What’s Wrong with You, Duke?!

Chapter 4

“My lord? Is Her Grace all right?” Lawrence Cecil—the duke’s head advisor—asked carefully. The duke continued to stare, immobile, at where the carriage had gone, even though it had disappeared from view.

“Is there a reason why she shouldn’t be?” Dreux asked with a simple turn of his head. He looked dissatisfied. His voice was as dry as always, and he wore the same stony expression, but for a moment, he looked displeased. Lawrence had been his advisor for a long time, so he could catch the subtle differences.

He jumped to attention in fright and answered immediately, “No, Your Grace! You’ve been looking at the carriage for a long time, so I simply asked because I wondered if there was something we needed to be aware of.”

“Aware? If there was an assassin hidden inside the coach, I’d be dead already. How quick you are,” rumbled Dreux irritably, his voice dangerously low. Lawrence faltered and took a step back as a chill filled the air. He didn’t know what the reason was, but he felt it was very unfair.

What was wrong with the duchess being inside the carriage with her maid? She often took day trips to the town in commoner clothing, and there wasn’t a single soul among the duke’s knights who was unaware of this fact. Only the duchess herself had no idea that others knew. Rather, the way the duke ran at the carriage like there was a spy inside—when he knew it was his wife—was surprising.

“My apologies, Your Grace. I will be more cautious next time.” Lawrence had more to say, but didn’t want to further irritate the duke. He hurriedly bowed at the waist, but when he did, the duke walked over to his horse, ignoring him entirely.

“We’re done for today,” Dreux said curtly.

“Then what shall we do with the coast guard unit?”

“Tell them we’ll go tomorrow.”

Lawrence nodded in affirmation, but his head spun from his liege’s incomprehensible behavior. The duke had stormed out of the room when he heard the report of pirates on the border between Faucigny and Sadá, but now he was saying that they were done for the day? Did something just happen?

Dreux swung up onto his white horse and took the reins, looking down at his nervous advisor. “Send a bunch of flowers to my wife’s bedchamber.”

What? Lawrence couldn’t help but question his ears. It took a moment for him to understand, and he was quickly forced to bow his head to hide his irritation. It was obvious why the duke was sending flowers, so Lawrence could easily guess why he was returning to the castle.

It took two days to reach the border in the ocean, so the duke was holding off on fighting the pirates he loathed so much to spend the night with his wife. I seriously can’t get used to it! It had already been a year, but the duke was like a different person when he spoke to her. The duke Lawrence had served through all sorts of trials and tribulations was never someone who had such passionate emotions, so it was even more obvious.

Maybe it was because he had been fighting enemy forces since he was young, but the duke was ruthless when he categorized people as “enemies or allies,” even when he was off the battlefield. If someone was an enemy, Dreux got rid of them. Even with allies, he cut them out of his life when they became useless, no matter how long they’d spent together. He categorized people without any emotion and never hesitated when getting rid of them. It didn’t matter who a person was to him.

Not only that, but the duke’s entire life was “work or sleep.” He never devoted time to himself or to a single hobby. He regarded beautiful women who threw themselves at him like they were rocks on the side of the road—he got angry at them and called them annoying.

In the past, the advisors worried among themselves; they’d worried about how the seemingly emotionless duke’s heart had turned to stone in the first place, and also about how the symbol of manhood that was Duke Dreux had turned into stone. Perhaps from growing up in a dangerous environment?

His advisors never would have imagined that he’d change into a different person when he got a wife. Well, he didn’t exactly change… The duke still never showed an emotion that wasn’t annoyance to anyone other than his wife—he just expanded his categories into allies, enemies, and Noël.

Lawrence shivered and got onto his horse. The duke approached him on his own mount and stared at him. Agh, what now? Surprised, Lawrence quickly sat up. Then the duke spat out, “Make the flowers freesias. Mix in white delphiniums.”

