Chapter 40

Even if the first time was a mistake, the next was not. Throughout the return boat ride, Harriet was lost in thought, silent. Fortunately, Lennox, whom she thought would act slyly, was surprisingly quiet. Unable to bear the quickening heartbeat and awkward silence, Harriet spoke first.

“The last time I met him, it was only for a moment. Your father seems to have been quite a romantic. He seemed to love your mother a lot.”

“Yes, he did. They say he carried Mother in his arms almost all the time when they were newlyweds.”

Lennox smiled faintly and slowly rowed. The masculine forearm and veins visible through his slightly rolled-up sleeves caught Harriet’s eye.

“When I was young, Father used to say that if you find someone you love, you should cherish and treat them dearly without regret. I’ve never forgotten those words.”

It was truly like father, like son. Harriet recalled him willingly kneeling on the cruise ship, massaging her feet and calves without hesitation. His devotion and service seemed to stem from the family education instilled in him from a young age.

Harriet, who reached out to touch the calm surface of the sea, impulsively asked.

“It’s a good family tradition. Will you teach your son the same if you have one?”

Lennox looked at her with a surprised expression. As soon as their eyes met, Harriet belatedly realized what she had just asked. She had never imagined having a baby, but she had just mentioned it herself. And so naturally too.

“I-I don’t mean I’d be the one to give birth, just hypothetically. If it happens.”

“Of course.”

Lennox nodded with a deep smile.

“Because she would be the precious woman who becomes my wife and bears my children. I plan to teach him to treasure her like an irreplaceable jewel.”

Harriet, momentarily flustered, narrowed her eyes.

“Instead of teasing and provoking?”

“That’s!”

Lennox was about to make an excuse, surprised by her unexpected mischief, when it happened.

“Young Master! Young Madam!”

Philomena, who had been waiting for them, waved her arms.

“Something terrible has happened!”

Something terrible?

The ticklish peace ended. At Philomena’s grave expression, the expressions of the two people hardened.

Sure enough, as soon as they got off the boat, Philomena, pale as a sheet, approached them with a sob. Lennox, holding her arm, urged her.

“Philomena? What on earth is going on?”

“A message just arrived.”

“A message?”

“His Grace the Duke, sob…”

Philomena couldn’t continue and burst into tears, trembling. With a foreboding feeling, no one could easily speak, and Roche, who had followed them, caught his breath and continued.

“His Grace! His Grace… is in critical condition!”

It felt as if time had stopped. No one moved from their spot.

Harriet quietly turned her head to look at Lennox. His cold profile, like a frozen statue, painfully pierced her heart.

* * *

The funeral of Duke Diorne was grand and solemn. With the Queen in attendance, it was held in the grand cathedral, which only opened for royal events, in front of a selected hundred mourners.

“Now, we will give you the time to pay your final respects to the deceased.”

Harriet, with her face covered by a black mourning veil attached to her hat, stood beside Lennox, greeting the mourners.

“It’s truly regrettable… His Grace must have been delighted by your marriage, yet he passed away like this…”

“Thank you for coming from afar.”

Lennox, who greeted the mourners who were wiping their tears with handkerchiefs, guided them to his father’s coffin as per custom.

One by one, the mourners who said their last goodbyes to the Duke, who looked as if he were in a deep sleep, left the ceremony.

It was when most of the mourners had left the funeral.

“You can go in now, Lennox.”

An elderly man who had been standing beside him spoke soothingly.

“I’ll handle the rest. You had a hard time coming back hurriedly from your honeymoon without even enjoying it.”

Harriet quietly bowed her head in greeting.

Earl Eiden.

He was the uncle Lennox had mentioned before. The one said to be coveting his position. His appearance in black mourning clothes was neat and impeccable. He didn’t seem particularly shaken by his brother’s death.

Lennox was just as composed, but unlike him, whose eyes were dark and skin roughened, Eiden was merely neat.

At Eiden’s suggestion, Lennox gently shook his head.

“Thank you for your kind words, but I’m fine. A child cannot be absent from such an occasion.”

“Most of the mourners have already left. Besides, even if you’re fine, your wife isn’t, is she?”

“……That’s.”

Lennox, who had been busy organizing the funeral and attending to the mourners, belatedly looked back at her.

