Newlywed Life Begins with a Mistake - Chapter 81

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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 81

“Your Grace, His Majesty says he will supply bread and alcohol for the Heteus Banquet.”

Evening, as the sunset faded. His aide, Hans, delivered urgent news that had flown in from the Imperial Court.

Upon hearing this, Casian couldn’t take the goodwill at face value and suddenly burst out with doubt.

“Bread and alcohol? Suddenly?”

Glenn, who every year would only exchange pleasantries and disappear during the Heteus Banquet, was suddenly offering to provide food.

No matter how positively he tried to interpret it, he couldn’t shake his suspicion.

When Hans held out the letter, Casian took it and immediately checked its contents.

【In honor of the Heteus Banquet, the pride of the South, I intend to supply bread and alcohol to your estate’s people. The bread will be delivered to the Noctis Temple, and the alcohol will be brought as grain and then brewed in the duchy, so take note. I plan to supply enough for all the southern people to consume, so many carts will be coming and going—I’d prefer if inspections could be kept to a minimum.】

‘Well, of course.’

He wondered why such kindness was being offered without compensation, but it seemed there was an ulterior motive.

If his guess was correct, it would be related to secret dealings.

“Tell them I’ll reduce the inspection procedures by half.”

“But… that means skipping most of the inspections…”

“It’s the Heteus Banquet. No matter how much the Imperial Court claims ownership, we’re the hosts of this banquet.”

Many things would change through this banquet.

That’s why Casian didn’t want to create any unexpected variables if possible.

“Understood. Are there any other matters you’d like me to handle?”

“When the food arrives, inspect it for any abnormalities. And… check on how my wife is doing.”

Unable to face Evelyn directly, Casian instructed Hans to check on her condition through him.

As Hans left the study, Casian suppressed his emotions and looked over the banquet-related documents.

He tried to divert his attention by processing the stacked documents one by one.

“…Maybe I should have told a white lie.”

Suddenly, regret washed over him.

The lingering image from that time wouldn’t fade.

[…Honey. Do you really have to capture Count Heteus?]

[If… Count Heteus had unavoidable circumstances that made him an enemy of the Emperor. Would you still punish him?]

Evelyn’s face, asking so earnestly, flickered before his eyes.

But Casian didn’t want to deceive her.

So he had simply spoken honestly.

[…I see. I understand.]

Since that day, Evelyn had turned cold.

It wasn’t his imagination. Despite her gentle tone, a chilly aura surrounded her.

The eyes that used to show affection whenever their gazes met were now empty.

Though she spoke casually and shared breakfast with him, her former self was nowhere to be seen.

“Should I just confine her?”

Suddenly, a twisted thought rummaged through his mind.

But Casian immediately withdrew the thought.

Having already committed one transgression, he couldn’t commit another wrong.

“The best course would be to ensure she no longer suffers from anxiety.”

He wanted to do anything for Evelyn within his means.

Though he couldn’t release Count Heteus, he at least wanted to ensure she wouldn’t be in danger.

To do that, solidifying her position was the priority.

“If I announce our relationship publicly at the Heteus Banquet, it should be fine.”

Princess Seldian was fine, but she needed a bigger shield.

If the Seldian Ducal Family were to get involved as rebel forces, Evelyn could be in danger.

“At least if she becomes a duchess, no one would dare touch her easily.”

The only problem was that he hadn’t yet properly obtained her consent.

“I should have drawn up the contract earlier.”

It would have been good if he had written a marriage contract when their hearts were aligned, but now the situation was ambiguous.

“Since there’s no time, I’ll have to make the official announcement first and resolve things gradually.”

Society would point fingers for a while, but eventually, time would make everything settle down.

Just as Casian, thinking this way, reached for the pile of documents to focus on work again.

“Honey, do you have a moment?”

Evelyn came looking for him.

* * *

“Yes. Please come in.”

With his cool permission granted, I stepped into the study.

Perhaps because there were many matters to resolve, documents were piled up like a mountain on Casian’s desk.

“I heard you were skipping meals and only working, so I brought some snacks.”

“Let’s have them together.”

Casian strode over and took the tray containing sandwiches, fresh flowers, and a tea set from me, then gestured toward the sofa.

Now empty-handed, I followed him and sat on the sofa.

“It tastes good. Did you make this yourself?”

“Yes. I didn’t want to wake the chef, so I made something simple.”

