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Chapter 3
I heard him take a sharp breath.
Being this close, I could even hear his heartbeat clearly, so of course I could hear his breathing too.
“Madam.”
“Yes.”
He was probably giving my current appearance a minus five points.
That, in itself, was an excellent start.
“It’s cold.”
Huh?
Adrian picked up the shawl I had dropped and placed it back over my shoulders.
‘So he wasn’t annoyed?’
As I briefly looked at the hand that had naturally let go of him, I realized something was off.
“The night air is chilly, so I believe taking care of your health should come first.”
We’d just met—since when was he so concerned about my health?
‘Don’t tell me this man…’
Is he trying to change the subject and escape?
Watching him subtly pull away during the awkward silence, I decided this wouldn’t do and grabbed Adrian’s hand again.
“Don’t go!”
I know you’re trying to leave, but I’m not letting you go tonight.
“Madam?”
“If you leave now, rumors will spread everywhere that I was neglected on my very first night. So… couldn’t we at least sleep holding hands?”
There are always a few people with loose lips. There’s no guarantee there aren’t any in this mansion, so that was basically saying everything.
‘I’ll have to assume I’m staying up all night.’
Sleeping alone would be fine, but if we’re holding hands, there’s no way I’ll fall asleep.
“Very well. Let’s do that.”
“Really?”
“I do not go back on my word. So please do not worry, Madam.”
“Thank you. For understanding.”
Fortunately, he didn’t seem completely rigid.
‘Since he’s a shadowy mastermind hidden behind the scenes, I thought at least one screw would be loose—but surprisingly, he seems decent?’
Seeing that he had no intention of leaving anymore, I thought about what I needed to do next.
‘Right. The shawl!’
I deliberately dropped the shawl from my shoulders back onto the floor.
He looked at me with a bewildered expression.
It was the look of someone wondering why I’d suddenly drop something he’d just carefully put on me.
“Madam. Why did you suddenly…?”
As if eager to resolve his curiosity, he asked immediately without hesitation.
“Even if we only sleep holding hands, people with hawk eyes will notice right away. So we need to leave evidence.”
One small detail could ruin everything.
That was absolutely unacceptable.
“It might be difficult for you to help. Of course, this is something I can do myself, so if you don’t mind, could you step back a bit, Duke?”
“I will do so.”
He probably wanted to watch from a distance, unsure of what I might do.
Well, that was better for me anyway.
‘Placement is important. It needs to be arranged so anyone can immediately picture what happened just by looking.’
Recalling the kinds of scenes described in 19+ romance-fantasy novels, I selected items to mess up the room in a similar atmosphere.
Ruining things was my specialty, so I was confident about making a mess.
After all, if my hands could destroy toys just by playing with them, why wouldn’t I be able to mess up a room?
‘The shawl can stay there. Everything I can grab—scatter it.’
Thought immediately turned into action.
Without hesitation, I picked up whatever I could see around the bed and tossed things here and there, spacing them out randomly.
Finally, I lifted a vase and poured the water inside onto the floor as if watering flowers. Naturally, the vase itself rolled across the ground.
‘Perfect!’
This should be enough to fool other people’s eyes.
“I’m not sure this is really necessary, Madam.”
“It is necessary. Because in every novel I’ve read, they went this far.”
Looking at the mess around us, Adrian pressed a hand to his forehead, already looking troubled.
“I’m starting to wonder exactly what kind of literature you’ve been exposed to.”
Oh, that? In 19+ romance novels, everyone does this.
Very intensely.
“They’re literary works most people my age have read at least once, so you’d probably find them easily on the market.”
“……”
“Though they probably aren’t to your taste, Duke.”
For you… I’d say crime novels suit you better.
…Of course, I couldn’t say that, so I just smiled lightly.
“Yes. That seems likely.”
Judging by how firmly he said it, they really weren’t his taste.
“Shall we go to sleep now?”
I gently adjusted my grip on his hand and led him toward the bed.
I thought he might pull away, but instead, he followed quietly.
That surprised me even more.
‘This bed is really soft. If I had a bed like this, I could sleep like a baby every night.’
Lying side by side, the presence of the soft, comfortable bed felt stronger to me than the presence of the man beside me.
Honestly, when we divorce, I kind of want to ask to take this bed with me.
“You know…”
“Yes, Madam.”
Taking advantage of the moment when we released hands, I lay down more comfortably, stared at the ceiling, and spoke.
“You came to suggest separate bedrooms, didn’t you?”
Silence drifted between his steady breaths.
That meant yes.
‘This wide room might feel a little empty, but it’s better than staying together and shortening my lifespan.’
I turned my head and looked at Adrian’s face.
“Starting tomorrow, let’s use separate rooms. That’s what you want, right, Duke?”
“If that is what you say, Madam, then we shall do so from tomorrow.”
The answer came immediately, as if he’d never intended to refuse.
“Then… shall we sleep holding hands now?”
I cautiously held out my hand.
