I Married the Mad Duke Who Killed My Husband - Chapter 30
“Thanks to your kindness, I got to see the capital and bought things Leonina needed. Thank you again.”
Two days later, before Jenin returned home, I invited her once more.
I thought Cassion, who I expected to dislike it, might have changed his mind about her when he said it was fine with a somewhat relieved expression. But he actually didn’t attend our tea time, saying he had business with the prince.
“You went sightseeing in the capital while it was raining like that?”
“The rain in the capital wasn’t much, you know.”
Although it had almost stopped, the roads were still muddy, so I invited her to the Duke’s mansion for a private tea time, and I spoke to Jenin informally.
We became close quickly, and the chatter was enjoyable.
“By the way, have you heard the rumors? The merchants in the streets are talking about nothing but His Grace and the Duchess.”
“…I can guess without hearing.”
“Oh no, it’s not like that. They’re saying good things!”
When I drank my tea with a sour expression, Jenin strongly denied it, waving both hands.
Wasn’t it something like, ‘She married the crazy Duke and went mad herself, even abandoning her parents’?
“They say that despite more rain than last year, thanks to the dam expansion, there wasn’t much damage not only in the provinces but also in the capital! The merchants were happy that they could start business right away without flood damage this year.”
Actually, the butler had been giving me flowers every morning, saying that commoners had come to the mansion gates and left them as memorials. I had just told him to put them anywhere without giving it much thought.
“Is that all? It seems like Jenin is only telling me the good things.”
“No, it’s not! Everyone had been hoping for flood prevention measures for a long time, but most nobles just stayed in their safe mansions during this season and didn’t come out… But the Duke’s family was the first to consider the commoners.”
I looked at today’s flowers placed on the shelf behind Jenin. If they were flowers filled with sincere gratitude and comfort, I felt a bit sorry. I had almost thrown them away.
“But it seems not all merchants are doing well. Where was it… It was some high-end store selling foreign goods, but it seems they closed down completely due to distribution problems? Everyone’s talking about it because it was expensive and had massive advertising.”
Jenin chattered away even though I hadn’t given much of a response. I immediately realized it was a store related to the First Prince’s business and hid my emerging smile behind my cup.
“Well, not everything can go well. Still, it’s fortunate that there were no flood victims.”
“Of course. The Duke’s reputation has changed a lot from before. There were already many stories about your good relationship, but now people are thinking he might be a kind person, contrary to the rumors.”
It seems our efforts in going out on dates to the streets have paid off. There was a bit of… unexpected incident related to my family, but I felt proud that things were progressing as I had anticipated.
“But the Duke I met in person was a bit…”
“Hm?”
“Ah, no, it’s nothing.”
“No, Jenin. Speak freely. Would you like another cup of tea?”
What’s this, was there some undercurrent between the two that I didn’t know about? Suddenly intrigued, I urged her on while pouring more tea into Jenin’s empty cup. After taking a sip and darting her eyes around, Jenin continued. She seems to be a cheerful and nice person, but not particularly tight-lipped.
“He seems a bit scary. I mean, after all, he’s a war hero. I just mean he has a certain gravitas, I’m not badmouthing him… Maybe he’s only gentle with the Duchess?”
“Uh… huh?”
“The truly amazing one is the Duchess! Everyone in the streets is just praising His Grace, so it’s a little, just a little bit annoying! In fact, I heard it was the Duchess who first proposed this dam construction!”
“That’s true… But the money came from what Cassion earned.”
“Heart is more important than money! From the racecourse, I could tell at a glance how warm and kind you are. It must be because of someone like you that His Grace has softened. Who would dare to be sharp-tongued in front of the Duchess?”
“Um, Jenin.”
“If there’s anyone like that, please tell me. Even if I can’t be of much help…”
“Jenin, you’re getting too excited. Have another cup of tea.”
I can’t agree that the heart is more important than money. Money is more important. No matter how much heart you have, you can’t do anything without money.
As a former near-beggar, I couldn’t agree with Jenin’s fervent sentiment, but seeing those sparkling eyes, I was at a loss for words.
It wouldn’t be polite to deny it when she’s praising me to my face. Besides, I’m not actually a bad person, and I’m quite admirable at this point.
“Thank you for speaking so kindly, Jenin. I was feeling a bit down after the funeral, but chatting like this today and hearing good news has lifted my mood.”
“I’m glad to hear that, Duchess. I’m really happy I could be of help.”
When I smiled brightly, Jenin’s white cheeks flushed. Is it okay for me to see that shy and happy face instead of the male lead, Cassion?
It felt a bit strange, but I thought, what does it matter?
