Divorce Begins with Remarriage - Chapter 39

Chapter 8. Did you think you could get away with it?

 Roberto felt dawn breaking and opened his eyes.

 As expected, he couldn’t even sigh. Not for any other reason…

 As Roberto sat up, he glanced at Berenice. He realized for the first time since birth that a person who’s merely breathing could look so beautiful. If he told someone this story, that he had been listening to Berenice’s breathing all night, he felt like he would be called a pervert.

 Rubbing his neck, Roberto got up from the bed.

 Berenice had put on his robe neatly on the sofa.

 Berenice’s scent emanated from the robe. As someone with a keen sense of smell, it was also torture for Roberto. Nevertheless, he couldn’t go without wearing it in the cold weather…

 Using the excuse of the chilly dawn, Roberto put on the robe. With flushed cheeks, he carefully moved to avoid waking Berenice.

 Despite sleeping soundly, Berenice seemed to feel comfortable by Roberto’s side, which made him relieved.

 Roberto looked back dozens of times at the door before leaving the bedroom.

 The servants guarding in front of the bedroom hurriedly approached to listen to Roberto’s intentions.

 “Shh. The Madam is still sleeping. Let’s go to the study. Could you prepare a bath in the adjacent study?”

 “Yes, Your Excellency.”

 The servants exchanged smiles with each other. They couldn’t stop laughing as they followed behind Roberto.

 Roberto walked with tired eyes while pressing on his temples. His routine of getting up in the morning and sitting in the study first remained unchanged. With a pen in hand, he thought that, apart from getting married, nothing had changed.

 When Roberto had been looking at piled-up documents for a long time, Alfonso arrived on time for work.

 “Oh. Why are you out so early? New groom.”

 Alfonso greeted with a bright face as he took off his coat and tidied up. Unlike Alfonso, who seemed to have had a good night’s sleep, deep fatigue was etched on Roberto’s face.

“You look tired… If the Duke is not present when the Duchess wakes up, wouldn’t she be disappointed? It’s your first time here.”

 Alfonso whispered discreetly, whatever his thoughts were.

 It was a considerate comment for the newlyweds, but to Roberto who had stayed up all night with tired eyes, it wasn’t pleasant to hear. Rather, it was a comment that twisted Roberto’s insides.

 He couldn’t say that nothing had happened.

 So Roberto responded irritably,

 “Instead of imagining wild things about my night affairs, why don’t you focus on your work? There must still be pending matters in the Cyrilov Duchy.”

Oh.

“Maybe you’re reacting like that because you’re feeling embarrassed. Oh my. It’s because you’re still immature.”

Alfonso burst into laughter but sobered up when he received Roberto’s cold gaze. Ah, that man was none other than Roberto Cyrilov, a duke who didn’t even tolerate a bit of mischief.

“I’m sorry.”

Alfonso muttered to himself that there was no one as stubborn as this.

“How is Count Livio Cornell doing these days? Has he been well-behaved since that day?”

“He’s the same as ever. But lately, it seems he’s been meeting with low-quality mercenaries who do anything for money.”

It was hard to deduce exactly what was going on, but from what he heard, it didn’t seem like they were up to any good. The infamous reputation of mercenaries who would do anything for money was known all over the Raivan Empire.

Roberto furrowed his brow.

Of course, the elite soldiers of the Duke’s command would not fall victim to such mercenaries.

Because there was a difference in standards to begin with.

Nevertheless, it would be much better to prevent things from happening before they escalate.

“Don’t let your guard down.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

“And assign someone to the mercenaries he contacts and associates with. They are surely up to something.”

“We have already taken such measures.”

This is how Roberto acknowledged Alfonso’s competence. Feeling somewhat relieved by Alfonso’s quick wit, Roberto nodded his head.

“Oh, and one more thing. The vassals of the clan are planning to visit.”

“…I see.”

That was a gateway that Berenice must pass through.

Due to an incident twelve years ago, most of the close relatives of the Duke of Cyrilov had almost died. As a result, many of the positions held by the vassals were left vacant. However, five years ago, when Roberto rebuilt the duchy, he filled those positions with distant relatives from faraway lands.

