She whispered languidly into Lorendis’s ear so only he could hear. That’s all you expected of me too. A wife in name only who just needs to maintain her position. Catherine smiled broadly and met Lorendis’s eyes.

He stared at Catherine and then frowned deeply.

Do you have something to say? I understand that’s why you brought me here.

As Catherine smiled sweetly while looking back at him, his expression grew darker.

At that moment, his aide Brady urgently sought Lorendis.

“Your Grace, a message has arrived from the front lines.”

“……”

“It’s urgent, Your Grace.”

His mood seemed complex.

But, what you need is just a wife in name only, right? That’s why I decided to be faithful only to that role.

Catherine languidly grabbed the hem of her dress and showed courtesy, and Lorendis rubbed his forehead as if he had no choice.

“Let’s go.”

Catherine turned away with a broad smile. And she smiled broadly again at Nancy. Ah– I’m tired. That’s enough. I’ll go to my room and rest. I’m sleepy and my body feels languid, maybe I’ll take a bath and go to sleep?

Nancy understood her intention.

“Shall I prepare bath water with rose petals?”

“Yes, please.”

When Catherine arrived at her room, an unfamiliar letter was placed on the table.

“Miss, from the residence…… a letter has arrived.”

Nancy approached Catherine and whispered in her ear. News had come from the residence. The letter was carefully sealed with wax.

She had cut all ties when leaving the viscount residence. Her stepmother and stepsister were nonexistent to Catherine.

“Dad, all my family is dead.”

Father, I’m sorry. I couldn’t be a good daughter. When my stepmother let go of my hand, our relationship was already over.

If attachments are abandoned, what follows is boldness. She immediately threw the letter from the residence into the fireplace.

* * *

The office door rattled open. The deputy aide had arrived first to wait for Lorendis and saluted. He hurriedly handed over the letter first.

[The barbarians have resumed their activities. It’s still minor, but I think we should hurry to root them out.]

Lorendis’s expression darkened as he checked the letter.

“Tiresome.”

“Is that so.”

Brady carefully examined his superior. Lorendis wore a uniform with leather military boots. His attire, perfectly fitted to his solid build, was attractive enough to make even men steal glances. So Brady resolved his curiosity first, before anything about the front lines.

“Are you really getting married?”

“Check the schedule and hurry the wedding date and preparations. Handle the departure ceremony preparations at the same time.”

Brady sighed and rubbed his forehead.

“Viscount Milden would wail if he heard this.”

Lorendis never intended to force a marriage like a bandit from the beginning. But now he couldn’t shake the feeling that he had forcibly pinned someone down like a bandit.

“What does the young lady say? Of course, she can’t be happy about a husband who goes to the battlefield the day after the wedding? If she resents Your Grace for that, honestly, I can’t defend Your Grace.”

“The lady…… seems like someone who wants me to leave.”

Lorendis frowned and added inwardly. She also seems like someone waiting to leave.

“Should we investigate her background?”

“No need. Don’t cross unnecessary boundaries. Prepare to depart after the wedding ceremony as planned.”

The schedule was already set. Lorendis would leave after the wedding ceremony. And Catherine would remain alone in Helen.

“I was happy to hear that someone who declared himself a bachelor was getting married…… but you’re being too cruel to the future madam.”

Lorendis doesn’t attach much significance to this marriage. This marriage is a means. This marriage will also quiet the emperor’s pressure to marry. So he’s trying to show minimal responsibility as a guardian in this marriage, but……

Brady carefully called out to Lorendis.

“Still, wouldn’t it be better to stay at the castle until the young lady has the wedding ceremony and adjusts to the ducal mansion?”

Lorendis gestured for Brady to leave, and Brady mumbled and grumbled. ‘Your Grace, don’t regret this later,’ he said.

* * *

The wedding dress complemented Catherine’s fair skin well, emphasizing her delicate image.

“His Grace should see this appearance too……”

Nancy couldn’t hide her regret as she touched Catherine’s dress.

“He’s a busy person. It’s right to understand.”

Catherine twirled in front of the full-length mirror. The hem of the dress spread beautifully before settling down. The jewels embedded between the dress fabrics flickered as the dress spread.

Her skin had become smooth under the maids’ care. With plenty of perfume applied, her hair was sleek and fragrant.

“Aren’t you disappointed?”

“Since the barbarians’ raids at the border have started again, it can’t be helped that he’s busy.”

“At this rate, he might go to the departure ceremony right after finishing the wedding ceremony……”

At this point, Catherine also grew increasingly puzzled. They were more disappointed than expected.

