Finally, Germo made a troubled expression, then whispered at last.
“The component analysis for the medicine you asked about has come back.”
“So what is that medicine?”
Astaire asked, even though he already knew.
“It’s a medicine formulated with contraceptive components.”
“…Ha.”
Astaire let out a hollow laugh. His face looked both amused and furious. Various complex emotions swept across his face like a typhoon.
“Schedule an appointment with Daphne’s gynecologist. Make it as soon as possible.”
“Pardon?”
Germo asked back, wondering what he planned to do meeting with that gynecologist.
“There’s something I need to do.”
Astaire spoke with an ice-cold sneer.
A new plan had occurred to him.
A way to bind Daphne to his side forever.
A way to throw a trap at her, make her fall into it, and have her gaze only at him endlessly.
If he could make that happen again, he was willing to use any means necessary.
Astaire, his aide, and the head butler dispersed. As the Duke descended to the garden on the first floor, he heard it clearly.
“Daphne.”
The scene of that man Phaios calling his wife’s name wistfully and affectionately.
In that moment, the man couldn’t bear it.
So he kissed her in front of everyone. Boldly.
Who was spreading rumors that he and the Duchess weren’t getting along?
He would find the source of the rumor and absolutely not let them off.
Astaire’s resolve was firm.
Daphne Seyfried. You can never leave me.
Even if I’m the one who leaves you.
Several days had already passed since meeting Phaios and Reina in the garden.
Even after that, Astaire didn’t allow Daphne to leave the ducal estate for any outside activities.
He acted like Daphne was glass that would shatter the moment someone else touched her.
It was a reaction Daphne couldn’t understand, but either way, she had to spend her idle time confined and reading for the time being.
Morning sunlight scattered like golden threads over the book Daphne had opened. Her chocolate-colored hair was dyed so brightly that someone might mistake it for blonde.
What she was waiting for, more than anything, was a letter from the Grand Duchess.
It should be arriving any day now. But strangely, it wasn’t coming.
Could Astaire have interfered?
But that letter had seemed like an ordinary everyday letter asking after the Grand Duchess who’d gone down to the provinces. There was absolutely nothing that would make Astaire smell anything suspicious.
Of course, only Daphne and the Grand Duchess knew the hidden message between them.
The two had attended the same Imperial Academy. At the Imperial Academy, they’d both belonged to the same girls’ dormitory house called ‘Delphinium,’ and the ‘Delphinium’ dormitory girls enjoyed using a kind of code.
When she’d first written the letter, she knew Grand Duchess Seyfried had come from the same dormitory, but she’d wondered whether such codes existed in the Grand Duchess’s time.
She’d only heard that the codes girls used during their school days were a long tradition passed down from seniors.
Fortunately, the Grand Duchess still remembered the code Daphne had sent.
They exchanged content by writing codes in ordinary letters like that.
What was written were greetings, but the hidden meaning was that she would come up to the capital soon.
The Grand Duchess, who rarely moved about, wouldn’t come all the way to the capital just to have a secret discussion with Daphne.
Daphne instinctively realized that day would be important. A very important day that would overturn her relationship with Astaire. A day she would never forget in her life.
The day she could live her life freely.
So she’d been counting down the days to that moment.
Knock knock.
“Yes, come in.”
“Grand Duchess Seyfried has sent a letter to my lady.”
Finally, the letter she’d been waiting for had arrived.
Daphne tried not to show too much excitement in front of the head butler. Her relationship with Grand Duchess Seyfried was still delicate. Everyone in the estate knew that.
If she suddenly showed delight at a letter from the Grand Duchess, the head butler, who was clearly Astaire’s man, might notice and report it to the Duke.
“She’s also enclosed two opera tickets, suggesting we watch a performance together.”
The head butler looked at Daphne with bewildered eyes. He couldn’t hide his expression of disbelief at the situation.
Daphne instinctively realized the Grand Duchess was sending a signal.
Let’s meet at that performance then.
“When she visited last time, she mentioned going to see a performance together. She must not have forgotten what she said then.”
“…Is that so?”
“Actually, our relationship was bad because of Astaire, but lately I’ve been trying to get along better with the Grand Duchess.”
“…Is that so?”
The head butler acted like “Is that so?” was the only thing he could say. Daphne had to add more, like a child making excuses.
“Ah, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t mention this to His Grace. Surely he wouldn’t stop me from even going to see a performance with the Grand Duchess?”
“That matter would be best discussed at dinner this evening.”
The head butler evaded, acting like it wasn’t something he could answer. Daphne understood him. Who knew what trouble might come of it.
Daphne was about to open the letter. Just then, like before, a large hand suddenly appeared and took the letter.
“Y-Your Grace?”
At this hour, the Duke should have been out inspecting the trading company he operated.
Both Daphne and the head butler were quite flustered by Astaire’s appearance.
“I’m curious about when exactly the Grand Duchess and my wife became so close.”
“…We reconciled after last time.”
“Reconciled.”
Astaire muttered as though chewing on that word Daphne had uttered.
