ITMWG 76

Chapter 76…

What are you planning to do next?

Marie greeted him politely and stepped out. Normally, someone would have to help Altair bathe, but he didn’t like being bothered, so he preferred to do everything on his own. He had the temperament to do everything with his own hands rather than wait leisurely while being served by others.

“You said you’re scared to be in an unfamiliar place… ”

And yet, he acted so naturally like it was his own house. The first thing he did was to get in the bathroom to wash off all the dust from the riding journey, and even found a robe to put on. When Nadia recalled the shameless nonsense he had said in front of her uncle, she burst out laughing again.

“What’s so funny?”

Altair asked, wiping off his wet hair with a towel. Was he really asking because he didn’t know? Unable to tell whether he was purposely trying to appear ignorant, Nadia narrowed her eyes. At that, Altair avoided her gaze.

So he really just played dumb.

With a sigh, Nadia held out her hand to Altair. She didn’t specifically ask for anything, but he must have realised her intention and handed her the towel and took a seat next to her. As Nadia began to dry Altair’s hair with the given towel, he bent down so it would be easier for her.

“It’s strange not knowing.”

“It’s Melissa’s room.”

“I knew that too. As soon as I came in, I could smell the perfume she uses.”

There was? Considering that she had no idea, it seemed that only Altair, who had a keen sense of smell, noticed that fact.

“There was a time when I used it though…”

Nadia couldn’t find any traces of that time in the room, as it had already been changed to Melissa’s taste. In fact, this wasn’t the only room that had changed. After her uncle took control of the Vine house, the entire atmosphere of the mansion changed. It was the result of his argument that a later Marquis could only thrive in the future by erasing the traces of his incompetent predecessor.

“By the way, I plan to sell the accessories and exchange them for money.”

“You don’t need to tell me that. It’s yours anyway.”

“But I got it thanks to Altair…”

“If that’s how it’s going to be, I’d have to give you the magic stone mine.”

“That-, that’s different!”

“What’s different? I got that thanks to you.”

Altair held back her hand, which was drying his hair, and raised his head. When their eyes met, he spoke firmly.

“You don’t mean to make me out to be some bastard who tampered with my wife’s family property, are you? Everything you get here is yours.”

It’s not exactly what she’d call marital family’s  property. But when Altair was so adamant about it, Nadia thought ‘is it really okay to do so?’.

People say, you should think about the consequences before doing anything.

In the end, she gave him a nod, as she knew he really wouldn’t mind.

“…thank you.”

Nadia was happy to have gotten back something that she never thought she could. Her face was slightly flushed with gratitude and an overwhelming nameless feeling. Altair smiled at the sight and lightly touched her forehead with his finger.

“If you’re already reacting like this because of such a trivial thing, then how would it be for what’s to come?”

“What’s to come?”

“About that…You’ll see.”

Altair’s attempt to brush the matter aside reminded her of a past incident. It was the day Altair secretly planned to deal with Balhail behind her back.

“Is there a plan that only I don’t know about again?”

“…”

When she asked, emphasising the word ‘again,’ Altair pursed his lips. It seemed like he knew right away what the last plan was. The smile that had been on his lips just a moment ago disappeared without a trace.

“…I’m not sure yet.”

Altair spoke in a surrendering manner and frowned slightly. Nadia could clearly feel the perplexity in his voice.

“I don’t want to make matters worse based on my suspicions alone, so I’d like you to wait a little longer.”

She felt relieved to see Altair trying to convey the situation clearly.

Besides, I think I know how Altair feels.

She herself was also investigating the death of Altair’s parents without informing him. She didn’t know the exact situation yet, and she didn’t want to see him suffer. It was understandable if Altair felt the same way as she did.

“Yes, I’ll wait.”

As she nodded with a smile, a look of relief appeared on Altair’s face, which seemed a little nervous a while before. But Altair didn’t stop there. He stretched out his arms and hugged her. He let out a low chuckle as her shoulders flinched in surprise at the sudden contact.

“How long are you going to keep being so startled?”

“I can’t get used to it at all, what should I do…”

No matter how close they got, Nadia was always nervous to face Altair. She wasn’t trembling with fear like before, but whenever she looked at him, her heart raced and she became nervous, making it difficult to act naturally as usual. She thought that it would be okay if she got used to it, but treating him as comfortably as she treated Marie and Anna…she didn’t think it was possible. As she stared at Altair, pensive, his expression became strange. At that, she realised that she had been staring at him too intently and was about to look away, but before she could, Altair’s face drew closer. Without giving Nadia time to panic, Altair’s lips lightly pressed onto hers and then parted away. As her eyes widened at Altair as if protesting, he cleared his throat and turned his head.

“Isn’t that what I’m bound to do if you keep staring at me like that?”

“I never do that even when Altair looks at me…”

“If you think it’s unreasonable, do the same from now on.”

Altair suggested shamelessly. At first, it seemed like a very fair solution, but Nadia couldn’t shake the feeling that she was subtly losing out.

But I guess it doesn’t matter.

In the relationship between husband and wife, there was no need to always be fair and there was no need to be afraid of losing.