Without saying anything, he took it.
Perhaps because it was so dark, only the sensation of touch felt vivid.
‘I will succeed in getting a divorce.’
Turning my head back toward the ceiling, I closed my eyes and muttered inwardly.
Adrian Winston.
A walking time bomb—he would be the person I needed to avoid most in my life.
‘This is hell.’
This experience made me realize just how weak my body was.
Because of how hard I’d worked messing up the room last night, I woke up feeling utterly exhausted, like I’d caught a severe cold.
“Madam, please get some more rest. I’ll wake you later.”
“Okay. Thank you, Emily.”
When I finally woke late in the morning, I was swept off by the maids and dumped straight into a bath.
Maintaining cleanliness was nice, and I even managed to nap briefly during it.
I was reminded just how great their small kindnesses were.
‘Work less and earn lots of money! Even though your salary isn’t decided by me but by the Duke.’
Watching the servants bustling about far more diligently than I ever could, I muttered inwardly.
“Madam, which one would you like?”
“The one on the right. I like that one.”
Now that I was clean, I chose suitable clothes and hair accessories to go enjoy lunch in a good mood.
There were so many options it felt like shopping at a department store, making it hard to choose—but even so, it lifted my spirits for a moment.
‘I hope lunch is delicious today.’
Like a student excited about the school cafeteria menu, I walked down the hallway thinking only about lunch.
‘Sorry, Duke. But my lunch menu is more urgent right now.’
To carry out divorce plans, I needed a full stomach. My mind was filled entirely with food; there was no room for my mastermind husband.
‘This must be it.’
Guided by the servants, I arrived near the far end of the first floor.
When the large doors opened, I saw a long, massive dining table straight out of a movie.
‘So we’re supposed to see each other’s faces while eating.’
Our seats were placed at opposite ends of the table.
Facing each other, of course.
‘Did he wait for me?’
Seeing him sitting quietly made me feel even better.
I thought he’d start eating without me, but he seemed quite polite.
“Good morning, Duke.”
Since I’d woken up late and missed greeting him earlier, I decided to start chatting.
“Yes. Good morning, Madam.”
I expected him to ignore me, so hearing a response felt strangely awkward.
‘This isn’t how it’s supposed to go.’
Pushing aside the awkwardness, I stuffed my mouth with the neatly cut steak in front of me.
The juices and texture were incredible.
It felt like a reward for all my efforts last night.
“Shall I have dessert brought as well, Madam?”
“Not to that extent—”
Gasp.
I froze mid-chew, eyes widening.
‘He’s smiling?’
This man, who casually killed people in the ending, was smiling in front of me.
They say when someone who rarely smiles does, the whole day goes wrong.
“I don’t think you need to go that far.”
Maybe because he smiled, goosebumps ran all over my arms.
“In that case.”
He gave a light shrug.
If that was my reaction, it meant he didn’t need to think further about it.
‘Maybe I should’ve just asked for dessert.’
After finishing the steak and drinking some water, it felt like the meal lacked a proper ending.
Something sweet would’ve been nice. At least I learned one lesson: next time, don’t refuse.
“If you don’t mind, Duke.”
“……”
“The weather seems nice today. Would you like to take a walk with me?”
Setting down my cutlery, I gestured toward the scenery outside.
“A walk in the garden… is that what you mean?”
“Yes. A garden walk. It’s nicer together than alone, isn’t it?”
It was time to carry out the next phase of my divorce plan.
See him every day. Stick close to him every day. Talk endlessly.
If I did that, he’d surely get sick of me—and eventually start avoiding me instead.
“Of course, if you’re too busy and don’t have time, that’s fine.”
Afraid he might refuse, I fidgeted with my fingers, lowered my head slightly, and did my best to look sad.
“I don’t lack time entirely.”
“Then…!”
“Let us go together.”
Yes! Perfect timing to execute the plan!
‘He’s already leaving?’
Putting aside the fact that he agreed to the walk, he stood up immediately and headed toward the door, apparently done with his meal.
I hurriedly stood and trotted after Adrian, grabbing his sleeve.
Even though I barely tugged it, he immediately turned and looked at me, as if displeased.
“Could you call me by my name?”
“Pardon?”
“We can’t keep calling each other ‘Duke’ and ‘Madam’ forever. It’s so cliché.”
Though honestly, those clichés are always welcome.
“Would you like me to call you by name?”
“Yes.”
There was irritation in his voice, likely unhappy about wasting time, but I calmly waited for what he’d say next.
“……Elicia.”
“One more time.”
“Elicia.”
“Yes. My name is Elicia.”
Even after hearing him say my name, I didn’t let go of his sleeve and added one more thing.
“Please only say my name on special occasions. If you say it too often, it might wear out.”
“…….”
As if hammering in the final nail, I released his sleeve, lightly patted his shoulder, and said the most important thing.
“Then I’ll call you by your name at that time. See you later for the walk.”
I’m going ahead, mastermind.
