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Chapter 09
Lizbet stared at him blankly, and Calix spoke with a slightly bashful expression.
“It’s been a while since I’ve dressed like this…”
“……”
“……My lady? Does it look strange?”
He usually wore his knight commander’s uniform, and that had been the case when he visited the ducal estate before as well.
It wasn’t that the uniform didn’t suit him, but it prioritized practicality over style, so it was rather plain.
But what he was wearing now…
A deep navy shirt wrapped around his solid upper body, an ornate collar chain, and a light jacket adorned with a splendid snowflake-shaped brooch.
So Calix is the type who suits something flashy…
His blue eyes shimmered in various hues depending on the angle of the light.
“As expected of a knight, you have an excellent physique! The fit is wonderful, hoho! With such handsome features, anything matches you well! You’re truly rewarding to dress up!”
The madam busily showered him with sales compliments, but Lizbet was no longer listening.
She finally thought she understood his reaction.
As if entranced, Lizbet parted her lips.
“It’s very…”
Calix furrowed his brow slightly and stared at her mouth, as if unwilling to miss a single word.
“Pretty.”
That was all she could say.
Having unexpectedly overspent at the dress shop, Lizbet headed home with a carriage filled to the brim with parcels.
Not to the Armiersha Ducal Estate, but to the Payon Marquessate.
After receiving notice from the master of the house, the head butler hurried out to the entrance to greet them.
“Your Excellency the Marquess—huff—and Lady Armiersha as well…! I had no idea you would be coming!”
The butler, not even having time to straighten his disheveled attire, spoke in a flustered tone.
Lizbet, who had been staring at him blankly, looked at Calix as if demanding an explanation.
After a brief silence, Calix spoke awkwardly.
“Since His Majesty the Emperor granted me this estate… I haven’t visited very often.”
“How often is ‘not very often’?”
“About three or four times.”
It had been about a year since he received the estate, which meant he had only come once every three months or so.
No wonder the butler finds his master unfamiliar.
It also meant Calix had practically neglected the estate.
Lizbet looked around the marquessate.
It’s not bad.
Marquess Payon, a war hero. The estate personally bestowed upon him by the Emperor was splendid enough to match his reputation.
An elegant, antique mansion with a refined exterior. Judging by the building alone, one would never guess that the marquessate was a newly established noble house.
And it’s close to the imperial palace… That must mean they intend to make frequent use of Calix.
In other words, they meant to summon him often and work him hard.
Guessing at the Emperor’s intentions, Lizbet continued exploring the estate.
Naturally, Calix trailed after her, and the butler followed behind them anxiously.
“How many servants are currently employed here?”
Lizbet asked as she watched two servants carrying the clothing from the carriage.
The butler answered promptly.
“Myself, a stable hand, a gardener, and a cook.”
“…That’s all? Who attends to you personally?”
“His Excellency has never given such an order…”
Which meant there were no proper household attendants—not even a single maid.
Lizbet looked at Calix in disbelief.
Calix tilted his head, then seemed to realize something and exclaimed softly.
“Come to think of it, if my lady stays at the estate, we’ll need maids.”
“Y-You mean… Lady Armiersha will be staying… here?!”
“Butler, hire as many people as necessary. Conduct thorough background checks.”
“Yes, Your Excellency.”
Even as he answered, the butler looked as though he could hardly believe that Lizbet would be moving into this estate.
Surely he hasn’t failed to hear the scandal spreading throughout the capital.
Normally, anyone would assume that Calix would move into Armiersha instead.
The butler of the Payon household had clearly assumed the same.
Shrugging, Lizbet revealed the truth.
“Our wedding with Calix will also take place here.”
“…Pardon?!”
“Not the main ceremony—just the reception. Since there’s a grand hall, I’m thinking of using that.”
“……”
“So you’d best get to work quickly.”
A competent butler should be able to prepare such matters within a reasonable time.
The butler staggered under the sudden workload that had dropped on him like a thunderbolt, then hurried off, saying he would begin immediately.
After touring the rest of the estate, Lizbet sat on a swing bench set up in the garden.
The swing ropes were tied to a large tree.
Surely Calix hadn’t installed it; perhaps it had been made by the estate’s former owner.
Lizbet smiled faintly.
“We had something like this when we were children.”
Dandelions filled the surrounding area.
“Calix, look at this!”
“Lizbet, you’ll get hurt running like that.”
A young girl running about, blowing white dandelion seeds into the air.
A young boy trailing after her.
As Lizbet recalled those distant-feeling days, she gently pushed the swing with her foot. It creaked as it swayed back and forth.
Calix watched her and smiled as well.
“You remember.”
“Of course.”
“It must feel even more distant to you than to me.”
Since she was living her life for the second time, those days indeed felt farther away to Lizbet.
She nodded.
“Yes. But you know, Calix.”
“Yes.”
“I think I liked myself best back then.”
Lizbet looked down at the dandelions, then suddenly lifted her gaze to him.
Calix stood a little away from the swing, his blue eyes shining brightly under the sunlight.
“Or maybe… I just liked it because you were there.”
“……”
“That’s just how it feels right now.”
As she looked into his eyes, Lizbet felt a cold corner of her heart gradually warming.
Like a spot bathed in sunlight.
Perhaps the reason those childhood days—long gone—felt so nostalgic was because the person who had shared them with her was standing right beside her.
At first, I only meant to use Calix…
But the more time she spent with him, the more sparkling emotions overlaid his face in her mind.
As those feelings grew clearer, Lizbet found herself gazing at him with a strange tenderness.
While she silently held his gaze, Calix slightly lifted the corners of his lips and spoke.
“I feel the same.”
“……”
“I was happy because you were there.”
Though the marquessate’s garden had been neglected, it was still beautiful—a testament to the gardener’s professionalism despite the absence of its master.
Lizbet stopped swinging and spoke abruptly.
“Do you remember when you proposed to me at eight?”
“…I did? To you, my lady?”
“Yes.”
The boy had held out a flower ring, his face bright red as he said:
“Lizbet, let’s get married! I’ll make you happy, I promise!”
“Dummy. Do you even know what marriage is?”
“It’s staying together forever with someone you like! And I like you!”
As Lizbet chuckled at the memory, Calix nodded with a serious expression.
“I had always thought you were the one who proposed to me first.”
“……”
“So you were merely answering my proposal.”
“……Calix, there’s something I need to say about this marriage.”
Lizbet spoke calmly.
“You’re only involved in this because of my request.”
“Yes.”
“So you’re not marrying me out of love.”
“……”
“Once we’ve finished our revenge against the First Prince, I’ll let you do whatever you want. Divorce, if that’s what you wish. If you want compensation, you may demand it.”
The Armiersha family, who had built their house upon faith in a sacred and absolute deity, regarded marriage as something holy.
And love was the very first emotion sworn in that sacred rite.
Calix quietly turned her words over in his mind.
Love. Divorce. Compensation…
“It’s fine if you take a lover during the marriage. There’s no need to mind me.”
“……”
“Take back the honor you’ve given me. We’re just…”
“……”
“Friends cooperating for revenge, aren’t we?”
“…Do you truly think that?”
He finally spoke, as though he could no longer endure it—determined to stop her misunderstanding before it went any further.
He pressed her with the question.
