TMIP 17

Chapter : 17

Late afternoon.

Agatha received a late breakfast–cum–lunch while enjoying bright sunlight for the first time in a long while.

Unlike the hazy days when she had been waking and sleeping at odd hours, it was a refreshingly pleasant start.

“Where is the Marquis?”

“I’m told his luncheon schedule just ended. When he heard that you had woken up, he said he would stop by the estate.”

“Really?”

When she had first opened her eyes, Agatha had been flustered.

I have a schedule even in the morning. Why didn’t anyone wake me up?

‘It was the Marquis’s strict order. He said he would take care of the schedule in your stead, so you were not to be woken under any circumstances and should rest well, Miss.’

‘…’

In front of her lay the documents and directives that Enoch had flawlessly handled after arriving at the estate early in the morning, neatly organized at a glance.

He had even stepped out to attend engagements he was allowed to attend as her fiancé.

After spending half a day resting without interruption, Agatha felt an emotion she couldn’t quite put into words.

She was dazed—and yet, strangely, she felt good.

She washed leisurely, brushed her hair, sat on the terrace, and had a simple meal.

It was a calm, peaceful time she hadn’t been able to enjoy since collapsing and waking again.

As she had coffee and cake for dessert and read through the documents Enoch had processed, she realized her future husband was highly capable as well.

He had marked the parts that needed confirmation, ordered advance execution with post-approval where signatures were required,

and even adjusted the subsequent schedule flexibly.

As if he were someone who would be coming to work at this estate again tomorrow.

“Oh, it seems the Marquis has arrived.”

The butler, Allen, smiled contentedly as he cleared away the checked documents.

Clank—

The tightly closed front gates of Nobilis’s First Estate opened.

At the head of the horses entering amid the salutes of the Aratus knights on guard, a familiar hair color came into view.

Jessie, her attendant maid, deftly draped a robe over Agatha’s shoulders.

Agatha went out to the first-floor hall to greet him.

As she waited for the door to open, she felt as though newlywed life had begun earlier than expected.

I used to go out to greet my husband like this from time to time.

Unlike back then, her heart was anything but calm, thudding loudly in her chest.

The door opened. The man who walked in while handing his outerwear to the butler showed a faint smile when he saw her.

“Agatha.”

“…You’ve come?”

Enoch naturally took her hand and pressed his lips firmly to the back of it.

“You look better. Are you upset that I let you sleep without telling you?”

“Of course not. I know it was for my sake. And…”

He had truly handled only matters related to the wedding, the parts that required Aratus’s cooperation, and those he could resolve as her betrothed—nothing more regarding Nobilis.

The boundaries were so clear that Agatha had been taken aback instead.

“And?”

“…No. Thank you. I think I really got some good rest today.”

He nodded and placed her hand on his arm.

Naturally guiding her back to the terrace where she had been sitting, he just as naturally accepted a thick bundle of documents from the butler, Allen.

“Ah, I’ll take care of those now.”

“No. You should rest a bit more today. I looked over the venue and checked the items for the reception—everything is proceeding smoothly. The wine arrived without issue as well.”

“Ah…”

“There’s only one thing for you to do today.”

As he reviewed documents about the renovation progress of the Nobilis Second Estate—the place that would become their newlywed home—Enoch slid a single sheet of paper beside her coffee cup.

〈Today’s Schedule〉

• Wedding attire fitting

“……”

“Madam Charette is said to be arriving shortly, Miss.”

The butler, Allen, informed her as he set down a fresh cup of coffee.

Blinking blankly, Agatha relaxed her body and quietly leaned back against the sofa.

It was true she had been pushing herself too hard.

She felt bad making him work right after he returned, but with him insisting this far, she couldn’t very well ignore his wishes.

Honestly, she felt good.

He’s worried about me.

He had come straight here, checked her complexion, told her not to overdo it, and even taken over her work.

When she thought about it, he was performing the role of a fiancé to excess.

Whenever he went anywhere, he came in person to explain where he was going and asked for permission.

Did he really need to be this good of a person?

A sudden thought crossed her mind—that if this kept repeating, she might start unconsciously asking more and more of him.

It felt like just yesterday that she had said she only wanted respect as a wife.

Was she falling into her own trap, starting to mistake their relationship for that of genuine lovers?

“Miss. Madam Charette has arrived.”

