7.

“Eve, Eve!”

Upon returning to the mansion after two weeks, Emil greeted the couple, jumping up and down excitedly.

As soon as he stepped out of the carriage, Leon gazed down intently at the two who were hugging each other tightly, expressing their longing and joy at reunion. They looked like people who had been separated for two years, not just two weeks. He envied their close affection more than ever.

“Wow. Wow.”

Arriving at the temporary living room, Emil opened his gift and could only exclaim in amazement, at a loss for words.

“The place was famous for selling art supplies.”

She relayed what Leon had told her. She hadn’t known this at all until they went around the shopping district.

Leon had immediately knew who this gift was for when he saw it.

For some reason, her heart had swelled at that moment. To think he would be so thoughtful for Emil.

“I can’t touch it. It’s too dazzling.”

Emil was only looking at the gift with his eyes. It was heartwarming to see him so moved that he couldn’t even touch it.

“Draw many more pictures from now on.”

Emil nodded, his gaze still fixed on the gift. Seeing him unable to take his eyes off it, Yvonne smiled brightly.

“I’ve really wanted charcoal like this.”

Sturdy, long pieces of charcoal lay side by side wrapped in premium paper. Twenty pieces of them. Watching Emil’s continuous amazement, Yvonne felt a pang in her heart. She hadn’t been able to buy him such charcoal due to lack of money. It had been distressing…… but Leon…

Yvonne raised her head and turned her gaze to Leon sitting across from her. Their eyes met as he watched them quietly with a seemingly indifferent expression.

Yet, despite having only gone on a two-week trip, she noticed that he had been watching them with considerable interest. Perhaps she had become better at reading him. She shouldn’t be fooled by that indifferent expression. He was actually showing a great deal of interest.

Thank you.

She silently mouthed those words to him. It was the first time. The first time she had sincerely thanked Leon. Though she didn’t voice it, she was truly grateful.

Leon’s eyes brightened, and he even smiled. He had done something for her that she herself hadn’t been able to attend to. She couldn’t help but be grateful for this. If someone other than herself valued Emil, she always expressed her gratitude. This time was no different.

After receiving welcome greetings from other employees, they headed to their temporary quarters. They heard the welcome news that the interior of the mansion would soon be completed. It was only a matter of days.

The garden was already finished, and only the greenhouse area remained incomplete. That too would be done in a week.

Many joyful things awaited her upon returning here. She felt like she had received a gift. The exterior of the mansion already looked different. The mansion standing tall with sturdy granite and bricks looked magnificent. There were no collapsed or broken areas to be seen. If the exterior was this good, the completely renovated interior would be dazzling.

She had already felt proud as she entered this place by carriage. A new main gate had been completed while they were on their honeymoon. The strong, tall iron gate decorated with splendid patterns looked like a portal to another world. It was incredibly impressive.

The path on both sides as they entered by carriage had trees lined up at regular intervals, and the once barren garden had been neatly arranged.

“Just touring the garden would take an entire day.”

Her voice was filled with joy.

“Shall we look around all day tomorrow?”

Perhaps because she now knew it wasn’t frightening to be with him, she didn’t say no. Before leaving for their honeymoon, she couldn’t have imagined doing anything with Leon. A significant change had begun within her.

“Oh my.”

Entering the temporary quarters to rest for a moment, Yvonne stopped in her tracks.

A large bed on one side filled her vision. Right. This isn’t that castle. From now on, they had to sleep in the same place. They couldn’t use separate rooms here. Before, she had shared a room with Emil, but upon returning after the wedding, the servants had prepared separate quarters for the couple.

“I’ll sleep on the sofa.”

She turned to look at Leon, who had seen through her thoughts.

“That seems too small. I’ll sleep on the sofa.”

That’s right. In the past, she had to be mindful of such things because she was afraid of him, but now, though he wasn’t so frightening, she still felt concerned.

“Yvonne. Let me handle this.”

