Chapter 7

“It’s already this late.”

Having finished her meal before she knew it, Lizette glanced at the clock and rose from her seat.

In the afternoon, she had to visit the Cedric ducal residence. On the surface, the reason was a dinner invitation, but in truth it was to draw up the contract.

“It’s almost time for the carriage to arrive, isn’t it?”

When Neris asked as if to confirm it, Lizette gave a light nod. As Lizette was returning to her room to prepare to go out, she stopped in the corridor. Her gaze turned toward Graham’s room. The door was tightly shut.

But even in the silence, there was a strange presence in the air. It felt as though someone beyond the closed door was glaring and watching her.

Lizette tensed instinctively, but soon shook her head. She no longer wanted to be swayed by Graham. She quickened her steps toward her room at the end of the corridor.

“Neris, isn’t this too dressed up?”

A little while later, Lizette, having finished getting ready, spoke shyly. Thanks to Neris brushing her long hair over and over with great care, it shone as though steeped in moonlight, and the pale purple headband embroidered with lily-of-the-valley flowers made her look endlessly elegant.

Wearing butterfly-shaped earrings crafted with red garnets and even a necklace set with gemstones, Lizette stared at the mirror with a bewildered face.

“I had things like these?”

“As if you would have owned things like these, Miss. They’re the ones His Grace sent.”

Lizette carefully stroked the necklace with her fingertips. The red of the garnet was deep and vivid, like Killian’s eyes.

“Miss, society is the kind of place where people are made into laughingstocks over something as trivial as a single hair ornament or a single dress. From now on, your pride will no longer be yours alone, so it would be best for you to get used to dressing yourself up as well.”

Neris’s tone was stern and resolute in a way it had never been before. At those words, Lizette obediently closed her mouth and stood before the mirror. She looked at the unfamiliar self created by the black dress with its full skirt and square neckline.

It felt awkward, as though she were wearing someone else’s clothes, but it was also an appearance she would have to grow used to from now on.

“I’ll be back, Neris.”

* * *

The carriage Killian had sent moved as smoothly as if it were gliding. It was so smooth it made one forget that the wheels were even turning.

“Can a carriage really be this comfortable?”

Lizette murmured inside the cozy carriage, where she could feel no shaking at all. The ducal family’s carriage was so comfortable that it made the difference in rank keenly apparent at once. It was a moment when the difference in status was felt to the bone.

“It still bothers me.”

She had taken the hand Killian offered while pretending otherwise, but in truth Lizette also knew that this contract marriage brought no real benefit to Killian. Leaning back against the seat, she quietly sorted through her thoughts.

Her mind was complicated, but the conclusion was simple. It was something they both wanted, and even if it came to an end someday, until that day all she had to do was fulfill her role as his wife.

At the same moment Lizette arrived at that clear conclusion, the carriage wheels came to a gentle stop. When the coachman opened the door, warm air brushed her cheek. What entered her view as she leaned her head out of the carriage was Killian and several servants standing by his side.

Contrary to the imposing welcome she had always heard the ducal residence would offer, it was a quiet reception. She liked that it was not noisy. Her shoulders, which had been stiff with tension, slowly loosened. Lizette leaned forward to step down from the carriage.

Swish.

Before she knew it, Killian had approached and silently held out his hand. Lizette carefully placed her hand lightly atop his.

“Was the ride here uncomfortable in any way?”

“Not at all. The carriage was so comfortable I thought it was a bed.”

‘No matter what, could a carriage really feel like a bed.’

Killian let out a soft snort of laughter. He had sent the carriage on purpose in case Graham tried something. She probably wanted to say that she had come comfortably, but Lizette’s gratitude was rather generous. For some reason, the brief trace of his smile brightened Lizette’s mood as well.

As the tension eased, only awkwardness remained. Lizette cast a sidelong glance at Killian. Noticing her gaze, he gave a short signal with his eyes. At once, the servants of the estate bowed to Killian in greeting and then quietly withdrew.

“You weren’t disappointed that the welcome was too modest?”

