Chapter 7
It was then that Edgar entered the drawing room.
“My lady?”
He looked between me and Ricardo with a puzzled expression.
“You’re here,” I greeted him calmly.
“Earl of Linton, you’ve got quite the remarkable wife. She’s almost enviable.”
Edgar frowned, though he forced a polite smile—likely out of consideration for the guest’s status.
“I suppose I got lucky. Cecilia, thank you for entertaining our guest in my absence.”
His words were gentle, but they carried a clear message: You may leave now.
As I rose to go, Ricardo reached out and stopped me.
“Since we’re all here as husband and wife, I’d be grateful if the Countess would sign as well.”
I looked toward Edgar.
“I asked your wife, so why are you the one answering, Count Linton? I heard you were a delicate and considerate man. Or are you only strict with your wife?”
Edgar’s lips twitched upward, stiffly.
“Of course not. Cecilia, no need to leave. Sit.”
Glancing briefly at Edgar, I quietly returned to my seat.
Once Edgar signed the document, Ricardo extended his pen to me.
“Use this.”
As Edgar reached out to pass me the pen, he paused mid-motion.
“How kind of you, Lord Ricardo,” he said with a smile that was anything but warm.
After Ricardo had left, silence hung in the room for several long moments.
“What exactly do you think you’re doing?”
The words, breaking the tense stillness, came out like an interrogation.
“What do you mean?”
“Is this how you plan to rebel?”
He seethed with anger, but I genuinely had no idea what I’d done to enrage him.
“Ricardo Bastian is out of the question.”
“What are you even talking about?”
“That bastard—literally. You think getting named heir to the Bastian dukedom suddenly cleanses his bloodline? Don’t be ridiculous.”
Then it clicked—Edgar thought I was trying to seduce Ricardo as a means of revenge.
“That’s not what this is.”
“The once-noble Bastian house is finished. Imagine, a bastard inheriting the title. They were once contenders for the throne—and now they’re doomed to decline.”
Edgar spoke with a twisted sense of satisfaction, as though convincing himself.
“He may look decent enough on the outside, but you can’t hide your nature. Just look at how he spouted off so informally, like he was someone important.”
Funny how Edgar had gone out of his way to flatter Ricardo while he was here, only to spit venom the moment he left.
“Let me warn you—don’t disgrace the name of House Linton.”
He said it boldly, despite his own antics with a theater actress.
“If you just stay quiet and obedient, we could make this marriage work. Isn’t that what you want?”
He spun the pen between his fingers as he spoke.
“You won’t have to worry about me creating bastards like the Duke of Bastian. I can promise you that.”
I blinked. Was he implying… what I thought he was?
“Wait—you’re saying you intend to have a child with me?”
I didn’t care how many women Edgar played with outside. I didn’t love him.
But I certainly had no intention of sharing my body with someone who had been sleeping around so carelessly.
He looked at me like it was the most natural thing in the world.
“House Linton is in need of heirs. When the time comes, I’ll visit your chambers. Wait patiently.”
The desire to slap that smooth, self-satisfied face was nearly overwhelming.
The way he said it with a smile made me feel sick to my stomach.
But I held back.
I was still unfamiliar with this world, and there was no guarantee I could survive on my own. For now, I needed him.
I wasn’t hoping for Edgar’s love. It was obvious he didn’t love me. Why he never loved Cecilia, I had no idea. But now that I inhabited her body, there wasn’t a miracle in the world that would make him fall for me.
Still, that didn’t mean I’d accept a loveless marriage bed. I didn’t want his sullied body, and I certainly didn’t want his child.
“Edgar,” I said softly, sweetly.
“Why not just bring in a child born out of wedlock?”
His shocked expression amused me, and I continued in a serene tone.
“I won’t raise them as a bastard. I’ll be the child’s mother. I’ll keep the secret. If the birth mother truly cares about the child’s future, she’ll stay silent too.”
I had no intention of staying in this marriage for long, so I spoke as I pleased.
Saying what an unfaithful man wanted to hear wasn’t all that difficult.
“Are you insane?”
“I’ve never been more sane in my life.”
Looking at his twisted, furious face gave me a strange, almost satisfying sense of pleasure.
“I said I won’t have a child.”
I corrected Edgar’s words.
“I won’t have your child.”
To be honest, I didn’t want to have anyone’s child—but this was likely the kind of answer he expected.
Surprisingly, Edgar looked stunned.
“Why not?”
“Because you don’t love me.”
I chose words Cecilia herself might have used.
“Can you imagine how unhappy a child would be, growing up between two people who don’t love each other?”
It was a weak argument, considering how many nobles in this world bore children without love.
“At the very least, I don’t want my child to live like that.”
Even knowing it was idealistic, I didn’t back down.
“Eventually, the child will be old enough to realize how their father behaves outside the home—and the shock of that will be theirs to bear.”
Edgar scoffed, as if he found the idea laughable.
