NLBM 07

Chapter 7

“Your hands are soft.”

“Oh my, dear, really.”

Evelyn’s cheeks flushed at Cassian’s sudden action.

Since Evelyn remained still, Cassian was able to examine her hand closely.

‘No calluses.’

For a knight, it was only natural to have calluses on the palms or knuckles, yet there was not a single trace of them on Evelyn’s hands.

No matter how well one cared for them, the signs of training were bound to show somewhere.

Unless one was an unparalleled genius capable of displaying outstanding skill without making any special effort, or possessed a body blessed by the gods, there should have been traces of training, whether blisters or calluses.

But Evelyn’s hands were soft and glossy, as though they had never suffered a day of hardship.

Were a lady’s hands normally this delicate?

They fit perfectly in one hand, making them unbearably adorable.

They even carried a pleasant scent, and every time he gently rubbed the back of her hand with his fingers, the pleasing sensation…

“I’m crazy.”

“Pardon?”

“Nothing. Madam, why don’t you dine with me as well?”

To drive away his wicked thoughts, Cassian quickly stood up.

He pulled out the chair beside him and seated Evelyn.

‘She’s another man’s woman. Get a grip.’

He repeatedly told himself the same thing in an effort to calm his raging emotions, but he could not settle his irregularly beating heart.

Even when he desperately tried not to look at her, his eyes kept drifting toward her.

“Why, dear?”

“Nothing.”

Normally, he could look her straight in the face without a second thought. So why was it suddenly impossible to properly look at her?

Confusion filled Cassian’s expression as he turned his head away.

‘What on earth is this?’

An impulsive desire.

An unfamiliar emotion.

The more he dwelled on it, the more he felt as though he were sinking into an unknown swamp.

An indescribable question whirled through his mind, but one thing was certain.

He would keep his distance from the bait for the time being.

He wasn’t running away.

He simply felt the need to clear his head.

After taking Evelyn to her room, Cassian hurriedly summoned Hans, tossed him his robe, and ordered,

“Prepare for an inspection tour.”

“Hmmm, something feels off.”

Cassian had been acting strange these past few days.

Ever since they ate in the dining room, she hadn’t been able to see him at all.

Had their previous conversation made him uncomfortable?

He had refused the moment she asked for the ledgers, and although they had had a small disagreement, their relationship hadn’t been bad.

She thought that after even holding hands in the dining room and confirming each other’s feelings, they would go into the same room together.

[Rest, Madam.]

With those words telling her to get some rest, he disappeared like the wind.

She was already bothered because they hadn’t reached a conclusion about the ledgers, and now she couldn’t even see his face.

She had wanted to have a conversation over tea together, but she couldn’t see so much as a strand of his hair, let alone his shadow.

According to the head maid, Cassian had left to inspect the territory.

He had become harder to see than the moon floating in the sky.

Overwhelmed by the absurdity of it all, I let out a deep sigh.

“The madam sitting on the sofa stopped drinking her tea and sighed.”

“And quite loudly!”

The maids’ eyes suddenly lit up, and they began taking notes.

Did they think I couldn’t hear what they were saying among themselves?

Anyone would be able to hear them if they talked that loudly.

“I can hear everything.”

“Gasp!”

Mary and Rose simultaneously covered their mouths with their hands, looking at me as though wondering how I knew.

They looked like they were expecting an answer, but explaining it in detail seemed like it would only become troublesome, so I answered carelessly.

“I can actually read people’s minds.”

“Oh my! I knew it!”

“Hmmm~ So that’s why His Grace avoided Madam.”

These two?

I had been trying my best to forget about it, but they kept dredging up unpleasant memories.

Should I take out a riding crop and teach them a lesson?

‘Wait a second, that makes me sound way too much like a villainess!’

I had inadvertently had a frightening thought.

Anyone would think I was the villainess.

“Ahem. Mary, Rose. What does our dear husband like?”

“His Grace? I don’t think there’s anything he particularly likes.”

“Hmmm~ His Grace was so indifferent no matter what he ate.”

“What does he dislike?”

“Sweet fruits.”

“Did he especially dislike orange-colored fruit?”

“What? Orange-colored fruit?”

I fed Cassian a whole bunch of that at the dining table back then!

[Dear, ham goes really well with sweet fruit.]

Ham was delicious on its own, but wanting to make it even more enjoyable for him, I offered him a fruit that looked similar to a melon.

[…]

Cassian hadn’t shown any particular reaction at the time.

I was puzzled because he neither accepted nor refused it, when suddenly, he grabbed my hand.

