I Had No Complaints About This Marriage - Chapter 59

Duke Telloien appeared out of nowhere, laughing boisterously as he led his entourage forward. The muskets slung on their backs and other gear suggested they were preparing for a hunt in the nearby woods.

“Come, come! No time for idling! There’s more to enjoy than just boating!”

“Your Grace.”

“We still have days left, don’t we?”

“Such boundless energy.”

“You flatter me. Hm—Herman!”

The duke called for Herman, then unexpectedly glanced at Esina. He and Herman exchanged a look.

“……”

Without hesitation, Herman approached the duke. One of the duke’s guards handed him a musket.

Accepting it smoothly, Herman walked off, chuckling as the duke clapped him on the back, their conversation fading into the distance.

It all happened in an instant.

“Those who dislike hunting can at least join us for a stroll through the woods!”

At someone’s suggestion, the guests began grouping up and moving. Esina followed, but unease clung to her.

‘What was that just now?’

Not just the exchanged glance—but the fact that Herman, who claimed to want nothing to do with his family, was suddenly on such familiar terms with the duke.

‘Didn’t he say they were on bad terms?’

Hadn’t he acted as though he disliked the duke’s very existence? She distinctly remembered him speaking of his family with little warmth during their occasional conversations.

“Yet now they look perfectly friendly.”

Before long, Herman and the duke mounted their horses and galloped far into the distance.

Only then did Esina feel a fresh wave of bitterness. No matter what, how could he just leave her behind like this?

‘I can’t even ride…’

Where had the man gone who clung to her under the guise of “teaching etiquette” while doing lewd things?

If this were the usual Herman, shouldn’t he be using horseback riding lessons as another excuse to get handsy with her by now?

‘I knew it.’

Had he already decided to abandon this marriage?

What could the duke have possibly offered him? Had he decided their contract was no longer worth keeping?

“I can’t ride either.”

While Esina stewed in her thoughts, Xenon—having said those words—began walking obediently beside her, as if playing the role of her escort.

Maria, who should have been glued to his side, was already riding off with the other young ladies—or more accurately, hovering near Duke Telloien and Herman.

Soon, the duke’s party and Maria disappeared beyond the trees. Around them, the rustling of noble sons and daughters wandering in small groups filled the air.

“See? I told you Maria Rezen would be the first to warm his bed.”

“Old habits die hard, especially for the Young Duke.”

Huddled together, they gossiped and even placed bets on whether Herman would take up with Maria.

Overhearing the whispers, Esina walked in silence for a while.

Whoosh— The wind through the forest stirred her unsettled heart. Occasionally, small game like rabbits or squirrels darted past, but neither she nor Xenon paid them any mind. After a long silence, Xenon finally stole a glance at her and asked.

“Still feeling unwell?”

“…I’m fine.”

His gentle inquiry barely registered. No—more importantly—

‘Aren’t you worried your future wife is off playing elsewhere?’

The thought crossed her mind, but then again, if Herman hadn’t been such diamond-grade trash, she wouldn’t be worrying like this in the first place.

Come to think of it, hadn’t she been the one to derail the original story?

‘The fact that the female lead and male lead haven’t gotten together yet…’

Ironically, it seemed precisely because Esina had strayed from the plot—leaving no villainess to meddle—that their romance had stalled.

In the original story, Maria and Xenon’s relationship progressed significantly whenever Esina threw violent tantrums and tormented Maria. Like most romance novels, their love grew stronger through adversity.

That’s why, without a villainess meddling between them, their relationship seemed to have stalled entirely.

The fact that the two remained just friends could, in a way, be blamed on the absence of the villainess Esina.

‘In the end, I shot myself in the foot.’

Somehow, it all felt unfair.

She had only wanted to escape her miserable life. She’d never tried to win over the male lead or anything like that.

All she wanted was to live a different life—with the diamond-grade trash she’d chosen herself.

“Be careful, my lady.”