Chapter 024
“Hmm?”
As I continued walking, I noticed several servants carrying luggage and heading somewhere. Their destination seemed to be the back gate, where the open space of the mansion was located.
When I followed them to the back gate, I saw a few carriages loaded with luggage.
“We’ve brought our luggage here!”
“Right. Load the servants’ luggage onto that carriage over there.”
The servants I had seen earlier headed toward the carriage the knight pointed to, loaded their belongings, and then retraced their steps.
I was puzzled about what was going on when I spotted a familiar face among the strangers.
“Roman!”
I approached Roman, who was checking the luggage among the carriages, and called out to him.
When Roman realized it was me who had called him, he responded with a warm smile.
“Madam! How are you?”
“I’m well. But what’s going on here?”
I pointed to the servants moving the large luggage and asked.
“Ah, these are the people who will be leaving for the Duchy of Ballestain tomorrow. They are loading their things onto the carriage in advance.”
“The Duchy of Ballestain?”
“Yes. They were originally assigned to that territory, but their schedule was delayed, so they are departing now.”
With Roman’s explanation, my confusion was finally cleared, and I nodded as I looked at the people carrying the luggage.
“The Duchy of Ballestain… I’m curious about what kind of place it is.”
The territory that Evan received as a reward for his service in the war was known for its abundant resources, coveted by many nobles. However, due to its geographical location bordering the Kingdom of Clayts, it was also a highly dangerous place.
“What? Weren’t you supposed to go with him this time?”
At that moment, Roman looked at me with wide eyes, expressing confusion.
“Go with him? What do you mean?”
“The Duke is scheduled to depart for the Duchy of Ballestain in three days. He’ll be staying there for about two months to handle some matters before returning to the capital.”
“For two months…?”
I had no idea.
If I had at least seen him, we could have discussed it, but there hadn’t been any opportunity for that. Still, this was important news—he should have informed me earlier.
It seemed that I needed to have a direct conversation with him tonight.
ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚
That night.
I stayed awake, waiting for him to come into the room.
‘When is he coming back?’
It was just past 2 a.m.
I glanced at the door, which showed no signs of opening despite my long wait, and briefly lay down on the bed.
A thought crept into my mind: He always comes back so late and leaves so early in the morning—does he even get any sleep?
Just then.
Creak.
The door opened, and his sturdy figure appeared in the darkness.
He walked toward the bed with footsteps so quiet that they could barely be heard if one wasn’t paying attention.
“Evan.”
He stopped.
As soon as I called his name, the low echo of his footsteps came to an abrupt halt.
“…Are you still unable to sleep?”
He seemed a bit taken aback that I was awake at this hour.
I stood up from where I had been lying and spoke to him. “I heard you’re leaving for the estate in three days. You should have told me earlier.”
The room was completely dark, and I could barely make out his figure, but I felt his gaze on my face.
“I was planning to tell you today.”
His voice came softly from the darkness.
Just then, I was about to say that we needed to prepare our things quickly.
“I plan to go to the territory alone.”
“Why?”
“The estate isn’t fully settled yet, so it would be uncomfortable for you. The journey will also take quite a while, and we’ll likely have to camp along the way.”
Evan firmly stated that it would be much better for me to stay in the capital.
‘Two months alone here…’
As he said, for someone like me who had never camped out in my life, staying in the capital seemed like the better choice.
However, if we lived apart for two months without even having a proper conversation, what would be the point of our marriage?
‘After all, I married because of this man.’
Having finished my thoughts, I spoke to him with a determined voice.
“I want to go to the Duchy of Ballestain with you. I’ve never camped out, but I can try it this time.”
During the journey to the duchy, we would have much more time to talk than we do now.
Though it was hard to see, I could feel his gaze directed at my face.
“Is that not okay? I’m curious about the duchy, and I feel like it would be lonely to stay in the capital alone.”
What I had just said wasn’t just an excuse; it was truly how I felt.
After marrying Evan and almost fully adjusting to life in the Ballestain Duchy, things would be different if he weren’t here. Having a tendency to feel lonely, I would quickly become depressed whenever I felt completely alone.
Since marrying Evan, I hadn’t experienced such feelings until now, but for some reason, I felt like they might return while he was away.
‘It seems I’ve been relying on Evan more than I realized.’
Even though he was busy and we didn’t see each other often, I had just come to understand that simply living in the same space provided me with a sense of stability.
“I’ll make sure not to be a burden.” I quickly added that in case he might refuse.
After a brief silence,
“…Alright.”
Finally, his voice echoed softly.
“We’ll depart exactly three days from now in the morning, so please be prepared by then.”
“Got it!”
I answered eagerly, shaking my head up and down in the darkness, worried that his mind might change quickly.
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In preparation for the departure in two days, I packed a few simple items. To be honest, there wasn’t much to pack—just some basic clothes.
“Should I go for a walk?”
With nothing specific to do before leaving, I decided to take a stroll in the garden to alleviate my boredom. The sunlight was pleasantly shining down.
As I made my way towards the garden with a light step, I suddenly overheard a conversation.
“No, I’m certain! Before I came here, I washed thousands of blankets at the inn’s laundry.”
“Hey. If what you’re saying is true, then the Duke and the Duchess haven’t even properly consummated their marriage yet?”
I felt like I could hear my name being mentioned somewhere, so I listened closely and realized the maids were having quite a conversation. I had taken a path I rarely walked down, and it just so happened to be near the mansion’s laundry area.
Quickly hiding behind a nearby tree, I peeked out to see where they were.
“Well, it’s just strange that the bedding of the newlyweds is always so fresh and clean every day,”
The other maids nodded in agreement one by one as they heard her words. And I, who was secretly listening, also nodded along.
‘Sharp observation…’
I couldn’t help but agree. After all, even though we had been sharing the same bed since the first night, we hadn’t so much as touched hands. I thought I had handled everything perfectly on that first night, but it turns out the bedding had raised suspicions.
“Oh, speaking of that, haven’t you noticed that we rarely see the two of them talking? Maybe the Duke and Duchess aren’t getting along well?”
“Nah, I don’t think that’s it. They’re probably just busy. How would we know their circumstances?”
Leaving the maids’ gossip behind, I quietly stepped back and left the area.
As I returned to my room, I couldn’t help but think. At this rate, it wouldn’t take long before the servants figured out that our marriage was a sham.
“This could be dangerous.”
I realized that if these rumors spread from inside to outside the estate, it could become a real problem, and I needed to act quickly to prevent that.
Torryy
The lack of communication and expression from his side is making this very frustrating. I’m not sure what I’m supposed to like about him. Sure he protects her physically and also stands up for her behind her back, but he doesn’t talk to her, doesn’t discuss important decisions, maintains distance when she tries to get close. What is this push and pull.
With all this, the most a person can feel towards them is indebtedness (for trying to save their life) and sympathy (seeing how others are rude towards him). But affection and love??? Doubtful. At best, camaraderie may be as a married couple… But that will also be only from her side.
Sigh. This is difficult to read.