Chapter 31
I remember that they also acted foolishly despite having affection for their wives.
Whenever older ladies sat at the table, the topic that inevitably came up was their husbands’ “mistresses.”
Their self-deprecating laments about where other men spent their money and what they bought were always a hot topic. For Hermia, who had heard it all too often, it was natural to be skeptical about marriage.
Unfortunately, Nora, who lacked experience, didn’t have much advice to give Hermia.
Staring blankly at the table, Nora did her best to speak.
“It might be inappropriate advice coming from someone who isn’t married, but I think you should avoid giving up before you even start. That’s a defeatist mindset.”
Defeat… what? Hermia barely swallowed her words and hesitated before asking.
“Do you think the Duke feels that way too?”
“What do you mean?”
“Having enough responsibility not to divorce me, but still meeting another woman.”
“I’d say that’s a typical response for a twenty-two-year-old young man, but if it’s Walter Rockford…”
Nora took a moment to choose her words and then said with a shrug.
“If I were you, Hermia, I think I would trust him at least once.”
* * *
If only Walter were old and ugly, she could comfortably stay in the Duke’s castle and enjoy her time without worry.
The man walking from afar glowed as if he emitted light himself in the dim twilight. Could it be that his curse made him shine?
That couldn’t be it. Fortunately, Hermia had enough sense to acknowledge it.
‘I like that man’s face and body. Externally, the Duke is perfect.’
“Have you been waiting long?”
Walter approached, carrying a scent of soap mixed with a masculine cologne.
‘His deep voice and scent are nice too.’
Accepting it easily made her feel more at ease. Hoping his affection would last a long time, Hermia shook her head.
“I didn’t wait long; I came out ten minutes ago.”
This morning, Gerald had been taken back to the palace by a servant, and Walter had lunch and dinner at the barracks after training with the soldiers. Thanks to that, Hermia enjoyed a feast alone in the guest room today.
After her meal, feeling heavy, she planned to take a light stroll in the garden when it seemed Emily reported this to the Duke.
Hearing that he would wash up and join her outside, she had already prepared for her walk. Hermia quickly changed the subject.
“Starting tomorrow, I’ll have meals in the dining room with you. My muscle pain has improved a lot. Thank you for your consideration.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
Walter spoke in a soft tone while smiling. Hermia noticed that his perfectly attractive face looked slightly different than usual.
His ebony-like hair was damp as if he had not been warned enough. With his bangs down, he appeared quite boyish, which felt refreshing.
The garden in front of the main building was bright even in the evening with dozens of streetlights. She walked slowly while feeling the occasional warm breeze.
Feeling oddly awkward while just looking at the picturesque garden, Walter spoke up.
“I’m sorry about earlier.”
He was referring to what happened in the study. Somehow, tension rose rapidly within her.
“I didn’t mean to be rude…”
“No, it’s fine. I sometimes feel dizzy too.”
“Dizziness… Yes, I think that was it.”
Walter mumbled as if that was better for him.
“……”
“……”
Then both of them fell silent.
Hermia obsessively turned her thoughts back to when she had strolled by the lakeside with Frederick before.
‘I don’t understand why women want to go out so much in spring. The pollen flies everywhere and shoes get dirty. Next time, I definitely want to invite you to my villa. I’m sure you’ll like it. I have several works by famous painters hanging… Oh, do you know how to appreciate paintings? I especially like nudes—not in a weird way but from an artistic perspective…’
He could talk so well by himself.
Now that she lost her chance to see naked paintings at Frederick’s villa, she didn’t feel sad at all since she hadn’t been interested in them anyway. Even if she liked paintings, it would have been the same.
Desperate to break the awkwardness, Hermia decided to mimic Frederick’s chatter.
“Do you enjoy walking, Your Grace?”
“I usually come out for a walk when I have things on my mind.”
“I see. Do you have a villa as well?”
“I don’t own one; there are several villas owned by my family. If there’s somewhere you’d like to visit…”
“You have several.”
“……”
“Do you like paintings?”
“It’s not a hobby of mine, but I’ve been to exhibitions a few times when I was younger. If there’s a piece you like…”
“So it’s not your hobby.”
Walter answered vaguely while looking down at Hermia as she pondered over her next question and then inadvertently burst into laughter.
“I see. So you like being interrogated—huh?”
“Oh really? You enjoy being interrogated… huh?”
Hermia jumped in surprise and shook her head vigorously.
“It’s not an interrogation!”
“It’s fine. I was going to ask you questions, too.”
“It really isn’t…”
“Let’s make it fair and take turns.”
She stared blankly at Walter’s cheerful face.
Maybe because he let his hair down, she couldn’t take her eyes off his lips that formed such an appealing curve.
