Chapter 4

She might grow flustered at being struck in the mark, grow angry, or perhaps burst into tears. Anything but the last one would be preferable.

And Gloria,

“Pft.”

Burst out laughing.

“You joke far better than the rumors said. Or perhaps you simply have a vivid imagination.”

“A joke? Imagination? No, before that, did you say rumors?”

“Yes.”

Gloria replied, still holding laughter in her voice as she looked Astan over.

“I heard you were taciturn, violent, and cold-hearted. And that you tear apart terrifying Sikun and eat it alive……”

“What?”

At the completely unexpected answer, Astan asked back in bewilderment. As though embarrassed to speak aloud of her prospective husband’s shortcomings, Gloria continued carefully.

“It’s not what one would call ordinary tastes, but so long as you do not force it on me, I think I could respect it.”

“……Unbelievable. And?”

“I also heard you were two meters tall, bigger than a bear, and had a very frightening face, but I suppose that was just a false rumor.”

Gloria’s eyes curved softly.

Should I be grateful that she still came looking for me after hearing such rumors?

Calming his confused feelings, Astan spoke again.

“Forget that. Even if you really are Earl McCain’s daughter, I still see no reason why I should marry you.”

“Oh my? But you, Your Grace, sent me a proposal letter first, didn’t you?”

Gloria answered, tapping the proposal letter lightly with her fingernail.

Damned Colin. Why did he have to do something no one asked of him?

Cursing the loyal yet tactless butler who had brought about this absurd situation, Astan replied,

“There is no need to repeat that this proposal letter did not contain my own will, and even if it had, seven years is a rather long time.”

“For example?”

“It’s enough time for a child to become an adult, or for lovers to become husband and wife.”

Staring at him thoughtfully, Gloria asked,

“Are you married?”

“No.”

“That’s a relief. If you’ve ever been widowed or divorced, please tell me honestly. I don’t like learning those things through someone else.”

Gloria said this with a bright smile. Astan nearly answered, ‘Very well,’ and barely managed to bite his tongue in time.

Just what is this woman?

He had thought it would be easy enough to send away some immature little young lady, but the more they talked, the more it was he who was being drawn in.

At the sight of the woman’s eyes shining with vain fantasies, Astan slowly shook his head.

“I don’t know how many times I have to say it for you to understand that whether I am a married man or a divorced man has nothing to do with you. Why do you think I would enter a marriage that offers me no benefit?”

“No benefit?”

Leaning back against the backrest in an arrogant posture, Astan nodded.

“I mean that there is nothing I can gain by marrying you.”

As he said this, he looked sharply over the woman’s appearance. She did not even have clothes to change into and had to borrow garments that did not fit her, yet she dreamed of marrying a Duke. His gaze clearly said as much.

Yet even under a look that should have been enough to make anyone shrink, Gloria remained calm.

“I can give you, Your Grace, what you want.”

“What I want? And what would that be?”

“That would be……”

Gulp. Gloria swallowed dryly.

“Of course, a wise and beautiful wife.”

“Ha.”

Astan let out a hollow laugh. But the woman did not so much as twitch a brow and continued.

“It’s rare even among commoners for a man to remain unmarried until your age, Your Grace, isn’t it? That means, in other words, that until now you simply haven’t found a bride who pleased you.”

“And you mean to say that you will become the wise and beautiful wife I failed to find?”

“Yes.”

“I can’t say I agree.”

“You will soon.”

At his lukewarm response, Gloria answered with certainty.

……Forget it. Faced with someone so impossible to bend, Astan lost the will to continue the conversation.

“If there’s anything you’re curious about regarding me, please feel free to ask. I’ll answer with complete sincerity.”

Astan opened his mouth.

“For now, I understand your purpose, so let’s leave the rest for later……”

He glanced at her and continued,

“It’s late, so it would be best for you to return to your room and rest for today.”

“Thank you for your thoughtful consideration. Then good night.”

Gloria rose obediently to her feet and, as though she had been waiting for those words, left the study.

“……Haa.”

Left alone, Astan let out the sigh he had been holding back.

I’d rather deal with Sikun.

It was a night as dreadful as the weather.

* * *

After the commotion of the previous night, Astan had only gone to bed around dawn and woke late. His body felt stiff, as though he had suffered through a terrible nightmare.

Astan drew back the curtains and got down from the bed. Outside the window, fierce snow was still blowing. The room, where the fireplace had gone out during the night, was cold as ice. He threw on a thick outer garment and left the room as though fleeing.

I should go to the dining room and eat first.

Before that, I should tell Logan to light the firewood, he thought as he stepped into the corridor, only to come to an abrupt halt in the middle of the drawing room.

The woman who had given him a night like a nightmare was sitting on the sofa reading a book. Watching her turn the pages gracefully as she drank tea with a soft blanket wrapped around her as if she were in her own home, Astan let out a hollow laugh.

“What are you doing there?”

“Oh? You’re awake, Your Grace.”

As though she had not known he would come out, Gloria set the book she had been holding down on the table.

『101 Ways to Become a Virtuous Duchess』

……This is enough to drive me mad.

Unaware of Astan’s regret that he had not simply thrown her out last night, Gloria chattered brightly.

“Did you sleep well? The weather is so lovely, isn’t it?”

“So you must like weather where a snowstorm is raging.”

Astan answered curtly, then pointed at the book and asked,

“By the way, what is that book?”

“I borrowed it from Madame Meriwether. I thought there would be a lot I needed to learn if I’m to become the lady of the ducal castle.”

“What?”

“It worries me a little since this is my first time being a Duchess, but I’ll study hard so I won’t become a burden to you, Your Grace.”

“……”

Forget it. Talking to her will only give me a headache.

He wanted to ask just who on earth was the mistress of the ducal castle, but lacking confidence that he could win in an argument, Astan gave up on the conversation and walked past Gloria. For some reason, not one of the many servants was in sight today.

I told them often enough that the colder it is, the more diligently they should move. I’ll have to give them a stern warning.

As he walked on with that thought, Gloria trailed after him.

“What about breakfast?”

“I’ll eat in my room.”

“You won’t eat in the dining room?”

“If cold soup is to your taste, do as you please.”

“I don’t particularly like cold soup, but if we’re going to get to know each other, shouldn’t we at least share a meal?”

“Do we really need to get to know each other?”

“It’s enjoyable to discover new sides of one another every day, but I don’t think marrying while knowing too little about each other would help make for a harmonious married life.”

How can she say such embarrassing things with a straight face?

Stunned by a shamelessness beyond anything he had imagined, Astan turned his head.

“Do as you like. I’ll be eating in my room.”

“Then shall I eat with you in your room too, Your Grace?”

“What?”

Astan’s voice rose at once. Barely making it through the crisis of almost shouting, he clenched his fist.

Endure it. A man who gets angry at a woman is no man at all.

“It’s none of my concern where you eat, but don’t even think of interrupting my breakfast.”

“You’re not very good at treating a guest.”

“A guest?”

“Ah, right. One wouldn’t call one’s future wife a guest, would one? That was a slip of the tongue.”

“Hah.”

So this is what it means to be left speechless.

He had decided to ignore her since they would not be seeing each other for long anyway, but her shamelessness was impossible to bear.

And with this, she speaks of becoming a virtuous Duchess…… no, that’s not the point.

Feeling that the more they talked the more he was being dragged in, he decided it would be better not to deal with her at all and turned away.