In the Doghouse - Chapter 113
Richard’s frown deepened as he saw her tears. He had wanted to spend some time with her on the terrace, but now it was far from enjoyable. He had only been gone for a moment, and yet, when he returned, she had already been in the middle of swinging her fan.
“Courtney, why are you crying? Was it Frederick again? Just say the word, and I’ll send him straight to prison. I’ve let your brother be, but—”
Courtney, still crying silently, shook her head. Richard wasn’t wrong. Frederick would never change, and perhaps showing him a serious consequence was the best move for the imperial family’s dignity. In fact, it might even be better to exile the entire Devon family from the capital.
But even so, she couldn’t stop thinking about her young nephew, Edvard.
Richard let out a long sigh. At the sound, Courtney flinched and immediately offered another apology.
“I’m sorry. I knew my brother would act like that, but I… I just couldn’t hold back my anger.”
“There’s no need to hold back your anger. I’m just asking why you’re crying.”
“W-What…?”
It felt like they were talking past each other. As Courtney blinked, tears once again rolled down her cheeks. Richard took out a handkerchief and gently dabbed her eyes.
“If he made you angry, and you gave him a good beating, then you did well. If you didn’t hit him enough to release all your anger, I’ll call him back so you can finish the job. But what I’m asking is why you’re crying.”
“Well… because it’s embarrassing. Richard, aren’t you embarrassed because of me?”
At her question, Richard shrugged his shoulders, genuinely looking puzzled.
He didn’t like the way people had stared at her, as if she were a spectacle. He had wanted to gouge out their eyes and toss them aside.
But that was their fault, not hers. At least, that’s how he saw it.
Courtney quietly looked down at the fan in her hand. It was bent and its feathers were sticking out in all directions. It was just like her—looking elegant on the surface but quickly falling apart.
Richard took the broken fan from her hands, examined it briefly, and finally answered her question.
“I wasn’t embarrassed, but I was a bit jealous.”
“Jealous… of what?”
“How can I get you to hit me like that in front of everyone?”
“How can you even say that?”
Courtney snatched the fan back from his hands, trying to fold it back into shape, but it wouldn’t cooperate. For some reason, this trivial thing made her feel even more upset, and the lump of sadness in her throat threatened to spill over. As she sniffled, Richard took the fan and casually tossed it off the terrace.
“Don’t cry. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
Richard gently pulled Courtney into his arms. As she buried her face against his solid chest, she slowly started to calm down.
He whispered again and again that she had done nothing wrong. It didn’t feel like empty comfort, either. Richard truly seemed indifferent to whatever she had done, regardless of whether it damaged his authority or invited judgment from others.
This wasn’t the first time something like this had happened. Her family had upset her before, and Richard had been wholly on her side, always offering his embrace. Whether then or now, how could he be so unwavering?
His attitude, whether in their private moments or out in public, was always the same. Everything was allowed for Courtney, even if it might harm him. His preferences, which he had confided with her, clearly extended beyond their intimate moments. Courtney, who stood somewhere between being “normal” and being a little perverse herself, still couldn’t fully understand him.
As her emotions finally settled, an unpleasant image came to mind. Leaning against him, she quietly spoke.
“Where… were you?”
“When?”
“Right before you came to me.”
“In the lounge, for a moment.”
His answer seemed evasive. Courtney felt a surge of anger again but held it back. If she lashed out now, she knew she’d start crying again. And she didn’t want to be the woman who cried while doubting her husband’s loyalty. She already felt embarrassed enough as it was.
In hindsight, Richard’s sudden absence had played a role in her outburst. Frederick had acted like a fool before, but he always did that. Still, blaming everything on Richard would be unfair.
Calm down. Breathe in and out.
She had just vowed to work on her temper, hadn’t she? Scraping together the last bit of her patience, she asked again,
“…Who was that woman?”
Courtney knew how her question would sound to Richard. She would seem like a petty, jealous woman, upset over nothing. And secretly, she hoped he wouldn’t even know which woman she was talking about—that he wouldn’t be able to distinguish one random woman from another. It was a childish wish, but she couldn’t help it.
“Hm…”
Richard rubbed his chin thoughtfully instead of answering immediately. His expression was neither offended by her suspicion nor particularly entertained by her jealousy. Courtney couldn’t predict what he was thinking. After all, he wasn’t someone you could easily understand.
She pressed her lips together tightly, like a criminal awaiting judgment. After a long pause, Richard finally spoke.
“Courtney, I might be exaggerating, but…”
There was an unfamiliar distance in his voice. Should she stop him now and say she didn’t care? But that would sound pathetic. Courtney lowered her eyes, unable to look him in the face.
“Yes…?”
“If I’m wrong, I won’t be hurt, so just tell me honestly.”
He was dragging out the conversation, making Courtney furrow her brow deeply. After gauging her reaction, Richard took a deep breath and suddenly blurted it out.
“Are you… by any chance… jealous?”
