Chapter 70. I Need To Make A Call

“Don’t make me say things twice.”

“Yes, sir.”

Theo walked past Ulysse, who was standing behind him, and went outside.

Ulysse sat down in front of Wood with an awkward smile, taking Theo’s place.

“Haha. Our lord seems a bit tired from the long journey. Why don’t you discuss the investment with me?”

Ulysse offered a handkerchief to Wood, who was sweating profusely.

Count Wood looked like a corpse, his face completely drained of color from fear.

Yes, this is right.

This was Theo, famous for being not just cold-blooded but cruel.

Perhaps because he had witnessed too many instances of him following Yuelina around like a loyal hunting dog during her walks.

Even Ulysse had forgotten his lord’s usual demeanor.

Ulysse let out a heavy sigh. What would it have been like if Yuelina were here now?

He wanted to return to the principality as soon as possible.

He particularly missed his lord’s tamed appearance when Yuelina was around.

Meanwhile, Theo strode to his room with his long legs.

He had something important to do today.

He needs to make a call.

His adorable crow-tit wife had attended her first social gathering today.

She should be back home by now.

Theo’s mind was completely occupied with thoughts of talking to Yuelina.

* * *

As Theo expected, Yuelina had finished her bath and was lying on the bed in her room.

Next to the bed was the box Theo had given her.

She had learned how to use the communication stone from Raye, and had actually talked with Theo before.

It was such a fascinating and strange orb.

I wonder what he’s doing now?

Yuelina sat up and opened the box.

One of the orbs that had already used up its magic power had changed from green to clear.

“So I can only call two more times? I’d like to tell Theo about what happened today, he would like that.”

After the tea time at Emily’s mansion ended, Yuelina got into the carriage with Maelyn and Raye.

Maelyn and Raye both said that Yuelina had handled everything wisely today.

“Your Highness ‘s kind nature opened the hearts of Lady Emily and the other noble ladies!”

“No, they were the ones who were kind to me first.”

“Kind my as$! Honestly, I wanted to splash water in their faces, but I held back because they apologized at the end!”

Maelyn huffed, placing both hands on her waist.

Yuelina knew that Emily and the noble ladies weren’t particularly welcoming of her.

Especially when she heard from others about how she hadn’t held a wedding ceremony with Theo hurt her feelings.

But it wasn’t the first time.

Even the Phaenyx priest didn’t know she was the Grand Duchess, because there had been no wedding ceremony.

Yuelina thought there was nothing she could do about it, regardless of how she felt.

She didn’t know much about the principality, nor how to deal with people of different ranks.

So all she could do was accept things honestly as they were.

If the noble ladies rejected that, then that would be the end of their relationship.

But the noble ladies opened their hearts to Yuelina’s honest attitude.

That made her happy.

She shared concerns while listening to their stories about Theo and their husbands.

It really felt like visiting a friend’s house.

Moreover, today Theo had secretly prepared gifts for the noble ladies without her knowledge.

According to Maelyn, Armand plates were extremely precious.

Yuelina was happier about the fact that Theo had prepared something for her sake than about the value of the plates.

Also, by continuing to attend tea time gatherings, she would receive many tips about how to bring vitality to married life.

Maybe she could hold hands with Theo, embrace him, and perhaps even kiss.

Then it seemed they could live well as a couple even without a wedding ceremony.

“Ah!”

Just then,

One of the green orbs in the box began to glow.

Yuelina carefully lifted the orb with a warm smile.

[Yuna.]

Theo’s voice came from the orb. Yuelina hugged it tightly.

“Theo!”

[You had your gathering today, right? I called because I was curious about how it went.]

“Yes, it went well. Thanks to you, Theo.”

Theo thought Yuelina’s voice sounded brighter than usual.

It seems the gathering went quite satisfactorily.

Theo raised the corner of his mouth.

“Were the ladies decent people?”

[Yes! They were all so kind and treated me warmly.]

“You tend to be generous with expressions like ‘kind’ and ‘warm.'”

[No, no! It’s true!]

Yuelina smiled shyly as she listened to Theo’s gentle voice.

Should she be glad he wasn’t here in person?

Strangely, just hearing his voice made her face flush red.

If Theo were here in front of her, her face might have exploded.

Yuelina tried to compose herself and spoke to the orb.

“Theo. I heard you sent gifts… How did you prepare that?”

[It was nothing.]

Theo was also glad Yuelina wasn’t in front of him right now.

There would have been no way he could hide his smugly proud face from Yuelina.

It was when Ulysse discovered the communication stone.

While listening to Ulysse’s nagging, Theo immediately ordered him to send someone to the principality.

His adorable crow-tit wife making desserts by hand was a cute and meaningful gift.

The only issue was that the recipients were noble ladies.

Theo was the kind of person who would gladly drink every drop even if Yuelina gave him water laced with poison.

But the noble ladies were likely being wary and dismissive of Yuelina.

They hadn’t sent a single invitation despite her being there for quite some time. He could see right through them.

Theo didn’t care either way. The noble’s contempt and disdain were merely amusing to him.

Besides, Theo wasn’t keen on Yuelina attending social gatherings anyway.

Social gatherings created unnecessary gossip and formed factions that constantly engaged in political maneuvering.

This was true for any social gathering, whether for noble men or women.

Any type of social gathering showed similar patterns in terms of useless meetings to fulfill their own self-interests.

Theo hoped Yuelina wouldn’t waste time attending such gatherings.

He already felt his own time with Yuelina was too short, so he couldn’t let social gatherings steal her away.

That’s why he could overlook them not sending invitations to Yuelina.

But as soon as he left his position in the principality, they suddenly sent her an invitation?

It was obvious the noble ladies were plotting something behind the scenes.

However, he didn’t want to tell Yuelina to spend an outrageous amount of money on gifts for them either.

If, by any chance, the noble ladies refused Yuelina’s gifts, she would be hurt.

Of course, Theo wouldn’t let those noble ladies off easily either.

So the peaceful solution he thought of was secretly giving gifts in his name.

The noble ladies would find it difficult to refuse gifts from the Grand Duke, and they would want the Armand plates that could curry favor.

He judged that this might help Yuelina’s reputation a little.

Separate from this plan, Theo intended to find out everything that was said at Emily’s tea time.

Shadow ‘Khan’ would have recorded every single word without missing anything.

If there was any lady who had offended Theo’s sensibilities at that gathering, he would deal with her husband.

Theo put aside his own secret plans and focused on the conversation with Yuelina.

“Did the chestnut pie turn out well?”

[Yes! They said it was delicious and went well with the plates!]

“That’s good.”

[Ah, and Theo… I have something to confess.]

Theo listened carefully to Yuelina’s words. Somehow her voice had become quite serious, making even Theo tense.

“What is it?”

[Don’t be too surprised. I… I spent a lot of money.]

Theo chuckled.

This woman had a talent for making him laugh in various ways.

Even if Yuelina said she spent enough to pull out one of the principality’s pillars, Theo would just laugh and say she did well.

Theo gazed intently at the orb while holding back his smile.