TVOWW 03

Chapter 3 – Why Is This Man on My Bed
2021.12.10

My body flinched when my wrist was grabbed.
Yohan’s lingering gaze slowly traced from my eyes, to my nose, to my lips, before returning to my eyes again. Stiff with tension, I could barely breathe as I looked back at him.
But the words that came out of his mouth were nothing like what I had expected.

“Don’t wipe it.”

“…What?”

“You don’t look well right now.”

Yohan slowly bent his knees so he could meet my gaze where I sat.

“Did you eat something that didn’t agree with you?”

The sudden sense of reality washed over me, and the tension in my body loosened.

Ah… This isn’t Libertan.

It seemed I had momentarily lost my composure because of the oppressive training I’d undergone in Libertan. That’s how frightening ingrained habits could be. My cool reason finally returned to me.

Right… there’s no way this man would speak like the Libertans.

It wasn’t that Yohan was a particularly understanding person, unlike the Duke and Duchess of Libertan. He was simply trying to seduce me in order to get revenge.
A man like that wouldn’t shout at me or intimidate me for no reason.

“I’m sorry for showing such a poor state on the first day.”

After carefully choosing my words, I spoke slowly.

“When I’m tired, there are certain foods that don’t sit well with me. I guess today happened to be one of those days.”

“Does it happen often?”

“Not often… I think I just got nervous without realizing it.”

His long fingers smoothed down my hair, brushing lightly against my ear in a teasing, ambiguous touch that left a strange heat behind.

Now I see why people were fooled by him.

From his demeanor, it didn’t feel like he was dealing with a fake wife he planned to toy with and throw away.
When he leaned in close, my whole body tensed again. His lazy voice asked,

“So, there was nothing wrong with the food?”

“Yes. In fact, it was so delicious it surprised me.”

Right now, I had to be cautious with everything I said or did.

I don’t want the Duke’s chef to get in trouble when it’s not their fault.

Honestly, I didn’t want to be the duchess who arrived and immediately caused trouble for the staff—especially since everyone in the Blanchet duchy already had enough reasons to dislike me.

Isn’t there a way to just smooth this over?

I smiled sweetly and cut a small piece of the Eleon Berry Cake I had been eating with another fork, then held it out to him.

“Here, try it. It’s really delicious.”

Yohan looked at me with an unreadable expression before opening his mouth to accept the bite.

“…Not bad.”

“Right? It’s good.”

It wasn’t even a cake I made myself, but I felt oddly proud and ended up smiling brightly.

After dinner, Estelle got up to return to her room. Somehow, she seemed genuinely happy just from feeding him that cake.

“Well then, I’ll go now.”

She had already walked to the door when she suddenly ran back to him, the pink ribbon in her hair fluttering.
Fidgeting with her fingers, her pale cheeks flushed as she spoke.

“I enjoyed dinner today. Let’s have dinner together again next time.”

Even after she left, Yohan kept thinking about the shy smile she’d given him.
He glanced at the leftover cake she’d brought, scooped up a bit of the cream with his finger, and licked it. It was exactly as expected—sweet cream, nothing more, nothing less.

But… this isn’t the same taste.

Of course, the flavor couldn’t have changed in such a short time, but it felt different from when she’d fed it to him.

…It must be my imagination.

Still, several things were nagging at him.

‘S-sorry… I…’

Her face had gone pale with fear, her voice trembling faintly with anxiety. Her hands, quickly wiping the cream from her dress with a white handkerchief, had even seemed… desperate.

Why did she say that?

It had felt off from the moment she was served the cake—Eleon Berry Cake, the same one all members of the Libertan ducal family supposedly enjoyed.
The spies had reported that Estelle, as their adopted daughter, also loved it, and it was a staple dessert at family meals. That was why the cake had been served tonight—to make her feel at home.

If it’s something she likes, it should put her at ease.

But when she first received the cake, her eyes had flickered ever so slightly. It wasn’t the reaction of someone seeing a familiar and comforting dessert.

Is that how a beloved daughter would react?

Especially when she said she wasn’t feeling well—it was strange. A typical noble lady would have demanded an apology from whoever served the offending dish.

‘Yes. In fact, it was so delicious it surprised me.’

Instead, Estelle had praised it and tried to let it go quietly.

I don’t understand.

Sitting in his office, Yohan reread the spies’ reports and asked Erich,

“Erich. These reports… they’re accurate, right?”

“They’re from the spies we planted in Libertan.”

[The Duke and Duchess of Libertan doted on Estelle so much that unless a servant had earned significant trust, they weren’t allowed near her.]
[It’s believed that the sudden and extravagant spending of the Libertans was due to Estelle Libertan.]
[Her annual allowance for maintaining appearances exceeded even that of the Duchess of Libertan.]
[For their weekly family dinner, they always shared Estelle’s favorite—Eleon Berry Cake.]

“Yes, every detail has been confirmed multiple times.”

The Libertans had been a wealthy ducal house—fertile lands, highly profitable gem mines.
Their downfall hadn’t been solely because of Yohan’s schemes.
At some point, their once-plentiful funds had completely dried up—due in large part to massive donations to the temple. It wasn’t surprising, considering the temple had played a huge role in framing the Blanchets for treason.

