I Thought It Was An Arranged Marriage - Chapter 19

“You were sleeping so sweetly.”

“But it’s already bright outside.”

“I was planning to let you sleep for just 10 more minutes. You shouldn’t skip meals.”

Lucas lifted her onto his chest. Rosaline, lying on top of Lucas as if he were the bed, rubbed her head against his chest like it was a familiar routine. When he tickled her waist with his fingers, he burst into laughter. It wasn’t that he was ticklish; it seemed he just enjoyed her touching him.

“Oh, come to think of it.”

“Yes?”

“Yesterday, I was so focused on the banquet that I didn’t eat properly, but strangely, I don’t feel very hungry.”

Rosaline, who lifted her head and rested her chin on his chest, looked so adorably serious. When he gently rubbed her furrowed brow with his index finger, her deep, fresh green eyes stared at him. Then, noticing his playful smile, she narrowed her eyes.

“Don’t you remember?”

“Hmm…”

Come to think of it, she had either fallen asleep or passed out in the bathroom. When she came to her senses, she was in bed, wrapped in a large towel. She remembered her husband’s gentle face asking if she was awake, but she was too tired to respond and only blinked.

Her husband had lifted her limp body and told her to eat a little before sleeping, for her health, and kissed her again. He left a deep kiss that made it hard for her to even swallow properly. The aftermath of that kiss…

“Oh.”

Lucas lightly patted her back as if asking if she remembered. She thought it was a dream. It seemed he had woken her up and fed her something while she was half-asleep. Since she was too tired to stay awake, he must have given her something easy to digest and not upsetting to her stomach.

Because she had been so tense, she didn’t realize she was hungry until she swallowed that. Once her hunger was satisfied, she fell asleep contentedly. Rosaline felt a renewed sense of gratitude toward Lucas.

“Thank you.”

“No need to mention it.”

“What was it, that thing?”

“Just a blend of some fruits and vegetables. Something good for your body.”

“Hmm.”

Though she had always eaten meals with formality and according to proper etiquette, she found that this kind of thing was also okay sometimes. Most of all, it was nice because someone who cared about her had prepared it for her.

Her heart swelled like a balloon. Someday it might meet a needle and burst, but for now, she just wanted to float around.

“Rosie, shall we have breakfast then?”

And she felt that this man would let her float forever. She had that trust.

This man was the one who made Rosaline Bryant, who had never been spoiled even by her parents, act spoiled. Since she started acting spoiled, she decided to do it properly. This man would be delighted.

* * *

As the Grand Duchess of Bryant, it was her duty to host large gatherings, but what Rosaline truly liked were small, intimate gatherings. Having perfectly hosted her first banquet, she felt at ease and invited friends she had been close with since before her marriage.

“Oh my, Your Highness. This is truly a perfect tea party.”

“Indeed, it’s as perfect as Your Highness’s banquet!”

“Hmm…”

Seeing her friends make exaggerated compliments even after sitting down, Rosaline wore a puzzled expression. It was a look that said, ‘Why are they acting like this?’ and her close friends burst into laughter.

“Do you remember, Rosie? At my first gathering after my wedding, I was the first among us to get married.”

“Oh…”

“You said, ‘Now you’ve become someone different from the other naive young ladies. Please allow us to call you Countess Nelson with respect and admiration.’”

“Oh my, you remember that so clearly?”

“Of course. I can’t forget how you teased me, calling me Countess Nelson so formally throughout the gathering. And you were the one who led it, Your Highness!”

Rosaline exclaimed at the memory. Yes, that’s right. Two years ago, she teased Emily, the daughter of Viscount Woods, who had an early wedding with her fiancé, calling her Countess Nelson throughout the gathering, telling her to get used to it.

Back then, she was half-joking and half-affectionate, but now that she was on the receiving end, it felt more embarrassing than she had thought. The gathering used formal language with each other but affectionately used nicknames, making it even more so.

She just wanted to tease her friend, who had just gotten married and had rosy cheeks, but now thinking about it, it seemed quite mischievous.

“I was mean. Wow, Rosaline was really mean.”

“Now you understand how embarrassed I must have been back then, right?”

“Yes, I do. Rosaline should be scolded.”

Everyone looked at Rosaline, who referred to herself in the third person naturally, as if they were tired of it, and eventually burst into laughter again.

This gathering was the one Rosaline cherished and felt most comfortable with, maintaining close and deep relationships. No matter what was said, there would be no misunderstandings, and no matter what happened, they trusted each other. So even when an uncomfortable topic came up, there were no misunderstandings.

“Um, Rosie. I thought a lot about whether I should bring this up.”

“Feel free to speak, Carol.”

“Hmm. First, let me clarify that I’m not suggesting we accept that woman into this gathering.”

“What woman?”

“Well, the… Young Marchioness Addis.”

There was a moment of silence. Eyes that had been sparkling with interest rolled around. Everyone witnessed Rosaline’s fingertips trembling slightly as she tried to maintain her composure.

“Rosie, I’m serious. It’s just that something has been bothering me.”

“What’s been bothering you?”

“At the recent banquet. I saw something troubling.”

“What was it?”

“Well, the Marquis and Marchioness came separately from the Young Marquis and his wife. The Young Marquis, despite entering with his wife, only hung out with his friends, drinking wine…”

“Yes, I saw that too.”

“Me too.”

“But isn’t that possible? It’s not uncommon for couples not to stick together all the time.”

“That’s true, but… the Young Marchioness originally belonged to the neutral faction. But that day, she was alone in the corner every time I saw her. I thought that could happen, but then… when I went to the lounge to fix my clothes.”

Countess Hicks’s daughter, Caroline, who was usually kind and cheerful, continued with a rare frown on her face.

“She was crying, that woman.”

“Gasp.”

The aristocratic yet kind and conservative members of the group took a short breath and momentarily sympathized with Amelia.

Regardless of their feelings toward her, the fact that a pregnant woman was crying from emotional distress moved the hearts of the women. But it was Countess Rose’s daughter, Bianca, who quickly regained her composure and became indignant.

“Hmph, it seems no one wanted to associate with a woman who stole someone else’s fiancé.”

“That’s right. Why is she the one crying? Who should really be crying here?”

“But I won’t cry. I should be grateful to the Young Marchioness. Thanks to her, I was able to break off my engagement.”

“Rosie…”

“I had no idea Kallen was such a terrible person. I’m so lucky to have broken off the engagement.”

“That’s true. I really didn’t believe those rumors were true. They say he’s even worse than the rumors! My goodness, can such a bad person exist?”

“Exactly. Usually, rumors are exaggerated and baseless. But to think there are true rumors, and of all things, those kinds of rumors!”

They were outraged. Although Rosaline had suffered the most from strange rumors, other friends had also experienced baseless malicious rumors at least once, which might explain why their voices grew louder.