Volume 2 chapter 35

The next day, an indescribable subtle tension filled the former count couple’s room.

They weren’t exactly watching each other, but an awkwardly uncomfortable atmosphere flowed.

Lying down was uncomfortable, sitting was uncomfortable, and though they weren’t people who normally conversed, the silence felt awkward for no reason…

In the former count couple’s room that Ethan now used alone, one person besides Ethan was creating that atmosphere.

Until yesterday, when Sehera was here, he’d definitely been resting comfortably and recovering in this room…

Sitting in the chair where she’d sat yesterday was none other than the girl he’d seen at yesterday’s gathering.

‘Excuse me, Your Grace.’

She’d opened the door and entered with a slightly cautious, small voice, then scurried inside before he could even answer and settled into the chair where Sehera had sat.

‘I’m Sana, working as a maid here. I’ll be in charge of nursing from today.’

The girl speaking in an awkward tone introduced her name and said she’d be in charge of nursing going forward, then hadn’t opened her mouth since.

She’d started knitting something with the yarn and needles she’d brought in. He’d guessed from seeing she’d brought something to focus on, but she was concentrating all her senses on knitting, seemingly intent only on establishing her presence by his side.

But he couldn’t help being conscious of her. When his throat felt dry and he coughed once, he saw her shoulders flinch and tremble.

Even when he tossed and turned a bit or tried to sit up because his back hurt from lying down, she startled.

Eventually it had become this atmosphere. He knew the girl was uncomfortable with him, and the girl realized he’d noticed.

“Sehera… I mean, your young lady, where did she go?”

Ethan, who sat up because his back felt stiff, leaned against the headboard and spoke to Sana.

How many times had he initiated conversation with someone? He waited for Sana’s answer while throwing his gaze out the window.

What business had she gone out for that she’d sent this girl to his room?

Was she seriously starting the tasks she’d mentioned yesterday? Properly receiving the count’s title from Content. If that was it… he could be of great help.

“The young lady is in her room right now.”

Ethan, who’d been observing the tree visible outside the window that had sprouted buds and grown enough to be called leaves, didn’t immediately understand what he’d heard.

His gaze that he’d thrown outside the window to avoid awkwardness came back inside. The child called Sana was calmly continuing her knitting. She was just continuously extending a rectangle about two hand-spans wide.

“Room…? Sehera’s room? Which… room?”

How stupid. Ethan had lost his wits and stammered stupidly. While he was frowning, disliking both his own voice and the question’s content, Sana curtly replied while continuing to knit, seemingly determined not to care about anything.

“Which room? If you go to the other end of this second-floor hallway, there’s… ah, you can’t go there.”

She’d been replying casually when she turned her head to look at Ethan, then spoke while looking at him with eyes full of wariness.

“Why can’t I go?”

“How can a man think of entering a young lady’s room? I’m telling you because you’re on the same floor and can move around.”

He’d thought she was scared, but surprisingly she showed no such sign. She didn’t seem to care that he was a duke and Sehera’s husband either.

No… this child also seemed to be speaking while thinking he’d divorced her.

“Ahem. I am Duke Ethan Croft, who married Sehera. I’m not her ex-husband yet, so you don’t need to worry about that part.”

Well, he wasn’t thinking of visiting her room, but still, he thought he should correct what she’d gotten wrong.

This child was family to the middle-aged man who’d been closest to Sehera among the village people. Even if she didn’t become his ally, if she just informed her father of this fact, the story would be reorganized and start spreading again.

The gossip-loving ladies couldn’t possibly not be interested in this part.

But Sana’s hand, which had been threading the next stitch, stopped abruptly. She looked back at Ethan with an expression like she’d heard the strangest story in the world.

She began slowly looking Ethan over with slightly furrowed brows. Ethan’s brows furrowed sharply at her observing gaze, like she was wondering what kind of person he was.

“What are you doing?”

“I was seriously considering whether such a handsome and good-looking person might have injured not just his shoulder but his head too.”

The bold child spoke confidently even while meeting Ethan’s gaze.

“Are you… saying I’ve injured my head and am talking nonsense right now?”

Living on the battlefield had trained his terrifying aura and gaze. Especially after Sehera left, he’d been nearly half-mad, called the battlefield’s ghost while slaughtering like crazy.

His gaze now spread a killing aura even without fighting, and recently even the employees at the ducal estate couldn’t look him in the eyes properly.

But the girl before him, whether fearless or not, didn’t back down from her words even seeing such eyes. Even now, despite his low voice growling slightly in threat, the blank look in her eyes watching him showed no change whatsoever.

“Well… you don’t seem to have injured your head.”

Like this.

Ethan looked at the child in disbelief and lost his words for a moment. This bold child would confidently speak her mind even before Sehera. Well, she wouldn’t have reason to speak this way to her, though.

The people gathered yesterday had all shown affection toward Sehera without a single bad feeling.

Ah, just one person. The young woman who seemed to have followed the man obviously fawning over Sehera had shown slight hostility toward Sehera.

But she would ultimately move according to that young man’s will. Separately, she didn’t seem like she’d harm her. That’s why he hadn’t remembered her as a harmful person.

“But then why… are you doubting whether my head is strange?”

This child wasn’t doing this out of rudeness or intent to disrespect him. She was just reacting honestly.

Then rather… wouldn’t she become someone who could connect him and her?

Ethan had never done the work of thinking, accommodating, and building rapport with someone. He just said what needed to be said.

If he only worried about what to do, the whole day would pass, so Ethan first spoke whatever came to mind.

“The young lady definitely said she came back after divorcing. No one came from the ducal estate for a year either. The young lady…”

Sana’s words, which seemed about to argue various things earnestly, suddenly cut off. Ethan, who’d felt a chill hearing that no one had come from the ducal estate for a year, suddenly looked up at Sana when her voice stopped.

“What is it?”

“…I’m wondering whether I should say it or not.”

The child with protruding lips was muttering childishly while rolling her eyes, worrying about how much she could say.

“No, never mind that… Anyway! Do you know how much the young lady was disrespected when she went around meeting people to open places to do business with Mr. Fredil? Because she’s divorced? How many flaws must she have to get divorced?”

While Sana was getting excited and becoming a question mark serial killer, Ethan’s face froze coldly.

He’d heard she’d been disrespected in her endeavors because of the divorcée label. And he’d thought he understood that situation.

Even among nobles, some people sent him mocking looks. That his wife had fled to her family home. That she’d even chosen a place with no family waiting for her.

Honestly… he’d just thought it would be that much. Just words to ignore. Because he could guess he probably wasn’t that great a man.

But hearing with his own ears the words Sehera had heard, he felt rage rising hotly from his core.

“No… who… who exactly said such nonsense…”

“It’s just worded differently, but she probably heard it really often? Just because divorce isn’t difficult doesn’t mean people view it favorably, you know?”

Sana’s protruding lips trembled. The end of her voice was slightly trembling too.

Because she was just a mere maid, she hadn’t followed along every time they went looking for places to sell or went to contract stores, but occasionally when she’d pestered to follow along, she’d heard such stories.

At first she’d cried alone where Sehera couldn’t see. Later she’d rushed at the man who said such things and bit the back of his hand.

When Sana bit that man’s hand, he had to go find a doctor while bleeding profusely. Because of that, that day’s deal was completely finished and they even had to pay medical expenses, but…