Chapter 19

Chapter 19

“Yes. She did seem a little afraid of the master, but I thought that was understandable because any child would feel that way. Other than that, I didn’t notice anything unusual. If anything, she smiled brightly at me and treated me affectionately.”

“All right, I understand.”

Klaus approached Rayna, who was still staying by Vivi’s side.

“I know you’re worried about Vivi, but I think you should get some rest as well. You must be hungry, so let’s have a meal together first. You barely ate lunch earlier, either.”

“……All right.”

Klaus and Rayna left Vivi in her room and headed to the dining room. Fortunately, the Duke of Decarean did not come to dinner.

Rayna barely ate, her face filled with concern, and Klaus couldn’t concentrate on his meal because he was worried about her.

Just yesterday, when they had dinner together at the small residence, everything had been warm and cheerful, but so much had changed in a single day.

An even more awkward atmosphere hung between the two of them than when they had first met.

“Would you like to take a short walk?”

Klaus carefully suggested it as Rayna put down her dessert fork. She willingly followed him into the garden.

The Decarean residence in the capital was as large as the estates of any other noble family.

The garden, meticulously tended by the gardener, was also vast, and its wide variety of flowers gave it a splendid appearance.

Klaus merely watched in silence as Rayna bent down to smell the flowers.

“At last, we’re able to have a proper conversation alone.”

Eventually, Rayna gave Marcus Olden, no, Klaus Decarean, a bitter smile.

Ever since they had left the residence before lunch, she had been overwhelmed all day.

She had met the Emperor, whom she had thought she would never have the chance to see in person, signed a marriage contract with Klaus Decarean rather than Marcus Olden, and now she would be staying here as the future mistress of the Decarean ducal family.

Until just a moment ago, she hadn’t had the chance to think about Klaus because she had been focused on protecting Vivi and Arno, but now it was time for them to have an honest conversation.

“So you were the Young Duke of Decarean. I never even dreamed of imagining such a thing.”

“I apologize once again for not being able to reveal the truth to you beforehand.”

“No, you said that if it weren’t for Pascal, you intended to keep hiding it. Rather, I’m the one who should be grateful that you changed your mind, revealed your identity, and allowed things to proceed smoothly. But……”

“Even so, nothing will change. We will have the wedding according to our original contract, and we will remain husband and wife until Lord Arno returns. The only thing that has changed is my name written on the documents.”

“That may be true, but……”

Rayna let out a small sigh.

“Still, if I had known from the beginning that Mr. Marcus was the Young Duke of Decarean, I would have thought more carefully about this contract.”

“Marcus Olden and Klaus Decarean are both me. You trusted me and entrusted me with the commission, didn’t you? As I said, the only thing that will change is……”

“Don’t you, Young Duke, understand better than anyone that it isn’t as easy as simply saying that?”

At the change in the way she addressed him, Klaus’s expression hardened this time.

“Since things have turned out this way, I thought marrying the Young Duke was unavoidable, so I came this far. But……”

“It’s Klaus.”

“……Pardon?”

Rayna, who had been speaking calmly, blinked blankly for a moment.

Klaus looked down at her with a serious gaze, all traces of playfulness gone.

“Not Young Duke. Klaus. Just as you are Rayna to me, not Lady Arno.”

“How could I call you by that name……”

Klaus relaxed his expression and gave a small chuckle.

“In any case, aren’t we already betrothed by the gracious approval of His Majesty the Emperor?”

“…….”

“It would be stranger for a wife to address her husband with such a stiff title rather than by his name. Especially if they are lovers who have been together for a long time.”

“I’ll be careful in front of other people. But when we’re alone……”

“People’s habits are quite frightening. It’s not that I don’t trust you, but if you keep calling me Young Duke, that title might naturally slip out in front of others as well.”

Unable to find anything to refute him with, Rayna pressed her lips tightly together.

Klaus swallowed dryly. He waited for her to say something for a moment, but when the silence continued, he spoke first.

“So why don’t you practice now?”

“Practice?”

