“What exactly are you saying, Duke Ashworth.”

“If you have any shame, this is where you stop. Belmont.”

Johann cut the words out with cold precision, then turned to look at the woman standing behind Liz and composed his expression.

“It has been a while, Countess Belmont. I hope your father, Count Gayard, is still in good health?”

“……Ah, yes.”

The mention of his wife’s family made the man’s shoulder jerk. Johann read the shift and narrowed his eyes.

“He dotes on his daughter. If he were to learn what happened today, he would be heartbroken. Even if the countess says nothing, with this many witnesses, it is only a matter of time before he hears.”

“……”

Color drained from the man’s face at the warning wrapped inside his words. Touch his wife again and this becomes much larger.

“If you wish to earn your wife’s respect, conduct yourself in a manner that deserves it.”

Johann pulled Liz close and began to turn away. The man muttered behind them, bitter and resentful.

“Duke Ashworth, this is beneath you. Have you gone soft over a woman? A girl from whatever that Clairemont family is supposed to be……”

The sound of Johann’s footsteps stopped.

He turned back and crossed the distance in a few strides, then seized the man by the scruff of the neck. Every trace of the composed, dignified manner he had carried moments ago was gone. What remained was cold and absolute. The man choked under the pressure.

“Ugh……”

The grip looked capable of snapping bone. All the color left the man’s face.

Johann lowered his face close to the man’s.

“Quite bold, to wag your tongue like that. Insulting my wife is the same as insulting me. If you’d like to find yourself permanently unwelcome in Bergen, I have no objection to arranging it.”

“Ugh, I…… I misspoke.”

Johann released him. The man collapsed ungracefully and sat there gasping, saliva on his lips.

Johann looked down at him with contempt and said quietly, “You asked whether I’m devoted to my wife. See for yourself.”

He wrapped an arm around Liz, who had gone rigid with surprise, and pressed his lips to the top of her head.

“I’m rather taken with her.”

As he walked away with his wife, the whispers of the onlookers spread behind them.

It took less than half a day for the rumor to reach every corner of the Eternelle: the Duke of Ashworth cherished his wife above all else.

˗ˋˏ ♡ ˎˊ˗

“Good afternoon, Duchess Ashworth.”

“Duchess, what a lovely afternoon.”

Greetings came from every direction before she had taken two steps. Liz pressed her lips into a smile and held it there.

Whether because of yesterday’s incident and the rumors about Johann, there was no one on the ship who didn’t recognize her face now.

Every noblewoman she made eye contact with looked at her with open envy. The gentlemen competed to make a good impression on her, if only to stay in the duke’s favor.

She had started it by sticking her nose in, but Johann’s excessive response had turned her into someone who couldn’t even stroll the deck in peace.

“Duchess Ashworth, this way please.”

Guided with great attentiveness by the maître d’, Liz arrived at The Blue, the finest restaurant on the first-class deck.

Inside, a young-faced woman rose from her seat and greeted her warmly.

“My lady, welcome.”

“It’s lovely to see you, Judith. Please sit down, there’s no need to stand on ceremony.”

Liz waved a hand and settled into the seat across from her.

Through the arched window beside their table, breaking waves and a wide horizon spread out like a painting. The plush velvet chairs were comfortable enough to make her forget she was on the water.

Judith smiled with a delicate, doll-like face. Liz had noticed it before, but she seemed to be a quiet person who didn’t say much.

A familiar type from her school days. Liz took the lead in conversation.

“I wanted to invite you to my suite, actually, but I’d heard the sea bass here is exceptional and I’ve been wanting to try it.”

“……Has the duke never brought you here?”

“Ah, well…… he prefers to dine in the cabin.”

More precisely, he enjoyed feeding her bite by bite while she sat tucked against him in bed.

Especially after a night that left her without the strength to lift a finger.

It was too much to say aloud. Liz let the thought go, and Judith blinked in mild surprise before offering a small smile.

The staff brought out the prepared dishes shortly after.

Sea bass steak with crisp, golden skin and a bright lemon butter sauce, a salad of fresh-looking vegetables dressed with balsamic. The table looked like something from a painting.

Liz took a bite of the sea bass. It melted on her tongue, clean and tender.

“It really is as good as they say.”

The honest reaction seemed to put Judith at ease. She had been moving her cutlery with some tension, but now a small laugh escaped her. Then, as though remembering something, she spoke.

“I heard about Countess Belmont yesterday. That was remarkable. I could never have said a word in that situation, even if I’d witnessed the whole thing.”

“Ah…… you heard about that too?”

Liz scratched the bridge of her nose, embarrassed. If even quiet Judith already knew, there really was no one on the ship left in the dark.

“I tend to be so quiet that people don’t notice me and talk freely in front of me.”

Count Lemont was apparently the outgoing, lively sort who brought his wife along to everything, which explained how Judith ended up hearing so much.

Watching Judith work to match a husband she was clearly ill-suited to, Liz’s expression softened.

Judith had approached her because she was Johann von Ashworth’s wife, not for any other reason. Liz knew that. Still, having a woman close to her own age to share a meal with was a genuine pleasure.

She found herself wanting to be a real friend to her.

Having exchanged pleasantries a few times already seemed to have helped. Judith continued with noticeably more ease.

“Countess Belmont ended up deciding to sleep in a separate room from her husband. She’s declared she’ll go back to her family home the moment they reach the next port.”

“Really? She seemed so timid. She must have made up her mind properly this time.”

“Yes. She’d been staying quiet all this time, but she said she was going to tell her father everything, and apparently the count’s whole manner changed on the spot. She said she’s going to use this chance to break him of his bad habits.”

“That’s such a relief. I’m glad things are moving in a better direction.”

She didn’t necessarily hope the Belmonts would divorce, but she did hope the count would temper himself and treat his wife better after all this.

Liz sipped her sparkling water in agreement, and Judith’s expression dimmed slightly.

“That’s only possible because her family, the Gayard countdom, is still a strong house. I envy that. Having a family with standing behind you.”

The longing in her voice was unmistakable.

“I lost my father when I was young, and things became very difficult after that.”

Liz understood something of what it meant to have married a count twenty years her senior through an arranged match. She reached over and gently took Judith’s hand.

“By that measure, I’m probably the most obscure-born woman among all the nobles on this ship. Hardly anyone here would recognize the Clairmont name.”

“Oh, Duchess! That isn’t what I meant at all……”

“I know. But I’ve never once regretted being born a daughter of Clairmont. How many of the ladies on board know how to tend a vegetable garden and dig up potatoes to put dinner on the table? I’m confident I could feed myself no matter where I ended up alone.”

Judith’s eyes went wide at the calm certainty in her voice.

“I…… I actually know a little about gardening. We had no gardener, so I did it myself. I was even told my roses were exceptional. The elderly countess from the neighboring estate used to come just to see them.”

“Flowers die on me every time. It must be different from growing vegetables.”

Liz smiled brightly. Judith smiled back with more warmth than she had shown since they met.

Their lives turned out to have more in common than expected, and the conversation flowed easily from one thing to the next.

After a while, Judith folded her hands together and said gently, “It’s lovely to see how warm the duke is toward you. My husband is cheerful around others, but he tends to be quite brusque with me. I just think the two of you look wonderful together.”

“Don’t tease me.”

More than once, Liz had felt the distinct impression of moving busily around inside that man’s palm. She shook her head and added, “The duke has his kind moments, but he can be frightening too. His reputation speaks for itself.”

“I thought so too, but when he looks at you, there’s a warmth in his eyes. Like someone watching over someone they care about.”

Only she could see it, Judith said, and Liz tilted her head but listened quietly.