Eiden clicked his tongue and scolded his nephew.

“She must be exhausted with her frail body.”

“I’m fine, Uncle.”

Harriet, shaking her head, firmly declined the offer. Eiden, who had been watching her with a curious gaze, repeated.

“No need to refuse. Go get some rest.”

“I’m really fine…”

“Then, if you’ll excuse us, I’ll take you up on that offer.”

Before Harriet could finish speaking, Lennox stepped between the two.

Wrapping his arm around her shoulder, he led her outside.

In front of others, she obediently leaned into Lennox’s embrace, but as soon as they were out of sight, Harriet lowered his arm.

“What are you thinking? You shouldn’t be leaving now.”

“Get some rest.”

“You’re the one who needs rest!”

Harriet sighed and sharply rebuked him. If she had a mirror, she wanted to show him.

“You haven’t slept and have been working all night. From the family succession to the business.”

“That’s something I’ll handle myself.”

Lennox answered dryly and gestured to the attendant who had been following from a distance.

“Escort the Madam home. Send word in advance so she can rest well.”

“Understood.”

The attendant, who nodded politely, carefully guided her to the carriage.

“Let’s go, Madam.”

“Lennox.”

Harriet shook off the attendant’s hand and called his name softly. Lennox, who was about to turn back to the cathedral, stopped abruptly.

Watching his back, Harriet advised.

“Don’t overdo it. You’re not alone.”

Lennox hesitated for a moment before moving again. Watching his retreating figure with a complex expression, Harriet also climbed into the carriage.

As soon as Harriet was sent to the mansion, Anton, who had been waiting, approached Lennox.

“Has the Young Madam… no, the Duchess gone inside?”

“Just now.”

“I’ve received information that Earl Eiden plans to convene a meeting with the shareholders of the shipping business. About a month after the funeral ends.”

“He must be planning to accelerate his plans, considering the will’s disclosure.”

“Th-then what should we do?”

He met Eiden’s gaze, who was talking with his aides from a distance. The seasoned aides, who were conversing with him, also glanced at Lennox. Smirking, Lennox slowly memorized each face as he looked at them.

Only after they couldn’t withstand his gaze and turned their heads one by one did his calm eyes leave them.

“It will be difficult to disclose the will immediately.”

At that moment, someone ran over and handed a document to Eiden. Eiden’s expression gradually became grim as he crumpled the document.

“If the deceased’s mental state was not as clear as before when leaving the will, the validity of that will is nullified.”

At Lennox’s murmuring voice, a memory flashed in Anton’s mind.

“That document in his hand… it’s definitely Eugene Gray’s psychiatric evaluation.”

“Until they can prove that Father was in a sound state of mind when writing the will, Uncle won’t be able to disclose the will. That’s the law of the Empire.”

Lennox, who had been speaking cynically, laughed and unfolded his arms. Eiden was approaching with his subordinates.

* * *

“Senior!”

Returning to the department store was after all the funeral schedules were over. After seeing the Duke’s coffin being buried in the tomb with Lennox, Harriet, feeling a bit empty, prayed for the deceased’s repose and returned to work the next day.

Yvonne, who greeted Harriet with delight, soon checked her complexion carefully and spoke with concern.

“You’ve become so pale since I last saw you. When you’re newlywed, you’re supposed to look happy with chubby cheeks.”

“It’s the situation.”

She had a hunch that her father-in-law, the Duke, wouldn’t live long, but she hadn’t expected him to leave so quickly.

“Still, it’s somewhat fortunate. At least the Duke saw his son get married before he passed.”

“He couldn’t attend the wedding since he was bedridden and often unconscious, though.”

“But he must have known. It’s about his only son, after all.”

“Maybe.”

Nodding, Harriet picked up the backlog of work.

“What’s this? The sales of clothing have suddenly increased.”

“The wedding dress you wore at your wedding is very popular right now.”

“My wedding dress?”

“Yes. Unlike the existing modest and covered wedding dresses, it was daring and highlighted the curves. There are more customers looking for similar styles. Though mostly for evening dresses, not wedding ones.”

“That’s good news. Let’s hold a contest to independently create and sell dresses in similar styles. We’ll conduct the selection through a private vote.”

“That’s a great idea!”

Yvonne clapped her hands and left the office to start working on it immediately.