I Married the Mad Duke Who Killed My Husband - Chapter 5

“Come again soon~”

By the time we were leaving the shop, the madam’s attitude had completely changed. We had roughly selected clothes from the catalog, then started trying them on in earnest, playing dress-up. Being attractive individuals, every piece seemed to flatter us perfectly.

Due to the shop’s all-glass front, our shopping process was fully exposed, and thanks to us acting as human mannequins, the previously empty store attracted quite a few customers.

However, attempts to surreptitiously touch the clothes we had tried on and taken off were thwarted.

“Ha, this is something I’ve always wanted to do at least once in my life.”

“Buying clothes?”

“No. ‘We’ll take everything, please wrap it up.’ That.”

“Ah.”

We spent time alternately trying on clothes and critiquing each other’s outfits.

Unlike other men, he didn’t just sit and watch me, but actively chose clothes for himself and me, and was unrestrained in expressing his likes and dislikes, which made choosing clothes easier.

“Wasn’t it tiring or boring?”

We changed into the most comfortable and favorite clothes among the mountain of purchases. Then we boarded the carriage heading to the Duke’s residence, abandoning the formal wear we had come in. The low-heeled shoes that fit perfectly were comfortable despite the blisters on my heels.

“It was tiring. It was like a battlefield.”

“But if we consider it a battle, it was a perfectly won one, wasn’t it? We got lots of spoils too.”

“That’s why I’m not complaining. It’s a new experience.”

Cassion grins as he looks down at his new clothes. While I’m glad he seems to like them, I secretly thought that shopping with him seemed to suit me well.

Perhaps because it was unfamiliar, he seemed to have a good eye for it too.

“By the way, when I visited before, there seemed to be hardly any people in the Duke’s residence. Are there servants or maids to organize the clothes?”

“……”

“The clothes and items will arrive tomorrow.”

“…… The butler… will probably organize them?”

There’s no need to make the only butler we have run away. As I looked at him seriously, he averted his gaze. It seems it wasn’t just that day that there were few people; the Duke’s household itself seemed to be severely understaffed.

“Let’s just organize what we bought today ourselves.”

“I don’t mind, but can you do that kind of thing?”

“It might be my first time buying this many clothes, but it’s not my first time organizing them. As you know, I wasn’t raised delicately.”

I could feel the carriage gradually slowing down due to the Duke’s residence’s location not far from the city center. As I watched the building I had only visited once before drawing closer, I corrected my sprawled posture.

“If you wanted a refined, noble-among-nobles wife, you should bring one in after we divorce. I can’t do that.”

“No, this is rather fortunate.”

“Still, I said I’d take care of the Duke’s household affairs until His Highness becomes the Crown Prince, so unless you want your real wife to organize clothes herself later, we should improve the employment situation, right?”

“As long as it’s not hiring knights, I don’t mind.”

“I won’t touch that area. Anything else I should be mindful of?”

“Not really… To be honest, there’s not much to be mindful of. It hasn’t been long since I received the house and title.”

He sheepishly admitted the truth. Even for a newly elevated noble, isn’t this too raw? I got off the stopped carriage, sensing that I would have a mountain of work ahead of me.

Cassion seemed about to offer an escort, but since there was no one watching anyway, I hopped off first.

I could see the butler, the only valuable talent we had, coming out to greet the carriage.

“Welcome back. I heard you went to a boutique right after the wedding ceremony, but do you not have any luggage?”

Surely he hasn’t been waiting since the end of the wedding ceremony. I should have left instructions.

“It will arrive tomorrow. There will be quite a lot, but I’ll organize it myself, so just leave it as it comes.”

“That won’t do. I will organize it.”

“…You’ll regret those words when you see it tomorrow. Listen to me.”

The butler followed me, ignoring his master. Come to think of it, he’s quite young for a butler.

“By the way, Cassion. I’m your wife now, shouldn’t you introduce me properly?”

Cassion, who was slowly getting out of the carriage, gestured with his chin towards the butler who had abandoned him to follow me.

“That’s Bert Schlieffen. I poached him from the mercenary group where I worked, he used to handle paperwork. He’s quite smart.”

The butler glared at Cassion for referring to him as ‘that’, but his lips twitched at being called smart. He’s quite an honest person. I like that.

“Butler Bert. I look forward to working with you.”

“Likewise, my lady.”

