I Married the Mad Duke Who Killed My Husband - Chapter 11
“What do you think about going to my house once more before the reception?”
“……”
“Hello? Cassion?”
“……”
“If you don’t like it, just say so!”
“Huh- what?”
As I released his hand with a slap while completing a turn, he, who had been following with gritted teeth, asked back. He’s not usually bad at multitasking, is dancing that difficult?
“Did you hear what I just said?”
As I finished the turn and moved close to him as if embracing him, I heard him gulp. I just showered, so I shouldn’t smell. At most, it would be the scent of the food we ate together.
“Let’s take a short break.”
“Yeah. That would be good.”
Feeling that we couldn’t possibly have a conversation like this, I let go of his hand. He rubbed his hand on his pajama shirt, then touched his forehead, nodding his head in a confused manner.
“Is it that difficult? When you were practicing alone at first, you seemed to be doing well… Is it hard to match with me? Tell me if there’s something I’m doing wrong.”
“…No, you’re not doing anything wrong. It’s just… the scent… I wish the scent was a bit less.”
“The smell? I just showered.”
“Not smell, scent! …Didn’t you put on perfume?”
“Why would I put on perfume to sleep? I don’t like strong scents either, so I use mostly unscented products when I shower.”
He grabbed my pink hair and sniffed it, but there wasn’t any particularly strong scent. Is it because it’s my own scent that I can’t smell it?
“Try to bear with it. I can’t throw away products I already have. Next time, I’ll buy even more scentless bath products.”
“…No, there’s no need for that.”
“Right? You’ll get used to it.”
As I leaned in close to him playfully, he hesitated but this time didn’t hold his breath. That’s right, that’s right.
“Then sit here. Let’s talk for a bit while we rest.”
Despite a table being available on one side of the room, I chose to sit on the bed, patting it dramatically as I plopped down. It is tiring to practice dancing every night. It is tiring to practice dancing every night.
As Cassion cautiously approached and sat down, I could feel the bed tilt.
“Sit a bit closer. Do you dislike me?”
“…I think I might smell. I sweated a bit while dancing.”
“I don’t mind that, so just come a bit closer. We can’t have a loud conversation at this hour.”
Should I say he’s surprisingly sensitive, unlike his appearance? Or is he trying to show that he’s a person who knows manners, unlike smelly me? As I kept patting the bed, he slowly moved his hips. As expected, there was no smell at all.
“There are still ten more days until the reception, and the dance instructor said we won’t embarrass ourselves at this level, so don’t be too nervous. If worst comes to worst, I’ll lead.”
“Hah…”
For some reason, he sighed even more deeply at my words. It’s a problem that he stiffens at every part where our bodies touch, but that’s something only I, his partner, can feel to that extent. He looks fine at a glance, but is he a perfectionist? He seems to be under a lot of stress.
“Why don’t you eat a macaron?”
“I’m good.”
I tried to lift his mood with something sweet before starting the main conversation, but it failed. Actually, I did feed him one before we started dancing.
“Anyway, about our reception. We received the prince’s reply that he’ll attend, and the house seems to be almost fully decorated. But just in case my family shows up that day, I think we should warn them once more at this point. I heard they’ve mostly recovered.”
“Those bugs sure have a good recovery.”
He sneered, then suddenly realizing they were my family, he flinched and looked at me cautiously. But I didn’t particularly deny that my family was bug-level, so I just hugged a nearby pillow and rested my chin on it.
“That’s right. They probably didn’t have money to bring a doctor… But I think if they hear about the reception, they’ll crawl here if they have to.”
Are there bugs that don’t come where crumbs have fallen? Rather, they’ll probably think it’s an opportunity to make a fuss about their daughter being kidnapped or the marriage being invalid in front of many people. That’s why they’re keeping quiet now.
“For the sake of the Duke’s family, and for my sake, I don’t want the reception to be ruined because of my family… I can’t think of what to do. Should we go beat them up again?”
Actually, I thought we should stop them, but I couldn’t think of a way, so I tried to have a conversation with Cassion. I wonder if he has any good ideas.
“Oh, by the way, we can’t give them money. My pride won’t allow it.”
