Newlywed Life Begins with a Mistake - Chapter 31

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 31

 

“A letter?”

 

Why is she asking me that?

 

There’s a mailbox right there at the entrance.

 

“If you have news to deliver, there’s a mailbox right next to…”

 

“I know that. I put it in the mailbox but didn’t get a response… Please, I’m begging you.”

 

Her eyes were so desperate that I eventually extended my hand.

 

“Alright. Give it to me.”

 

“Thank you! Thank you so much!”

 

The woman with twin braids quickly handed me the letter and kept bowing repeatedly.

 

Passing by the woman, I tucked the letter into my coat and boarded the public carriage.

 

“My lady, you should be careful when strangers approach you.”

 

“I know, Mary. She looked so desperate that I accepted it.”

 

The moment I received the letter, I noticed her rough hands.

 

Dirt-caked fingernails. Calluses embedded in every knuckle. Irregularly tanned skin.

 

She’s probably a farmer.

 

I heard farmers came up due to the Pican incident – could she be one of them?

 

“My lady, we’ve arrived~ Shall I keep the letter for you?”

 

“No, it’s fine. Let’s get off.”

 

Coming to my senses at Rose’s words, I got off the carriage with help from a Ducal House knight who was waiting outside.

 

Walking past the stone path toward the town square, I saw colorful tents and stalls lined up in rows.

 

Amidst the bustling crowd and vendors calling out, I examined the stalls and purchased the materials I needed.

 

“My lady, wouldn’t it be better to use the Ducal House’s trading partners?”

 

“That’s right~ This is where commoners shop.”

 

“The Ducal House trading partners have high prices. Here the prices are low, but there are many fresh ingredients. They even give discounts for bulk purchases. Right, sir?”

 

“Of course! We especially supply fresh ingredients to regular customers and provide service too.”

 

The merchant who gave me a basket of tomatoes as a bonus winked and whispered as he handed me the change.

 

“You don’t say it’s unsanitary anymore, do you?”

 

“Pardon?”

 

Unsanitary?

 

Have I ever said such a thing?

 

“What I said earlier…”

 

“All done! Where should I take the tomatoes?”

 

“Just follow the knight behind you. Let’s go, my lady!”

 

“Wait, excuse me!”

 

“Wow, my lady! There’s something interesting over there!”

 

“Yes! Please come again, customer!”

 

I tried to ask a question, but before I could resolve my doubt, I was dragged away from the stall by the maids.

 

When I turned my head, the merchant was following the Ducal House knight to move the tomatoes.

 

After being dragged around by the maids, I could finally catch my breath only after buying all the ingredients.

 

“My lady, how did you know there was a market in Delfe?”

 

“Anyone from the South would know that.”

 

“That’s true, but my lady, you…”

 

“Hmm, but why do the merchants take out ingredients from new boxes instead of the items displayed on their stalls when my lady buys things?”

 

“Right? Come to think of it, all the places my lady shopped at did that!”

 

“Um, maybe because they can see I’m a noble? I must have looked quite picky. I was comfortable with that too.”

 

Wouldn’t it be too disgusting to buy things that other customers might have touched and put back?

 

Of course, the fruits at the place I went to before looked particularly appetizing, so I rinsed them with water and ate them well, but I wanted to buy new products that others hadn’t touched if possible.

 

After quenching my thirst with tea, I took out parchment for a final check before returning to the Duke’s Mansion.

 

“Rose, you brought the recipe book, right?”

 

“Yes! Just a moment~ It’s definitely here! Huh? Why… isn’t it here?”

 

Rose, who was searching through her inner pocket, widened her eyes and froze stiff.

 

“Rose! Look carefully! The Head Maid gave it only to my lady secretly, so it’ll be big trouble if you lose it! Where did you last put it?”

 

“The, the last place would be my room… Huuung, I must have left it in my room! I’m sorry, my lady!”

 

Sigh, I knew this would happen.

 

I had a bad feeling about this.

 

“It’s fine. As long as it’s safe in my room. No one would sneak in there.”

 

Rose being clumsy isn’t just a day or two thing.

 

With no other choice, I waved my hand and recalled from memory.

 

“The ingredients for bruschetta are bread, goat cheese, extra virgin olive oil…”

 

* * *

 

Around the same time.

 

Click.

 

With the sound of a door opening, someone stepped into the room where Evelyn was staying.

 

The woman who had infiltrated the ownerless room without permission killed her presence and quietly closed the door with her hand wrapped in a handkerchief.

 

After confirming there were no employees passing by in the corridor, the woman let out a sigh of relief, put the handkerchief in her pocket, and put on white gloves.