He lifted his head. The moment their eyes met, Agatha reflexively lowered her gaze.

Her heart was still pounding noisily.

“A guest has arrived.”

The man neatly set down his quill and extended his arm.

“If it’s all right, may I come here to work tomorrow as well?”

“…You’re coming here again tomorrow?”

“I’ll be coming for a week.”

Enoch’s voice was calm but firm.

He had adjusted all future schedules as well, so she had suspected as much.

“Do I have to rest tomorrow too, by any chance?”

“I would like to let you, but checking the wedding site isn’t a task I can do in your place, so I’d like to leave that to you.”

Ah.

She could see Enoch’s plan clearly. She would handle the on-site work—how to decorate, what food to serve—and he would take care of everything else.

“I understand the intention. But…”

“May I bring my close aides to the estate? If you allow it, I’ll work together with them. Wouldn’t it be an efficient division of labor if you handle the site preparations and I provide support?”

After hesitating, Agatha nodded. Aratus was not a mess internally like Nobilis, and the loyalty of its retainers was high.

If Enoch oversaw things, safety would be the top priority, and they could fend off any meddling relatives as well.

Entrusting work to others felt a little awkward, but with him, she somehow felt reassured.

And now, they were a pair who needed to trust each other to some degree.

“All right. Let’s do that.”

A faint gentleness curved his eyes.

“I’ll do my utmost not to disappoint you.”

“Don’t overdo it. I’ll help whenever I can too.”

Watching them from behind, the butler and servants’ faces softened with contentment.

From the next day on, as Enoch visited the Nobilis First Estate with his aides, wedding preparations accelerated and grew more relaxed.

As the retainers interacted with one another, trust was built early on as an added benefit.

Time passed quickly, and at last, the wedding day dawned.

It was a clear, bright early-summer day.

A month was more than enough time to transform a small temple to one’s liking.

The nobles who had initially shown confusion at the chosen location clicked their tongues in amazement when they saw the temple on the wedding day.

“As expected of Agatha Nobilis. She’s turned a single location into an entirely different world.”

What adorned the field before the temple were transparent crystal flowers carved from multicolored crystals.

Beyond the dazzlingly beautiful garden, white pillars decorated with fresh flowers and ribbons stretched from the temple entrance all the way to the ceremony hall.

A white carpet embroidered with gold thread woven in an exotic style was laid across the ground.

Beyond the wedding arch made of gold and emeralds, crystals embroidered across the ceiling like a canvas hung in long strands.

Glass towers made of thousands of goblets, golden candelabras placed here and there, and tables made of white ivory.

“I wondered why they were holding the ceremony in such a small temple. So Lady Nobilis wanted a venue like this. It looks like everything but the foundation stone has been changed.”

“I was given a small hint by Lady Agatha, actually. But it’s even more beautiful in person than I imagined.”

“Oh my, Lady Iris. I heard that Lady Agatha sought your advice when decorating this place. And that she obtained some very fine wine through you—”

“His Grace Duke Theodore Neuta has arrived!”

At the announcement of the arrival of Agatha’s sixth ex-husband and head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the nobles paused their admiration and turned their gazes toward the entrance.

The duke entered alone, parting the crowd, his complexion somewhat gaunt and pale.

The nobles, covering their mouths naturally, began whispering about the House of Neuta instead.

“I heard he hasn’t been well since the divorce, but I didn’t think it would show that clearly.”

“Did His Grace come alone? Where are the Dowager Duchess Neuta, the former Duchess, and Lady Neuta?”

“Who knows? I heard he’s been busy lately. Ah—apparently there’s a rumor that the only person Lady Agatha sent an invitation to was Duke Neuta himself.”

“My goodness. Perhaps the rumors that circulated before the divorce were true after all.”

As high-ranking nobles continued to arrive one after another, starting with Duke Neuta, Agatha was finishing her preparations in the bridal waiting room.

The wedding dress she had chosen this time was a mermaid gown.

Lace sleeves that faintly revealed her skin.

The soft white fabric, tailored along her figure, flared gracefully from the knees like the tail of a mermaid from a dream.

Lowering her long eyelashes, Agatha held a bouquet made of the most beautiful fresh flowers in full bloom that day.

The long cathedral veil connected to the tiara bestowed by the Emperor swayed softly with her movements.