6. Newlywed Life (1)

After the wedding ceremony and wedding night, was their first outing as a couple.

Saena fell asleep during the journey from the Kramer town house to the Debov mansion in Delvon.

He embraced her as she kept nodding off, letting her rest her head on his shoulder. Leaning against his broad chest with her forehead pressed against his firm neck was very comfortable. As he even absorbed the carriage’s slight swaying, she could really fall into deep sleep.

“Saya. We’ve arrived.”

She slowly woke to his voice rousing her. It took a while longer for complete focus to return to her blinking eyes.

“Are you very tired?”

“…Mm. No.”

As she raised her upper body with a small ‘yaaawn,’ she suddenly became conscious of her position sitting on his lap.

“Ah, I’ll get down. Wasn’t I heavy?”

She thought she had just fallen asleep leaning slightly on his shoulder, but how did she end up sitting on his lap?

“You’re not heavy at all.”

Even though he was a knight, she was still an adult, and it felt strange how he lifted and moved her like a doll so easily.

After getting down, Saena checked her clothes and followed him out of the carriage.

“……”

Saena stopped in front of the entrance.

The mansion that was ‘home’ until recently… looking up at it felt a bit strange.

Was it because of the surreal week she’d spent? Or…

“…Feel free to visit your family whenever you miss them.”

Constantine said, perhaps thinking her peculiar expression was because she missed her family after marriage.

In her past life when she married, she felt forcibly cut off from her family. Saena herself was too ashamed to visit, and her husband extremely hated it, which prevented her further.

Perhaps that’s why Constantine’s words made her happy just hearing them. Of course, Constantine wasn’t just a man of words — he surely meant what he said.

‘Plus, he agreed to Father’s request to spend half the year in the capital.’

Saena smiled brightly at Constantine.

“Thank you.”

Though he froze in his steps at that smile, Saena didn’t notice as she walked cheerfully toward the entrance. By the time she met Uz at the entrance, Constantine had already stridden up behind her.

“Miss…, ahem. Duchess Kramer. Welcome.”

Uz habitually called her ‘Miss’ but quickly corrected himself upon seeing Constantine, apparently realizing his mistake. The title of Duchess felt unfamiliar and somehow too heavy, making Saena stiffen momentarily.

“Your Grace, Duke Kramer. Thank you for visiting. The Count will be down shortly.”

“Understood.”

However, looking up at Constantine as he naturally wrapped an arm around her waist while heading inside, she suddenly realized.

She really had married this man.

“Being called Duchess… it feels strange, like they’re talking about someone else.”

Saena said as she sat down in the reception room.

“You’ll get used to it soon.”

He smiled slightly while caressing her cheek.

Though it was a familiar touch, doing it in the Debov mansion made her feel self-conscious, and Saena rolled her eyes.

“Because you’re my wife.”

Was she the only one feeling embarrassed? Constantine continued touching her without any hesitation. He even pressed a quick kiss to her temple.

“Ahem.”

Then came the sound of someone clearing their throat from behind.

Startled, Saena turned around to find Sage there.

“Though you’re newlyweds, please mind the place, Your Grace.”

Sage spoke with an embarrassed yet disapproving tone.

Though it was just light touching, realizing someone (especially family) had seen made it very awkward.

“What can I do when your sister is so lovely?”

“……”

Why was Constantine acting like this too? Was there something wrong with this house’s energy?

“Though Saya is indeed lovely, you still need to show restraint.”

“I’ll try.”

Thanks to their back-and-forth doting responses, the embarrassment was entirely hers to bear.

“Saya!”

Just then, Count Debov rushed into the reception room calling Saena’s name.

“Ah, Your Grace. You’re here.”

The Count offered a perfunctory greeting to the Duke before hurrying over to her, clasping her hands as if reuniting with a long-lost family member.

“Ah, Father.”

“Again, again with ‘Father’… sniff. Is it because you’re married now? Hmm?”

“…Dad.”

The Count’s tearful expression immediately turned into a broad grin.

“Have you, have you been well? Why have you lost weight? Is the new mansion’s chef not to your taste? Should I send our chef?”

“What? No, no. I’m eating well.”

If she had lost weight, it was probably for reasons other than food.

But since that was absolutely not something to tell her father about, Saena just smiled brightly and said everything was fine.

