Side Story 1 ; Part 5

Fortunately, Callian hadn’t crossed the line.

He was still young, but he was well aware of his predicament.

Blushing at the sight of his brother’s woman was only acceptable for a child who hadn’t yet lost his milk in his mouth.

Though he had not yet come of age, his body was no different from that of an adult, and his love for his brother’s wife was no longer something he could laugh off as a childish indiscretion.

He was merely Isabelle’s helper.

Callian’s treatment of Isabelle could be chalked up to loyalty to his brother, the patriarch, and it allowed Isabelle to live a full life as Marchioness despite Isaac’s frequent absences.

But after her conversation with Tasha, Isabelle began to grow increasingly uncomfortable with his assistance.

His polite touch and stoic demeanor hadn’t changed over time, but the way he sometimes looked at her was too much like Isaac at that time.

When Isabelle heard of the Empress’s vacation, she saw it as an opportunity.

A chance to win Isaac’s heart again, and a chance to keep their estranged relationship from being discovered by Callian.

“……Why don’t we go on a trip? You’re on vacation, after all.”

Somehow, it was Isaac’s heart that Isabelle needed most.

She had loved him for as long as they had been together, and she was certainly willing to forgive him for once if he would quietly end his relationship with the Empress.

To put it more bluntly, she was certain that they had not yet had a physical relationship.

The Empress had not yet given birth to a son, and there was no way they could have a deep relationship in the palace, where the eyes of the people were everywhere.

So as long as they didn’t cross the line, Isabelle could look the other way.

Whether it was out of love for Isaac or a lack of confidence to fight him, she wasn’t sure.

“I think I’ll follow the Empress, Isabelle.”

But the moment Isaac answered, Isabelle felt as if something in her heart had broken.

“You’re going to follow her …… to her vacation place?”

“I’m Her Majesty’s aide”

Isaac responded as if it were obvious. Isabelle let out a laugh without realizing it.

‘You’re going on vacation with the Empress? What are you going to do there?’

“Then I’m coming with you.”

“…….”

“What kind of aide follows an officer to a private vacation destination?”

Isabelle snapped her head up and looked at Isaac, who turned to face her and ran a hand through his hair as if in distress.

“It was something she specifically ordered. She’s the Empress and my superior, and if she wants me to do something, I have no choice but to follow.”

“Do you think I’m stupid?”

Isabelle slammed her hand down on the table loudly.

“Why don’t you just say that you will assist the Empress in her bedroom? Stop talking nonsense!”

“You, of all people, can’t even understand this much, being a Marchioness?”

Isaac raised his voice in irritation. His gaze toward Isabelle was as if he were treating her like a pathetic child.

“All power in nobility comes from the imperial court, and as long as I’m a Marquis of the empire, I’m bound to obey the imperial court’s orders to go on an expedition. Shouldn’t you have that much common sense, even if you’ve been living secluded in the countryside?”

“What did you say?”

“I’m following imperial orders, Isabelle. The Emperor personally appointed me to be the Empress’s aide, and you expect me to violate it to accommodate your whining?”

“You, you’ve said enough…!”

Just as Isabelle was about to raise her voice, there was a knock on the door.

It was the butler who opened the door.

“I’m sorry, My Lord. I have an urgent question…….”

The butler, who had lived in the manor for a long time, was a middle-aged man with sparse gray hair.

Though always courteous, Isabelle remembered that he had initially opposed her marriage to Isaac.

Even after they were married, he often looked at her with an appraising gaze.

“What’s the matter?”

“The supplies to be sent to the baronet this month are all ready, if you’ll see to it that they are.”

Isabelle’s hand twitched at the butler’s words.

The butler’s business was not urgent enough to interrupt his master’s conversation.

His reason for entering the room without waiting for the conversation to end was self-evident.

“…Can’t you see we’re in the middle of something?”

“I apologize, My Lady.”

Isabelle said irritably, but the butler merely bowed politely.

Isaac took the papers from him wordlessly, his eyes slowly scanning over them.

Since his marriage to Isabelle, Isaac has been sending a certain amount of support to her family each month.

Groceries, expensive cloth, oil, hides, timber, and even some money.

“Has the plague on the …… barony’s estates been properly contained?”

“Yes, my lord. Thanks to your promptness in sending a physician, it was quelled early.”

“That’s fortunate.”

Isabelle could only guess at the butler’s reason for bringing such a document at such a moment, but she could not say anything.

Isaac flipped through the papers as if in thought, then raised his eyes to meet hers. He spoke nonchalantly.

“This month, send everything double. Even if the epidemic is subsiding, having had an outbreak, there might still be repercussions.”

He sounded as generous as ever.

But Isabelle could say no more.

* * *

Isabelle returned to her room, her face bright red.

She shrugged off all the maids who tried to talk to her, as usual, and flopped down on her bed.

She covered her face and breathed deeply, but her anger didn’t subside.

Looking back, it was like that. Whenever there was a small conflict, Isaac unfailingly provided something to Isabelle or her family.

But was it truly out of affection and goodwill?

“To do such a thing…”

What a generous and gentlemanly husband to redouble his support for his wife’s family even in the midst of an argument.

However, if he really cared about himself, he should have reprimanded or punished the butler for coming in during the argument and bringing up such a story.

How could he just stand there as if waiting…

“……My Lady, may I come in for a moment?”

The knock on the door made Isabelle turn her head.

The maid who opened the door held several catalogs in her hand. Isabelle frowned at the sight of them.

“The master says it’s time for a new dress for the changing of the seasons, and you may choose any number of them.”

There was admiration in the maid’s voice. Admiration for the boundless generosity of their master.

Isaac Salvator was not the kind of man who would threaten his wife with less support.

Rather, he was a man who showed off his generosity by caring for his wife’s welfare, even when they were in the midst of a quarrel.

Yes, it was a display. A person who crushes her dignity with genteel and aristocratic manners.

‘It means knowing your place.’

Isabelle shuddered slightly at the fresh insult.

What she had perceived as stubbornness was not pure affection or kindness.

Perhaps, just perhaps, the reason he chose her over any other high-ranking noblewoman to marry…

“…Could I use the kitchen?”

Isabelle asked, still looking at the catalog with a stony face. The maid looked surprised.

“The kitchen?”

Since her marriage, Isabelle has never been in the kitchen, as the high nobility lived a life far removed from labor.

But it wasn’t uncommon for her to cook by hand for her family on special occasions.

“He sent me a gift, but how could I not accept it? I thought I’d bake some cookies for him.”

“Oh.”

The maid covered her mouth as if she had received a great shock.

“Of course, my lady, you are the lady of the Marquisate Salvatore.”

“But what if he dislikes it because it’s not tasty? The head chef is so skilled.”

“I doubt that would happen. It’s made with sincerity. I’m sure the Lord will be pleased.”

At the maid’s words, Isabelle smiled shyly.

But the maid did not notice that her gaze was fixed on a tightly closed drawer.