MHOW 11

Chapter 11

Ares raised his eyebrows as if to ask what she meant.
“Well… I’m not sure if that can really be called overcoming it,” he said.

Herina felt a twinge of unease as she thought of the peaches preserved in syrup, still filling the warehouse.

“I’m going to eat them all by myself, so why spend so much money on peaches?”
“But I got something better than what I spent, so it was a rather wise expense.”

She remembered the look in his eyes when he watched her pick at the discounted peaches with a fork. She didn’t want to recall the color of those eyes.
If she did, she feared she would feel emotions she didn’t need to.

Ares… I think I know you better now than I ever did when I was by your side.
If I hadn’t met you in the past, I wouldn’t have known what feelings you put into those little pieces of fruit.
Was that how you showed your love?

Herina’s long silence drew the young Ares to speak.
“Herina?”

Seeing the face that looked exactly like the man who once loved her—and yet was still him—Herina smiled bitterly.
Back then, she was the one receiving that love… and now she was holding him hostage with his own crises.
Why did he do that to her?

For about a month after their wedding, it was the official vacation period for the duke, so the two of them used that time for Herina to learn the work Ares had handled at twenty-four.

“What is all this?”

Herina exclaimed as she set down the documents she had brought, staring at the duke’s office piled high with papers.

Ares answered in his usual indifferent manner:
“These are the documents your original husband would normally handle. I’ve sorted out only the urgent items. Once the vacation ends, these are the ones that need immediate implementation, so let’s start here.”

Herina sat on a sofa and roughly skimmed the papers. Already, the numbers and complex terms were giving her a headache.

“How did you handle all of this by yourself…?”

Seventeen-year-old Ares, in her memories, agreed silently. Usually, someone of a duke’s rank would have aides or assistants, but twenty-four-year-old Ares had handled everything alone—perhaps because of his perfectionist tendencies.
He had always poured all his energy into work and kept his emotions in check to avoid affecting his duties.

But after meeting Herina, he had taken on unnecessary troubles: involving himself in incidents he didn’t have to, or following her on shopping trips he normally despised as a waste of time.

“How much do you understand about the work? I’ve heard of a duke’s duties, but seeing the documents myself, I realize how difficult it is to grasp. The numbers are hard to estimate, so precise calculations are challenging.”

Herina stood and walked to Ares’s desk. She glanced at the papers he held: last year’s budget settlement and this year’s proposed budget for the duke’s domain.

“I’ll take a look.”

When Ares handed the documents over, she scanned through the items. She wasn’t familiar with this territory, but in her previous life, she had passed the civil service exam and worked as an administrative officer. Budget management had been one of her many tasks.

“It’ll be easier if you look at this together with these materials. Over there is the dam construction project—that corresponds to this item—and the budget is summarized here. The increased budget this year is for welfare projects for the residents. Since Ares has been overseeing this, it should be well organized. Just a moment, let me find the materials.”

As she rolled up her sleeves and sorted through the documents, Ares spoke.
“Do women in the Obelia household learn this as well? Or did you learn it by watching me in the future? Without training, it would normally be hard to even understand what these documents mean.”

Herina chuckled softly. She had no intention of revealing to this child that she was possessed, but even if she weren’t, surely there were a few smart people capable of this.

“Ares, you’re more arrogant than I thought. You probably didn’t expect anyone to know better than you.”
“Oh, that wasn’t my intention. I apologize. I just said it because you seemed very familiar with the work—almost like someone who had been handling a duke’s office for years.”

Not entirely untrue. Civil servants often assist high-ranking officials and directly manage tasks, so it made sense that she looked accustomed to it.

“Interesting, isn’t it? Charming, right? Heh, I must seem really grown-up. Once Ares learns all this, he’ll grow up and be like me. Look at this—welfare budget plan. Everything seems fine, but we still need to review it, right? While you’re at it, read up on that project too.”

As Herina prepared to leave, brushing her hands off, Ares asked curiously:
“Aren’t you staying with me? It’s not even mealtime yet—where are you going?”

Herina pulled an invitation from her pocket.
“You can’t roam outside, so I have to handle things externally. Today, review the budget settlement thoroughly. When I return, I’ll also go through this year’s project plans, so it would be good to have them organized.”

Although it was technically Ares’s work, he felt irritated as if all the troublesome tasks had been dumped on him. Which, to be fair, wasn’t wrong—the most tedious part was comparing the documents.

Herina’s plan was clear: leave the early, tedious tasks to Ares, then escape lightly under the pretext of visiting the Duke of Nerita’s wife.

“Will you be long?”
“Oh, are you trying to stop me now? Ares, you shouldn’t learn to obsess or control things at such a young age. That’s not attractive.”

He wanted to protest that he wasn’t doing that, but then realized again, watching Herina’s playful smile, that he had been toyed with. He sighed.
“Fine. You can go anywhere you like. I trust you’ll inform the estate when you return.”
“Why…”

Herina opened her mouth with a mischievous grin again, and Ares hurriedly added:
“Any considerate couple wouldn’t fail to notify when the wife returns home. I can’t keep a carriage waiting in front of the estate all the time, so I’ll send one at the right time. Contact me before the office closes.”

Herina nodded, impressed by his thoughtfulness.
“Got it. It’s a lunch appointment, and I’ll be back before dinner. You can estimate the time. No need for unnecessary comings and goings. Shall I go now?”

Ares, surrounded by towering piles of documents, let out a heavy sigh as he watched his wife leave lightly and briskly.

Herina changed into a soft rose-colored dress and wore a wide-brimmed ivory hat, trimmed with lace slightly lighter than her dress.

“Madam, it’s been a while since you last met the Duchess of Nerita, hasn’t it?”

Benny tied the chinstrap of her hat and asked.

Herina nodded brightly.
“I’ve been busy with wedding preparations. During the wedding, I had no chance to talk to guests. I need to catch up now. She’s the only noble who treats me well.”

Though the phrasing wasn’t typical for a duchess, her choice of light words was endearing, and Benny chuckled.

“Then I’ll be off. If anything happens, send someone to the Nerita household. If someone comes looking for the duke, make sure to let me know.”

Benny nodded dutifully, though slightly puzzled by the extra instructions.