“So I’d rather my wife not spend the first day of our marriage worrying that her husband is about to die.”

Cleve gave a small nod.

Eldrich, apparently quite bored, glanced around and asked one of his subordinates.

“Is the wedding over?”

“Yes, yes. It is, but the reception……”

Eldrich’s brow furrowed on its own. Cleve looked around at the guests and spoke up.

“If you have somewhere to be, it’s fine to go. The reception won’t be particularly pleasant anyway.”

The whispers directed at her were likely to reach him too. But Eldrich took her hand and drew her gently toward him.

“Haven’t you done this before? Do we really have to do this again?”

“Yes, but this is something we’re supposed to……”

“There’s only one thing we’re supposed to do.”

Eldrich slung Cleve over his shoulder without a second thought.

The guests looked on in shock. He paid them no mind and walked calmly toward the door.

❀❀❀

“Where, where are we going?”

Cleve asked from where she had been unceremoniously deposited in the carriage.

“The residence.”

He had said there was only one thing they were supposed to do. Surely he didn’t mean…… She swallowed hard.

She wanted to ask why they were going to the residence, but she was too afraid of what his answer might be, so she kept her mouth shut.

Only the rumble of the carriage wheels broke the silence. The look in her brother’s eyes as he had stared her down came back to her. She had slipped away without completing the formalities, and Hereis was going to be furious. Cleve squeezed her eyes shut at the thought.

‘He’s definitely going to scold me.’

She had no idea what he would write in his letter, and her mouth went dry with dread.

“Cleve Devonshire.”

The unexpected voice made Cleve’s eyes go wide.

“……Pardon?”

“You’re Cleve Devonshire now.”

Eldrich seemed to know exactly who had been on her mind. That was precisely why she startled so badly.

“You’re the Duchess of Devonshire, not a daughter of the Chartres marquisate. Just thought I’d let you know.”

“You’re right.”

Cleve laughed, a soft pfft escaping her. It sounded almost like a reminder that she didn’t need to worry about Hereis anymore, and the weight on her chest eased a little.

She peered carefully out the carriage window. She had no idea where the residence was, but the fact that they were riding in a carriage meant it was clearly quite a distance away.

“Oh!”

An endless expanse of fields stretched out before her. Clouds drifted across the blue sky, soaking up the brilliant sunlight.

‘It’s so beautiful.’

Unlike the walking paths she knew, the fields were full of plants she had never seen before, and she couldn’t pull her gaze away.

Cleve pressed herself against the window and refused to look away, turning her whole body to take in the view.

Tap tap.

A knock on the carriage wall. Cleve turned in surprise, and Eldrich calmly opened the door of the now-stopped carriage.

“Let’s step out for a bit.”

Cleve looked at the hand extended toward her. He acted nothing like a nobleman, so she had assumed he was a soldier through and through, but it seemed he had the basic courtesies after all.

She took his hand carefully and stepped down from the carriage.

Up close, it was even more beautiful. She glanced at Eldrich, almost asking for permission. He gave a small nod.

Cleve walked carefully into the grass, which rose up to her calves.

Swish, swish.

Every time the blades brushed against her clothes, they made a soft rustling sound. The leaves clung to her dress here and there, almost as though they were trying to hold her back.

‘Hereis is going to hate this.’

Her clothes were getting dirty. She would definitely hear about it.

Hereis was always scolding her to take care of her clothes. He would go on about how women cost too much, and how a modest, frugal life was the way to earn a husband’s love, and he kept even her allowance for appearances to an absolute minimum.

When she had to be seen in public, she dressed more beautifully than anyone. At home, she wore nothing but cheap, plain ready-made clothes without a single ornament.

‘Don’t think about it. He said it himself. I’m not a Chartres anymore.’

Unlike her previous husbands, Eldrich was not on good terms with her brother. That was a relief. It meant Hereis would have less room to interfere.

Though once he returned to the battlefield, who knew what would happen.

The one area where Hereis had never skimped on her was her bridal education.

Cleve’s natural looks and figure led Hereis to believe she would sell well on the marriage market.

The best tutors were brought in to teach her, and her brother took the lead in arranging her marriages.

But strangely, Hereis always found excuses to turn down proposals from good families. She didn’t understand it, but her brother was always sharp and shrewd, so she assumed he had his reasons.

She had accepted the first marriage willingly. She hesitated at the second. The day she told Hereis she didn’t want to marry again was the first time she was locked in a closet.

One day, two days, three days, a week. He kept her there with barely enough food to survive. In the dark, Cleve trembled with fear and wept.

When the third marriage came around, she ran.

“Another one’s going to end up dead. Living with misfortune and dragging others into it.”

“Who’s marrying that woman this time?”

The whispers seemed to come from every direction. But that same day, Hereis dragged her home by the hair.

He beat her carefully, always choosing places no one would see, then pulled her into an embrace and wept.

“Cleve, I care about you. So please don’t make me angry. It’s all for your sake. Can’t you do even that much for our family?”

He never forgot to add that if she just endured it, everyone would be happy. Then one day, when the marriage proposals finally stopped coming, the joy she felt was beyond words.

If not for Duke Devonshire, she might have reclaimed her freedom. Her brother had made her a promise.

“This is the last marriage. Persistent bastard.”

He had added something she didn’t quite understand, but Cleve knew well enough that no man other than Duke Devonshire wanted to marry her anymore.

And since it was a royal command, even Hereis couldn’t refuse. So Cleve accepted the fourth marriage without a word of resistance.

Whoooosh.

The sound of leaves trembling in the wind scattered through her ears. Her thoughts dissolved into the air along with it.

Cleve stole a glance behind her. Her face flushed for no particular reason when she caught him watching her steadily.

Eldrich’s first impression when he walked into the wedding hall had been exactly that of a predator fresh from a hunt. A beast well-fed for now, and therefore at ease.

It was strange, the way he acted however he pleased without caring what anyone thought. He held a position everyone praised, and yet he seemed perfectly fine.

“You couldn’t take your eyes off it, and now you’re already done?”

A flicker of boredom passed through the crimson eyes watching her. They were a vivid red, unmixed with any other color. Cleve had never seen eyes that red in her life.

Breathtakingly beautiful.

“Beautiful.”

Like a red sun hanging in a night sky. It made no sense, but that was truly how it felt.

“……Beautiful, you say. That’s a first.”

“Oh!”

Cleve clapped her hand over her mouth. What was meant to be a thought to herself had slipped out like a murmur.

She stood frozen, eyes wide, with no idea what to do.

Eldrich walked toward her with long, unhurried strides. Cleve stumbled back. His neat brows lifted.

“Why are you running away?”

She didn’t know either. Something about the look in his eyes had made her feet move back on instinct.

“Your Grace. Let’s, let’s go over there!”

Cleve spun around and pointed to the top of the hill. From up there, the whole surrounding landscape would probably be visible. She immediately set off toward it at a quick pace.

❀❀❀

Reaching the top of the hill at last, Cleve looked around with bright eyes. Her guess had been right.

The view spread out all at once, and it was even more beautiful. The summer sun made her squint a little, but the climb had been worth it.

“Phew!”

It wasn’t even that high, but all the walking had left her breathless. He, on the other hand, looked perfectly at ease.

Were all soldiers as sturdy as the duke?