Chapter 15
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Dear, I believe you may be misunderstanding.
Episode 15
'I find myself quite looking forward to it. Our married life together.'
'...!'
'We may very well make a splendid couple, you and I.'
Married life? Did he just say that?
A splendid... couple?
'Good heavens! Surely this man isn't actually anticipating marriage with me?'
These were hardly words one should speak to a woman who feared him.
Then what emotion had he possibly discerned from her?
Grace stared at Lucas Black in utter bewilderment.
Then Lucas, meeting her gaze, smiled gently. Startled, Grace instinctively averted her eyes.
In that moment, I couldn't tell whether my heart's sudden plummet was born of fear or something else entirely.
Something felt decidedly strange.
"...Good grief, I haven't the faintest idea what's happening."
No matter how I reasoned it, I'd meant to say I could never marry him—yet he spoke words that contradicted everything I intended.
Was this truly such an awkward predicament?
'Wait... then does that mean I wasn't invited today because he dislikes me?'
A light bulb flickered on in my mind. Everything suddenly aligned perfectly.
'Oh no. I've completely misread the situation!'
Grace pressed her palm to her forehead as the world tilted dizzily around her.
How was I supposed to tell my betrothed—who harbored such expectations about our marriage—that I could never marry him?
And to none other than Duke Lucas Black himself...!
I'd meant to broach the subject quietly during dinner tonight, but now my thoughts were in complete disarray.
"Good heavens, why must he be like this?"
Grace gazed out at the vast expanse of crimson sunset beyond and exhaled a heated sigh.
Her ears had flushed an inexplicable red.
An ominous premonition whispered faintly that nothing would unfold as planned.
* * *
"...A tailcoat?"
Haem stared at the black tailcoat Lucas had produced, his expression twisted in dismay as he muttered under his breath.
"A tailcoat. Surely you're not serious, sir...?"
Haem's face was far too grave as he asked again, as though unable to believe what he was hearing.
Lucas glanced at the tailcoat he'd laid out, then furrowed his brow at Haem.
"Why. What."
Haem stared at Lucas with genuine shock as he asked so confidently what the problem was.
Serious? Did our master truly intend to wear a tailcoat—a woman's tailcoat—to dinner?
Because Haem's face was pouring out words his mouth couldn't quite articulate, Lucas's expression hardened further.
"Ah, this is rather..."
It was a jacket also called a tail coat because of its swallow-tail-like rear silhouette.
Fashionable gentlemen did favor such attire, but...
Lucas Black was no fashionable gentleman.
And who wore formal evening wear meant for year-end galas or the opera to a simple dinner?
"It seems you have something to say, Haem?"
Lucas glared at Haem, arms crossed, his eyes sharp and unyielding.
It was a combative gaze that invited him to speak his mind.
Haem couldn't hold back and poured forth his objections passionately.
"Sir, didn't I tell you? That this body of yours—this divine vessel itself—is simply a work of art. Superiority incarnate. Haven't I mentioned it roughly a hundred times?"
"...And?"
"That's exactly why! Such a superior form wrapped in a cumbersome, flimsy tail coat is absolutely wrong. Wrong!"
Haem gestured emphatically, drawing an X across his body in protest.
"Sir, you shine in nothing but a shirt and trousers. Add a vest and a proper tie, and you could outshine any prince in the realm! Not this—not this swallow-tail nonsense!"
Unable to contain himself, Haem seized the split tails of the coat between his thumb and forefinger, shaking them indignantly.
"But the tailor said this is fashionable now."
...That's what he said.
Why. Why. Why.
Lucas muttered irritably, his tone somewhat softened.
Am I not allowed to wear what's in fashion?
"Sir, someone of your standing shouldn't chase trends. Your face has no need whatsoever to ride on fashion's coattails. Why don't you understand that? If you truly don't, then give me that face."
"Take it if you can."
"Damn it. Exactly! While I'm at it, I'd like to take this height and these shoulders too."
Haem grumbled as he retrieved different clothes from Lucas's wardrobe.
A pristine white shirt, a deep gray vest, and trousers to match.
"With just a striking necktie as an accent, I think it would be perfect."
Lucas examined the outfit Haem had selected with clear dissatisfaction.
"It's too plain."
"That's fine, sir. Your face and bearing are anything but plain!"
'Is this even a compliment?'
Lucas glanced at Haem before turning his attention to the butler.
"Gabriel, what do you think?"
"Whatever he wears will be dazzling, sir."
Gabriel responded with such practiced speed it seemed automatic.
Lucas raised an eyebrow skeptically and pressed further.
"Give me the truth, butler."
"A swallow's tail doesn't suit a black horse, I'm afraid."
Gabriel answered without hesitation.