He even smiled with a very gentle tone. The same words delivered as a forceful command versus spoken gently like this felt completely different.

She didn’t argue further since he had volunteered first and was willing to endure the discomfort. Still, she worried that he would be uncomfortable.

“What do you want to do tomorrow?”

After preparing for bed, she lay on the bed while Leon lay on the sofa. She had already strictly instructed the maids not to enter these quarters without announcing themselves first. No one should discover that they were sleeping separately like this.

With only a dim light on, the place felt cozy. As if not wanting to spoil the atmosphere, Leon’s voice was quiet and gentle. Continuously gentle.

“I’m not sure.”

I hadn’t ever been asked such a question before. Life was so tough that I wasn’t in a position to say what I wanted to do. So naturally, I had never thought about it.

“I’m going out tomorrow. Would you like to come with me?”

There were many things to do if I looked for them. I needed to check on the mansion construction and wanted to look around the garden. But even without her, everything was progressing smoothly. The garden tour didn’t have to happen tomorrow either. There was no particular reason to refuse his request. Moreover, if Leon could just be like this, being with him wasn’t very uncomfortable.

Following him might allow me to visit places I couldn’t go alone.

I had a feeling it would be another small journey. Since returning from our trip, I wanted to go here and there.

“Sure.”

Hiding my excitement, I answered nonchalantly. I didn’t want him to discover my true feelings yet.

“Good night, wife.”

At his softly whispered voice, she wrinkled her nose. It was a little…… no, very awkward. That title. She should get used to it now, but…… it would take time.

In any case, strangely, her daily life began to regain peace despite sharing it with Leon. Yawning slightly, she pulled up the blanket.

Being tired from returning from the trip, she quickly fell asleep.

In her dream, she was running around the lakeside with Emil. The sound of joyful laughter spread widely over the sky and lake. At the far end, Leon’s figure could be seen watching the two with contentment. Both Emil and Yvonne were smiling.

Leon continued watching her as she smiled faintly in her sleep. Unconsciously, he smiled too. She must be having a pleasant dream. Would he be in that dream? Wishing to be part of it, he slowly closed his eyes.

* * *

“This is the seed shop that trades with the ducal family.”

Going out together, he was visiting merchants located on the outskirts of the Duke’s residence. He kindly explained everything to her and even introduced her to the shop owners. Being the second son of the Duke’s family, they treated the two respectfully. However, their eyes didn’t smile, only their mouths did. It felt forced. But since they were at least outwardly kind, she had no intention of commenting on it.

“The shop across the street is larger in scale. But the quality is better here.”

In his calm, gentle tone, he was kindly explaining everything to her one by one. Having received education from the Duke’s family, Leon knew many things.

“This place has the best selection of fertilizers by type.”

“This street only sells agricultural tools and other equipment.”

“This is the warehouse for wooden materials.”

“This store is the cheapest and best for buying food ingredients in bulk.”

She went around frantically following his lead. She learned about all kinds of shops, goods, and even their exact price ranges. She thought that without knowing these things, one could easily be deceived.

The people of her territory were too poor to frequent these places. Just living without hunger was their wish.

After spending half a day going around like that, they returned to the Count’s residence. Their outings as a couple continued.

The next day, they looked around the shopping district near the Duke’s residence. It had everything one might need. The residents of this territory must be happy. She wished the Count’s territory could become like this quickly too.

They also passed through the village where the residents of the Duke’s territory lived. The roads…… were very well paved. In the Count’s village, the roads were so bumpy that carriages and carts had difficulty passing. Everything was so different that she sometimes sighed. As Emil’s guardian, she had a duty to lead the territory and its people well. She wanted to do a good job.

Several days passed like that.

* * *

Luke received a report that Leon’s carriage was heading to the outskirts of the Count’s territory. They had been constantly monitoring Leon’s carriage coming and going from the residence.

Luke hurriedly went out, then stopped the carriage at a distance and ordered the driver to wait here. He always did this because the driver shouldn’t know where he was going.