***
“Is that woman gone?”
“Jenin? She left not long ago… If you have something to say, should I call for a carriage to bring her back? She probably hasn’t gone far.”
“What nonsense. I just asked because I was worried you might insist on letting her stay at our mansion for a day or so.”
“Why do you dislike her so much? She’s like a cute little deer.”
“Are there people who like having strangers stay in their home? And if you’re going to say cute, you…”
Not long after Jenin left, Cassion returned from finishing his conversation with the Second Prince at the palace. As soon as he arrived, he looked around while taking off his jacket, but only after hearing that Jenin had left did his face relax as he sat down in front of me.
As I was about to stop him from reaching for the leftover teapot and prepare a sweet tea to his liking instead of the bitter tea I had with Jenin, he trailed off.
“What? Finish what you were saying. Don’t you know that one of the things that drives people crazy is leaving sentences unfinished?”
“No. No, I. I… I’m crazy.”
“What?”
“…I’m crazy.”
As I was about to place the freshly brewed tea in front of him, he banged his head on the table. Fortunately, I hadn’t put the teacup down yet.
“What’s wrong?! Are you really crazy?”
“Ha.”
He stared at me with his reddened forehead and then grabbed the teacup and downed it in one go. What’s wrong with him?
“Did you have an unpleasant conversation with His Highness? No, how hard did you hit your head?”
I got up from my seat across from him and went to his side, rubbing his forehead which was not only red but also slightly warm and swollen to the touch. Cassion flinched when my hand touched him. It must hurt. Well, the table is marble, and there was a loud bang.
“…No, there was no bad news. I’m glad you seem to have cheered up a bit.”
“Don’t change the subject. It’s been a while since I cheered up.”
“You’ve been unusually wilted these past few days. And the dam construction…”
“Is getting good reviews from the commoners? I know. I heard your and the Second Prince’s reputations have improved too.”
“…But the First Prince’s trade in the vassal state…”
“Is failing because flood damage is making it hard to secure materials, right? I know that too. Half of it is probably true and half is false. Why would they want to give good materials when they’re being pressured like that? They’re probably using the flood as an excuse to provide only the minimum amount of low-quality materials.”
“….”
“If you have nothing more to say, stop changing the subject and tell me the reason for your self-harm blackmail.”
“Persistent women aren’t popular, Asilia.”
“At this point, that’s not even a flaw. If I merely hinted at liking someone, there’d be a line of suitors wrapping around this mansion and stretching far beyond.”
“…That’s true.”
Suddenly, Cassion’s expression turns gloomy. Why has he gone into war maniac mode again? Watching him change from moment to moment is now beyond amusing and approaching bewildering.
I thought he was a simple man, but lately, it seems that’s not the case either.
“If you don’t want to tell me, fine. Hmph. You told me to discuss it with you when I had difficulties, but now you won’t discuss it with me. I guess I’m not reliable enough.”
“That’s not it, Asilia.”
“Forget it.”
I turned my head away pretending to be upset and stood up. It was amusing to feel Cassion awkwardly standing up with me, trying to gauge my mood. Whatever he’s hiding, I’ll let it slide this time.
“Asilia. It’s really not like that… Ahem. I bought something that looked nice on the way back. Aren’t you curious? Take a look at this.”
“Hmph.”
“Asilia…”
I swallowed my laughter as I turned away from him trying to tempt me with a gift he pulled out from his chest.
Probably, as he said, it’s a gift he bought to comfort me, thinking I was a bit down contemplating my parents’ death and the changes to the original story due to my actions. That must be why he welcomed Jenin’s visit despite feeling uncomfortable with her.
“Well, it is a small, cute doll. Just like me.”
“….”
“It’s for me, right? Give it here.”
“…Sure.”
Cassion looked disgruntled, not even getting a thank you after giving the gift. His ears were red for some reason, but it must be because this kind of behavior is unfamiliar to him. It’s something that he just picked up on the way, isn’t it?
“I’ll have to keep it somewhere it won’t get dirty. It’s so fluffy.”
The small rabbit doll had soft pink fur, but for some reason, its eyes were unusually intense for a doll, which was a bit peculiar.
“Tell me more about your conversation with His Highness over dinner. I’m going to take Lili to my room and wash up.”
“Lili?”
“It’s this rabbit’s name. Since it resembles me, I named it like my little sister.”
“Ha.”
Why? Is it such an eyesore for a grown person to name a doll? Cassion still had reddened ears as he covered his face with his large hands.
As I was about to turn away and head back to my room, feeling hungry, I thought I heard a small voice muttering something.
“…Was it that obvious.”
