We're Married, After All - Chapter 46
Shortly past noon, the steward knocked on the study door. Danel immediately sensed that this had to do with Laurea. If it hadn’t, there would’ve been no reason for the steward to wait until she had gone out to speak.
The steward’s report was as follows: During a search of the servants’ belongings due to a missing item, a maid was found concealing a valuable piece of jewelry. This amounted to an accusation of stealing from the lord, as no one in the estate could possess such an expensive item except Laurea.
However, the maid denied any wrongdoing. No matter how many times she was questioned, she gave the same answer: the jewelry had been given to her as a reward for fulfilling a request from Laurea.
Ordinarily, this matter would have been brought directly to the person involved. However, in this estate, all matters related to Laurea passed through Danel first. It was his role to uncover the truth behind any incidents.
Danel immediately made his way to where the maid was being held. The moment he saw her, he understood why no one had believed her story.
The woman wasn’t the type to steal from her employer. She was too naive and lacked cunning. She seemed like the kind of person who might be used by others rather than scheming to benefit herself.
This was why no one believed her. What could the Countess possibly ask of such a simple woman? Especially a maid whose primary job was handling laundry during the day and occasionally assisting Laurea with her personal grooming at night.
But at that moment, something clicked in Danel’s mind.
“…Laundry.”
When you think about it, laundry is one of the most telling pieces of evidence about the intimate details of the lord and lady’s private lives. It reveals what clothes they wore and when, how many times they bathed in a day, where they went, and even what they ate. After all, Danel himself summoned maids every morning to change the bedding.
Suddenly, a long-forgotten detail surfaced in his mind.
When was the last time Laurea had her monthly cycle?
Danel dismissed the steward, leaving him alone in the room with the maid. The maid’s face turned pale as the realization of being alone with the lord hit her.
Despite the situation, she didn’t utter a word about the supposed “request.” It seemed Laurea had chosen her accomplice well.
“Is there anyone else who knows Laurea is pregnant?”
The maid’s eyes widened, trembling violently. That alone confirmed it. Laurea had been hiding her pregnancy from everyone, including Danel. It was likely that this maid had concealed more than just laundry.
Danel spoke gently but with a tone that brooked no refusal, coercing the maid to confess. He planned to pretend he didn’t know about Laurea’s pregnancy. Naturally, there was no need to punish the maid either.
However, if Laurea found out he knew, things would change. She must never learn that he was aware of her pregnancy or that he had interrogated the maid. That information needed to remain hidden. Thankfully, eliminating a maid wouldn’t be difficult if it came to that. There was even a convenient pretext already available.
The persuasion was quick. Danel watched the maid weep bitterly, then asked the question that had been troubling him.
“Do you know why she’s hiding it?”
As expected, the maid had no answer. Of course, how could this simple woman know something Danel himself didn’t?
After that day, Danel placed Laurea under surveillance. His deputy, as if expecting this moment to eventually come, didn’t even blink in surprise.
The one who felt wretched about it was Danel himself. Laurea’s vigor and independence no longer brought him joy. The realization that he was committing the very act he detested most was unbearably painful.
Danel hated the idea of someone other than himself observing Laurea. When he was preoccupied, there was no choice, but he couldn’t tolerate anyone knowing more about her than he did. That was why he had only assigned her a guard up to now.
But now, he wanted to know everything about Laurea—where she went, who she met, what she did.
It wasn’t that he felt betrayed or despaired. Considering all the ways he had deceived Laurea, feeling heartbroken at this point would have been laughable. It was simply… curiosity. No matter how much he thought about it, there was no reasonable explanation.
There was no obvious reason for Laurea to hide her pregnancy. With Petios’ death now officially announced, Danel was the recognized heir to the Veloche title. Any child Laurea bore would naturally be his successor.
So, why? Was it so she could continue working as she was now? Of course, he would prefer she rest until the pregnancy reached a stable stage, but if Laurea wished to maintain her current responsibilities, he had no intention of stopping her. If the count raised objections, Danel had already resolved to stand up for her.
Surely Laurea knew that, even if she didn’t know much else about him.
Was it embarrassing at announcing her pregnancy? Or perhaps she thought Danel wouldn’t be happy about it? That seemed plausible. He had never truly wanted children before. Just being married to Laurea was overwhelming enough that the idea of fatherhood hadn’t even crossed his mind.