“I wasn’t even considering it.”
It’s not a matter of the amount of money or regret. I looked at him seriously, but he seemed not to have considered it either, which was a relief.
Then is there no choice but to beat them up again so they can’t come to the reception?
“Your brother seems to frequent low-quality gambling dens.”
Cassion, who had been lost in thought for a moment, offered unexpected information. It’s surprising yet unsurprising news. More like, I thought so?
“I think we can use that.”
“How? They’ve probably squandered almost all their money, so taking more won’t help…”
“If we use violence directly, they’re the type who will come to complain even more out of spite. But… being beaten up and chased out of a gambling den is a bit different.”
“Oh…?”
“As you said, they can’t go to gambling dens frequented by nobles because the stakes are too high, so they only go to low-quality places. In such places, even if you’re a noble, if you can’t pay, they often cut off a wrist or two. Your brother seems to be dangerously close to crossing that line but with a little manipulation…”
He smiled at me maliciously. It was fascinating to see how different it was from his stiff, uncertain demeanor while dancing. So this is the kind of expression that leads to rumors of him being bloodthirsty and violent.
But maybe because he’s on my side, I really like that confident and vicious expression.
“It’s nothing to make them flee to the countryside in the middle of the night, just by giving them a sense of crisis that their body, household, and life are in danger.”
He tapped his fingers as if already thinking about the pawns he had inserted into the gambling dens. It’s reassuring. I’m glad I consulted with him.
“If they’re that desperate for money, won’t they come to the mansion before the reception?”
“We’ll place gambling den thugs near the mansion, pretending it’s a coincidence, and push them hard enough to make them want to run away urgently. A week is a bit short, but it’s not impossible to make them flee with their tails between their legs.”
“Oh… That sounds good.”
“If the plan fails, I’ll break all their legs myself to prevent them from coming. …Of course, only if you allow it.”
“Oh, I’ll allow anything. I trust you, so do as you please.”
Cassion, who had been smiling like an evil spirit, immediately softened at the words of trust and scratched his cheek. Maybe it’s because I’m sleepy, but I thought the gap with his large build was slightly cute.
“I’m glad I consulted with you. Can I consult with you in the future if I have any problems?”
“…With me?”
“Is there anyone else here besides you right now?”
“Was I helpful?”
“Of course. Even though it hasn’t been implemented yet, it was very reassuring. I was even thinking I might have to fight while being dragged by my hair again.”
“That will never happen again.”
He frowns again. Smiling like a demon, then becoming shy, then hardening his face – he’s a person with more honest and diverse expressions than I thought. Thanks to that, I couldn’t help but smile and put my hand on his head.
“You’re really dependable. I’ll trust you.”
I must have become brave due to sleepiness. As I stroked his head a couple of times, I could see his fine hair getting messed up and then falling back into place. Cassion immediately stiffened and turned to look at me with his mouth open.
“What are you…”
Slap-
“?!”
“Alright! Let’s start dancing practice again!”
I changed the subject before he could gather his thoughts and say anything. To drive away the sleepiness that kept creeping in, I patted and flicked my cheeks, then sprang up as if bouncing. His mouth opened even wider.
“If you’re sleepy, just go to sleep, or if you want to wake up, you could drink some tea instead of hitting your face recklessly like that.”
“If I drink tea before bed, I’ll need to go to the bathroom. Slapping my cheeks is the best way to wake up.”
“There are handprints on your face. How hard did you hit yourself?”
Appalled, he naturally approached and put his hand on my cheek. His warm, large hand touched my heated cheek.
I grabbed that hand, interlocked our fingers, and twirled my body to resume dancing. He matched the tempo in a daze.
“Thanks for worrying, but let’s practice quickly and go to bed early today. I think you’ll have something to do for me tomorrow.”
I winked at him, and he made an intriguing expression.
Perhaps because of the benefit of talking about other things during our break, this time he didn’t flinch when I moved close and firmly supported my back.
“I’m worried because my wife likes to lead.”
Observing his face, which wore an expression caught between a smile and not, I found it even more amusing. Barely containing my laughter, I leaned in and whispered.
“Liar. You don’t dislike it.”
