The Dragon Duke's Wife - Chapter 16
“It’s okay.”
Ancia spoke in a soft voice. But the trembling in her body grew stronger, and despite her efforts to stay calm, it was impossible to hide everything.
Khalid sat down on the armrest and wrapped his coat around her, pulling her close. He gently kissed the palm of her hand and, in a voice only she could hear, whispered softly.
“I told you, you can just rest. I told you there’s no relative here worth your worry.”
“Yes… I’m sorry. I think I’ve made a fuss for no reason…”
“I didn’t mean it that way. It’s not that I thought you couldn’t handle it, and that’s why I said we didn’t need to meet… I know how brave you are, but I just don’t want your face to be clouded because of this.”
“No, I’m fine.”
Khalid placed his lips on the back of Ancia’s hand again, then straightened his back. His expression turned cold as he spoke.
“Madam Felber, I didn’t realize you thought you were my elder.”
“Young Master, how could you say such a thing to me…”
“Then, while trying to act like an elder to my wife, you were respectful to me?”
“Th-that’s not what I meant.”
The old woman staggered, her eyes welling up with tears. Khalid spoke with scorn.
“I’ve said it clearly several times. Just because you’re my grandfather’s childhood friend, don’t try to act like the head of this house. Don’t call me ‘Young Master’ either. There’s a limit to what I can tolerate.”
“Duke!”
As the old woman seemed about to collapse, the man who had been supporting her quickly helped her sit in a chair and protested.
“How can you do this when you know my mother is concerned about you? The Duchess doesn’t yet know much about the Velados family and hasn’t had experience running the household, so someone should guide her. My mother only meant to teach her the proper manners…”
“Did I get it right? Did you just dare to say you want to teach the Madam of Velados manners?”
His voice was sharp with anger. Not only the old woman and the man but even the other distant relatives stood up in surprise. The men knelt on one knee, and the women spread their skirts and bowed.
“I made it clear before the succession ceremony, Lord Felber. If you want to continue a small connection for a long time, you must know your place even more. Where in the world does a subordinate teach the higher up manners, or where does a distant relative receive greetings from the direct heir? Madam Felber, I’ve respected the length of your years and treated you with courtesy until now.”
“Du-Duke…”
“And this is the result of that respect? You dare rebuke, teach, and expect to be greeted by my wife?”
A heavy silence fell over the sitting room.
Madam Felber finally closed her eyes and collapsed weakly. The man shouted, “Mother!” and held her.
Khalid wrapped his arm around Ancia’s shoulders and helped her stand. Then, in contrast to his previous cold demeanor, he spoke to her kindly, like a gentle breeze.
“Don’t worry about anyone here, Ann. I didn’t bring these people into Velados to begin with, and they’ve begged to stay, so we’re just maintaining a connection out of pity. No one here has any right to the Velados title.”
“Y-You can’t… do that.”
Ancia couldn’t hide her trembling as she grabbed Khalid’s coat. She couldn’t let the family face any problems because of her. She couldn’t let something like that happen.
She silently hoped that she appeared confident.
“When considering the prosperity of the family and the dignity fitting for the Duke’s household, you shouldn’t treat them harshly.”
“What good would it do to have people who don’t even know how to respect the Madam as part of the family?”
“I’ll make sure to carry myself with dignity.”
“…You’re too kind, that’s the problem.”
Khalid smiled faintly, then effortlessly picked Ancia up.
“Alright. Do as you wish. After all, you are the Madam.”
“Duke.”
Ancia was lifted so high that her bottom nearly rested on his arm, so she grabbed onto his shoulder.
Khalid held her in his arms and left the reception room without giving a second thought to the guests. Ancia was concerned about what was happening back inside, but once the door closed, her tension seemed to dissipate, and she felt her body relax as tears welled up.
She swallowed the tears, fighting to keep them from spilling. She thought she had hidden them well, but Khalid’s expression hardened.
“Looks like I’ll have to turn everything upside down.”
“…..Please don’t do that. I’m fine.”
Ancia tried her best to sound composed, but her voice was choking with emotion.
“I’m sorry for not being able to uphold the dignity of the Duchess. I’ll do better next time…”
“Don’t say that.”
Khalid said while quickening his pace.
“I just don’t want to see you looking like that. It wasn’t supposed to be like this.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Why are you apologizing? I should be the one apologizing.”
He said firmly.
“Do whatever you want. Don’t do anything you don’t want to. The only people you need to show respect to are the Emperor and the Empress.”
“You…”
Ancia wanted to say that she didn’t understand why he was being so kind, but she held her tongue and refrained from speaking those words.
