TCMGF 60

Chapter 60

His eyes curved gently.

“After that, it means we’ll have a relationship not bound by a short-term contract.”

A short promise written on paper, yet a relationship free of restraint.
In other words, not a contracted couple, but a real husband and wife.

“About half a year from now, it’ll be our first wedding anniversary.”

Just by shifting my perspective a little, I found myself looking at the six months ahead more positively.
Strictly speaking, that time was not the end of our contract, but also our first anniversary.

We signed the contract at the end of March, so it would end at the end of March as well.
Our one-year anniversary would be in early April.

I reached out to him, who was quietly seeking my unspoken agreement.

“Let’s celebrate our first anniversary happily.”

We were still contractual partners.
But now, we were contractual partners with a high chance of lasting longer than expected, and on good terms at that.

“Shh. I can’t hear clearly.”
“I can’t hear either.”

While they whispered, the door suddenly opened without warning.
Ollie and Alfredo leaned casually against the office wall, whistling as if nothing had happened.

“It’s obvious.”
“……My apologies. But, the two of you—are you all right?”

The embarrassed servants looked to gauge the master and mistress’s mood, only to notice the two of them holding hands.

Although their lord and lady had often shown friendliness toward each other, they had never directly held hands before.

“Wha—!”

Ollie pointed at their clasped hands, stammering incoherently.
Since he knew better than anyone that they were in a contractual marriage, the sight struck him with cognitive dissonance.

Alfredo felt much the same. As the duke’s best informant and the leader of the guild, he already knew about their contractual relationship.

Normally, the duke and duchess only displayed intimacy in public, when appearances demanded it.
Never within the privacy of the ducal estate, where there was no need to keep up appearances…!

“Is this real?!”
“Don’t get ahead of yourself. And don’t go making a fuss.”

From His Grace’s usual lofty tone, that counted as an affirmation.

It was Ollie’s long-cherished wish, one he had often prayed for, finally coming true.
The dream that his kind and capable mistress would stay at the duchy forever!

“Your jaw’s going to drop off. Stop gawking and get ready for what we’re about to say.”
“I’ll do anything!”

At that, Madam brightened further and squeezed her husband’s hand.

“Ezekiel and I will attend the regatta. The Duke and Duchess of Vetra must not miss the Water Festival.”

How beautiful they would look there as a couple.

Ollie and Alfredo smiled with deep satisfaction. Surely, many at the festival would be envious of Their Graces.

The fervor of the regatta outshone the blazing summer sun.

Under canopy tents along the breezy riverbank, countless spectators gathered.

Ladies shaded by parasols whispered eagerly about the competitors, while men on the riverbank whistled and reveled in the festive season.

Meanwhile, merchants seized the opportunity to sell cool drinks and fans to the transient crowd.

This lively yet peaceful atmosphere reached its peak with the arrival of two particular figures.

“Presenting His Grace Ezekiel Vetra, the illustrious lord of Vetra, and Her Grace Viola Vetra, the wise duchess.”

At first, people listened dully to the ceremonial announcement.
But then, they saw the duke’s radiant expression—and the crowd stirred.

“His face looks brighter every time I see him.”
“Tch. I guess marriage really does suit him.”

The man once hailed as the best groom stood beside his wife, Viola Vetra.

She wore seashell-shaped hair ornaments and a striped-accent dress, drawing all eyes.
Recently, she had been at the center of every social rumor.

“That’s a Wharton dress, isn’t it? They say it was thanks to the duchess that Vivian Wharton came to this city.”
“She looks stunning.”

Once, she had been an obscure daughter of a minor viscount, barely known by name.
Now, she was a rising star of high society.

Whether out of mystery or reticence, she rarely mingled with noblewomen, which only fueled curiosity.
The truth was simply that Viola was shy, but few knew that.
In a way, that too was a misunderstanding.

“Did you notice their faces? Different, yet similar.”
“Similar? I see they’re different, but how are they similar?”
“One looks bright and blooming, the other looks like he’s about to fire an arrow.”
“Well… fair point.”

They joked lightly, but no one could hide their envy.

“What a fine pair they make.”
“They really did find the right match.”

Once the Duke and Duchess of Vetra were seated in the place of honor, the regatta officially began.

“They’re off!”

The sight of racing boats skimming the water was spectacular.
Amid thunderous cheering, people held their breath until their favored team gained the lead.

The heat made many seek refreshment.
I too, after watching with my mouth agape, felt parched.

Spotting a vendor weaving through the crowd with drinks, I gave money to Matilda, my young maid who had recently replaced Anna, and asked her to fetch some.

But no matter how long I waited, she didn’t return.

“I’ll just step out for a moment.”

I could have sent another servant to find her, but a bad feeling gnawed at me.
Besides, I no longer saw the vendor who had been selling so eagerly before.

“Where are you, girl?”

It was hard to search in the open-air throng.
As I pushed through the crowd, people recognized me and reached out for handshakes.

Caught off guard, I returned the greetings, only for more to press in, leaving me flustered.

At last, after wandering for some time, I found my maid huddled in a corner of the tent, weeping.

“Sniff… sob…”
“Matilda?”
“Milady! H-huuhuhu!”

Clutching crumpled bills, the young maid burst into tears as soon as she saw me.

Once I heard her story, I was appalled.

“They demanded what?”
“Sniffle… when I offered the money, they got angry and said one drink costs 40 gold.”
“But earlier they shouted 20 gold.”
“When I handed over the money, they looked me up and down and suddenly doubled the price.”

It seemed the unscrupulous merchant had taken advantage of Matilda’s youth.

“Even when I said I had to bring the drink for my mistress, they flat-out refused to sell.”

Since she couldn’t pay 40 gold, she couldn’t buy the drink.
And unwilling to face my disappointment, she had wandered around crying instead.

“S-sob… I’m so sorry, milady!”
“You’ve nothing to be sorry for. That merchant was at fault.”

I comforted the sobbing maid, though my mood grew heavy.
It felt like stumbling over an obstacle in the middle of an otherwise smooth path.

A similar incident befell Ollie.

“Can you believe it? A place I used to dine at raised their prices fivefold just for the holiday season!”

With more tourists flooding in than the previous year, some shopkeepers had grown greedy.

“It’s not unheard of, but this year it’s extreme.”

Anna, who had been helping at Madame Wharton’s dress shop and returned home by evening, shook her head.

“On my way back, I heard tourists complaining, saying ‘everything’s fine except some shops charging way too much.’”

Damn. Exactly the kind of criticism I never wanted to hear.

I had worked so hard to create mid-range restaurants and semi-luxury shops to balance affordability and encourage repeat visits.

Now, a few unscrupulous merchants blinded by short-term profit threatened to ruin it all.

In the end, Ezekiel and I made a drastic decision.

“We’ll secretly declare a special inspection period.”

The covert patrol would begin the day after tomorrow.

“That’s the day of Vetra’s traditional masquerade, isn’t it? You and I will infiltrate the ball to catch merchants cheating with their prices.”