Chapter 6

“Sasha, Sasha…”

Even after several days, the name of the woman the maids mentioned kept bothering me.

Who is she? What’s her relationship with Edward? Does he… still love her now?

Questions I couldn’t bring myself to ask Edward kept swirling in my mind.

Since that day, I hadn’t seen Edward even once. The more that happened, the more my suspicions grew deep inside and ate away at me.

Whenever the butler told me Edward hadn’t come to Winderton Castle, I always had the same dream.

It was a cruel dream. In it, I would go to Edward’s room to see him, only to find him kissing a beautiful woman. His eyes would look at me, but he never stopped.

“My lady, have you been sleeping poorly lately? You seem even more tired than before.”

“I haven’t slept because something’s been on my mind…”

“Should I burn some lavender for you?”

“No, it’s fine.”

Maybe it was because I hadn’t slept, but Betty asked with concern when she saw how haggard I looked. My mind was so tangled that I didn’t have the energy to worry about anything else, so I brushed her off.

Even though it was a political marriage, I couldn’t deny that the way I obsessed over Edward resembled my mother.

Don’t be like this, Lirie Winderton.

Blaming my weakened mind, I tried hard to steady my heart. I knew better than anyone how disastrous it could be to give your heart to a political spouse.

“Betty.”

“Yes, my lady.”

“I wonder if His Grace won’t come in again today?”

I was curious if he was just busy, or if there was another reason he didn’t return.

“I overheard the butler earlier—he said His Grace will be coming in today!”

It was a welcome bit of news.

“How about I find out what time His Grace will arrive, and you go out to greet him?”

“I’m not sure… Would His Grace really like that?”

“No matter how political the marriage, there’s no way His Grace would ignore you if you went to greet him yourself.”

I remembered how, the first time I went to greet him—even if it was at Father’s urging—Edward had completely ignored me.

But thinking it over, maybe it would be different this time.

Even if I was the hated daughter of House Scarlett, I was his wife now.

Maybe things would be different. Maybe he wouldn’t ignore me anymore. That’s what I thought.

“All right, then. Please find out when His Grace will be back.”

“Yes, just leave it to me!”

Betty suddenly became lively and left my room, saying she would go find the butler.

The gloomy, troubled mood I’d had just moments before changed quickly.

Just hearing that Edward was coming back today made my heart race and I felt alive again.

My heart beat so fast it almost felt like I was sick.

Without realizing, I glanced at the tightly closed door.

It was probably only five minutes, but that time felt slow and dragging.

Bang—

The door opened, and Betty came in, almost at a run. I waited for her to open her mouth.

A noble must always hide her emotions. I pretended to be calm, hiding my impatience.

“I asked the butler, and he said His Grace will be back before lunch!”

“Really?”

“We have to get ready quickly. Everything has to be perfect before His Grace arrives!”

With her fists clenched in determination, Betty immediately started getting me dressed up.

A strange sense of unease lingered, but I did my best to ignore it. I hadn’t seen Edward in a long time, and though we weren’t on good terms, I told myself everything would be fine since it had been so long.

“My lady! I’m done. Do you like it?”

When Betty finished, I lifted my head and looked at my reflection in the mirror.

My clear sky-blue hair, soft blue-grey eyes, and the gentle sky-colored dress matched well.

It wasn’t flashy, but it wasn’t plain or lacking in dignity, either.

It was just right—not enough for Edward, who disliked me, to complain.

By the time I was ready, it was nearly lunchtime.

The sound of carriage wheels coming through the window signaled Edward’s arrival.

“My lady, I think His Grace is here!”

“All right, let’s go down.”

I left my room and headed for the first floor.

I stood in front of the firmly closed door, waiting for Edward to come in.

Maybe it was because I hadn’t seen Edward in so long, but my heart pounded and I felt nervous.

‘Whew… Don’t be nervous, Lirie.’

As I steadied myself, the door opened and Edward, looking as striking as ever, walked inside.

“Your Grace…?”

I took a step forward, about to greet him with a bright smile, when a woman appeared by his side.

She was a petite young lady with pink hair. Even her ordinary brown eyes looked special with that pink hair.

“Have you been waiting?”

Without even a word of greeting, Edward asked me in a cold voice.

The woman beside him bothered me, but I forced a smile and answered him warmly.

“I’m glad to see you again after so long.”

“Yes, well…”

Edward seemed uncomfortable with my reaction and trailed off.

“But could you introduce this beautiful lady beside you?”

Wanting to lighten the mood, I asked him to introduce the woman next to him.

Only then did Edward seem to remember the woman at his side and open his mouth.

“Ah, please say hello. This is Lady Kidman.”

Edward introduced her as Lady Kidman.

As soon as he finished, Lady Kidman stepped forward and took my hand.

Then, with a bright smile, she greeted me.

“Hello, Duchess. I’m Edward’s business partner and the daughter of the Count of Kidman. Please feel free to call me Lady Kidman.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Lady Kidman.”

I forced an awkward smile. Just the fact that Edward had brought a woman I’d never seen before was enough to make me uneasy.

‘Lady Kidman…?’

I knew a little about the Kidman family, but I didn’t know anything about their daughter.

‘Could this woman be Sasha?’

Why was I thinking of the name the maids had mentioned? Seeing how comfortable Lady Kidman was with Edward, it crossed my mind that she might be Sasha.

At the same time, I envied Lady Kidman. More precisely, I envied her confidence as she introduced herself as Edward’s business partner and stood proudly by his side.

‘If only I were that clever…’

Maybe, like Lady Kidman, I could have stood confidently next to Edward too. The thought crossed my mind and filled me with envy.

Unlike her, all I’d ever learned was bridal training.

“Today, I’ll be in meetings with Lady Kidman about business until late. So I’d appreciate it if you could refrain from coming to the office.”

“All right…”

“We’ll also be having a simple meal in the office, so there’s no need to prepare ours separately.”

“I understand that as well.”

For nobles, being able to maintain a calm expression in any situation was both a skill and a form of etiquette.

I knew that, but it was hard to pretend nothing was wrong in this situation. This wasn’t why I’d waited for him.

“I’m sorry, Duchess… I would have liked to eat with you, but there are some important business matters to discuss.”

“You don’t need to worry about it, Lady Kidman. I’m fine.”

Lady Kidman lowered her brows and expressed her regret to me.

No matter how important the business, it was almost unheard of for a guest to dine without the lady of the house.

But I was the daughter of the Duke of Scarlett—practically a political enemy of House Winderton—so it was an exception.

Of course it made sense for me to understand.

Besides, I didn’t know a thing about business. Even if I joined them, it was clear I wouldn’t be any help.

Being alone was better than watching the two of them talk.

“I’ll head upstairs now, Your Grace.”

“Please do.”

The two of them looked far too friendly to be just business partners. I quickly turned and went up to the second floor.

As I listened to the sounds behind me, I heard the excited butler chatting with Lady Kidman.

He was completely different than when he dealt with me.

“My lady, you dressed up so nicely… Are you all right?”

Betty, who had followed me, asked in a subdued voice.

“I’m fine. Lady Kidman is important enough to be called a business partner, so of course it’s understandable.”

My heart felt like it was being cut to pieces, but I couldn’t bring myself to say that out loud.

“My lady…”

I even felt sorry for Betty. She’d worked so hard to get me ready, only for this.

‘I’m fine. I really am. Lady Kidman said she was a business partner, after all.’

Even on my way to the bedroom, I kept trying to convince myself.

That’s right, Lady Kidman isn’t the Sasha the maids were talking about.

So I’m fine.