Chapter 77
“That means we have something to interrogate him about.”
Hermia burst out laughing after seeing Henry’s playful postscript written at the end of the report as she continued to read it.
“He said disguising themselves as newlyweds was a stroke of genius. He said it was such a great tactic that they should use it again next time.”
“It seems it was quite useful.”
Walter dismissed the chef and servants with a light nod.
“So, I’m thinking of using that method too.”
“What method?”
“I’m thinking of naturally approaching the places where the author who cast the curse is hiding by touring the private estates in the provinces as a honeymoon.”
Hermia was momentarily speechless at the unexpected news.
She had been so focused on the marriage itself that she hadn’t even thought about a honeymoon, but a trip? With Walter?
She lowered her head to watch the cheese powder melting like snowflakes on the soup. It was because she didn’t want to be caught with her lips twitching.
It was to catch the author, but a honeymoon, it felt like receiving an unexpected gift.
This time, she picked up the spoon and stirred the Arua Nyon unnecessarily. She hoped that the misty steam rising from the bowl would hide her excited expression.
“That’s… that sounds like a very good idea. If the author saw the newspaper, they wouldn’t stay in a place where soldiers are swarming, so disguising it as a honeymoon would be less suspicious.”
Ah. Good smell.
She had skipped dinner and caused a commotion all night, so a belated hunger was rushing in. When she took a spoonful with the cheese, she was about to hum a tune involuntarily.
“It won’t be dangerous. I’ll catch them while you’re at the hotel.”
“Oh. A hotel.”
“You, my wife, will only show your face on the first day…”
“Hehe. ‘My wife,’ he says. Yesterday, it was ‘you.'”
Hermia, who had been giggling, suddenly stopped and asked.
“…Did I say that out loud again?”
Walter cast his gaze far away, beyond the terrace, to the garden. The answer was sufficient even with that.
“I did, didn’t I.”
After that, she was so engrossed in her meal as if she would fall into the bowl, but when she slyly raised her head, she met Walter’s eyes, who was looking at her as always.
He often did this. That is, when they were eating, talking, drinking tea, or taking a walk, he would always stare at her like this when it was particularly quiet.
When she asked why, thinking he might have something to say, a bland answer of ‘it’s nothing’ would come back. If she asked now, he would shake his head calmly.
At first, she thought he was looking because she was pretty, but that wasn’t all.
His gaze had a very different nature from glancing sideways, flirting, or staring blankly.
Walter was, so to speak, looking at her as if he were appreciating her.
The way she was in the carriage, the way she was walking in the garden, the way she was sitting on the sofa, and the way she was eating now, as if it were a landscape. Or as if he were engraving it.
Sometimes it was burdensome, but it didn’t make her feel bad. It was just a little embarrassing.
Come to think of it, he had stubbornly matched eyes with her last night, as if to tie her down. I should have asked him then. No. I wasn’t in my right mind either.
As she recalled it again, her face flushed with heat.
‘It’s a shame you don’t remember. It was amazing.’
As her thoughts expanded to that point, Hermia fell into an embarrassing doubt.
Walter doesn’t remember, so can I say that we had our first night together with this…? I don’t remember everything from beginning to end either. Moreover, it was completely blank at the end.
The scenes that came to mind sporadically and the sensations left on her body were vivid, but she somehow didn’t feel relieved.
Should I tell him to do it again when he’s in his right mind? When is ‘again’? Could it be tonight? It seems difficult to do it right away like that.
What are other couples like? Coco, teacher…!
“Let’s rest after eating today.”
Walter broke the silence first in the quiet bedroom. Hermia almost bit her tongue, thinking that she had said another vulgar thought out loud.
“Let’s go on our honeymoon after you’ve recovered.”
Phew. That’s not it. But to rest, does that mean me alone?
“What about you, Your Grace… I mean, you?”
“I’m going to make a schedule for the tour. It seems like there will be several private estates to visit.”
Despite the welcoming news that there were several destinations, Hermia frowned deeply.
If it’s like this, there’s no point in doing what I had planned to do in advance today. Moreover, we just got married yesterday.
“Uh… At the main building?”
“Yes.”
“And I’m staying here?”
Feeling the dissatisfaction seeping into her tone, Walter made a ‘ah’ expression.
“There’s a study in the annex, so then I’ll do it there…”
“Can’t you just do it here? Do you have to make the schedule with someone else?”
He did have to make it with someone else. First of all, he needed the head butler, the regional managers, the non-commissioned officer in charge of the unit while he was away from the Duke’s residence, and the platoon officer to take on the tour.
“It’s not necessary.”
However, Walter spat out an answer that made them useless in one room.
“Let’s do it here.”
He’ll make it himself first and then have them review it later. There’s no need to rush, so it was something he could do sufficiently.
Hermia, who had carelessly complained, realized that she had said something immature only after seeing Walter, who had changed his attitude like flipping his hand. It seemed she was too excited.