A man who perfectly fits my taste is looking at me and smiling. And he seems quite fond of me too.
What would it feel like to kiss this man?
‘Stop. Stop it.’
The sudden surge of curiosity quickly faded away. He clearly seemed conservative; if a woman rushed in first…
As Walter’s disgusted face floated up in my memory, I naturally imagined myself being ruthlessly kicked out of the Duke’s castle.
If I opened my mouth here, I would definitely say something that could make me faint. I need to think of something else quickly. I can’t become a pervert too.
Worried that filthy words might slip out, Hermia bit her cheek.
“This time, I’ll ask the questions.”
“Yes! Sounds good!”
Seeing him respond so eagerly, Walter paused for a moment before asking.
“What’s your favorite food?”
“I eat everything without being picky. Oh, but I’ve learned that I don’t seem to like oysters.”
He nodded quietly, having regularly enjoyed oysters before. They were now permanently off the menu.
“What about your favorite color?”
“Hmm. Black? Navy blue?”
Walter was momentarily speechless, perhaps surprised that a woman with such bright white hair and skin would choose those colors.
“I like colors that don’t show dirt easily.”
“I see.”
“What about you, Your Grace?”
“Are you asking about me?”
Seeing her innocent blinking eyes, he answered as if entranced.
“…I like blue the most.”
“I see.”
Hermia playfully laughed as she mimicked Walter’s stiff tone.
“But why did you become a soldier? You’re rich enough to spend your life doing nothing.”
Somehow, the roles of questioner and answerer had switched, but it wasn’t bad. For someone who usually held the reins, it was even quite exciting.
Walter had never thought about why he became a soldier, so he needed to take a moment to answer.
“I don’t have any special reason. My grandfather and father were both soldiers, and before I knew it, I ended up enrolling in military school.”
“Didn’t you want to do anything else? My father has failed at every business and is even trying to become a politician now.”
He crossed his arms and seemed to think seriously.
“Something I wanted to do… Now that I think about it, when I was very young, I wanted to be an explorer, like Robin, and explore new continents.”
“Who is Robin?”
“Ah.”
He lost his words at the unexpectedly calm question. His fiancée had a knack for leaving him speechless.
“…He’s the main character in a book.”
“A book?”
“It’s a fairy tale about a boy named Robin who wears a red hood and goes on adventures while making friends along the way.”
It was such an old and famous story that practically everyone knew it. He decided he’d take that fact to the grave.
“You in a red hood? Hehe. That doesn’t suit you at all.”
Hermia laughed out loud. He suited more as a conqueror leading an army than a wandering traveler.
Walter sat her down on a white bench in the middle of their walk and took a seat beside her.
“If you find it boring here, I can show you the central library. My grandfather has a hobby of collecting books, so there are more books than in most libraries. We even have ‘Little Red Riding Hood Robin’ that I read when I was young.”
“Then do you have ‘The Stolen Noble Lady’ too?”
Gerald had brought it once, but he shook his head as if he didn’t know.
“I have classic literature with love stories.”
“Classics…”
“They contain provocative content that doesn’t fit the times, so I wouldn’t recommend them too much.”
“……!”
Ah, something naughty. Hermia vowed she would definitely check it out if she got the chance.
By the way, ‘The Stolen Noble Lady.’ It was just a joke thrown out there, but suddenly thinking of all the piled-up laundry made her chest feel tight. She was also worried about Mel who had disappeared again.
She cautiously brought up the topic.
“Um… I’ve heard that Mr. Isaac took the train.”
Knowing Hermia would be curious, Walter had arranged for news to be delivered through the butler.
“Do you know anything more about the doctor?”
“I’ve only met him once. A butler from the count’s household took me to the hospital back then. They needed to check if the child they were bringing in was healthy.”
“……”
“When I said I had no money, he told me they didn’t charge guests coming from Vansen. I still remember Mr. Isaac’s expression from that time. He looked very sad.”
“It must have been during Melisa’s disappearance.”
“Now that I think about it, he probably thought of Mel when he saw me. A commoner suddenly becoming a Countess instead of the daughter of his benefactor.”
Hermia spoke calmly while looking up at the night sky filled with dark clouds.
“The teacher said he was once a child wandering the streets begging without a home but became a doctor thanks to the former Count’s help. He said he’d never be able to repay that debt in his lifetime and told me not to feel too burdened by it since the Count passed away too soon.”
“A debt of gratitude..”
Hearing that made Walter speculate that Isaac and Jack Vansen’s relationship might be older and deeper than he thought.
“That’s all I know.”
Hermia took a deep breath as she looked away from the starless sky. The humid air filled her lungs with moisture; it seemed like rain was coming soon.
Her prediction turned out to be accurate the next morning. The early start of this year’s monsoon season had arrived.
