Why Are You Sorry, Darling?

Chapter 7

I asked the question calmly, without hostility or outrage. Seira’s cheeks flushed at the words. She might have shouted if other people hadn’t been around. “Th-that’s because—”

“Oh, no need to reply. I wasn’t asking out of curiosity.”

Anyway, this frail., beautiful woman who looked like a stiff wind could knock her over was my husband’s mistress, the woman who took everything after the duchess passed away in the original novel. There were so many things the duchess had wanted to say to the mistress, but she never once got the chance. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to do it. What if she runs away? Girl, don’t be scared. You’re doing a great job, okay?

Seira’s blushing face was easier to read now. She looked like she was wondering what I had up my sleeve. Apparently, she was still wary of me. All I’d done was sincerely say that I was rooting for her.

“Don’t you love your husband, Your Grace?”

Is that a question a mistress has any right to ask? I thought, but calmly replied, “Of course I do.” I used Seira’s own words to answer her. “I absolutely love him.”

Oh. Did I sound too insincere just now?

“Then why are you...?”

“I want my beloved husband to be happy with the person he loves."

I do think it would be nice if you two got a happy ending with me completely out of the picture. With everyone whispering about your cheating asses, that is.

Seira looked bewildered. I wished she would just accept things as they were. It wasn’t like I was causing any harm. I hadn’t done anything that might hurt her, had I? Come to think of it, it was probably natural for Seira to be wary of me. As a duchess, I could force a commoner like her to move without anyone knowing, or even end her life if I wanted to. That would be too much trouble in actuality, but it was something that commoners believed it was possible for someone with my status to do. Considering that, I’d been pretty generous so far.

“That reminds me. I told you that my husband was going to Pavel, didn’t I? Unfortunately, there was a change of plans, and he’s actually leaving three days later than anticipated. I’ll prepare a carriage for you, so you can join him."

“Your Grace!”

“Oh, would you like a dress as well? It’s a vacation spot, so there will be many parties.”

Her expression was complicated. I could tell from her flushed face that she either thought I was trying to humiliate her with sarcasm, or that I’d lost my sanity and was making a genuine offer. At this point, I really needed to make it as clear as possible.

“By the way, there’s something you need to know.” My husband’s soon going to be known all across the land as a wilting flower, if you know what I mean. My lips parted to land the final blow.

Suddenly, the quiet gallery became very noisy. Before I could say anything more, the sound of heavy footfalls filled the entrance. They sounded like the military boots I heard in the manor sometimes. I recognized them because there were knights residing at the estate.

I turned toward the source of the sound and paused. A tall man surrounded by a group of knights was heading in our direction. His silhouette was very familiar, and he cut a fine figure in his uniform. It was none other than my husband, whom I’d been inwardly badmouthing earlier.

“Your Grace.”

I turned to look at Seira, and saw that she had moved a few steps away from me. Dang, girl. Sheesh. You’re quick. Well, you do need to be fast in order to seize an opportunity!

My husband stopped in front of me, and he spoke in a harsh voice that would make anyone tremble. “My lady, we need to talk.”

When his burning gaze turned to me, even I, who had nothing to fear, got goosebumps. Instead of letting my fear show, I looked at him nonchalantly. If I was just going to back down now, I wouldn’t have started in the first place. Yes, I couldn’t have done a thing. I could easily guess why my husband had come all the way here. I glanced toward Seira.

She was shaking like a rabbit in front of a snake. The sight of her looking over with tears in her eyes was so pitiful even I wanted to give her a hug. Good grief. I’ll be cast as the villain of the story even without laying a finger on her. Well, this sort of thing didn’t matter as long as there wasn’t any evidence that I’d bullied her. Most importantly, I hadn’t done a thing to that girl.

“What brings you all the way here?” I was worried that my voice would sound shaky, but it was calmer than I’d expected. There was barely any hint of agitation.

“What brings me here? Did you just ask me that?” His eyebrows rose sharply. It seemed like he had a lot to say. Even the grim expression on his graceful and beautiful face looked ridiculously good on him. He really was the most handsome married man in the empire.