“Sir?! Oh, yes, Your Grace. I will order the steward to do so,” stammered Lawrence, flustered. If the duke hadn’t mentioned flowers earlier, he might not have known “freesias” or “delphiniums” were.

Lady Cecilia would burst into tears if she saw His Grace like this, Lawrence thought, a memory coming to his mind, as he gaped at the duke who had just talked about flowers. Even when the duke saw the enchanting Lady Cecilia hiding in his room dressed up in flowers rather than a dress, he hadn’t even blinked as he ordered for the irritating “weeds” to be removed—no, kicked out.

When the knights heard they would be turning back, one of them looked at the duke and asked, “Why is His Grace so angry?”

“What do you mean, angry? He put aside everything, and even ordered for flowe— Huh?” Lawrence was about to retort back when he flinched. The duke was staring at the far-off castle from his horse, gritting his teeth and looking very ill-humored, with a murderous look in his eyes. People who were unfamiliar with the man would assume he was going into battle from this look.

The captain of the knights, who was right on his tail, met Lawrence’s eyes and silently asked why the duke was like that. But how would he know?

Was the duke thinking about the pirates he’d chosen to deal with later? But the duke wasn’t someone who had regrets about something he’d already decided not to do. And even so, there was no reason for him to look at his own castle like that. When the duke gave off that aura, the knights automatically tensed up. There were a few who instinctively placed their hands on their swords.

But the duke raised his eyebrows and turned back to the group he was leading and tossed out, “You must be full of energy, seeing how you’re all tense for no reason.”

Lawrence and the knights were all stunned for a moment. What is this strange feeling? Now that Lawrence looked at the duke—who wasn’t putting his guard up even while emanating that murderous energy—he knew that the aristocrat wasn’t doing it on purpose, seeing how he was putting the blame on the knights. Because Lawrence knew the duke’s eccentricity was an aspect of himself from long ago, doubtful though he was, he gave up on understanding.

* * *

Noël shyly played with the chemise, the loose lace pattern nearly transparent over her chest while soft green silk fell on the curves of her body. My breasts are small, so I think covering them up might look more elegant. The robes gave her slim frame an air of womanliness.

Behind her, Mary was busily brushing Noël’s curly brown hair, not leaving a single strand behind as she tied it back. “Don’t feel too awkward, Your Grace. I’m sure your husband will also be happy!” she soothingly chattered.

“Will he?” questioned Noël.

“Of course! His Grace always says that you’re beautiful!”

Noël remembered when Dreux had grinned when he saw her mop-like mess of hair earlier that day, and she smiled. She knew her face was average—not pretty—but when he looked at her like that, she felt like the most beautiful woman in the world.

“You’re right, then that will be fine,” she said.

“A baby will surely find you tonight, ” Mary said.

Noël’s smile disappeared in an instant when Mary mentioned a baby. She was well aware the maid said that for her, but it made Noël’s heart hurt. She had only met the emperor a few times, but she knew he didn’t approve of her. Noël was basically a prisoner from an enemy country, and she didn’t have the proper background or any support, so if she didn’t have the love of the duke, she would have been a sitting duck. Mary was simply hoping that Noël would produce an heir, which would cement her mistress’s position, and Noël hoped for a baby that took after the duke.

Now, most of her wishes had come true, and there was only one left, but that last wish wouldn’t happen because there was no way a new life could be created within love that was gained through magic. It was a guess but one she was quite sure about. Sadly, her bad feelings had never been wrong in the past.

If I want for more than this, then I’m being too selfish. The love the duke had for her only appeared when he heard her voice or saw her, but aside from that, he was the perfect husband. The short year she had spent with him was so precious, more precious than the 20 years she’d lived without him.

“My wife!”

Just as Noël was considering that, the doors to the bedchamber opened, and the duke strode in. Her heart started to race because he looked like he wanted to close the distance between them as fast as he could. The maids left in a flurry and the door closed. They were alone in the bedchamber now.