“Practice calling me by my name.”

“You mean, you want me to call the Young Duke by his name……?”

“That’s right.”

Perhaps fortunately for Klaus, Rayna did not stubbornly insist that she couldn’t do it anymore.

But contrary to what she felt in her heart, she seemed unable to say the name aloud, merely moving her lips.

Just as Klaus’s patience was reaching its limit, she whispered softly.

“……Klaus.”

Although he couldn’t see it because Rayna had lowered her head, a small smile spread across Klaus’s face the moment he heard his name.

“Yes, Rayna. Your Klaus is here.”

At the tenderness in his voice, Rayna’s cheeks flushed red like peaches. She raised her hand and lightly pushed Klaus’s shoulder.

“Was that really necessary?”

“It has to be this way so that we don’t arouse suspicion. All the nobles in high society will be watching us.”

Rayna mulled over the atmosphere of high society for a moment before nodding as though she understood.

“I see. This is a place where we can’t afford to show even the slightest opening.”

Although it had already been more than ten years, Rayna still vividly remembered the day she had first made her debut in the capital’s high society.

One spring day when she was nineteen.

Rayna, who had just come of age, visited the capital with Viscount Arno and her younger brother, Dietrich.

At the time, Viscount Arno sought out the most famous salons in the capital so that his beloved daughter could stand out the most.

They were places where the price of a single party dress was equivalent to the price of an ordinary small house.

At the time, the Arno viscounty was not nearly as wealthy as it was now.

Even so, Viscount Arno had accumulated a fortune that rivaled that of any ordinary noble family through his outstanding business acumen, and he could spend as many gold coins as he wanted for his daughter.

Yet the place where Rayna actually had her party dress made was a relatively unknown tailor’s salon.

That was because all the famous tailors had refused, saying, ‘The status doesn’t match, so we cannot make a dress for a mere rural viscount’s daughter.’

And that wasn’t all.

One tailor, said to be a favorite of the princess, even mocked Viscount Arno and Rayna, saying that upstarts like them didn’t know their place.

Furious, Viscount Arno dressed his daughter as lavishly as he could within his means.

He had a dress made from precious fabric that could only be obtained from across the sea, covering it generously with pearl powder.

He obtained diamonds larger than those owned by most noble ladies and had them made into a necklace and earrings as a gift for her.

Even so, he did not dress her excessively. A neat and elegant atmosphere suited Rayna better than anything flashy, and the two men of the Arno family, who had excellent taste, devoted all their attention to helping her.

Once Rayna had finished dressing, she was objectively very beautiful. Her fair, delicate skin complemented the softly shimmering dress, giving her an almost mysterious air.

Yet when she actually entered the ballroom, all she received in return was ridicule, just the same.

People whispered things that had nothing to do with the truth, saying that the upstart was desperate to flaunt her wealth and that she was trying to ensnare a high-ranking nobleman by relying on nothing but her looks.

That day, Rayna endured everything with all her might so that her father’s and younger brother’s efforts would not be in vain. Honestly, simply keeping herself composed in the face of all the malice pouring toward her was overwhelming enough.

‘I wanted Vivi to never know such gazes for the rest of her life.’

That was also the reason she had spent all this time with Vivi only in the Arno territory.

At least in Arno, there was no one who would dare point a finger at that lovely child.

But in the end, things had turned out this way. Even if she tried to hide Vivi as much as possible, people would find out about the child somehow and make up baseless rumors.

She herself was fine. From the moment she gave birth to Vivi alone while unmarried, she had been prepared to endure every condemnation from the world.

But Vivi was different.

If there was any fault, it was hers; that lovely child had done nothing wrong.

And yet, if Vivi were to be pointed at and condemned, and if the child were to suffer an indelible wound because of it, Rayna felt as though she would endure the pain of having her heart cut out while still alive.

How could she protect Vivi from the tongues of people that were sharper than swords?

‘How did I manage to endure that day…….’

As Rayna retraced her memories, she let out a small exclamation.

‘Come to think of it, that day…….’