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Chapter 9
How much had the distance between us narrowed in the carriage?
If we had been sitting apart, it wouldn’t have felt that close, but since he was beside me, touching my forehead, it wasn’t a far distance at all.
“…….”
“…….”
If he raised his hand just a little, he could reach my silver hair, which, though damp from the rain, had been neatly combed. And if I reached out, I could touch his cheek.
We were acutely aware of this almost-touching distance, so neither of us dared to speak.
Clatter.
The only sound that pierced the quiet was the carriage jolting over stones on the rain-soaked road.
Next, I noticed Adrian’s shoulder, slightly damp from giving me his umbrella.
‘…?’
When my gaze fell on him, he lifted his hand slightly and gently smoothed my rain-moistened hair.
My thick hair threaded between his fingers, and with his other free hand, he brushed the strands stuck to my cheek away.
“…….”
In my confused state, I unconsciously took the handkerchief from my bosom and reached out to wipe the rain from his shoulder.
It was stronger than instinct—it was subconscious.
Just as he had brushed the hair from my cheek, I was merely wiping away the rain.
“Do you wish for this, madam?”
Finally, he spoke.
If he was asking, it was clearly about what had just happened a moment ago.
“No. I don’t want it.”
I shook my head immediately.
‘You want it, though.’
Bound by our formal relationship, he had offered this small kindness despite the inconvenience, and from the moment I first met him, I had aimed for divorce.
“I see.”
He gave a faint smile, slightly delayed after my answer.
‘See? I knew you’d want to hear that answer.’
I held the handkerchief and acted as normal as usual.
Just one negative word wouldn’t change our relationship for better or worse—it was the same as always.
“I’m tired, so could you wake me when we reach the mansion?”
“I shall do so, madam.”
This time, he answered affirmatively.
When I withdrew my hand, he did the same, creating some space between us.
“Shall I let you lean on me?”
As I adjusted my posture toward the seat opposite him, he offered.
“Is that alright?”
“If it is more comfortable for you, madam.”
The journey was still long, and the rain had worn me out. Fearing he might change his mind, I quietly nodded and rested my head on Adrian’s shoulder.
Still holding the handkerchief.
‘I’m so tired.’
Fatigue surged along with the pouring rain, and my eyelids grew heavy.
Perhaps to let me rest more comfortably, he placed his hand over my eyes, blocking out the light completely.
My body relaxed completely, my eyes closed, and I felt a step removed from everything around me.
“I’m glad you didn’t catch a cold.”
“I was lucky.”
I had only slept, but when I opened my eyes, I was already lying in bed.
When I asked why, the answer was simple: Adrian had carried me here without waking me.
“Normally, you probably would’ve caught a cold by now. So yes, you were lucky.”
I emphasized luck rather than condition to Cordelia, who had returned in full swing. Based purely on condition, I would have caught a cold.
‘I should thank him later for not waking me in the carriage that day.’
Thinking back, because he didn’t wake me and quietly moved me, I slept well and recovered my condition quickly.
Luck played a part, but even small actions could make a big difference.
“By the way, why did you come to see me so early, Cordelia?”
“Oh, I almost forgot to tell you that.”
Cordelia clapped her hands, her eyes sparkling as she remembered the matter she had momentarily forgotten.
Normally, she avoided my waking hours when visiting, but today she arrived as if it were urgent.
That made me even more curious.
“Here.”
“What’s this?”
“You’ll see when you open it.”
Cordelia handed me a small gift box.
It was so compact I couldn’t guess what was inside, making the act of untying the ribbon even more intriguing.
“A music box?”
I opened the box and saw a ballerina-adorned music box.
“See the small compartment underneath? If you open it, there’s a piece of paper with advice written on it.”
“Advice?”
“Yes. It seems different for each product, but mine said, ‘Do not trust everything you see.’”
Perhaps it was like a little game.
‘I’m curious what mine will say.’
Now I was genuinely curious about what might come from my music box.
“This is the paper you mean?”
“Yes, that’s it.”
I opened the small compartment and unfolded the paper.
[Always watch your back!]
‘…?’