 

“They said all competition participants were assigned identical rooms…”

 

Why is only the Princess receiving different treatment?

 

Grind.

 

The woman scanning the room gritted her teeth and clenched her fist tightly.

 

The sunny window, silk curtains with embroidery, silver vase.

 

The common features were the same up to this point, but the accessories including bedding and tables were all exceptional.

 

A bright space filled with fresh green like Evelyn’s hair embraced her.

 

She had spied on other participants’ rooms too, but this was the first time she’d seen such a luxurious room.

 

That’s why it was so infuriating.

 

Not only was a mere mistress receiving Casian’s favor, but she was also enjoying excessive privileges.

 

While someone else was suffering from anxiety and couldn’t even sleep properly!

 

Why should a mere mistress!

 

“Living luxuriously while staying at the Duke’s Mansion?”

 

It was so unfair.

 

Considering what she did in the South, shouldn’t she be treated worse than a slave?

 

Of course, there were benefits gained from it, but if Evelyn knew her place, she shouldn’t have acted so boldly.

 

“Hah, let me calm down.”

 

The woman who struggled to suppress her rising anger finally remembered the purpose of her visit.

 

“Let me quickly find what I need and get out.”

 

Starting with the table and sofa, the woman thoroughly searched the surroundings with an anxious face, focused on finding something.

 

“Why isn’t it coming out!”

 

The desk was clean. Even opening the drawers connected to the desk one by one only revealed bundles of paper.

 

Opening the wardrobe and searching between the dresses like catching mice yielded no particular clues.

 

After an hour with no significant gains, the woman irritably closed the wardrobe.

 

At that moment.

 

With a crack, the bracelet hanging on the wardrobe handle broke helplessly.

 

“Oh, no!”

 

As pink diamonds and small pearl-like beads rolled across the floor, the woman collapsed to the ground.

 

Meanwhile, a pink diamond rolled toward the bottom of the drawer.

 

The woman gathering pearls hurriedly reached out to catch the diamond she couldn’t retrieve.

 

But then.

 

“Recipe book?”

 

A book lying in the gap between the drawer and floor caught the woman’s sight.

 

* * *

 

“This is…”

 

“Ta-da! It’s bruschetta! Looks delicious, right?”

 

When Casian returned from the hunting grounds and entered his study, Evelyn greeted him holding a plate.

 

Led by Evelyn’s hand, Casian found himself sitting on the sofa and carefully observed her as she served tea across from him.

 

“I heard you skipped dinner. So I made a late-night snack for you, honey!”

 

Evelyn chattering like a bird was the same as usual.

 

But Casian couldn’t concentrate at all.

 

‘Is she really okay?’

 

Her complexion looked fine though.

 

Casian, who had carried the collapsed Evelyn from the auction house back to the Duke’s Mansion, had stayed by her side until just before she woke up.

 

He had been working overtime until now due to the aftermath of pushing work aside to personally nurse her, but seeing her fine condition was a relief.

 

Though it bothered him that she had collapsed while repeatedly calling out one man’s name.

 

“I was just getting hungry. Perfect timing. Let’s eat together, my lady.”

 

Since this was their first face-to-face meeting while she was awake, Casian curved his eyes like a crescent moon instead of asking probing questions.

 

He didn’t forget to offer praise while receiving the bruschetta from Evelyn’s hand with his mouth.

 

“It’s delicious. Maybe because you’re giving it to me.”

 

“Oh my, you’re such a flatterer.”

 

When their eyes met, Evelyn covered her blushing cheeks with her hands and turned her head.

 

At the desired reaction, Casian’s lips curved upward like a bow.

 

‘Right. The Princess I knew should be normal like this.’

 

Why. Did she call out another man’s name.

 

“Delicious, right? Gathering products from each estate, bruschetta was the most suitable choice.”

 

“A wise choice. The purpose of the Heteus Banquet is to showcase the South’s prosperity.”

 

“Exactly. If there’s one concern, it’s that I didn’t follow the genealogy, I mean recipe book that Sophia gave me exactly? I slightly altered the recipe during the ingredient procurement process.”

 

“Toppings change according to seasons, so I think it’s fine. There’s no need to strictly follow tradition.”

 

“It’s regrettable that the Pican region was left out… but it can’t be helped.”

 

Seeing Evelyn become dejected, Casian said that what they had now was sufficient enough and sipped his tea.

 

The clear, smooth liquid flowed down his throat. But his chest felt stuffy as if he had swallowed something foreign.

 

Was it because the image of her calling out so desperately remained as an afterimage?

 

He had tried to brush it off casually, but seized by an indescribable impulse, Casian finally opened Pandora’s box.

 

“By the way, my lady. Who is Ani?”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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