They were needed to oversee the affairs of the family. Although they were not of the Silver Wolf Clan, since they’re descendants of beastmen, they were physically superior to ordinary people and had a good understanding of the Silver Wolf Clan’s situation. They were not of the same race, but being a minority clan themselves, they had a broad acceptance of kinship.

Perhaps Berenice would accept them as well.

“Take good care of Berenice. Everything is still unfamiliar to her.”

“Yes. I will inform the butler as well.”

Roberto nodded his head.

***

Meanwhile, Berenice also started her early morning.

Having slept in a soft bed, it seemed like all the fatigue from yesterday had dissipated. She had breakfast with Terenzio, who ran to her as soon as she opened her eyes.

“Mom, this is delicious too!”

“Terenzio, eat a lot. Try this one and this one too. You shouldn’t be picky. You should eat carrots too, right?”

“Hmng.”

She stroked Terenzio’s head as he closed his eyes tightly and swallowed the carrot. After spending mealtime like that, Berenice headed to her study. It was a space prepared by Roberto for Berenice, who wanted to work.

‘I’ll need to hire a new aide.’

She deliberately left those who worked together in the capital behind. They had tasks to do for Berenice in the capital.

They provided Berenice with a report on Valencia’s trends at least once a week.

As Berenice sat down to start her work, the head maid came to see her.

“Madam.”

“What is it?”

“It’s a message from His Grace the Duke that some distant relatives will come to pay their respects in the next few days. He asked to set a time for them to visit and let you know. He said he would follow the madam’s intentions.”

Right.

‘Why did I forget about this?’

Wasn’t this one of the biggest gates in marriage? Due to the urgency of going to the duchy, Robert couldn’t introduce Berenice to his relatives, but it was something that was just around the corner.

‘Roberto said he was a beastman…’

It was also a fact that she had forgotten because they lived no different from humans. 

‘Are they all beastmen over there too?’

But she suppressed such curiosity altogether. Until Roberto spoke about it, Berenice didn’t know about beastmen either, so she judged that others might not know either.

‘It’s better not to reveal it recklessly.’

While contemplating how to handle them, Berenice looked at the calendar.

“Um. Let them know that any time this week is fine for a visit.”

“Yes, Madam.”

Berenice let out a faint sigh.

She suspected that Roberto’s distant relatives would be rational people. What worried her more was that they might have their own customs as a minority beastmen clan.

‘I should ask Roberto about it.’

Of course, she expected him to respond that there was nothing to worry about…

Berenice had one worry added to her mind.

And the relatives’ visit was scheduled for 4 days later.

***

After much contemplation, Berenice came to a conclusion.

She thought that dealing with such an issue alone wouldn’t be enough. It seemed better to seek honest advice from Roberto instead.

So Berenice knocked on Roberto’s office door.

“Roberto, may I come in?”

“Please, come in.”

With a prompt response, Berenice opened the door. Inside Roberto’s office, not only him but also Alfonso, whom she had seen a few times before, was present.

Both were buried in work at a desk piled high with documents, Berenice smiled awkwardly.

“Am I disturbing you?”

“Not at all. Your presence has brought a breath of fresh air. Welcome, Duchess.”

Alfonso politely greeted her.

Thanks to his welcoming smile, Berenice felt much relieved. Roberto’s expression wasn’t too bad either. Berenice also disliked being disturbed while working, so she was cautious.

Roberto stood up and approached the sofa, inviting Berenice to take a seat.

“Please have a seat here. Sebastian?”

“Yes. Shall I bring you a new tea?”

Roberto nodded approvingly to the thoughtful butler. A fragrant herbal tea was placed in front of Berenice.

Taking a sip courageously, Berenice asked Roberto.

“I heard that your relatives are visiting in 4 days.”

“Yes. Is that why you’ve come?”

“Yes, Roberto. I thought it would be better to ask rather than pondering alone about such matters. I don’t want to go there and act like a fool not knowing anything.”

Hearing Berenice’s words, Roberto’s face turned serious at once.

“Who on earth… would treat Berenice like a fool?”

“It’s just a saying.”

Berenice spoke while suppressing a laugh.

“…Even if Berenice doesn’t know about them, no one will ridicule you.”

“But I want to know. So I can fit in better… I don’t want to make a mistake.”