And what happened then?

His grip tightened.

I almost instinctively twisted his wrist, but when I realized it was Cassian, I quietly blushed.

‘He wants me to feed him.’

He couldn’t even meet my eyes and kept his gaze fixed on my hand, so there was no doubt.

Since he had initiated physical contact first, I should play along, right?

To give off the sweet newlywed vibe, I wrapped the red ham around the crimson-orange fruit on the plate and put it into his mouth.

Using only one hand was rather inconvenient, but Cassian accepted every bite I gave him.

When about half of the fruit on the plate was gone, he suddenly stood up and invited me to eat.

[You should eat as well, Madam.]

I thought our feelings had connected when he pulled out the chair for me.

“So that’s why he was so quiet.”

He didn’t like the food, but he endured it because he wanted to look gallant in front of his wife!

I thought his gently stroking the back of my hand with his finger was a signal that he wanted more…

But it wasn’t.

“I made a mistake.”

I thought he absolutely loved it, but now that I think about it, I kept doing everything he hated!

I must have made Cassian uncomfortable by being so oblivious.

Then I should be the one to apologize first.

The problem was, I had no idea when Cassian would return.

“What should I do?”

It was while I was sitting alone, deep in thought, that—

“Excuse me, Madam.”

With a knock at the door, the butler, Sebastian, appeared.

Sebastian, his white hair neatly tied back and bearing all the traces of time, politely bowed and observed Evelyn.

There was a hint of puzzlement on his face, but fortunately, he didn’t seem to have noticed anything.

Sebastian, who had been avoiding Evelyn whenever she asked for the ledgers, finally showed himself after the fake ledger had been completed.

“I heard that you wished to see the ledgers.”

“Yes. Is the ledger you have tucked under your arm?”

How perceptive.

Even though he had deliberately rolled the ledger up, she had seen through it at once.

‘It’s been a long time since I’ve felt this kind of tension.’

Sebastian’s hands were sweating.

The white gloves hid it, but he felt like a tiny creature that had come face-to-face with an apex predator.

‘I don’t know how long we can deceive her, but we absolutely cannot hand over the real ledger.’

Although they treated her as the Duchess, Evelyn’s true identity was the daughter of House Celdian and Viscount Hethus’s beloved lover.

As long as she continued looking at them favorably, it was fine, but there was no telling how she would change once her memories returned.

That was why, in preparation for every possibility, Sebastian placed a fake ledger resembling the real one on the desk.

“This is the ledger.”

“You’re handing it over this easily?”

“Yes. I had stubbornly refused until now, but I thought it was only right to give it to Madam at this point.”

Instead of answering, Evelyn picked up the ledger.

Her eyes moved this way and that as she examined it, looking just like a beast sizing up its prey.

“For a ledger, it looks too clean. The ink doesn’t even look like it has been dry for very long.”

Oh, no!

Her sharp observation came flying like an arrow.

They had been so rushed to make the ledger that they had made a mistake!

But Sebastian composed his expression and calmly answered.

He also remembered to signal the maids standing beside Evelyn to play along.

“It looks new because we cast a preservation spell on it, Madam.”

“That’s riiiiight! You know how amazing the ducal family’s preservation magic is!”

“The ducal family’s magic is comparable even to that of the Imperial Family!”

“I see.”

Evelyn waved her hand with a look that said, I’m suspicious, but I’ll let it go for now.

At her dismissal, Sebastian politely bowed his head and stepped into the hallway.

“How did it go?”

Sophia, who had been wandering the hallway worried that Evelyn would discover the ledger was fake, immediately asked the moment she saw Sebastian.

“I think we’ll be fine for the time being.”

Sebastian gave her a reassuring look and told her what had happened with Evelyn.

Once his explanation was over, Sophia’s expression returned to normal.

“We’ve gotten past one hurdle with this.”

“Yes. We don’t know when she’ll notice, but technically, isn’t it all true except for the important confidential information?”

“That may be true, but isn’t there a problem?”

They had filled the ledger with a mountain of deficits to cover for the maids’ slip-ups.

From expenses that would be collected later to taxes that delinquent taxpayers had failed to pay.

All kinds of outstanding payments had been written down.

A ledger with some profits, but enormous losses.

If she saw all those densely packed minuses, surely she would…

“AAAAAAARGH!”

She would scream like that.

Wait a minute? That voice sounds strangely familiar.

The two of them tilted their heads in confusion, but then realized where the scream had come from and hurriedly ran toward it.

“Madam!”