“My daughter… getting married so early…”

Then she thought she caught glimpses of muttering about the prince and some curses.

“Ha, haha… You don’t know how well Duke treats me. He even said I could come here whenever I want. I’ll visit often, Dad.”

Saena hastily defended Constantine in panic.

She couldn’t understand how she could have been so cold to such a family in her past life. They would have been on her side no matter what… She had pushed them away and cut ties out of her own fears.

She thought they would be too ashamed to acknowledge her. She thought that since she had become a disgrace to the family, pretending not to know each other would actually help them. At the time, it seemed like the best option.

Like now, she had visited the Debov family with her then-husband George Hollander.

It was proper etiquette to visit the bride’s family together after the week-long wedding reception ended.

At that time, she had been severely injured from an inconsiderate wedding night and had been sick for over three days, and was very dispirited under the oppressive atmosphere of the Hollander family’s rejection.

‘Well, you know how much my social standing has been damaged because of your daughter?’

George Hollander, who opened with such words, hurt her family’s feelings with everything he said, and Saena apologized to her family in her heart, feeling like a criminal.

Her family was already troubled because of her, and since George Hollander kept belittling her and speaking as if expecting something whenever he opened his mouth, she thought it would be better for them not to see each other.

‘I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Yuri.’

She felt so sorry for them back then.

Now she understands that they would have wanted her happiness more than her apologies. Why didn’t she realize that the shame she had to bear was rather light compared to her married life with George Hollander?

“…Saena?”

Her expression must have darkened unconsciously at the memories of the past.

Making his earlier promise to try showing restraint seem hollow, Constantine cupped one of her cheeks with his large palm as he called her name.

Anxiety flickered in his eyes.

“Are you alright?”

“What’s wrong?”

Oh dear.

She had caused worry in a different way.

“No, it’s nothing. Just… it doesn’t feel real that I’m married. Having lived in this house until now, these thoughts come up.”

Saena smiled as brightly as possible to show everything was fine.

“Then why such a serious expression?”

“Are you really okay? Should we step out for a moment?”

Sage’s expression changed again as he looked at Constantine like he’s looking at some kind of scoundrel.

‘Was my expression that serious?’

How should she handle this? While pondering briefly, Saena remembered a question she had been meaning to ask.

“Actually… I’ve been curious about something.”

“What is it?”

She had originally planned to ask Uz privately, but since she couldn’t think of any other topic to diffuse the current atmosphere, she had no choice.

“About… Elizabeth.”

“Huh?”

“Lady Valdez? Why bring her up suddenly?”

“Why has the Debov family been covering her dress and accessory expenses all this time?”

“……”

“……”

At Saena’s question, both the Count and Sage closed their mouths and exchanged glances.

‘…As I thought.’

She had roughly guessed the reason, but to think it was really true.

To think it was a relationship bought with money…

“And I didn’t even know… I thought she was my friend!”

She had thought it was pure help. Not now, but in her past life.

“It would have been better not to debut at all.”

Better than having a friend bought with money.

Others might have whispered about her being a bookworm, but what’s wrong with being a bookworm? It would have been a hundred times better than marrying George Hollander.

As she fumed with sudden anger, the Count and Sage drooped their eyebrows with troubled expressions.

“That’s not it…”

“Sigh, Saya. Lady Valdez suggested it first.”

“…What?”

“She said you were thinking about being a debutante but worried because you didn’t know much about dresses and trends.”

Elizabeth Valdez suggested it first…? Then did she secretly meet with brother? And she said I was thinking about being a debutante?

That was truly a clever way of putting it.

Because she hadn’t thought about it at all before Elizabeth’s persuasion.

She couldn’t remember clearly what their first point of contact was. But one thing was certain: Elizabeth had approached her first and actively tried to become close.

Then she suggested they debut together since they were the same age…

“And she said she could help well with those aspects…”

“…What exactly did she say?”

“I said okay and was grateful. But then she came again later. Said it was hard to help because her boutique and your boutique, Saena, were different.”

Had Elizabeth ever discussed the boutique issue with her? She couldn’t remember.

At the time, Saena had been quite indifferent and ignorant about such matters.

“She asked if you could switch boutiques since she wanted to look after everything together, but Madame Charlize’s Boutique was too expensive.”

“So then…”

“I told her not to move you, but to have her things made at Charlize’s Boutique instead. Because I wanted to give you the best.”

“……”