Daphne felt her conscience pricked like needles.
But it was too late to do anything about it now—she’d come too far.
Most of all, the biggest factor was that she desperately wanted to divorce Astaire.
Rip—
Astaire didn’t hesitate to tear open the envelope on behalf of its owner.
His eyes went to the very bottom, then back to the top.
Then he held out the letter to Daphne and asked.
“What is this?”
Daphne was flustered by that question.
If you read it, it was just an ordinary everyday letter, as expected.
Of course, to women from the Delphinium dormitory, it contained information about where and when to meet.
Could Astaire have figured out what the letter really was?
No, that couldn’t be.
He who was so thoroughly uninterested in women’s affairs wouldn’t have deciphered the code.
“Hmm.”
Astaire quietly looked into Daphne’s blue eyes. Long fingers stroked the man’s handsome chin.
He gazed at Daphne quietly and silently while caressing his chin.
Like he was putting her on trial.
“I feel like I’m missing something important.”
Astaire muttered, “I should look into this properly, shouldn’t I?”
He smiled leisurely at Daphne.
The corners of the man’s mouth curved up smoothly. Like he was telling Daphne to smile along with him.
But Daphne couldn’t do that.
“…As you can see, it’s just a letter.”
“Right. Just a letter.”
Fortunately, Astaire seemed unaware of the code written in that letter.
“But why would Mother send you a letter?”
The man’s green eyes gleamed vividly. Those sharp eyes seemed to be thoroughly dissecting Daphne sitting before him.
She suddenly felt sick.
Like that man was exposing all her secrets and intentions.
“Well, whatever.”
When Astaire finally looked away from her, Daphne quietly swallowed. Her palms were sweating from tension.
“Shall we see an opera performance after a while?”
“…”
“Mother sent us two tickets.”
No.
Those two tickets weren’t for her and Astaire.
They were for her and the Grand Duchess.
Whether he knew it or was pretending not to, the man smiled coldly.
“Tomorrow, then. Let’s go out together after a long time.”
And finally, before leaving the room, Astaire whispered in her ear.
“We need to show people. Show them clearly so whoever’s talking about us divorcing can’t even bring it up.”
* * *
Meanwhile, Astaire left the ducal estate and headed somewhere other than the trading company.
Specifically, to the clinic of the gynecologist who treated Daphne.
An antique building that was entirely a hospital. The man entered with quick steps, leaving the fancy interior behind.
There was no one inside. Because the Duke had instructed beforehand not to let anyone into the hospital while he met with the gynecologist.
“What brings you here, Your Grace?”
When he finally entered, the gynecologist was waiting. A faint tension leaked from the woman’s voice.
Because Duke Seyfried had never once come to see the doctor directly. The doctor seriously wondered if she’d done something wrong.
“Did I make some mistake?”
“No, nothing at all.”
When the gynecologist asked in a trembling voice, Astaire flatly denied it. Even so, the tension hadn’t completely left the woman’s face.
Astaire stared at this doctor who was probably working her brain hard, then spoke.
“You’ve done your job well all this time. Beyond expectations, beyond the investment.”
“Th-thank you…”
Still, the gynecologist remained tense. She knew too. That if her work was truly fine as Duke Seyfried said, he wouldn’t have come directly to the hospital to see her.
“So now I need to tell you.”
The Duke continued in a voice devoid of emotion.
“You can stop working now.”
It was a unilateral termination notice.
Astaire left the gynecology hospital and had to go to the trading company. He had a great deal of backed-up work.
Previously, he’d never postponed even trivial matters, but lately Astaire was changing.
Inside the carriage heading to the trading company.
The Duke thought only of his wife the entire time.
“Daphne.”
He even quietly called her name.
Outside the carriage window, the capital’s splendid scenery kept passing by. A sight he’d seen dozens, hundreds of times felt different today.
Astaire reached out his hand. Like doing so might let him grasp the hand of his wife Daphne, who wasn’t even there.
Then he lowered his hand and clenched his fist tight.
If Daphne’s hand were truly in his grasp right now, his grip was strong enough that he might crush the bones of that delicate, small hand.
Today, he’d cut off the prescription for the fertility enhancer Daphne had been taking.
He no longer planned to pressure Daphne about an heir.
Besides that, he also didn’t intend to impose other duties required of a duchess on her.
Literally an obedient doll.
Well, maybe not so obedient.
Either way, it didn’t matter.
As long as he could keep that doll called her trapped forever in his glass case. As long as no one else could touch her.
That’s why Astaire made a new resolution.
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bluemoon238
I am finding FL to be increasingly dislikable. She is portrayed as smart and with free will, but refuses to use it. There are several things that could have been done past chapters to free herself potentially and/or take her husband out. She just complains verbally or silently and lets it all happen. It’s almost as if she’s one of those people who complains but never properly acts. When dealing with such characters I don’t feel sympathetic or empathetic, I feel frustrated. No one will respect if they aren’t forced to and as she says no, she meekly follows along anyway.