Haem's eyebrows twitched as if to say "I told you so," and he smirked silently.
'Ah, if only I could give him one good kick with my hind legs today...'
Lucas accepted the clothes Haem offered while grumbling inwardly with dignified restraint.
The butler approached to assist with his undressing, and Haem selected a necktie that would suit him perfectly for the day.
"Hmm, I think this would look splendid. It matches Miss Grace's eye color exactly."
With keen discernment, Haem produced a necktie that bore a striking resemblance to Grace's iris hue.
'Did I even have something like this?'
Lucas accepted the necktie from Haem with considerable admiration.
Though he was an impeccable aristocrat, he always tied his own neckties.
Standing so close to another person that their breaths mingled was simply too uncomfortable for him.
With practiced hands, I tied the necktie and turned to examine myself in the mirror.
It looked better than expected.
"Not bad at all."
I studied my reflection in the glass, hands thrust into my pockets, turning this way and that.
As I deliberated over which cufflinks to wear on my sleeves, a maid knocked softly at the door.
"The flowers you ordered from Rosen Garden have arrived."
"Come in."
The maid entered carrying an enormous bouquet that I had carefully selected that morning.
The moment my expressionless face beheld the flowers, it broke into a smile.
A single, delicate dimple appeared faintly beneath my cheek—visible only when I smiled.
"How lovely."
Though I spoke of the flowers, the maid's heart inexplicably raced and her face flushed.
With trembling hands, she set down the bouquet and hastily retreated.
"Ugh. Really. This is strange."
Haem muttered in genuine bewilderment, watching the door the maid had closed.
"He's handsome, sure, but isn't he a bit frightening? It's really odd."
"...Didn't you just say you wanted this face?"
"Ah! Of course, if you're offering, I'd be delighted to accept it!"
"Cheeky thing."
I reached out and thoroughly mussed Haem's carefully groomed hair.
Haem protested without restraint against my casual assault, but to no avail.
I finally withdrew with a chuckle, having thoroughly disheveled his hair in every direction until it stood completely askew.
He whistled softly as he examined the bouquet, and anyone could see he was in high spirits.
'What could possibly be making him so delighted?'
Haem found his master's demeanor unfamiliar—something he had never witnessed before—yet he couldn't help but think it was a pleasant sight.
Lucas Black was handsome but somehow frightening, wealthy yet unable to spend his fortune, and now spring had finally arrived for the Duke.
And with a fiancée no less, with marriage talks already underway.
It was quite a favorable situation. Though...
Haem suddenly added in a worried tone.
"But Your Grace, are you certain about this? I must confess, I'm rather concerned about Miss Grace."
"Concerned about what?"
"Well, the difference in... how should I put it? Your Grace and Miss Grace are in different weight classes. She appears far too delicate compared to you, sir."
As he spoke, Haem scrutinized his master earnestly, from head to toe and back again.
Nearly 190 centimeters in height, broad shoulders, and muscular thighs.
No matter how one looked at it, the small and lovely Miss Grace seemed fragile enough to be crushed beneath him in a single moment.
Yet Lucas reacted quite differently from what Haem expected.
"Delicate? You simply haven't seen the look in her eyes, Haem. She may be shy and easily startled, but her gaze is filled with remarkable fortitude."
'...Hmm, was it? And what exactly constitutes eyes filled with fortitude?'
Haem asked with a somewhat puzzled expression.
"But isn't mental strength different from physical strength?"
"A sound mind dwells in a sound body."
"...Pardon? Isn't it the other way around? And besides, that sounds like an Eastern proverb..."
"People are the same everywhere, aren't they? And mind and body have always been connected."
...Yes, sir.
You simply think and live as you please, don't you?
'Poor soul without a fiancée—how lonely his life must be.'
For Haem, who had no time for romance while serving Lucas, this was a moment of profound exasperation.
"I speak only out of genuine concern, sir. I worry whether she can truly handle you."
"Handle me? What is there to handle?"
Haem's eyes widened at Lucas's question.
How could he not understand his own situation?
Haem glanced meaningfully at Lucas and then at the family crest behind him, his eyes narrowing, before promptly sealing his lips shut.
"It's nothing, sir. I spoke out of turn."
"What? Why did you stop mid-sentence?"
Lucas frowned, apparently oblivious to the implication.
One could say his lack of perception was truly remarkable.
Haem regarded Lucas with an expression of utter disbelief, as if he genuinely didn't understand.
Yet the butler standing behind him seemed to grasp the meaning, suppressing a quiet chuckle.
"Your Grace, you see, there are certain... personal secrets, aren't there? In other words, you are quite different from ordinary people in many ways... Ah, forgive me. I'm speaking foolishly again."
Different from ordinary people...
Ah, that.
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org