“So in the end, this is all just criticism of me.”
“No, it’s not,” I said firmly.
“You asked me to live not as your wife, but as your lady. I accepted that.”
Edgar crossed his arms and lifted his chin, his posture daring me to keep talking.
“That was our agreement. You said if I played the part of your lady well, we could live as a reasonably happy couple. But you understand that a fair deal doesn’t mean one side makes all the sacrifices.”
“So,” Edgar said slowly, dragging out his words, “you’re telling me not to play the role of a husband either?”
I nodded.
“I think that’s only fair.”
Edgar abruptly stood. He stomped once in frustration, then closed his eyes as though trying to suppress his anger.
The muscles in his throat shifted sharply.
“Cecilia.”
He spoke in a soft voice, like one used to soothe a child.
“There must be an heir to House Linton. And it must be a legitimate one.”
“Then bring one in.”
I had no idea why the conversation was looping back like this.
Edgar kept his eyes shut. Perhaps he was afraid of what he’d do if he opened them and saw my face. Maybe even afraid he might strike me.
When I was young, my father—though rarely—would smash or throw things when angry.
He never hit us, but even that was enough for my mother and me to cower under his authority.
So it wasn’t strange that someone like me, with those memories, would imagine the worst when seeing Edgar restrain his rage.
“To change the subject… could you find out when Miss Elodie might be available?”
I brought up the actress to pacify him.
“Elodie?”
Edgar opened his eyes.
“We’re hosting a banquet, aren’t we? I heard she’s very busy, being so popular. We should try to accommodate her schedule.”
He stared at me for a long time, then finally sighed and said he understood.
It seemed the storm had passed.
So Elodie’s name had worked.
Taking advantage of his softened mood, I brought up another matter.
“I’d like to appoint the nanny’s son as a gardener.”
“Do as you like.”
“I’ll need to make several purchases to prepare for the banquet, and I’ll require a guard. Would it be alright to hire a capable knight?”
“You did say you wanted to fulfill the role of Countess. Looks like you’ve got plans.”
Mentioning Elodie had signaled that I was no longer clinging to the position of ‘wife.’
And showing that I was committed to being Countess had calmed Edgar’s anger completely.
“I know a knight. I’ll send for him.”
Edgar sounded as if he were doing me a favor, his tone pompous and self-important.
Was it a gesture of goodwill—or surveillance?
I suspected the latter, but outwardly, I simply smiled and thanked him.
“And,”
As he was about to leave, he issued one last command, clearly against his own will.
“Send an invitation to Ricardo Bastian, too. He will inherit the dukedom, after all. Might as well build connections.”
“Yes, I’ll do that.”
Our conversation ended without yelling or tears. I was content with that.
Edgar moved quickly.
The very next day, the knight arrived.
The nanny didn’t seem too thrilled at the sight of a man in formal armor.
But regardless of her feelings, the knight greeted me politely and properly.
“Lady Cecilia.”
The title Lady made Sarah’s cheeks flush and her eyes light up.
It seemed Lady in this world didn’t refer solely to unmarried women.
I sighed quietly, realizing I still had much to learn here.
“Pascal Favreau, at your service.”
“Milady will be going out after lunch. Sir Pascal, please be ready,” Sarah answered for me, reciting my schedule.
From that, I gathered that I was to address him as Sir Pascal.
“Understood.”
“Sir Pascal will be staying in the guest quarters. If there’s anything you need, please speak to me. Milady will ensure it’s taken care of right away.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Sarah looked desperate to keep him talking.
He was young, well-built, and good-looking.
I wasn’t sure how old Sarah was exactly, but judging by Cecilia’s age at marriage, Sarah likely wasn’t too young to wed.
Pascal bowed politely to me and withdrew. As soon as he was out of sight, Sarah let out a breathless gasp.
“Oh my God. He’s so handsome.”
The nanny snorted.
“Hmph. My son’s better looking.”
Her comment made me recall her son’s face. He was indeed quite handsome in a rugged way—well-toned from labor, with sun-bronzed skin that suited him well.
“He’s still a commoner!”
“And so are you! You think a maid like you has a chance with a knight? Wake up! Knights only ever want to marry noble ladies.”
Sarah plugged her ears and pretended not to hear, while the nanny launched into a lecture on knightly affairs.
Still, I learned a lot from her rambling.
Despite appearances, knights weren’t considered true nobles. Their social standing was lower, so they were constantly trying to claw their way into the aristocracy.
Marriage was the most reliable way in.
Though some of them took a cheaper route—through scandal.
An affair with a married noblewoman could instantly elevate a knight’s reputation, painting him as a man no woman could resist.
“Honestly. What was the Count thinking, bringing in such a young knight?”
The nanny kept grumbling.
“A proper guard for the lady of the house should be a seasoned, middle-aged man. One who won’t get dragged into unnecessary trouble. What on earth is he planning?”
She went on for quite a while.
But I already had a good idea of what Edgar was planning.
