My Favorite Smut Author Is My Husband! - Chapter 14
“It’s alright, my lady. There’s no need to rush.”
Even though Ashulin had been pacing nervously while waiting, he stood up abruptly when he saw Lily approaching. He had been sweating under the maids’ subtle but reproachful gazes, as they had conveyed that the Duchess would soon be down. Even his usually calm household staff had given him looks that made him realize, in retrospect, how excessive his behavior had been the previous night. And on top of that, he had received such… service that morning.
“Because of me, the food has gone cold. I’m sorry once again, Ashulin. This is our first meal together.”
“It’s really alright, my lady. There’s no need for any apologies. If the food has cooled, we can just ask for it to be reheated.”
If the head chef had heard him, he might have shed tears, but Ashulin casually made the remark as he quickly pulled out Lily’s chair for her. He didn’t pay any attention to the servant who stepped back in confusion after having his job taken away, instead focusing intently on the sweet, comforting fragrance coming from Lily. Before meeting her eyes, he quickly returned to his seat.
Only the servants, who witnessed their master’s sly and quick glance, were left rolling their eyes internally.
“Thank you, Ashulin!”
“It’s only natural. We are husband and wife now, so you should consider such things normal. …And, if you could call me by my name, like you did yesterday, it would make me even happier, Lily!”
“Pardon?”
“…”
Ashulin averted his gaze, his ears turning bright red, as Lily stared at him with wide eyes, as if wondering when she had committed such a breach of etiquette. The household staff squeezed their eyes shut at the sight.
“Did I? But…”
“Please, call me by my name, Lily.”
Lily couldn’t quite remember when she had called him by just his name, but seeing his reddened neck and ears made her suppress a smile. She quickly adjusted her thoughts.
It would be nice to be closer by calling each other by name, wouldn’t it?
“Alright, Ashulin.”
“…Lily.”
“We should eat the food you so carefully prepared before it gets cold!” Lily’s soft utterance of his name almost made him lose himself in emotion. However, when she mentioned how she was hungry after the wedding, his expression stiffened as he gritted his teeth. Though Lily was referring to the fact that she hadn’t eaten much during the ceremony, Ashulin couldn’t help but take it as a reference to their activities the previous night.
The fact that Lily’s face was so cheerful and innocent made the blow even harder.
“Perhaps we should change the soup to something warmer…”
“It’s fine. It’s still warm enough, and it smells wonderful.”
Despite her polite words and careful behavior, Lily had grown up pampered in the Count’s household. She took Ashulin’s comment as permission to start eating, and since she was already quite hungry, she eagerly raised her spoon to take a large bite of the cream soup. It was delicious.
“This is really good!”
Just as the rumors had said. Or maybe it was just that Lily was so hungry? Either way, even though it was just slightly cooled soup and not the main dish, it tasted amazing to her. She quickly took a second spoonful, but her eagerness made her take too big of a bite too quickly.
“Cough! Cough!”
The soup got stuck in her throat. Before Lily could even feel embarrassed, Ashulin had already shot up from his seat.
Could a meal really be this stressful?
“I’ll get some water, my lady!”
Though he quickly wiped it away, the sight of the white cream soup that had spilled from her lips and her teary, flushed face was enough to remind Ashulin of Lily just a few hours ago.
“Your Grace!”
The servant who had been trying to pull out the chair for the Duchess earlier, only to be preempted by Ashulin, was the most flustered. He had been holding the water jug in his hands for a while now and wasn’t sure whether he should pour it into the lady’s cup or wait until his master returned. His expression was one of pure confusion.
In the midst of all this chaos at the dining table, only Lily remained calm. She casually wiped her tears and took another bite of the cream soup.
It took longer than expected for the Duke to return to his seat.
***
After Lily had enjoyed her breakfast—though it seemed she was the only one who did—the couple went on their first stroll together.
Unlike Lily, Ashulin had no idea whether the food went down his throat or into his nose during the meal, but he did understand why the household staff had been glaring at him and directing his attention toward the estate’s garden.
“The Duke’s household staff all seem so kind and hardworking. It must take a lot of effort to manage this large estate!”
What Lily didn’t realize was that the sudden reason for the walk, and the busyness of the staff, was because they had scrambled to replace all the items in her quarters with softer, gentler alternatives for the delicate Duchess. Unaware of this, Lily couldn’t help but feel slightly nervous.
“…Hmm.”
“I’ll adapt quickly so I can help with managing the estate.”