It seemed more like a warning than advice.
“Actually, there’s something even more important, madam.”
“What is it?”
“There’s a small key in the compartment. If you use it on a keyhole somewhere in the music box, a paper called the ‘Lucky Charm’ will appear. It supposedly has advice written on it as well.”
A key?
‘Oh, there it is.’
I found a tiny key tucked inside.
“But for some reason, no one can find the keyhole. I couldn’t either. Maybe that’s why it’s called the Lucky Charm.”
Then it feels like it might be impossible to find.
‘Can I even find it?’
Perhaps, as Cordelia suggested, the charm is lucky precisely because it’s so difficult to find.
Finding it might feel like pouring a year’s worth of luck into one moment.
“That’s why I hurried to bring it to you, madam. Perhaps your luck is better than mine, and you might find it. The future is unpredictable, after all.”
It would be great if I found it—but could I really?
As I pondered that, Cordelia straightened up.
“Well, I’ve delivered it, so I’ll leave first, madam.”
Before I could think of giving her something in return, she greeted and left without hesitation.
Truly a decisive girl.
“Then maybe I’ll go have breakfast.”
It seemed fine to leisurely align with meal time.
‘Who’s that?’
Returning from breakfast, I found someone in my room.
Not just one person, but several.
“You’re here at last.”
As soon as I peeked through the door, a maid spotted me, and immediately many pairs of eyes turned my way.
‘What on earth are you all doing in my room?’
There were ten of them.
Unsure of their purpose, I stood still for a moment, wondering if I had done something wrong.
“Why aren’t you coming in, madam?”
“I was about to.”
I had to see for myself what was going on.
I opened the door wide and approached the cluster of people, sitting on the sofa in the middle to see what was happening.
“What’s going on at this hour?”
Even if my luck was bad, I hadn’t caused any accidents.
‘I’ve been behaving quietly in my room lately.’
Just eating, walking in the garden, reading a few books.
So I couldn’t even speculate.
“Madam, you need to make a decision.”
Me? About what?
One maid approached and handed me something.
“We selected clothes and jewelry as best we could before you arrived, but since you are now the mistress of the house, you need to choose personally.”
It was a catalog.
Filled with top-selling items and new products.
‘I was startled for nothing—I thought I had caused some problem.’
Choosing was fine.
“If you feel the catalog doesn’t have enough, we can reserve a trip to the shop, so please decide freely, madam.”
I didn’t think that was necessary.
I flipped through the catalog page by page.
‘Even picking a few things here equals the value of a mansion.’
The price tags caught my eye more than the pretty items.
“How about just this?”
“Oh my! Madam! Really, you won’t pick anything else?”
“Yes, but why?”
I should have picked less?
“Because it seems too little.”
Too little? It already feels like I picked a lot.
As I rolled my eyes in disbelief, I heard something unexpected.
“The previous duchess ordered a year’s worth of clothes at once, gathering everything from new arrivals to top-selling items. She never wanted to fall behind in fashion.”
The previous duchess? Could that be my husband’s mother?
Suddenly, I pictured a mother who spent lavishly, matching the description.
‘What on earth did you do, Mother!’
Now I understood why they asked why I wasn’t choosing more.
‘Wait. If I have a mother-in-law, why have I never met her?’
Why did I meet my unwanted parents but never Adrian’s family?
“One thing I’m curious about: if I have a mother, why haven’t I met her?”
It would’ve been possible to meet her by now.
“Well… the previous duchess passed away two years ago, madam.”
I was so shocked my mouth fell open.
I wanted to grab a passerby and announce it: “Listen, I had a mother… now I don’t.”
I felt mentally blank, apart from escaping the typical in-law stress.
“I see… that’s unfortunate.”
I hadn’t seen her face, but I silently wished she had gone somewhere peaceful.
“If you have no more orders, shall we move on, madam?”
Two maids approached to lift the mood.
“To where?”
“To the bathroom.”
“Why?”
I didn’t see a reason for grooming.
As I wondered, they all spoke in cheerful voices.
“Tonight is the night of the marital union.”
Excuse me? With who?
Me?!
