Chapter 4 (Part 7)

Upon hearing from Rio that the documents had arrived, Theodore and Reinis returned to the main building at once.  

The two carefully took the documents from the servant’s hands and confirmed that the Emperor’s seal was stamped on the marriage consent form.  

A moment of silence passed between them.  

“Congratulations!”  

Helldor’s exclamation broke the silence, and Theodore, snapping out of his thoughts, looked at Reinis.  

“My Lady, you no longer need to worry. I will protect you from Earl Plarad and the Martin family. Officially, of course.”  

Reinis, too stunned, couldn’t respond. It was unbelievable, something she thought could never happen.  

Seeing the Emperor’s seal on the marriage consent form with her own eyes finally made it feel real.  

Tears welled up as she realized her future had changed. The sheer relief of escaping that hell overwhelmed her, and the thought of someone like Theodore becoming her husband filled her heart even more.  

When the tears of joy subsided, Theodore spoke with a serious expression.  

“Now, we must prepare for the wedding.”  

At the word “wedding,” Reinis’s eyes widened in surprise, and she tilted her head as she looked at him.  

“If we hold the wedding, won’t your identity as a Duke be revealed?”  

In the future she had envisioned, the fact that Theodore was a Duke was something to be revealed far later, so she found it puzzling. However, Theodore nodded as if such concerns didn’t matter to him.  

“That’s likely to happen.”  

His actions and tone seemed indifferent.  

“You’ve kept the fact that you’re a Duke hidden until now, so there’s no need to reveal it because of me.”  

“It’s fine. I can’t keep it hidden forever, and now that you’re here, this might be a good opportunity to reveal it. Hel, I plan to hold a grand wedding, so prepare a list of nobles.”  

“W-Wait a moment! Are you really planning to reveal that you’re a Duke?”  

“Yes. Do you, by any chance, not want me to reveal that I’m a Duke, my lady?”  

At Theodore’s question, Reinis became confused.  

It wasn’t that she particularly wanted him to keep his identity hidden, but she didn’t want the reason for revealing it to be because of her.  

Although the future had changed, she had no reason to stop Theodore from wanting to reveal his identity as a Duke.  

As Reinis hesitated, unsure of what to say due to her complicated feelings, Heldor spoke up on her behalf.  

“Perhaps the lady doesn’t want you to reveal your identity because of her, Commander.”  

At Heldor’s words, Reinis nodded and hurriedly agreed as she opened her mouth.  

“That’s right! Commander, you must have had your reasons for keeping it a secret until now, so there’s no need to lose all of that just because of me.”  

At Reinis’s words, Theodore shook his head with a serious expression.  

“No. It’s precisely because of you, my lady, that I want to reveal it. For the person I love, this much is nothing.”  

At the mention of “the person I love,” Reinis’s face turned red with embarrassment, and she didn’t know what to do. Noticing this, Heldor realized it was not the right time for him to intervene and took a step back. Thanks to this, a moment of silence fell.  

Theodore, who had been admiring her adorable reaction, continued speaking.  

“And the reason I didn’t reveal that I’m a Duke wasn’t anything grand. It was simply because I found interacting with people bothersome.”  

Seeing Reinis tilt her head as if she didn’t quite understand the meaning, Theodore let out a faint smile.  

“Now that you’ve taken the seat beside me, there’s no need to worry about being pestered by other women, so wouldn’t it be fine to reveal it?”  

* * *  

The Duke’s wedding was top secret.  

If the fact that there would be a wedding at the Duke’s manor were to be leaked, it was certain that Earl Plarad or the Martin Baronet family would try to interfere.  

Since preparing for the wedding would take considerable time, they couldn’t afford to let it be ruined by interference before the ceremony even took place.  

Following Theodore’s orders, the servants moved discreetly, ensuring secrecy until all preparations were complete and the wedding invitations were sent out.  

However, the servants had no complaints. On the contrary, they were thrilled at the thought of Reinis becoming their Madam.  

Theodore, needing to review the list of nobles invited to the wedding, found himself busier than usual. Thanks to this, Reinis and Heldor had the opportunity to address the matter of their previous wager.  

The two stopped in front of her room to prepare for departure.  

“Miss, are you ready?”  

“Yes… But we won’t cause any trouble for others, will we? Everyone must already be busier because of the wedding preparations…”  

“We’ll make sure to avoid causing any disruptions, so don’t worry.”  

Even with those words, she still felt uneasy.  

“It’s better to settle the wager before things get even busier. Let’s go.”  

At the mention of “getting busier,” Reinis had no choice but to move her feet.  

As they stepped into the lobby, the sight of servants bustling around caught her attention. Although the wedding date was still far off, they were moving quickly, saying it wasn’t too early to start preparing.  

Seeing this, Reinis’s expression stiffened as she realized that so many people were working so hard because of her. Noticing her thoughts, Heldor glanced at the servants and spoke.  

“Wow, how are they all smiling while working so busily? Isn’t it remarkable?”  

Only then did Reinis look at the servants’ faces, her eyes widening as she observed them.  

