I Had No Complaints About This Marriage - Chapter 24
“Wow.”
Esina’s eyes widened as she took in the high ceilings, marble walls, and dazzling displays glittering all around her. Warm air brushed against her slightly exposed shoulders.
Inside the building—elegantly constructed to target nobles with disposable income—was the large department store in the capital that Herman had personally invested in.
Neatly arranged counters manned by impeccably dressed employees filled the spacious lobby. The displays, finished in gold, beige, and black, complemented the white marble flawlessly.
Even the uniformed staff, though mostly commoners, were polished to look as refined as nobles—a deliberate touch clearly meant to stoke aristocratic vanity.
Though today was just a trial run, it was obvious this place would be flooded the moment it officially opened.
“Don’t wander too far.”
Whether Herman, watching from behind, said so or not, Esina was too busy taking in her surroundings.
Mannequins draped in expensive dresses, chandeliers glowing brilliantly from the high ceilings, jewelry dazzling enough to hurt the eyes—each one captivated her in turn.
Even tucked away in corners were a few rare magical artifacts, the kind so hard to obtain that merely owning them was a status symbol. Items that had barely appeared even in the original story.
As Esina absorbed it all, she thought to herself—
“I’ll live well even without a family name.”
It was said that this business was achieved not with the family’s money but with investment funds Herman had gathered himself. Hearing that, I wondered if Herman even needed the Telloien family’s wealth.
“No wonder. He spoke of disownment so casually.”
Of course, the Telloien family was the richest in the empire, but Esina didn’t desire that level of wealth. She only wanted a life slightly better and more comfortable than her previous one—that of a helpless orphan trembling as she barely clung to survival.
“This is beyond that.”
Just by looking at the scale of the building and the business, Herman’s capabilities were evident. She had assumed he was wealthy, but never to this extent.
Feeling a proud satisfaction at having picked a real gem, Esina gazed at Herman as if looking at something adorable. Under her gaze, Herman flinched slightly before speaking.
“You…”
“I know.”
Before Herman could point anything out, Esina cut him off with those words and looked around the luxurious building again. Having escaped her miserable past to become the lady of a wealthy household, Esina was simply in a good mood.
Watching her, Herman was seized by a strange feeling.
“There’s a new business I’m planning this time.”
“…A business?”
“I’m going to open a department store in the capital.”
It had been Herman who suggested this outing.
Ever since that day when Esina had returned to her room first, she no longer initiated conversations with Herman unless she had a specific reason. Even when they were intimate, instead of crying out to him as before, she bit the sheets and stifled her moans.
To Herman, who hadn’t even realized that she never spoke to him unless necessary, this felt newly significant. Unaware that her silence was Esina’s last resort to avoid straining her voice, Herman found this change genuinely unsettling.
“Isn’t it good for a couple to live neatly even without emotions?”
Whether Esina was sulking or not, Herman still wanted to maintain this marriage for a long time. Thinking there was no need to drag out an awkward atmosphere, he had made the suggestion, but…
“Yes. I’ll go.”
He had half-expected her to refuse, saying her feelings were hurt, but Esina blinked and answered obediently—even with a hint of anticipation, as if asking when she had ever been hurt.
At this point, Herman felt like he had been overthinking it. Seeing Esina looking at him with the same adoration as ever, he couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh. The discomfort in his chest quietly settled…
“No.”
It wasn’t that he wasn’t uncomfortable. It was because Esina still showed signs of liking him.
But since she said she understood.
Since she said she knew everything and wouldn’t show it outwardly.
‘Right. That’s enough.’
That was enough, wasn’t it? Herman roughly thought so and followed Esina’s gaze, shifting his own attention to the things she was looking at.
Watching her head turn busily here and there, he suddenly realized something.
‘Ah, this is our first outing since marriage.’
