The Elven Duke Reluctantly Marries The Cursed Lady - Chapter 21
Hydrangea called for Verbena and asked her to report about Violette.
“Lady Violette is—”
“She has already become my wife.”
“Ah, so you were already granted permission.”
“Of course. I even bowed to His Majesty.”
Verbena cleared her throat, straightened her back, and delivered her report once again.
“So, the Madam returned to her human form just before noon. After that, she wandered around the garden and attempted to go beyond that, but Master’s barrier prevented her from doing so. She looked quite dejected after that and ate all the food served to her at lunch.”
So she still had a good appetite even though she felt down. While stifling his laughter, Hydrangea nodded and considered it a good thing. Violette seemed like a strong girl to the very end.
“Then in the afternoon, I toured her around the mansion. Five attendants surrounded her as we walked around, so you do not have to worry about any men coming into contact with her.”
“Good.”
“The two areas that interested Madam the most were the underground compounding chamber and the reading room with the magic books. But of course, we did not go in there.”
She could not hide her interest in magic and was asking a lot of questions such as whether the rooms were still in use and what they were used for.
“It seemed like she couldn’t get enough of the topic and asked various things about magic. Unfortunately, my knowledge of magic is insufficient, so I could not provide a satisfactory answer to her queries.”
“I see.”
In the evening, her dress measurements were taken. After that, she wrote letters to her brother and sister-in-law before taking a break to have a cup of tea.
“What shall we do with the Madam’s letters?”
“Go ahead and send them. There’s nothing of note written on them anyway.”
“As you wish.”
Finally, he gave Verbena an order.
“Make it a point to ask her every morning if there is anything she wants and make sure that she has everything she needs. If she wants, you can even invite some companions her age that she could talk to.”
However, he could not grant her freedom. It was the one thing that he wanted her to endure for a while.
“What about the promise to teach Madam magic?”
“That is up to her. If she wishes, then I am willing to teach her any time.”
“Then I shall let her know.”
“I’ll leave it to you then.”
After receiving her orders, Verbena bowed and left.
When he looked at the crystal again, Violette was happily chatting with the attendants. I wonder what they are talking about. How curious.
It was possible to listen through the crystal, but Hydrangea chose not to.
It was easy to guess what they were talking about based on their expressions, so he did not feel the need to probe that much.
At the most, he was giving her the least bit of consideration in her private life.
◇◇◇
At dinner, Violette showed up wearing an evening dress that was open at the bust. Her honey-orange dress was adorned with a bright, red ribbon tied around her neck.
Her beautiful, golden hair was braided on both sides and gathered up at the back of her head. Her makeup was thicker than what she wore in the morning, but it was sophisticated enough to accentuate her beauty.
She still seemed angry at Hydrangea. She directed a piercing gaze at him that seemed to bore a hole through the brow of the person she directed it at.
“I opened a 100-year old bottle of wine today.”
“My, how grand. What are you celebrating?”
“I’m celebrating the establishment of our marriage, of course.”
“!?”
Violette blinked her blue eyes and muttered with a trembling voice of disbelief.
“H-how could a marriage certificate with nothing but a paw print be valid—”
“It is. His Majesty even accepted it.”
The King’s decision could not be overturned. This marriage is now firmly established.
“Why would you—”
“Is there anything you are dissatisfied with in this union?”
“Eh?”
“I will be supporting the Count Northpole House, and you will not want for any daily necessities. As for jewelry, you can buy as much as you want and it wouldn’t even make a dent on the Ducal House’s wealth, and you can have dresses made monthly to keep up with the latest trends.”