Noël forced her pounding heart to be calm and she stood to greet him. “My lord, thank you so much for the flowers.”

“Ru. We said you’d call me Ru when we’re alone,” his voice was so gentle as he corrected her.

“Of course, Ru. I know you’re very busy—this isn’t a bother for you, is it?”

“Like I always say, there’s nothing more important than spending time with you,” Dreux replied.

“Thank you for saying that.”

The way he took her hand and sat her down on the bed was so warm. She watched as he undid the ties on his dressing gown before taking the garment off. He then laid Noël down and took his time with taking her own chemise off. Then he started to kiss her gently all over her naked body. “It would be such a shame to miss even a single spot on your body. Every part of you is so beautiful.”

She couldn’t believe only a short while ago she’d given everything to him. Their first night together was spent with her eyes closed tightly and her body on fire in a heated passion. Now, she could read his every breath, his every touch, his every movement—as if he were a book.

Noël felt great pleasure as he held her with his firm arms. From what she heard from her maids, there were husbands who only worried about their own needs, but Ru was perfect—even in bed. He focused on each of her reactions and only moved with permission. While that would have been more than enough, the more their love deepened, the more her body responded to his passion.

Sweat was dripping off his body, and he grit his teeth in ardor, and yet he still tried to match breaths with her. That was what made her love him. It was like his body and his heart both truly wanted her—at least in this moment.

But that couldn’t be the truth. While what she felt was real, what he felt wasn’t. A deep, dark part of her felt a chill at how hot her love burned for him. Despite the fact that their bodies were flush with each other’s in such passion. Despite the fact that it was so good, and they were so happy. Despite the fact that she felt she would have no regrets even if she died right here, right now.

“I love you,” Noël blurted out after her climax, her emotions spilling over. Dreux pulled her close as if she were the most precious thing in the world to him and she pushed away the emotions bubbling up while in his warm embrace. She professed her love with the wish that her heart could reach his. Trembling with elation, she whispered, “I love you, truly.”

“I love you more. It’s me who loves you more, my skylark,” he whispered back as he groaned softly, holding her gaze and brushing a hand down her back. Noël caressed the scar on the end of his left brow, the one only she knew of. Tears fell from her eyes before she knew it was happening. No matter how much her sorrow tried to creep up, her shameless desire wouldn’t be tamped down.

“No, that’s not true,” she wept.

“It is. I love—”

“I love you so much. But you don’t love me, do you, my lord?” Noël saw this as a chance to vent her sincere woes. The duke hesitated for a moment. He had thought that she would tell him how much she loved him, but more passionately this time. But when she didn’t, his brow furrowed deeply.

Surprised, she said, “My lord?”

“Yes,” he responded, his back to the light so she couldn’t see his face well.

Perhaps that was why, for a second, she felt a coldness in his voice. Noël stopped what she was doing and looked at him, the duke slowly reaching a hand out to touch her cheek.

“My heart aches because you’re crying. Why are you crying?” he asked. His touch was ever so warm and gentle, and her body trembled.

However her heart continued to put so much distance between them. When his hand slipped down to her neck, Noël’s voice shook as she said, “My lord?”

“Yes.”

“My lord?”

“Yes.”

She kept calling his name, but he kept answering without even a hint of annoyance. Noël pushed him away hard and retreated.

“Noël?” The duke leaned back and looked confused. She pulled up the sheets and covered herself as she trembled.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

“What’s going on, hm?” murmured the duke, reaching out a hand toward her and offering a calming smile when she mumbled.

Noël backed out of his reach and screamed hoarsely, “I keep calling you my lord, but you don’t correct me to call you Ru!”

The duke hesitated, his smile disappearing without a trace. “Oh, dear.”

He pulled back his arm, and with an expressionless face, devoid of emotion, he sharply said, “I’ll warn you as we are on the topic now. Don’t be insolent and call me by that name.”