Chapter 14

 Let’s share

The room fell silent; even the sound of pen scratching ceased.

Adelaide, who woke up from a light sleep, tossed and turned for a while before getting up, even after the light that had illuminated the dark room disappeared.

The desk where Callion had sat was empty. Thinking he had gone, she sighed in relief, but then she noticed a corner of the blanket peeking out from under the sofa.

‘Surely not’ she thought, but she couldn’t shake off the nagging doubt.

She quietly got out of bed.

“…….”

No way.

Callion was lying on the couch, dozing off.

Adelaide touched her forehead.

For a Duke to sleep on the couch without even a pillow. It was unthinkable, even on a battlefield.

There are several rooms in this castle.

She couldn’t understand why he would choose to sleep so uncomfortably in a large bed.

Unable to wake him or leave him alone, Adelaide watched him shyly, then returned to her bed and fetched a pillow.

She was just about to take the blanket off, thinking that it would be okay if she lightly supported it under her neck as she was sleeping.

“……!”

Her chin and wrist were grabbed.

“Adele?”

Realizing who had woken him, he released his grip and pushed himself up.

Seeing her pick up the fallen pillow, he realized what she intended and frowned.

“Are you giving that to me?”

“Please don’t sleep like this here. Go back to your room.”

“The couch’s fine; it’s fluffy.”

“Why would you leave a perfectly good bed and-.”

Adelaide stopped speaking with a frustrated look on her face. Despite her obvious discomfort, Callion did not back down.

Even though the troublesome servants had been weeded out, it was too early to let his guard down. Since some of the dismissed servants turned out to be her servants, he wanted to stay close for a while longer to prevent any potential risks.

“Don’t worry about me; go to sleep already.”

“How can I not care when your lordship is like this?”

“Don’t worry, I can sleep anywhere.”

When he stubbornly refused to go back to his room, Adelaide made a last-ditch effort.

“Then I’ll sleep on the couch, and you can sleep on the bed.”

“How does a sick person sleep on the couch?”

“It’s better than letting you sleep on the couch.”

A tense back-and-forth ensued, with neither side giving an inch. Sensing she wasn’t going to back down, Callion offered a compromise.

“Then let’s share a bed.”

“You mean ……?”

“If you don’t like me sleeping on the couch and I don’t like you sleeping on the couch, then there’s no other way, is there?”

Adelaide’s face burned with anger.

“But still… if someone sees…”

“What if they do? We’re a married couple.”

Adelaide blushed at the clever answer.

Even though they were a married couple, how could they share a single bed…

“If you don’t want to, I’ll just sleep on the couch.”

As Callion pulled the blanket back as if he knew she wouldn’t be able to answer, Adelaide closed her eyes tightly and cried out.

“Alright. Then, let’s share the bed.”

“……?”

Adelaide barely spat out the words, covering her face with a pillow and rushing to the bed, then pressing herself against the wall.

“Well, what are you doing?”

“… … Are you sure? ”

“I’d rather share the bed than have you sleep on the couch.”

Her voice trembled weakly. Callion, holding the blanket, looked at her, then headed for the bed.

He laid himself down at the head of the bed, and Adelaide, who had been sitting not far away, lay down.

The scent from the bedding intoxicated his senses. He tensed at the sound of the sheets rustling.

‘This is torture.’

Both physically and mentally, it would have been much more comfortable to sleep on the sofa. Callion tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.

At some point, he heard a soft breathing sound. Callion shifted slightly and rolled over. Adelaide, ever vigilant, had fallen asleep, unaware of the world.

‘Isn’t she too defenseless? ‘

‘I am also a man and her husband.’

Even though he had never fulfilled the role of a husband.

Because of Elkius, he had to be cautious, but he resolved to make more effort.

Callion swallowed a heavy sigh and closed his eyes.

Sleep was unlikely to come.

⚜ ⚜ ⚜ ⚜ ⚜

Callion, who had practically lived in her room from morning until night, had been gone for a week.

“I’m afraid I’ll have to stay at the Knight’s Hall for a few days for the soldiers’ selection, so don’t wait for me.”

Adelaide stroked the desk that had lost its owner and thought of Callion. Despite finally experiencing freedom after a long time, there was a slight emptiness.

People are truly unfathomable.

