TVRC 08

Chapter 08

Erkis was a man who unfailingly kept his word once he had spoken it. Leblanc knew that fact well. He had said that he would not love her, but that he would uphold the trust between husband and wife and would never betray her.

Countless couples bound by political marriages lived that way—relationships without affection, yet with fidelity. But that was not what Leblanc wanted. A bitter smile spread across her face.

I never thought you’d be thinking like this…

In her previous life, Erkis had never once shown such thoughts. Perhaps the reason she had been able to turn a blind eye to that uncomfortable truth was entirely thanks to his consideration. At the same time, a conversation they had once shared in the past suddenly flashed through her mind.

“I wish I’d met you earlier, Erkis. Then maybe I could’ve learned how to love sooner.”

“Well… it’s a little embarrassing to say this myself, but when I was young, I had a pretty awful personality. I was prickly, distrustful, and had a rather gloomy side. If we’d met earlier, Rive, you never would’ve married me.”

“What? No. I’m sure I would’ve loved you.”

“Really? I’m honored to hear that.”

A faint smile spread across Leblanc’s face at the memory of those happy days. It didn’t matter what kind of thoughts the young Erkis before her might have as he looked at her now. She was certain that she would fall in love with Erkis all over again.

Besides, this was Erkis Trisiban—the man with whom she had shared countless intimate moments and everything in life. To Leblanc, everything about Erkis lay open in the palm of her hand. Regaining her composure, she let out a small breath and asked in a firm voice,

“May I speak casually?”

“Yes, please do as you wish.”

At those words, Erkis’s hand, which had been cutting meat, stiffened ever so slightly. But Leblanc paid it no mind and continued.

“Erkis, listen carefully. I hate Arnetio more than anyone.”

“What do you mean by—”

“I’m not finished yet. I’ve spent my entire life resenting the name Arnetio, and I intend to tear it down completely in the future. I know that right now it’s hard to separate me from my family. If I were you, I would’ve hated me too.”

With every word she spoke, her heart throbbed painfully. Even as she saw the confusion filling Erkis’s face, she couldn’t stop herself.

“It’s fine if you hate me or resent me. If that makes you feel better, do so as much as you like. But don’t decide that you’ll never love me. Because one day, you definitely will.”

Leblanc’s eyes curved softly into crescents. Her relaxed demeanor and confident tone were more than enough to make Erkis’s face flush bright red. Like a tomato in peak season, Erkis awkwardly fidgeted and avoided her gaze.

“Are you… making fun of me?”

“No. I’m serious. Why would I tease you? Loving me is only natural. Or do I not seem attractive to you, Erkis?”

“No, Countess. You’re beaut—beautiful… ah…”

Only then did Erkis realize he’d blurted out his true thoughts. He hastily covered his mouth with one hand.

For someone who had barely ever spoken with even an ordinary woman, let alone a beauty, Leblanc’s relentless advances were enough to turn his mind completely blank. Only after gulping down several mouthfuls of cold water did he finally regain his usual complexion.

“I understand what you mean.”

“Oh, and about us consummating the marriage.”

“Pfft!”

“Are you okay?”

Erkis, who had just taken another sip of water, choked and coughed several times. Flustered, he covered his face with a napkin and nodded belatedly to indicate he was fine.

“There’s no need to rush it. I think it’d be better to take our time and move slowly. What do you think, Erkis?”

In truth, even in her previous life, it had taken quite a long time before she and Erkis consummated their marriage. He had waited patiently until she, emotionally unstable at the time, fully opened her heart. Leblanc wanted to return that consideration in kind.

Well… I do feel a bit guilty, too…

Her gaze swept over her young husband sitting before her. There had been a three-year age gap in her previous life, and the same was true in this one. So why did she feel so indecent? If she so much as kissed the Erkis before her, she felt like she’d need to lock herself up in confinement.

Leblanc was taller than most women her age, while Erkis had grown more slowly than his peers. Perhaps that was why.

When she looked at young Erkis, rather than tender, warm love, the first thing she felt was that he was adorable. She sincerely wished for him to grow up as soon as possible and return to the 모습 he’d had in the past.

But contrary to her expectations, Erkis’s reaction was somewhat lukewarm.

“I see… Have I been cast aside?”

“Huh?”

“There’s no way someone like me would look like a man in your eyes, Countess. I won’t mind if you keep a concubine. Ah—do you already have one…?”

“No, no, no! That’s not it! A concubine? Absolutely not!”

Where on earth had he learned such a wicked word? Startled, Leblanc waved both hands vigorously in denial. At her firm reaction, Erkis nodded as if he understood.

“So you don’t have one yet.”

“And I never will!”

“Never?”

“Of course. My partner is you, Erkis.”

Erkis frowned slightly, as though he couldn’t quite understand. Not keeping a concubine—those words sounded as though she truly intended to treat him like a real husband. This had been a political marriage, and just moments ago he’d said something sharp—that he couldn’t love her.

He’d meant that they would live strictly as husband and wife on paper. He had even braced himself for the possibility that those words would hurt her pride, perhaps even wound her, and that their relationship might sour because of it.

Yet Leblanc spoke of hating Arnetio, declared that he would come to love her, and even said she would never take a concubine. It was as if she were sincere about this marriage. Erkis couldn’t understand her at all. She was nothing like the image of Leblanc he’d imagined.

He, too, was well aware of the rumors about the Arnetio noblewoman—someone who avoided people, was dull in some way, inferior to her younger brother Regasian, a sluggish, worm-like woman with a cold, frigid temperament who treated those around her harshly.

But the real Leblanc Arnetio before him was the complete opposite. Every word she spoke brimmed with confidence, and her gaze as she looked at him was relaxed and composed. That bold tone and attitude—there wasn’t a trace of the rumors to be found.

So rumors really can’t be trusted.

Erkis pushed a small piece of meat into his mouth. Unbeknownst to him, the tips of his ears were already burning red. At the very least, he thought, this married life might not be as terrible as he had imagined. A faint smile spread across his lips.

“Hmm… this is more serious than I thought.”

The next day, in the office of the Peronto territory. Sitting at her desk, Leblanc had spent the entire morning reviewing documents related to the management of the domain. The middle-aged man seated across from her let out a deep sigh. He was Phern, the administrator who had overseen the Peronto territory until now and also served as the head steward of the estate.

“With the budget we were given, this was the limit. I asked the Duke several times to reorganize the budget, but he always refused. At this point, merely maintaining the mansion is all we can manage.”

“Of course. In truth, Berti was the one who handled the overall budget. There’s no way she would’ve sat by and watched my mother’s domain prosper. Still, it’s remarkable that you’ve managed to keep things running without major issues on such a small budget. Only you could’ve done this, Phern. You’ve worked hard.”

“Countess…”

Phern’s eyes filled with tears. The only reason he had remained in the Peronto territory—neglected and all but abandoned by the ducal family—was his affection for this place. When Leblanc’s mother, Rayana, had still been alive, the Peronto estate had been far warmer.

Rayana had loved the Peronto territory dearly, to the point that she had even spent her vacation here while heavily pregnant with Leblanc. But after Rayana passed away and the territory fell completely into Arnetio’s hands, the budget allocated to it steadily shrank. As operations grew more difficult, people gradually began to leave.

All the present-day Peronto territory had was a population of fewer than a hundred, one aging mansion, a single platoon of soldiers, and overgrown nature untouched by human hands.

Without a word, Leblanc stared intently at the single sheet of paper listing all of this.