I Didn’t Know I Had Two Husbands - Chapter 23

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She found a door deep inside the first floor and quietly turned the handle. The door opened without a sound, well oiled, and the room beyond was a study. The private study was not very large, but the bookshelves reached all the way to the ceiling, giving it a grand atmosphere.

The shelves were densely filled with a wide variety of books. Not only economic texts such as Imperial Financial Theory, practical manuals on estate management, the relationship between mining rights and lordship, and metallurgy and weapons economics, but also books on etiquette, refinement, art, culture, and many other subjects.

The desk by the window carried a heavy, dignified presence, as if the passage of time had settled into it. Elaria was impressed by the vast collection, yet at the same time, she felt a dissonant sense of familiarity.

“This feels similar to Lucian’s private study…”

The private study of Lucian’s that she had seen relatively recently had felt just like this. The day she happened to see the room, surrounded entirely by books, she had realized how much effort he put into maintaining his position.

That was why she had decided to help him, as his wife and the mistress of the ducal household.

“……”

Something felt off. Suppressing the restless feeling she couldn’t identify, she left the study and headed to the second floor. She knew it was improper, but strangely, she couldn’t stop walking.

When she opened the door to what appeared to be a bedroom, the familiar scent of Lucian drifted out again. The bedroom was identical to Lucian’s own. The dressing room inside was the same as well.

She froze in front of the dressing room, unable to breathe properly. The clothes before her looked extremely familiar.

The shirts and jackets he often wore when he came to see her in the mornings, the handmade shoes from a famous craftsman in the capital that he favored, and various cufflinks neatly arranged for easy selection were all there.

“…Maybe this is a place he uses when he wants to be alone?”

If that was the case, it explained why it was exactly the same as his room. And why, when they were young, he had come to such a secluded place.

She carefully closed the doors she had left wide open. Then she stared blankly at the still bright sky before hurriedly leaving the annex, almost as if fleeing.

She suddenly stopped, breathing hard, and looked around nervously before quickly moving again. No one had seen her, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that she had done something terribly wrong. Her face gradually grew pale.

She didn’t know the source of the anxiety that came over her like waves. Perhaps it was simply the renewed realization that there were many things he was hiding from her.

So she told herself it was only disappointment toward him, that it was not anxiety but hurt, and she settled her thoughts that way.

* * *

As autumn approached, the ducal household became even busier. They had to examine the grain yield of the territory in preparation for the harvest and prepare the storage facilities. Everything had to be reviewed in detail, from harvest taxes to export goods bound for other nations.

Although it was still the end of summer, preparations for winter had begun. Road maintenance and the security of merchant trade routes were also important duties in preparation for the coming cold.

Even though the former Duke and Duchess were present in the Asiel territory, the core of the overall work still rested with Lucian. As the Duchess, Elaria naturally also became busy. While receiving the handover of the Duchess’s duties, she also oversaw interior changes within the ducal manor and inspected the magical tools to be used in the new food storage facilities for autumn.

As a result, time passed quickly. Two months after the wedding, Elisa suddenly arrived without any prior notice.

Elaria had been selecting curtains, tablecloths, and tapestries for the new interior when she heard the news of Elisa’s visit. She frowned slightly.

“…My sister came?”

“Yes. She is currently waiting at the entrance of the residence.”

“But we didn’t arrange a visit.”

“How should we proceed, Madam?”

Amanda’s question made her feelings complicated.

Before her marriage, everything had always been decided regardless of her will. In the past, Elisa would probably have burst the door open herself before a maid could even deliver the message.

That was why the implication that Elisa would be turned away unless Elaria permitted it felt unfamiliar, yet reassuring. It hadn’t been long, but ever since she came to the Asiel ducal house, she had been treated with respect.

Elaria didn’t think she was treated well simply because she was the Duchess.

Perhaps she was being treated this way because of Lucian’s consideration.