’s permission.
She had no choice. She wasn’t officially the duchess yet, so going out without his consent would have been improper.
Even if the wedding was only days away, she was still merely Lady Mayer staying at the Myers household. Wandering outside at will would have been frowned upon.
But now it was different — she had secured his promise not to interfere in what she did.
That was the sole reason she was putting up with this unpleasant charade of a marriage.
And now that she had gotten what she wanted, she was eager to set her revenge in motion.
First, I should find a forbidden book with information about restraint tools.
The “restraint tool,” a type of magical device, was generally described in books about magic.
In other countries, such books were sold freely. But in the magic-persecuting Lasiéra Empire, they were banned — mere possession or trade was illegal.
But the more forbidden something is, the more one wants to do it. Naturally, there were secret bookshops in this country that sold such works.
She had heard all of this long ago, back when she lived as “Louise.”
What’s this book?
Never seen one before? There’s a place in the corner of the new city that sells banned books. You can only get it there.
Wouldn’t it be trouble if you’re caught?
Well… that’s your problem. As long as I’m not caught, I’m fine. Even if it’s about magic, it’s just a novel. Who would come all the way to this rural place just to find one?
Since Ella had possessed this body five years after “Louise” died, there was no guarantee that bookshop still existed.
But with no information at all about magic, she had to grasp at any straw.
And so, to find out more about restraint tools, she would have to retrace her memories and try to locate the shop that sold banned magic books.
Ella bit her lower lip slightly.
