Dear Contract Husband, I Didn't Know You Were Like This? - Chapter 111
At first, Tristan thought he had misheard.
“Who?”
Without realizing it, informal speech slipped out of his mouth.
“Serene Baker.”
Maya’s sharp remark left Tristan momentarily speechless. That’s how flustered he was.
No, for Maya’s name not to come up, and instead that woman’s name to surface—it was simply and completely off.
‘Did I leave room for misunderstanding?’
Tristan revisited his memories of Serene, from their first meeting until now.
‘Did I strike too close to the mark?’
The longer the silence dragged on, the deeper Maya’s misunderstanding grew.
“I’ve even thought about the difference in how you treat Serene Baker compared to how you treat me. I decided it would be better to ask directly rather than continue guessing on my own.”
“That’s not it.”
Tristan could no longer sit idly by and watch the misunderstandings pile up. He cut Maya’s words off firmly.
“Maya, the reason I looked after Serene Baker was because she was your guest.”
Now that the topic had come up, he figured it might be a good opportunity to broach the subject of what the Bayarden family intended to do going forward.
“She’s also someone who could serve as a cornerstone for the tasks I’ll be undertaking, which is another reason I chose to help her.”
He resolved to clear up any misunderstandings that might arise in the future as well.
“In any case, I do not have any special feelings for Serene Baker. Could you tell me what about my behavior led to such a misunderstanding?”
The thought of being linked to another woman, one other than Maya, was unbearable for him, so he intended to correct the issue immediately.
“It’s your cold attitude and stiff tone when dealing with her—it felt as if you were nervous.”
“……”
“It was a side of you that felt different from the Tristan I know.”
The premise itself was wrong.
The way Tristan treated Serene Baker was closer to his usual demeanor, and it was the way he treated Maya Pendragon that was the exception.
‘Was my polite behavior from the beginning a mistake?’
He had thought he should act with courtesy since she was a member of a dragon lineage, like himself.
Later, when he met Maya directly, he found himself wanting to care for her more, and that desire led to continued consideration and kindness.
She had been someone he liked from the very beginning.
Unknowingly, Tristan had come to like Maya Pendragon.
The tendency to treat the person he liked well while keeping a wall between himself and those he didn’t see as potential romantic interests had unexpectedly come back to haunt him.
It occurred to him that waiting wasn’t always the best approach.
“Maya, have you ever properly observed how I treat others besides you?”
“The only time I’ve seen it was at the Bayarden estate, when you interacted with the servants or maids…”
Maya responded, her expression a little awkward.
He didn’t want to burden her.
But it was true that he wished for her to gradually notice his feelings.
That’s why Tristan thought he needed to start revealing them, bit by bit.
“Alec will be coming up. Robert, too, will be leaving the North.”
Alec and Robert were currently the closest confidants of the Bayarden family, stationed in the North.
“…May I ask why?”
“To depose the Emperor.”
It was a dangerous subject, but Tristan’s response was concise.
Even Maya, he thought, would be shocked to hear it.
However, Maya simply nodded with a calm expression.
“I see.”
“Aren’t you surprised?”
“No. If it’s you, Tristan… it seems fitting.”
Her composed demeanor gave the impression that she had expected this all along.
‘This isn’t the first time something like this has happened.’
It was reminiscent of their time in the North, when they had fought against monsters.
Taking Maya’s hand, Tristan spoke in a quiet voice.
“Maya, when they arrive, I’d like you to observe how I treat you compared to how I treat others.”
This was the first thing he wanted to convey to her.
“Then you’ll understand why I act differently toward you.”
Tristan hoped Maya would come to realize on her own the meaning behind the unique respect and consideration he showed her.
Because he wanted her to notice him, to understand him, and to fall in love with him, just as he had fallen for her.
“If you reflect on it with the same mindset as now, I believe you’ll find the answer.”
Tristan believed in Maya’s ability to figure it out.
She might seem slow to notice at times, but she was unusually sharp in her own way.
‘Even if she doesn’t realize it immediately, that’s fine.’
In such a situation, Tristan would guide her along the right path, ensuring she reached the answer eventually.