When I extended my hand, he stuttered like a malfunctioning machine, trying to bow and shake hands at the same time. Cassion, who had come near us, chuckled at the amusing sight.

“Well then, let’s go inside. I’ll introduce you to the others. It should be done before dinner.”

“Is the staff that small?”

“Um… The butler and a few knights.”

So there’s no one to handle miscellaneous tasks. In that case, there’s no need to go around greeting people. First impressions are always the most important.

Seeing how he brought butler Bert from the mercenary group, the knights he keeps close are probably those he worked with during his commoner days.

“In that case, just call everyone to the dinner table. We should have a wedding reception. There’s a chef, right?”

He was about to guide me towards the training grounds when his eyes widened, and then he nodded, apparently liking my suggestion. Then he confidently put his hands on his hips.

“The first person I hired after becoming a Duke was a chef. I hate going hungry. You can expect good meals while you’re in this Duke’s residence if nothing else.”

“That’s the most welcome news I’ve heard. I hate going hungry too. Please make sure to provide three meals a day.”

“You’re so skinny, will three meals be enough?”

“Three meals is the baseline, of course, there should be snacks in between. And don’t critique others’ bodies, you muscle pig.”

“Mus…?!”

He stuttered as if doubting his ears. I walked towards my room, which he was guiding me to, watching the butler behind us grin as wide as a basin.

“Then I’ll freshen up while dinner is being prepared.”

“My lady, I’m sorry but we don’t have a maid to assist with bathing yet…”

“I’m more used to bathing alone, so it’s fine. There is a bathroom, right?”

“Ah, yes! We have the necessary items! Though I’m not sure if they’ll be to your liking…”

“That’s enough. Thank you, butler.”

The flustered butler immediately looked touched and energetically guided me to my room. Behind us, Cassion stood still, continuously muttering “Muscle… muscle pig…”

Honestly, with that chest, you should be the one wearing a bra, not me.

***

“How is it?”

“Oh… It’s beyond my expectations.”

After washing up, I realized that because we had everything delivered except the clothes we wore, the only thing I had to wear was the shabby clothes I brought from home.

I contemplated wearing the same outfit I had on for the initial impression, but it felt uncomfortable. Although my old clothes were shabby, they were at least clean, so I changed into them before heading downstairs. And indeed, the scene that unfolded was beyond my imagination.

“See? I told you not to worry about the food.”

As Cassion guided me to the round table surrounded by knights, looking the most confident he had all day, I thought: The amount of food was more than expected, and the number of knights to eat it was less than expected.

“Welcome, my lady!”

Moreover, what are they, gangsters? I barely resisted the urge to greet them with a shoulder bump and a “Hey boys, how’ve you been!”

“Nice to meet you all. I’m Asilia.”

“You’re beautiful, my lady!”

Some even pounded on the table, while Cassion still looked proud as if to say ‘See this?’ I sat down, thinking it was a thousand blessings that I hadn’t worn clothes with shoulder pads. This Duke’s household is hopeless.

“Well then, to the Duke’s household. Everyone, wet your whistles!”

And I’m originally a hopeless person too. If this is the atmosphere, I should join in. As soon as I sat down, I raised my glass and shouted. After a moment of silence, glasses were raised with a cheer.

“Don’t wait, everyone eat comfortably!”

“Awesome! The lady is the best!”

“Wow, boss… I mean, Your Grace, you married well. The lady is so lively!”

Cassion, the only one who didn’t raise his glass and was shaking his pupils, looked at me as if he had malfunctioned at the knights’ congratulations. I had already downed the aperitif in one shot and was waving the empty glass above my head.

“What are you doing not eating? Are you on a diet because I called you a pig?”

“…Hey, Asilia.”

“What’s with the ‘hey’ to your wife, hey.”

“I called you by name, didn’t I?”

“It doesn’t feel newlywed-like enough. Call me by a pet name, my piggy.”

“I have a perfectly normal body!”

The knights are delighted to see Cassion getting riled up by my teasing. He sat down grinding his teeth, glaring at me while subtly reaching for vegetables instead of meat with his fork. Ah, but it would be troublesome if he actually reduced his chest size.

“By the way… Is this really everyone?”

“Yes. I told you I haven’t hired anyone besides knights and the butler yet.”

“There aren’t any knights out on other duties?”