“I believe we have much to discuss. Isn’t that right, my lady?” The way his voice grew lower and sweeter as he spoke made the listener wonder, Wow, his voice could get even lower and sweeter than it already was? Of course, the menace in his tone was a separate issue.

“How odd. Shouldn’t you be attending to affairs at the imperial palace right now? What are you doing here?”

“Is this the time for me to be attending to my affairs?”

So he’d stopped attending to his public affairs to rush over to attend to his private affair after hearing I’d burst into his mistress’s home and dragged his precious lover out about town. He was really something.

A few other reasons came to mind as well, but for now, I thought it was the main reason. It made sense. If it was about something else, he could have waited to talk to me at the manor, but he’d taken the trouble to race all the way here in a hurry.

I glanced to the side. He’d even brought a whole entourage of knights with him. He must really cherish her. Those were undoubtedly the imperial palace’s elite knights managed by my husband. I recognized some of them because they had visited the manor before. When I made eye contact with one of them, he startled and quickly averted his gaze.

“Much to discuss, was it... Well, setting that aside, darling.” Yeah, he came to protect his mistress from his wife. You find this absurd too, don’t you, sirs? “Wouldn’t it be better to speak elsewhere?”

My husband narrowed his eyes and agreed without changing his fierce expression. “Certainly.”

His head seemed to turn slightly then. I didn’t look back up to see, but I could tell who he was looking at. I took in the way his torso swiveled with the movement. As I’d mentioned earlier, it was the original duchess’s habit not to look him in the eye. It seemed that it was ingrained in her muscle memory, because I’d always find myself staring at his chest if I wasn’t making a conscious effort not to.

“Seira.”

Oh, now I knew that he called his mistress by her first name. If the duchess were here, she would’ve been heartbroken, but I didn’t care.

“You should go home.” His voice had softened a little, and since it was usually deep and sweet, the atmosphere changed with the slight fluctuation. “Isaac, take her home.”

“Pardon? Me? Y-yes, my lord!” The knight quickly came forward and helped Seira out of the gallery.

Wait a minute. Why is he bracing her when she wasn’t even hurt? What, do you think I hit her? It was kind of ridiculous. At the same time, I watched with regret as they left. Gosh, what a bummer. I was about to notify her that the whole empire would soon learn that her lover is a big softie, so to speak.

Honestly, I’d been sort of looking forward to the three-way confrontation, so it was a pity that things had ended this way instead. But regardless of my expectations, the location was far from ideal. The commoners who’d been passing by had already gathered to watch us or whisper among themselves. I was wearing plain clothes, so nobody could tell who I really was, but Duke DeLov hadn’t even bothered to hide his identity. Just tell the whole world, why don’t you? I gazed at them indifferently, then followed behind my husband.

But man, was this guy inconsiderate, striding ahead with his long legs and leaving me in the dust scrambling to catch up. I don’t think he even knows what consideration is. I shook my head. No way that was the case. His thoughtfulness was just entirely reserved for Seira, so of course he wouldn’t show any toward me.

It wasn’t until he reached the carriage that he turned back in the slightest to see me lagging far behind him. When we made eye contact, his red eyes looked surprised for some reason, but the expression vanished quicker than it had appeared.

“Have you always been so slow?” he asked.

I smiled broadly. “I never thought that the rudest comment I would ever receive would be from my own husband.”

There was one line from the novel that I’d found particularly memorable. I had no idea why it stuck with me, but it had. It was just something that the duchess, who always followed her husband, thought to herself in joy when one day he looked back at her.

“I like to follow another’s steps, and that ‘another’ will always be my husband.”

A pang of pity for her pierced my heart. Your Grace, I’m sorry... But that guy’s just a rude oaf. The only one he shows any manners to is his mistress. I was sure of that.

My husband didn’t reply. Rather, he looked like he had something to say, but he seemed to have decided against it. When the door of the carriage opened, I took his hand to step in, but he curled an arm around my waist and lifted me easily, then moved effortlessly to set me down.

What the heck? He should’ve at least given me a warning beforehand. I narrowed my eyes at him, but I entered the carriage without argument. He followed me in.

“Might we have a proper conversation now, my lady?”