“No, rather, I like it better now. There are too many eyes, so I keep getting nervous.”

Lizette answered in a voice mixed with relief and hesitation.

“You’ll grow used to it soon.”

The two slowly walked along the garden path leading from the main gate of the estate to the main building. The ducal garden was lush with greenery. The neatly trimmed garden trees and the vivid green lawn were refreshing. The wind gently stirred the leaves, and from somewhere came the faint scent of flowers.

It was a peace Lizette had never once felt at the Marquis’s estate. Unlike when she was at the main house, there were no maids trailing after her wherever she went, and that too made Lizette feel at ease. When the days of constantly watching herself even at the sound of a single footstep came to mind, the time given to her now felt astonishingly free.

Without realizing it, Lizette began to hum. It was something that never would have happened at the Marquis’s estate. Startled by the sound of her own humming, Lizette hurriedly closed her lips. Fortunately, Killian did not add any comment to her behavior.

The two walked in silence. Whenever the breeze blew softly, Lizette’s butterfly-shaped earrings swayed with it. At that small movement, the many gifts Killian had sent suddenly came to Lizette’s mind, and she broke the silence.

“Your Grace, thank you for the gifts you sent.”

“I see.”

The accessories Killian had sent were things ordered from a jewelry shop fairly famous in the capital. He had been busy, but more than that, since Killian had no interest in jewels, there was no way it would have helped even if he had looked at the items himself.

He had merely told them to send everything to the Marquis’s estate and bill him for it, but judging from Lizette’s reaction, it seemed the items had arrived in good order.

‘That is……’

At that moment, Killian’s eyes fell on the necklace around Lizette’s neck. The red gemstone was faintly sparkling under the sunlight. The shop owner must have deliberately taken special care because it was Killian Cedric placing the order, and had chosen to include a red gemstone as well. Red like his eyes. It was then.

“To be honest, I’m not sure whether it’s really alright for me to receive this much.”

A trace of worry was mixed into Lizette’s voice.

“Still.”

While Killian considered what answer would be suitable, Lizette, perhaps feeling that the mood had grown heavy, added again in a brighter voice.

“I like them so much that they feel more than I deserve. I hope it feels worth the price to you as well, Your Grace.”

‘Worth it……’

Killian looked steadily at the jewels she wore. The red glow she carried gave Killian an unusual impression. Whenever he looked at his own red eyes, he always felt displeasure, but looking at Lizette now gave him an entirely different feeling.

She looked bright and radiant.

“Regardless of whether it feels worth it to me, if they please you, Miss, that is enough.”

Killian answered simply. For some reason, Lizette’s heart stirred at his words, which contained neither praise nor teasing. Unlike Graham, who was always in a state of emotional excess, the plainness Killian revealed was unfamiliar, yet comforting.

‘Come to think of it, I never imagined a moment like this would come, where we would walk side by side.’

Suddenly, Lizette realized that Killian was matching his steps to hers. It felt unfamiliar. Even though they were standing this close to each other, she could not judge what distance was proper between him and herself, and that somehow made her even more cautious.

As they continued walking in that strange mood, before they knew it, the two had arrived before the study of the ducal residence.

“Wow.”

The moment she stepped into Killian’s study, admiration escaped Lizette’s lips on its own.

The study, where the late afternoon sunlight shone by the windows, was warm and cozy. The walls were filled with books, and at the center of the room stood a heavy desk made of dark walnut wood. A gentle sheen lay over its surface, and at each corner, ornate carved decorations were engraved.

“Are you always so expressive?”

Killian suddenly thought that Lizette was quite colorful. The carriage earlier had been like that, and so was this now.

“Compared to the study at the main house, there are so many more books here, and it’s much bigger.”

“Do you like books?”

“When you stay inside the estate all the time, there isn’t much you can do. When I’m reading, it feels as though my world is growing wider, so I liked that too. And……”

Lizette trailed off, then added quietly.

“Because it was also the easiest happiness I could have.”

‘For the easiest happiness she could have to be no more than reading books.’