I looked around the table again. They were inhaling an enormous amount of food, but their number was less than thirty. Each individual’s skill was undoubtedly excellent, but… I could now understand why the Duke himself came to raid the Marquis’ estate.

“I understand what you’re saying, but these are all my people. During the war, there were many knights following me. But they were more the Prince’s knights than mine.”

“But weren’t there more people who followed you?”

“…Staying by my side would only make them knights of a Duke in name only, and it would be dangerous. Wouldn’t it be better for them to live as knights of the royal family, where honor follows?”

I realized from his words as he raised his glass to hide his bitter expression.

The reason he took me in as a fake wife in the first place was probably so that when he found a real wife he loved later, the household would be stable. Not to expose her to danger in times like now when raids are rampant.

He was a more tender-hearted person than he appeared. With the war over, he didn’t want to see his people in danger over needless power struggles. The thirty-odd knights here now must be those who remained despite Cassion’s attempts to push them away.

“……”

Like master, like servants – I could see knights looking at us with dissatisfaction, pretending not to care. Were they thinking that even now, Cassion might tell them to leave if they wanted to?

But my thoughts were a little different from Cassion’s. A Duke’s household in name only, he says.

“I said earlier that I wouldn’t interfere with the knights’ affairs, but it still seems too few. I don’t think we should only hire servants.”

I won’t leave it like this anymore. And for the Duke’s household to become strong, Cassion being strong alone isn’t enough. He needed more trustworthy arms and legs.

I continued speaking, turning towards the knights who I believed without a doubt would agree with my opinion. They too seemed to know my mind already, their eyes shining with a strange expectation.

“I’m absolutely not disregarding your skills. But… I’m saying this because we need to have a certain basic number of people, you know.”

“That’s right! We’re severely understaffed!”

“I prefer to be the head of a snake rather than the tail of a dragon. I came here wanting to carve out a place for myself in the Duke’s household rather than doing odd jobs in the royal family, but when I arrived, there were no subordinates at all!”

“…Are you calling me a snake now?”

“Don’t nitpick unnecessarily. You know that’s not what he meant.”

When Cassion growled, the knights who had been agreeing with me shut their mouths, but it was I who shut Cassion’s mouth. The silent gaze of support from the knights grew even stronger.

“Being a knight of the Duke’s household is such a good position. As that knight said, there will be people who value things other than honor, and depending on how you handle it, it could become a better place than any other in the world.”

“……”

“And to comfortably protect each other and live in such a good place, there’s a minimum number of people needed, you know.”

“…Ah, I was going to recruit. But I’ve been so busy traveling here and there on the Prince’s orders, and I couldn’t find anyone who caught my eye.”

“Just bring in people with decent character who aren’t completely hopeless, and we can train them.”

Cassion, who had been eating meat when I wasn’t looking, flinched and made excuses. Feeling that saying more would be intruding on his domain, I just shrugged my shoulders.

For someone as famous as a war hero known as a murderous demon, how high could his standards be? But the people needed here weren’t knights to go to war, but guards to protect the doors. As long as they weren’t completely hopeless talents, loyalty and ability could be developed after they came in.

“Anyway, please take care of it as soon as possible. I’m going to hire servants too, but they’ll be anxious if there are no guards to protect the mansion.”

“Is that so…? Alright. I’ll hurry a bit more.”

This Duke’s life really is starting from scratch.

“I think we need to decorate the castle too. It looks too much like it was just granted, doesn’t it? It doesn’t feel like people are living here.”

“I’ll leave that to you. If I do it, it might look… not very noble-like.”

“From what I saw when you were choosing clothes earlier, your aesthetic sense isn’t bad. Have some confidence. I’ll handle the work for now.”

At this small compliment, Cassion’s lips, which had been chewing on vegetables, twitched, and the knights sent sly glances. These people, really. They’ll faint at what I say next.

“And tonight, I’ll come to your room.”

“?!”

This time, he who had been secretly hiding meat among the vegetables on his fork looked at me with his mouth open in surprise. It’s fortunate he didn’t drop his fork.

Thinking that he was quite fun to tease compared to his psychopathic first impression, I raised my finger to wipe the corner of his mouth where nothing was actually stuck.

“It’s our wedding night, darling. Be waiting for me.”

I lowered my finger and closed his gaping jaw. Given the distance and numbers, I couldn’t close the gaping jaws of all the knights.