‘They’re all… smiling. As if they’re enjoying being busy…’  

Heldor, noticing her astonishment, glanced at her and nodded.  

“If I told you that the servants in places where you are present say they like you, you wouldn’t believe me. So why don’t we secretly listen to what they’re saying?”  

“Eavesdropping on others isn’t right.”  

“But if you asked them directly, you wouldn’t believe them, would you?”  

“Well, that’s true, but…”  

“This is my idea, so you’re not doing anything wrong.”  

With that, Heldor strode forward as if to say, “Follow me.” In the end, Reinis found herself trailing behind him.  

The first place they headed to was the kitchen.  

Standing at the entrance, they stopped and listened to the voices coming from inside.  

“Damn it!”  

Startled by the sudden expletive from the head chef, Reinis glanced at Heldor. He gestured for her to keep listening, placing a hand to his ear and nodding.  

Following his cue, Reinis listened again.  

“I want to make something more special and delicious for the lady! Why does everything look so ordinary?”  

Frowning at the comment, Reinis peeked into the kitchen.  

On the massive plate in front of the head chef was an incredible array of desserts.  

Reinis, seeing desserts more beautiful than anything she had ever encountered, quickly covered her mouth to stifle the gasp that almost escaped. She pulled back and hid herself again.  

‘How could he call those ordinary…? They’re the most extravagant desserts I’ve ever seen….’  

The head chef, grumbling to himself, picked up one of the desserts and tasted it.  

“What’s so delicious about this ordinary flavor that the lady keeps praising it…? I need to show her what truly delicious food is. If only I knew what she especially likes, I’d make it for her….”  

Muttering to himself, the head chef appeared lost in thought, his face full of anguish.  

Unlike Theodore, who finished his meals without a single comment on the taste, Reinis always looked at the food with eyes full of wonder and appreciation. That made the chef feel both grateful and deeply moved.  

When he first heard that a noble lady would be staying, the kitchen had been short on ingredients, so he served simple things like muffins or cookies. Even then, Reinis had eaten them with delight.  

Hearing such stories, the head chef’s days now began with one question: what delicious dish should he prepare for her today?  

As he pondered seriously and deeply, the head chef suddenly made up his mind and shouted,  

“I’ll make something so delicious that she’ll never be satisfied with this ordinary taste again!”  

With the head chef’s declaration, Heldor stepped into the kitchen.  

Startled by Heldor’s sudden action, Reinis tried to stop him, but it was too late. Heldor was already striding confidently toward the head chef.  

Making sure Reinis had hidden herself again, Heldor spoke.  

“The lady’s presence must have increased your workload. Do you have any complaints about that?”  

“What complaints? On the contrary, hearing that the lady enjoyed the dishes I made with my limited skills only motivates me even more!”  

“It’s fine to be honest. The lady will soon become the lady of this house, so if there’s anything you’re dissatisfied with, now is the time to say it.”  

“If I have a complaint… there is one.”  

Reinis, who thought it was only natural for the head chef to have complaints, nodded as if it was to be expected.  

“Really? What’s your complaint?”  

“Well, no matter what food I prepare, she eats it all with such delight that I can’t tell what she likes more or less. The lady always says everything is good…. If only I knew something more about her….”  

The head chef continued to mumble, but his words left Reinis quite stunned. The complaint was the complete opposite of what she had imagined.  

Even when Heldor left the kitchen, Reinis couldn’t shake off her shock.  

By the time she barely regained her composure, she found herself standing in front of a break room where the maids, tired from their work, were taking a brief rest.  

“Her skin is so flawless, I thought it was baby skin!”  

“Hey, can I go help with the lady’s dressing next time?”  

“What? Are you trying to cut in line? I’m next! Do you know how much thought I put into finding a dress that would suit the lady while doing your share of the laundry?”  

“Then I’ll imagine a dress that would suit the lady while doing the laundry next time! It’ll make the time fly by!”  

The maids’ playful chatter and laughter echoed as they spoke. Reinis glanced at Heldor, gauging his reaction.  

She wondered if he might suddenly dash into the room again, so she kept a close watch. When Heldor met her gaze, she opened her mouth but couldn’t find the words.  

“Let’s move on to another place now.”  

The two of them wandered around, listening to the conversations of the staff.  

As if everyone had rehearsed, every conversation seemed to revolve around Reinis. Yet, not a single negative word about her came out of anyone’s mouth.  

Though she still couldn’t fully believe it, the fact that everyone seemed to like her was both unfamiliar and somewhat embarrassing. In the end, Reinis gave up trying to process it all.  

Having won the bet, Heldor seemed to carry himself with a newfound confidence, his shoulders noticeably squared.  

The matter of the bet between Reinis and Heldor was something that Theodore was also aware of. While the content of the bet was, in some ways, a necessary process for Reinis, Theodore found Heldor’s smug attitude to be quite unpleasant.  

Heldor, with his sparkling eyes, looking at him as if he had achieved something great, was clearly expecting praise. However, Theodore was not someone who would hand out compliments so easily.  

Pretending not to notice, Theodore focused on his work.  

“Master, a letter has arrived from the Imperial Palace.”  

Something unexpected had occurred.