“…It’s just something I said. It’s not like we’re going for a day or two, how can you make the schedule alone? I know that much.”
She waved her hand with a faint smile.
“I’ll be resting in my room, so go ahead.”
Just as she was about to give up and pick up her spoon, a short voice flew in.
“Tomorrow.”
“Huh?”
“The schedule can be made starting tomorrow. After receiving the report that the doctor was caught, I think I got impatient too.”
“That means…”
“I’m planning to rest fully until today too.”
Tch. He should have done this from the start. She gave him a haughty glare, and a smile that tickled her heart like a spring breeze returned.
Hermia liked Walter’s face to begin with, but she especially liked his smiling face even more.
Looking at his soft lips drawing a pleasing arc, she felt like something tightly filling her chest was about to overflow, splashing as if it were about to.
At the same time, her uneasy feelings were also growing little by little.
How long will that smile last? Someday, the day will come when he shows it to another woman who isn’t me.
“……”
Suddenly feeling uneasy, she put down her utensils, got up from her seat, and walked towards Walter. Then, taking his hand, who had stood up, not knowing why, she slowly led him.
“Hermia.”
Walter, who had been following obediently, stopped abruptly as soon as he saw the bed.
I’m sleepy. Let me sleep here.
Since such a ridiculous excuse wouldn’t come out anyway, she decided to be honest instead.
When she pulled his arm down, Walter lowered his head with a familiar motion. His brow furrowed violently at the whisper she had given him after making a big decision.
“It won’t do.”
Hermia retorted without giving in.
“Why? We’re a married couple. It doesn’t have to be evening…”
“Still, it won’t do.”
He couldn’t torment his wife, who seemed to have trouble walking for a short time, again in less than a day. He laid Hermia on the bed with a firm motion.
“Rest early today.”
He covered her with a thin blanket and turned around, but a slender hand grabbed the hem of his clothes. Walter was helplessly dragged along, unable to shake off even that weak pull.
Hermia, who had raised her upper body like a disobedient child, was issuing an order that he couldn’t possibly refuse.
“Then at least stay next to me.”
He sighed quietly at the gesture of patting the seat next to her before going up. Hermia brazenly turned her back as if she had been waiting for it.
“I can’t sleep wearing a dress.”
At those words, Walter carefully undid the buttons on her back. Since he didn’t seem to have any intention of touching her any further after that, she wriggled and slipped it off in the blanket before kicking it off the bed.
In the meantime, Walter seemed to be desperately searching for something in the drawer of the bedside table on the other side.
“The corset too.”
“……”
When she turned around because there was no reaction, she saw him holding a Bible out of nowhere. Why is he doing that when he’s not a priest?
“Walter, the corset too. You don’t know how suffocating this is.”
“That’s something you should call the maid for…”
“No. You do it.”
Walter eventually put down the Bible, which he had opened to just any chapter, and fixed his gaze on her shoulder as he untied the strings on her back.
After dropping the corset to the floor like shedding a skin, Hermia was once again in her chemise.
Walter had learned how terrifyingly powerful that thin and light garment was, so he picked up the book again. He couldn’t distinguish whether what was written on the paper was letters or pictures, but anyway.
“Are you really just going to sleep?”
“Yes.”
Her husband, who had suddenly become a servant of God, was answering without even looking this way.
Hermia was getting impatient. It was true that her body was not in good condition, but she still wanted to touch Walter. She felt like she could only feel relieved if she put a definite stamp on it when he was in his right mind too.
Looking sulky, she hesitated before throwing her last gamble.
“…I can only sleep if you give me a goodnight kiss.”
Walter slowly put down the book and turned his head. Hermia didn’t avoid his gaze and stared straight at him.
Do it. Do it, right now.
She didn’t know if she said it in her mind or out loud, but she could tell the moment she saw his dark green eyes trembling intensely. This was definitely going to be a success.
Hermia didn’t let go of her tension as she continued to watch Walter approaching. She even personally corrected the direction that was subtly heading for her cheek to face her directly.
Finally, Walter gave up and tilted his head. The two of them gently pressed their lips together without completely closing their eyes.
The moment he tried to pull away after lightly pressing his lips, Hermia suddenly lunged at him. Walter’s body surprisingly fell backward obediently.
If it continued like this, everything would be certain and perfect.
Just as she was eagerly trying to move on to the next stage, her vision suddenly started to spin.
What’s going on? It was almost there, why now…?
An extraordinary sleepiness rushed in, and the strength was draining out of her body. Walter’s face became blurred in her hazy vision, and his voice became distant.
“…I’m sorry.”
“What did you… do to me…”
The small and long object in Walter’s hand returned to being a Bible.
What is that? The pointy and sparkling end looks like…
Ah. I understand. No wonder my neck is tingling.
“You bas…”
Saying only that much, Hermia’s world went completely dark.
