Chapter 3.6

After leaving, delighted at the thought of tormenting the insufferable Caron, Joseph left Aness to leisurely explore the mansion.

Strolling through the garden, beautifully adorned with fruit trees and flowers, she felt very pleased herself.

“Money really is wonderful. After living in poverty, to end up in a mansion like this! I’m lucky. I’ll think about everything after the baby is born. Reviving my family is up to me, so I need to figure out how to make money first.”

All the money she’d saved from matchmaking had been entrusted to maid Dana and her mother. That should be enough for a year. Plus, with Joseph’s generous dowry, her mother could live even more comfortably—how fortunate.

“Now, how will I save up from now on? Oh, right! Even just selling some of these garden flowers would be amazing.”  

She didn’t want to keep relying on Joseph, but after all, he was the root of all these events.

“Oh, right. I never got to hear why he did all this. I wanted to hear his reasons….”

That clever guildmaster wouldn’t have plotted all this just for fun, so Aness really wanted to know his reasons, but she’d forgotten to ask.

“Well, he said he’d be back in a month, so I’ll just ask him then.”

After enjoying a lavish lunch with the maids’ service, Aness asked them to bring tea to the garden table.  

Sitting on a chair beneath the large apple tree, she enjoyed the clear sky and soon began to nod off.  

Just then, a maid came running up to deliver an urgent report.

“Madam, you have a visitor. The master isn’t home, so you’ll need to greet them yourself.”

“Oh, is that so?”

Aness straightened her back and spoke with dignity, just like the lady of the house. She was now the wife of the Marquis of Arpis, after all. Even if it was a fake marriage, there was no need to feel small.

“Bring them to the reception room. As the lady of the house, it’s my duty to entertain guests.”

She adjusted her clothes, tidied her hair, and headed to the reception room with graceful steps.

Meanwhile, the Duke of Perschtmann stood by the window with his hands behind his back, lost in thought. He couldn’t believe the news he’d heard on the way.

The youngest lady of the Klein family had married Joseph? That Joseph from the Marquis of Arpis? The same Joseph who had tricked, made him take a potion, and caused that disastrous mistake?

The Duke’s mind was in turmoil. No one in their right mind would send the woman destined to be his bride to another man for such a thing. Did that mean Joseph was a pervert?

In any case, he had mobilized all his power and finally found Joseph’s hideout in just one day. Ridiculously, Joseph had been hiding in a mansion built by his father for a mistress, abandoned after her death.

Before coming here, the Duke had also learned that Joseph had just left for the Kingdom of Grevis. He had missed him by a hair’s breadth.

“Hello?”

As Aness entered the reception room, she realized with a start that she hadn’t even asked who the visitor was. The path of an elegant, dignified noblewoman was not easy. Subconsciously rubbing her lower belly, Aness stepped inside and was so shocked by the sight before her that she nearly stumbled backward.

Right in front of her, the Duke of Perschtmann was staring at her intently, his deep blue eyes shining like the ocean.

“Greetings, Lady Arpis. But this isn’t our first meeting, is it?”

Startled by his intimidating gaze, Aness quickly regained her balance and discreetly covered her lower belly with both hands.

“Y-yes, Your Grace. We meet again, here of all places. But, um, what brings you…?”

To keep him from noticing her pregnancy, she subtly turned her body toward the table. That fierce gaze seemed as if it would spot her swollen belly and interrogate her mercilessly.

“You were unmarried last time we met, and now, within just a few days, you’ve become someone’s wife. I can only be amazed, Madam.”

The Duke spoke mockingly as he approached her. Aness, startled again, kept backing away, forcing a smile.

“Hohoho. My husband fell for me at first sight, so things moved quickly. Is there something wrong with that?”

She was nervous as he kept approaching, but the Duke had his own reasons for desperately closing the distance with another man’s wife.

“……!”

Indeed, the scent was the same. That faint apple fragrance he remembered from before lingered around this woman. The sweet apple scent. And her especially bright, beautiful eyes.

“Madam, do you perhaps have a hobby of changing your hair or eye color?”

The Duke’s sharp gaze came right up to her. His hand, without hesitation, grabbed the ends of her hair and began to stroke it slowly and rather rudely. Flustered, Aness trembled and gently pushed his chest away.

“Then, Your Grace, do you perhaps have a hobby of flirting with other men’s wives?”

As his breath drew close, the intense memories from that night flashed through her mind, and Aness, her face burning red, desperately shouted at him.

Realizing his mistake, Caron finally came to his senses and took a step back.

“Ah, my apologies.”

But even as he stepped back, he continued to stare at her. Now he was nearly certain. If she changed her hair and eye color, she would be unmistakably the woman from that night.

‘Why on earth did she seduce me and then hide her identity? And now she’s suddenly Joseph’s wife? Hmph, could it be that Joseph is trying to get revenge on me through his bride? What a despicable man. To use his bride for his own vendetta.’

Caron looked at her with an endlessly complicated expression, while Aness did her best to avoid his eyes. It seemed he had caught on to something.

‘Hmph, whatever. There’s nothing you can do now. I’m the Marchioness of Arpis. You can’t harm me. Even if I have a child, my baby will be a child of the House of Arpis.’

Aness resolved not to be defeated by fate. She would not let one night’s mistake ruin her life. She decided to live even more fiercely, to protect her family, her baby, and her own future.

So there was no reason to fear the Duke standing before her.

“What is your business? My husband is away on urgent business in another country. If it’s important, I’ll handle it as his wife.”

“No, that’s all right. I don’t need anything from him.”

Having confirmed what he needed, Caron turned and left, looking strangely deflated. In truth, he should have met Joseph. He needed to find out why Joseph had done this, and why he had used his bride, but now he had lost all will to do so.

Gone was the confident air he’d had upon arrival; he left looking rather dejected. Watching him go, Aness felt unexpectedly uneasy.

‘I’m sorry. But I can’t tell you the truth. If you’re not the one who should take responsibility, then I have to live by my own strength. I don’t like demanding responsibility just because I’m pregnant. And I certainly don’t want to marry just for the baby.’

She thought it was rather pitiful to cling to what had happened that passionate night just because they’d both wanted it.

And after all, whether he knew or not, she was the one who’d given him the potion, so she couldn’t avoid blame anyway.

‘Goodbye. Father of my child, I’ll raise your baby well on my own.’