But I don’t want to just suffer losses, so one day, I’ll get back at him!

Nadia wondered if there was any way she could make Altair feel on edge the same way he did to her. However, Altair seemed to have figured out her intention, as he narrowed his eyes and brought his face close again.

“You’re thinking something weird, aren’t you?”

“Of- of course not.”

“Lie. It’s all written on your face.”

Nadia touched her face to see if it was real, but for some reason, Altair burst out laughing and started messing around with her hair.

“Anyway, don’t worry too much and do what you want to do. There is no set schedule other than the audience with the emperor, so you can enjoy your time in the capital.”

“Enjoy my time in the capital…you say.”

“Yeah. It’s been a while since you’ve been here, so don’t you want to go shopping and meet your friends?”

Her having fun shopping. Her happily chatting with her friends over tea. Awkward images of herself were floating around in her head.

Well, now that I think about it, Altair doesn’t know that I lived an extremely timid life.

After she got married into Aylesford, she worked hard to prove her worth and got Altair’s acknowledgement, so she bet he could never imagine how she was back here. When she hesitated without answering, Altair tilted his head.

“What is it? Did you have any other plans?”

“No! I’ll do it. Shop- shopping! And meeting friends, too!”

Nadia jumped up from her seat, clenching her fists. She didn’t want Altair to see her timid self that was confined to her room. She had worked hard to acquire the image of a ‘helpful wife’, but the moment her old self was discovered, that image would be tarnished.

But I don’t have any friends.

Friends aside, there was no one she could even call an ‘acquaintance’.

Then what is possible right now is…

Shopping! Nadia quickly came to a conclusion and declared to Altair.

“I’m going shopping tomorrow!”

❈❈❈

And so the next day dawned. Nadia took a deep breath and got out of the carriage. The tremendous liveliness of the capital’s busiest street overwhelmed her entire body, and she felt like it was melting like a candle due to timidity. But as she glanced at Anna next to her, looking around with excitement, she couldn’t bring herself to let it show. Nadia managed to get her shaking legs under her skirt to start walking down the street.

I am thoroughly prepared.

She had looked at the map several times to figure out the locations of major stores, so it would not look like it was her very first time doing this.

Besides, this isn’t just shopping. It’s an important mission to understand trends in the capital.

Since they planned to make various handicrafts using magic stones, market research was essential.

And I’m going to buy a lot of things in Baroness Aylesford’s name.

Rumours tended to start with street vendors. The easiest way to gain fame in the capital was to target them, so if she were to go to stores and buy a lot of goods, she could quickly gain fame.

Though, this is something that only those with financial means can do.

Fortunately, Aylesford had sufficient funds.

Where should I start?

The more impractical items she bought, the faster her fame spread…

In that respect, a work of art is perfect.

Nadia scanned the street and headed in the direction of the art dealer. But before she reached her destination, another store caught her eye. It was a store that sold elaborately made watches and clocks. Fascinated, she immediately walked up to it. From huge clocks that stood on their own to small pocket watches that can be carried around. There were various items on display, but what caught her eye was a pocket watch.

A watch like this is a luxury item for men.

Unlike ladies who could adorn themselves extravagantly, gentlemen had limited accessories they could show off, so they often focused on pocket watches. A nobleman would take out a pocket watch to check the time at important occasions and show off his wealth. Altair would soon be attending an imperial banquet to meet the emperor, so he would need a nice watch to avoid being looked down upon among the many noble gentlemen. As she was looking at the pocket watch intently, the clerk quickly came to her side and looked her up and down. It seemed like he was trying to find out how much wealth the customer had.

“Are you looking for a pocket watch? If you come this way, there would be many more options.”

The skillful clerk quickly came to a conclusion and led her inside with a bright smile. Seeing that she was welcomed like this, he seemed to have judged that she was a fairly wealthy guest based on how decently she dressed, and that she was accompanied by a maid.

“Are you going to give it as a gift to your lover?”

“Ah…I’m thinking of giving it to my husband.”

It wasn’t wrong, but her face heated up because she was embarrassed to say the word ‘husband’.

“Oh my, so you are already a Madame. I didn’t know you were married because you looked so young.”

The clerk smiled brightly as he poured out sweet words that the customer would like. Subsequently, he brought out several pocket watches.

“These are the watches that many gentlemen are looking for these days.”

It certainly looked much more luxurious and delicate than what was on display outside, but they weren’t exactly what she was looking for. At her indifferent reaction, the clerk, who was eagerly explaining about the watcheses, asked.

“What kind of style do you think your husband has? Please let me know and I will recommend something that would suit him well.”

“Uh… My husband…”

It was not difficult for Nadia to recall the image of Altair, but if she were to explain his appearance and style in words… she didn’t know how to put it. Altair Aylesford was a complex man who was difficult to describe in just a few words. At least that was the case by her standards. While she was having trouble choosing words, someone behind her gave a clear answer on her behalf.

“The Baron is a practical and rational man. He is uncluttered and neat, and he is also a meticulous person who does not miss even the smallest detail.”

Surprised by the familiar voice, she turned her head and saw Prince Orca waving at her with a smile.

“I hope I’m not wrong, Baroness.”