🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter : 37
“Were you concerned?”
Agatha looked up at Enoch quietly.
Should she say yes? Or no?
Agatha hadn’t decided yet. Lately, their relationship had been as harmonious as a couple in a love marriage—but that was all there was to it.
They shared a bedroom, coordinated their schedules to have meals together, shared fabrics, and there was a subtle tension between them—but that was all.
Moreover, this wasn’t the right moment to talk about such things. Her rational mind was aware of the attention that poured in from around them, though everyone acted as if nothing was happening.
The emperor and empress, the crown prince, key ministers of each department, even nobles—all eyes were on them.
Even outside the stairs, it seemed as if they were enjoying the ball, but all eyes were focused on them.
Agatha smiled as if she had painted the scene herself.
“I told you. I came because there was no word from the person who said they’d be back shortly.”
“…….”
“Now that the matter is settled, I’ll be going.”
Agatha walked gracefully down the stairs, passing Enoch. Her outward appearance remained as usual, but her heart was in turmoil.
It was a relief to know he had no feelings for his former fiancée.
Yet, she seemed shocked by her own thoughts about their relationship that had arisen during this process.
She didn’t understand why.
At first, being alone seemed fine, and she had been happy to enjoy a sweet, peaceful life.
As she descended, Agatha used just her gaze to disperse the gathering nobles.
When she approached the couch, Iris and the other attendants, who had looked slightly startled, greeted her with smiles.
“You’re back, Lady Agatha.”
“Yes, I’m back. Has anything happened while I was away?”
“Not at all. Everything was peaceful here, as always.”
The attendants and nobles who understood the warning embedded in the conversation naturally diverted their attention away from Agatha.
By the time her surroundings had settled, her previously heated mind had cooled.
Unlike before, Agatha did not glance at Enoch.
The gaze that had been focused on his usual, unchanging appearance dispersed, though some still lingered.
The relatives of the Nobillis and a few unfamiliar faces.
Agatha, who had been silent, finally spoke.
“Rumors will spread, won’t they?”
Lady Iris, standing nearby, fanned herself lightly and gave a faint nod.
“It’s not strange since the young lady made a move on that side. Of course, since this concerns Lady Agatha Nobillis, it will attract a lot of attention.”
“That’s within expectations.”
“Of course. Madam Chalette and I will manage it smoothly.”
Lady Iris Domunia and Madam Chalette, who had been summoned, smiled gently.
Although society might buzz about this rare gossip, it would quickly die down if there was no further reaction.
A short while later, a servant quietly approached Agatha near the drapery.
“Marchioness Aratus, the Marquis requests your presence.”
“For what reason?”
“It seems he overindulged slightly. He wants to return early and wishes to know your thoughts.”
Agatha’s gaze finally turned toward the royal staircase. Enoch, who had been near the platform, was bowing to His Majesty and rising from his seat.
“Prepare the carriage. We will return together.”
“Yes, Marchioness.”
Agatha stood with an apologetic smile to those seated around her.
“I must be going now. See you at the royal ball tomorrow.”
“It’s a pity, but we’ll see you then. We look forward to tomorrow.”
“Farewell, Lady Agatha.”
From Lady Iris Domunia to Lady Kate Ebraine, Lady Vanessa Beatrice, Countess Cecilia Cameron, and Madam Chalette, Agatha greeted them lightly before leaving Asagrat Hall.
The First Deputy, Sir Leon Tacran, and the Aratus knights were waiting at the hall entrance after receiving her summons.
“You’re out, my lady.”
“And him?”
“My lord has already boarded the carriage. We’ll escort you there.”
The carriage was waiting at the palace entrance below the stairs. Escorted by Sir Leon, she descended, and the coachman opened the carriage door.
Inside, illuminated faintly by lantern light and moonlight, sat Enoch. She took a seat across from him, and Leon closed the door.
Thud.
“We’ll depart.”
The moment the footsteps faded, Enoch spoke.
“Were you upset because of Lady Liras?”
“No.”
She was slightly irritated, but not because of that young lady.
What unsettled Agatha was something more fundamental.
She was his wife and lived happily—but
“Is this really the end?”
Her heart fluttered, wishing there could be more.
As Agatha’s gaze dropped, a quiet voice filled the carriage.
“I’d prefer if you didn’t avoid my gaze.”
“Uh…?”
Raising her head, she saw him staring at her ever since she had boarded.
“So I understand it’s not Lady Liras. Perhaps it influenced your mood slightly, but we’ll leave that aside.”
He was still perceptive.
“What has made you upset? There’s too little I can guess, and I’m confused.”
“…What do you think it is?”
After a brief silence, he added,
“Are you disappointed that I have a past?”
This time, Agatha was at a loss for words.
By that logic, she had six ex-husbands. In the aristocratic world, where engagements and marriages occurred from childhood, Enoch having a past was nothing compared to hers.
Had she looked jealous?
Her ears flushed slightly.
“Absolutely not. It’s just… dealing with Lady Liras made me reflect on something…”
“Then it must be something related to me.”
“….”
He approached silently, gently lifting her cheek with his hand.
“Don’t avoid my gaze.”
In his darkened eyes, her violet eyes shimmered. Bending close, he asked,
“Tell me, Agatha. If neither my former fiancée nor my past is the problem, what has unsettled your heart?”
The scent of deep wine and his imposing frame seemed to swallow the lantern and moonlight.
Agatha opened her mouth before she realized it.
“You’ve respected me perfectly as your wife. You protect me more than safely from any danger.”
Her dry throat swallowed, and her lips moved again.
“What would you do if I wished for something more?”
The man paused, opening his mouth just as she spoke first.
“I want you to like me.”
“…!”
“As I like you.”
Enoch’s eyes shook violently. Seeing him say nothing, her hopeful expression twisted painfully.
“Just… that’s all.”
The carriage stopped. Agatha opened the door herself and stepped outside. The approaching butlers, Sir Leon, the knights, and attendants were all startled.
“My lady?”
“I need to wash up.”
Agatha didn’t look back. She didn’t see the man left alone in the carriage, pressing his forehead with a tense expression.
I want you to like me.
I wish Lord Enoch would like me.
The voice from her confession just now overlapped with the long-buried memory. His expression also twisted painfully.
That night, Enoch did not seek out Agatha. For the first time since their honeymoon, they slept apart.
After the Aratus Marquis couple left,
Asagrat Hall, where the royal ball was held, burned with the quiet excitement of nobles.
“Indeed, Agatha Nobillis. She crushed that foolish scheme in one blow.”
“Even if the Marquis was alone, could she have done that with someone beside him? No wonder Count Liras acted that way.”
“It’s surprising. I thought she’d leave that to her husband, yet she intervened herself.”
Before the gossip turned negative, a gentle voice spoke.
“She probably thought Lady Agatha had to respond since it was the young lady, not the count.”
“Oh, Lady Domunia.”
It was Iris Domunia, Agatha’s closest ally and friend.
“Had it been the count, I think Lady Agatha would have watched quietly.”
“Indeed. The count did use a petty trick.”
“His Majesty also made a remark about Count Liras, right?”
“Yes, yes. Honestly, why did he do that?”
Led by Lady Domunia, Agatha’s faction subtly shifted the mood of the hall.
Of course, a few perceptive nobles noticed that Agatha Nobillis had acted unusually and adjusted their responses accordingly.
Outwardly, the rumor was that Agatha had scolded the Liras family for their audacity.
Secretly, whispers suggested that Agatha Nobillis and Enoch Aratus’s relationship was far from ordinary, stirring sensitive reactions among some—especially the Aratus family’s relatives.