We chatted as usual, but soon a quiet silence enveloped us.

I tried to keep the conversation going somehow, but the more I tried, the more it broke off helplessly like a severed thread.

Casian quietly finished his sandwich and only opened his mouth after steam began rising from the teapot.

“I heard you had quite a long conversation with the Cardinal.”

Casian poured hot tea into a teacup and handed it to me.

Taking the teacup, I smiled and replied naturally.

“Yes. We got along better than I expected.”

“That’s good. Since he’ll be staying in Heteus County for a while, please meet with him often.”

“What about others?”

“Is there someone you’d like to meet?”

Our gazes met in mid-air.

His violet eyes wavered greatly for a moment like waves meeting a storm.

Staring intently into those eyes, I sipped my tea and asked back calmly.

“No. I was just asking. But is there someone I shouldn’t meet?”

At the pointed question, Casian hesitated for a moment.

“No. You don’t need my permission to meet anyone. Just… please take care of yourself.”

With those words, he awkwardly averted his gaze.

‘In the past, I would have been delighted, asking if he was being shy.’

But now.

‘My heart has grown distant.’

Only a trace of lingering attachment remained.

My heart wasn’t pounding like before.

“It’s chamomile tea.”

Casian, who belatedly savored the tea, began to speak.

“That’s right. You can drink it comfortably even at late hours.”

I smiled gently and turned my gaze to the yellow tea.

“Honey, do you know? They say the harvest timing is important for chamomile.”

I carefully picked a fresh flower that had been placed on the tray and floated it in Casian’s teacup.

“Chamomile harvested at the right time has a yellow, convexly swollen flower center and white petals that are horizontal. Like this.”

White flowers with yellow centers floated on the tea like little boats.

Casian, who had been quietly watching the scene, smiled softly.

“Well done. Adding fresh flowers makes the fragrance much better.”

“There happened to be chamomile in the Count’s greenhouse.”

“They manage it so you can always see flowers from each season. If there’s a flower you want, please feel free to ask the gardener.”

I’ll give you anything you want.

That meaning reached me clearly.

“It’s fine. There are already plenty of flowers. Speaking of which, do you know what happens to chamomile that misses its harvest time?”

“I believe they dispose of it separately.”

“That’s right. When chamomile misses its timing, as time passes, the white petals curl backward, and the yellow conical receptacle in the center becomes hollow.”

Just like our relationship.

The good memories had faded, leaving only empty emotions in my heart.

What was once tender was now just crumbled memories.

Recalling that fleeting moment, I asked a question while hiding my trembling voice.

“The gardener says they boldly cut flowers that have missed their timing to maintain good condition. What do you think?”

Is it okay to embrace an empty shell?

I asked Casian with that meaning.

Casian paused for a moment, then answered firmly.

“…It doesn’t matter. Even if it has no value, if it’s a flower with memories, that alone gives it sufficient meaning.”

It doesn’t matter if I’m only embracing a shell.

After finishing his answer, Casian finally drank his chamomile tea in one gulp.

* * *

An hour later.

Knock knock. A knocking sound came along with signs of someone’s presence.

Evelyn, who was in the study, checked on Casian’s condition and quietly opened the door.

“Please come in.”

As Evelyn turned her body, Arhes, the Second Cardinal of Noctis Temple, quickly entered the study.

“Fortunately, you succeeded.”

Seeing Casian collapsed on the sofa, Arhes let out a sigh of relief.

He had recommended giving the Count a small amount of sleeping medicine to help Evelyn escape, and fortunately it seemed to have worked properly.

“He’s been overworking these past few days.”

Casian, who had drunk the chamomile tea, closed his eyes not long after.

More precisely, Evelyn had fallen asleep due to the sleeping drug she had placed in the fresh flowers.

“Since she possesses aura, the effect won’t last long, so we need to hurry.”

“By the way, I didn’t expect to receive contact so immediately. It seems everyone is waiting for the Princess.”

That was right. As soon as Arhes sent contact to the West, they responded immediately as if they had been waiting.

As if they had been waiting for Evelyn’s orders.

“It’s time to go.”

When Arhes, who had sent the signal with the artifact, urged Evelyn, she took one last look at Casian and the study.

Just as she was about to secretly slip out of the study.

“Wait a moment.”

Evelyn, who had discovered something, hardened her expression and stopped him.

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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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