“Him going to the battlefield isn’t something new.”

“It’s a wedding ceremony. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime moment for you, madam. It seems too indifferent to just pass by.”

A once-in-a-lifetime moment is similar to now. Still, Nancy couldn’t erase her disappointed look. Helen’s maids are all kind-hearted.

‘If I had lived a little longer, I might have become close with you all.’

Catherine, who had been smiling broadly, took off her dress and pulled out a travel brochure. When she sat on the sofa and opened it, the maids’ eyes showed puzzlement.

“Why are you looking at a travel brochure?”

“I was wondering where would be good for a resort or recuperation place.”

“Famous for recuperation is this…… Pumpkin Flower Forest.”

Pumpkin Flower Forest. What a rustic name. Imagining it, she opened the brochure, and a resort with widely spread pumpkin flowers unfolded in a large photo.

“Are you planning to travel with His Grace later?”

I’m going alone……

If she leaves the Helen duchy, she thinks she’ll leave behind the Helen name too. By the time she leaves, she’ll probably already be divorced and looking for a recuperation place.

A forest where windflowers bloom sounds perfect for recuperation. She tapped the brochure a couple of times and put it away in a drawer.

Her whole body complained of muscle pain from trying on and taking off dozens of wedding dresses. The wedding ceremony could be simplified, but…… that was Catherine’s personal desire.

Ah– I just wish I could spend time napping under lazy sunlight. Even that seems like a luxury.

She must have dozed off. A shadow flickered above her head. The drowsiness gradually retreated at that presence. It was a familiar presence. Pale skin with a cool face, Lorendis Helen, whom she hadn’t seen for several days.

“Lorendis?”

Lorendis had extended his hand to shield her from the sunlight. The way he indifferently withdrew his hand and folded his arms was neat without excess. He had rolled up his shirt sleeves and was fidgeting with his thick wrist with his large hand.

“Awake?”

“I must have dozed off.”

A silent air filled the room.

The room was completely empty. The maids had all left.

Catherine slowly blinked her eyes, then gradually raised herself. And she blankly looked up at Lorendis.

‘Why is he here?’

Lorendis wore a black uniform, the top fitting perfectly from his shoulders to his waist. Perhaps due to his time leading the army and patrolling the border, he exuded the distinct aura of a soldier, even while standing still. As Catherine stared at him in a daze, Lorendis frowned.

“At first I was uncertain, but now it seems my guess is correct. I always felt like I was missing something.”

Lorendis spoke quietly.

“Are you hiding something from me?”

Lorendis silently questioned with his eyes. Tell me.

After all, he’s a war hero. Usually, such people are skilled at observing and seeing through people. If she tries to deceive him clumsily, that lie might strangle her own neck.

“You fear me. You did even while discussing this marriage. Why would you bring up a contract directly to me after all that? Are you afraid this marriage won’t go as planned? Or are you afraid your life will be subordinated to me through this marriage?”

Even if she deceives him clumsily, it would be closer to him reluctantly pretending to be deceived. Even if she answers with lies here, it’s difficult to escape his grasp with a clumsy answer.

Catherine is afraid now. Afraid of how this marriage will turn out if it proceeds as is.

‘If you hear my story, our relationship might become more complicated.’

Because you can’t drive away a terminally ill wife, you’ll probably refuse the divorce.

Catherine also instinctively felt it. If Lorendis learns all these facts now, he won’t let Catherine go.

So she cut it off. It’s a relationship that will end anyway.

“It’s one year. When he returns, our relationship will soon end. Don’t step too deeply into this relationship.”

By the time you return from the battlefield, the contract period will have already expired. When that contract period expires, we’ll part ways. She has no intention of burdening Lorendis personally, and there’s a reason she’s kept things hidden.

“Was it one year?”

At first, she didn’t understand his murmur.

“Half a year at the shortest.”

“What?”

“I’ll return within half a year.”

By the time Catherine realized there was a problem with this contract, it was already too late.

She sensed it. Things were getting tangled. They might have been gradually tangling for a long time, but now the fuse is clearly visible.

“The contract period is one year. Then, you’ll have to explain at that time.”

This could have ended quietly. We could have pretended not to see or hear. Why do you take notice with your eyes and ears? Her fingertips begin to tingle.

“Why do you care about me?”

Lorendis answered quietly.

“It’s courtesy shown to a dead vassal.”

“……Father?”

Lorendis’s expression was indifferent, and his voice seemed to soothe Catherine like comforting a crying child. The black uniform suited such an impassive tone and expression well. It was stiff and static, indifferent and bleak.

“So it’s not because you like me.”