Erich adjusted his glasses and asked,

“May I ask why you’re suddenly questioning the reports?”

“My wife’s behavior was… strange.”

“Strange how?”

“I think she might be allergic to Eleon berries.”

Allergies to Eleon berries were rare, and their symptoms differed from typical allergies. At first, the person would simply appear fatigued, then later develop a fever. It was easily mistaken for a mild illness.
Yohan knew this because his childhood nanny had suffered from it.

Could it be that she didn’t even realize she was allergic?

Perhaps she’d overexerted herself, eager to prove herself as his wife. But even that wasn’t normal behavior.

Erich frowned and objected,

“So you’re saying she knew she was allergic and still ate the whole cake?”

“Most likely.”

“That’s a stupid act.”

Erich sneered as though Estelle were right in front of him.

“Did she think showing such a pitiful sight would make you feel sorry for her?”

Yohan leaned back in his chair, answering calmly,

“I can’t guess her intentions.”

“Perhaps she thought no one in Blanchet knew she used to enjoy Eleon berries, so she could pretend to like them even with an allergy…”

Yohan’s lips tightened slightly at that, though the change was so subtle even he might not have noticed. Erich, however, continued heatedly,

“Blood relation or not, Libertan is Libertan. To think such a ploy could change anything…”

“Enough.”

Erich’s gray-blue eyes widened in surprise. But Yohan’s expression remained indifferent, as always.

“Jumping to conclusions without evidence is dangerous.”

“…Yes.”

“In any case, her behavior doesn’t fully align with the reports—whether she was acting or not.”

“…That’s true.”

Reluctantly, Erich nodded. He realized he might have been overly harsh simply because she was the daughter of the Libertans he hated.

As expected of my master.

If anyone in the world hated the Libertans more than Erich, it was Yohan Blanchet. Yet even with the daughter of his enemies before him, Yohan remained coldly rational.
It was a reminder of why this man had managed to rebuild a duchy destroyed by false treason charges.

“I’ll contact the spies to verify the facts from before the Libertans were charged with treason.”

After Erich left, the office fell into a dim, heavy silence. Yohan’s desk, always immaculate, seemed unusually large today.

‘Here, try it. It’s really delicious.’

That innocent voice overlapped with the warm, hazy memories of the family he’d lost long ago. His grip tightened unconsciously.
Yohan’s gaze drifted to Estelle’s portrait atop the reports. In it, she smiled faintly, as though looking at him.

“Estelle Libertan…”

His long fingers brushed across the painted curve of her lips.
If there were too many uncertainties, all he had to do was remove them one by one—until she gave him a genuine reaction. He had plenty of ways to make that happen.

Back in my room, I flopped onto the bed with relief.

I never thought I’d be so glad to see this room.

Truthfully, it wasn’t a particularly nice room. It wasn’t that the furniture was bad, but with everything—furniture, curtains—done in black, the atmosphere felt rather eerie.

Still, it’s nice to finally have my own space.

In Libertan, I’d never truly had my own room.
I had a private room as a noble lady by title, but it wasn’t mine. I was never alone—servants always hovered nearby, watching me.

Not like I could have escaped anywhere anyway.

Sometimes they’d nitpick for absurd reasons, and I’d lose sleep because of it. That was why this quiet solitude felt like rest itself.

Staring absentmindedly out the window, I hugged my pillow.

I did okay today, right?

I hadn’t exactly earned any points, but I didn’t think I’d made any big mistakes either. Dropping the fork had been a slip, but I’d managed to cover it well enough.

Let’s just keep making small efforts like this.

My situation still seemed hopeless, but compared to life in Libertan, I felt much more at ease.

Knock, knock.

A knock sounded at the door.

“Betty?”

But the person who stepped in was Yohan. In the original story, he was a man who rarely came unless it was something important—after all, the scheming Yohan wasn’t the type to act directly.

What on earth is he here for?

Blinking wide-eyed, I sat up and looked at him.
He shrugged casually.

“Am I making you uncomfortable by showing up suddenly?”

The top button of his shirt was undone, and his relaxed attire somehow made his languid aura even stronger.
Shaking my head, I replied,

“I was a little surprised, but I’m fine.”

Actually, I was very surprised—but maybe it was better to show my flustered honesty than to pretend composure.

“So, what brings the Duke to my room?”

“It’s your first day here.”

He asked in a tone full of concern,

“Nothing’s been bothering you, has it?”

“No. Everything’s fine. Thank you for checking on me.”

“No need to thank me—it’s only natural as your husband.”

If I didn’t know we hadn’t even registered the marriage, his voice could have fooled me completely.
He came closer, sitting on the edge of the bed with a sweet smile.

Each time this cold-faced man smiled, the shift in atmosphere made my heart race.

Then he leaned back against the bed as if relaxing.

Startled, I blurted out,

“Why are you suddenly on my bed…?”

“Suddenly?”

He looked at me curiously.

“Isn’t it normal for a married couple to share a room?”

“Well, yes, but… I was told this was my room.”

“That’s right—it’s your room.”

He chuckled.

“And there’s no reason I can’t share my wife’s room, is there?”

With Yohan’s presence, the cozy atmosphere of the bedroom shifted into one filled with tension.
Maybe it was just my imagination, but I could feel heat rising to my head.