ASDEF 18

Chapter 18

“Cough, yes, my lady. Ahem, ahem.”

I gulped down some water to swallow the bread stuck in my throat.

Alisa shot me a sharp look and immediately issued a warning.

“Then from now on, I hope you’ll make sure not to keep the other family members waiting like this. You weren’t the first to arrive and finish your preparations, and it’s rather unpleasant to see you already acting so dismissive of household matters.”

“Oh, yes…”

“How could you even think of oversleeping on the very first day…”

“It’s my fault for not waking her, so if you’re going to scold someone, scold me, Alisa.”

At Daniel’s words, Alisa turned her pouting gaze toward her brother.

Daniel glanced at her and added nonchalantly.

“This is our first family gathering after the marriage. There’s no rush for you to start playing the sister-in-law role. Besides, you’re still too clumsy at it.”

At Daniel’s words, Alisa’s face turned as red as a tomato.

She pouted her lips and took a bite of the pie in front of her.

The Duke, who had been watching this indifferently, put down his fork and turned his head toward me.

“Alisa said that to mean you, as the young master’s wife, should show dignity as the future lady of the house. Don’t take it any other way.”

“Yes, yes, I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Good. By the way, did you enjoy the gift I sent last night?”

At the Duke’s words, I finally remembered the wine I had received from the head maid yesterday.

I would have remembered it if I’d had any chance to drink that wine last night. But I couldn’t just not answer.

By now, the maid cleaning the room would have seen the unopened wine bottle. If I lied to get out of it now and got caught, it would only cause more trouble.

I had no choice but to tell the truth.

“Actually, I didn’t get to drink it…”

“I specially prepared a gift for the newlyweds, but if you didn’t drink it, there’s nothing to be done.”

His tone was calm, but it carried a hint of disappointment, so I quickly made an excuse.

“Th-That’s not it. It’s just that the young master didn’t give me a chance to drink it…”

“Didn’t give you a chance? What do you mean by that?”

The Duke asked back at my clumsy excuse, and Daniel shot me a look that said ‘what nonsense are you talking about?’

Aware of our surroundings, I first flashed a bright smile. Then I leaned close to his ear and whispered softly.

“Because we’re sharing a room, I completely forgot about the wine and everything else. I nearly froze to death, you know.”

“So I kindly told you. To find a good spot.”

“To find a spot, there has to be one. You took up everything. I barely got any sleep, you know!”

“You couldn’t sleep? Is that why you were snoring so loudly?”

“Wh-Who was snoring?!”

Just as we were growling at each other.

“Oh, dear…!”

“What ‘dear’? ‘Dear’ what.”

“Now you’re deaf too. When did I ever say ‘dear’…”

“Ahem! Dear!”

We stopped at the sound of the Duke’s voice echoing through the empty air.

W-Wait, what did I just hear? ‘Dear’ from the Duke’s mouth??

The Duke cleared his throat again and focused his gaze.

“My new daughter, don’t feel self-conscious. I understand the situation well enough.”

Huh? What did you understand… You shouldn’t understand?! Did he catch on that we slept separately?

I frantically had to keep talking.

“That’s not it… I really had a hard time last night…”

“Hard time?”

“So much so that I still can’t think straight. So…”

“Ugh, ahem!”

I didn’t realize it. That a strange light was swirling in the Duke’s eyes.

“That brat has some of me in him after all.”

The Duke, his ears turning red, wiped his mouth with a napkin and muttered to himself, then quickly stiffened his expression.

Fortunately, his gaze soon shifted from me to the head butler beside him.

“Give this to Daniel.”

The Duke pulled out some documents he had been keeping in his coat and handed them to the head butler, who then placed them on Daniel’s table.

Daniel casually took out the documents from the envelope and looked them over.

I remember this scene too.

To Daniel, who has spent the wedding night, the Duke grants a territory as promised. And it’s the best of the Benson family territories, Wilhelm.

And that was the Duke’s big mistake.

Well, how could the Duke have known. That Daniel had married without any intention, with the purpose of leaving this place after receiving that territory.

But I have no intention of telling the Duke this. Because I too need to receive a portion of that estate.

This is what you call an accomplice.

I thought Daniel would be satisfied. But contrary to my expectations, Daniel’s brow slowly furrowed.

Daniel, his expression somewhat grim, couldn’t take his eyes off the documents as he spoke.

“Bournemouth? This is different from what was promised. What I asked for was Wilhelm.”

Bournemouth…?

The Duke, as if expecting this reaction, lifted his teacup and took a sip.

“It seems you’re not satisfied.”

“You know full well, even within the Benson territory, the value of Bournemouth and Wilhelm are different.”

“The inheritance rights to Wilhelm are still valid. Provided, of course, that you agree to the condition I’m about to set now.”

Daniel’s face began to fill with bewilderment.

The Duke just smiled at his son.

“After observing your married life for one year, I will bestow Wilhelm upon you. Along with the title as well.”

“…You must be under some misapprehension. Married life and the inheritance of the territory have nothing to do with each other.”

“Yes, at first, I said I would give you the territory as payment for the marriage. But the more I think about it, giving you Wilhelm from the start holds no meaning for you, who will soon be the head of the family, nor for me.”

At the Duke’s words, Daniel’s brow furrowed even more deeply.

Beside him, I was having an earthquake in my pupils.

‘What? It seems Daniel’s plan has gone awry? Is this really bad?’

Unlike me, whose heart felt as big as a pebble, Daniel, seeming lost in thought for a moment, soon bowed his head and let out a small laugh.

I rolled my eyes to grasp the situation.

Daniel, who had been licking his lips with a peculiar smile, stiffened his face and looked at the Duke.

“I was fooled. I suppose I momentarily forgot that you’re not the type to make a losing proposition.”

“As the head of the family, I made a reasonable offer.”

The Duke replied with a languid expression. The smile on Daniel’s face, as he looked at him, was slowly fading.

Just as a strange tension filled the air between them.

The dining room door opened and the head maid, Mrs. Jones, hurriedly walked toward us.

“I apologize for interrupting your meal, Your Grace. A herald has arrived from the royal palace.”

“At this hour…? Show him in.”

At the Duke’s words, a knight wearing a hat emblazoned with the golden lion symbol of the royal family entered the dining room.

Removing his hat, the knight paid his respects to Duke Benson and then turned his head toward Daniel.

“I bear a command from His Majesty the King. From this moment, Young Master Benson is ordered to immediately report to the palace!”

At the knight’s words, a palpable tension filled the space in an instant.

Daniel, seeming to have a rough idea of the situation, instructed the knight.

“I’ll prepare myself. Await outside.”

“Yes, young master!”

As the knight left, Daniel’s gaze turned to Duke Benson.

“A herald arrives at this particular time.”

“…If it’s not absolutely necessary for you to join the battle, learn sometimes how to refuse.”

Worry was etched in the Duke’s eyes as he looked at his son.

But Daniel ignored his father’s concern and stood up from his seat.

“I’ll hear the rest of what you said when I return. Though I have no intention of negotiating.”

With that farewell, Daniel lightly placed his hand on my shoulder before leaving.

“No need to trouble yourself by seeing me off. Please continue your meal with the family, my dear.”

A brief, gentle smile flickered across Daniel’s face and then disappeared.

Adding those short words, Daniel left without looking back.

‘If the palace is calling for Daniel at this time…’

By now, a scene from the novel was passing vividly through my mind.