He was such a burden when he was here, but now she has grown accustomed to his presence.

With a bitter smile, she began to tidy up the scattered papers when Margaret entered with a small gift box.

“Madam, a gift has arrived.”

“Bring it.”

Adelaide received the gift with an indifferent expression.

Lately, her most important task was checking the letters from unfamiliar nobles.

Letters had been flying in since word of her attack by the chef had gotten out.

Most of the letters feigned concern and mocked Adelaide.

Some mocked her for defecating in the marketplace when she didn’t have enough squires to feed; others cited her origins and gave her advice not to be seen as a fool by those below her. Some even sent medicine, claiming it was for her injuries, despite knowing she was uninjured.

Though some wondered about the culprits behind the attack, Adelaide simply sent brief replies expressing gratitude for their concern.

“These people must find me a thorn in their side.”

With the empress’s position vacant, there was no woman of higher status than the Duchess of Tiflis. But the proud aristocracy did not recognize Adelaide, who came from a commoner’s background.

She had no intention of flaunting her position as duchess, so she didn’t care how they treated her. But these letters were too much.

‘Do they realize that mocking me is the same as disrespecting Callion?’

Surely they must have heard that Callion was present when it happened.

Adelaide made a mental note of the names of those who sent the letters, anticipating future encounters.

Adelaide raised an eyebrow as she recognized the sender of the newly arrived letter.

“Countess Owens? ”

“If it’s Countess Owens, she’s the one who tried to humiliate you with the stealing incident, right? ”

“You remember.”

Lady Owens was a nouveau riche noble who had amassed wealth through an iron mine on her estate.

Wanting to enter high society, Count Owens spent lavishly to win the favor of the noble ladies, eventually gaining a foothold in society.

However, their wealth quickly dwindled due to excessive luxury and bad luck.

The iron mines, thought to be fertile, were depleted, and the war with the Helenia kingdom reduced the demand for farming equipment.

The decisive blow to business came from Adelaide’s father, the Earl of Cornwall.

Arnold Cornwell was a resourceful merchant by nature.

He made a fortune trading with other nations, buying up abandoned estates, and developing iron mines.

Predicting war with the Kingdom of Helenia, he made a fortune making weapons, and when the war was over, he turned the weapons into farm equipment and sold them cheaply.

No wonder Count Owens hated Cornwell for robbing him of his monopoly on the market.

When Adelaide entered society as a noblewoman, the Countess of Owens blatantly ignored her.

She didn’t hesitate to insult her in public, calling her ignorant and labeling her as a wh*re or a harlot.

Once, at a ladies’ tea party, she fussed that her ring was missing and searched her bag, and when the missing ring was found in Adelaide’s pouch, she was accused of being a thief and slapped.

Such a person could not have sent the letter in good faith.

Adelaide opened the letter with a sour feeling. Margaret looked at it and asked.

“What does it say?”

“It says they’ll introduce some knights if needed.”

“What? What do you mean, the Knights of the Duke’s Order……! Ha, I can’t believe it. And?”

“They said they enclosed a gift to help you recover, did you have one?”

“Uh, this.”

Margaret held out the box that came with the letter.

“You open it.”

A clunky wooden box was wrapped in wrapping paper. When she lifted the lid, a foul odor wafted out. The moldy food was spoiled beyond recognition.

“What is that?”

“I think it’s pudding…….”

“Pudding?”

It’s a full 15 days from the capital to Tiflis. It was obvious that the food would spoil on the way, so it was intentional.

Margaret quickly closed the lid of the box.

“I’ll throw it away.”

Adelaide bit her lower lip. The line had been crossed long ago.

‘If you ignore this, they will try to do even more in the future.’

She wondered how she could repay this debt.

“Your Grace.”

From the half-open doorway, Jensen ducked his head.

“A letter has arrived.”

“Leave it there.”

Jensen dropped the letter and pouch on the dressing table and turned.

‘’Who could it be from? ’

The envelope didn’t say who it was from.

Maybe she should have told him to throw it away.

Feeling too disgusted after the incident with the spoiled pudding, Adelaide hesitated to check the letter without a sender.

Instead of the letter, she reached for the pouch. Its solid and sturdy feel gave her a slight sense of relief.

She opened her pocket with relief.

“…This?”