Chapter 7
“What? I never did that.”
“Hmm…”
Titania scratched her cheek. “Never did that,” indeed.
“Earlier this month, on the 3rd, the Dowager gifted Princess Ludmila five dresses from ‘Rose Boutique’ and put the charges on the ducal family’s account. And now, Princess Ludmila has been staying at the ducal estate for 354 days, all of which have been billed to the ducal family’s budget.”
Ludmila and Dowager Victoria swallowed hard.
“All of that will be deducted from the Dowager’s budget.”
“What nonsense? Ludmila is a guest of the ducal estate! I have no reason to pay for that!”
Dowager Victoria trembled as she spoke, but Titania remained as rigid as a needlepoint, unmoved.
“Princess Ludmila is not a guest of the ducal estate, but a guest of the Dowager. It seems even less reasonable for the ducal family to pay for it.”
Dowager Victoria had no words left to argue with, and she trembled even more.
Titania turned away coldly. She felt she no longer needed to deal with these troublesome people. When would this marriage end, anyway?
She swallowed a bitter smile.
She was finally getting to do the things she couldn’t in her previous life. Titania had originally been a chemical engineering student. She had graduated from Seoul National University, even pursued a doctoral program, and wanted to work as a researcher. But her stepmother had blocked that path and pushed her into marriage.
Three marriages. All of them had been carried out according to her stepmother’s will.
Wasn’t it better to be able to do what she couldn’t in her past life, even if only here?
The Duke split his accompanying knights in half, promised additional pay to the ones he kept, and chose to return home early with the rest. The journey from the west to the estate was long and arduous, but for the Duke family’s warhorses, known to cover thousands of kilometers in a day, it was nothing. Soon, they would reach the capital.
Only now did the Duke feel the reward of riding without sleep.
The death of his old horse had delayed things somewhat. If it weren’t for the new horse his wife had sent, this tight schedule might have been impossible.
He had always wondered what kind of person she was.
They had only met occasionally at social gatherings, and even then, Titania barely attended.
When she did, she would sulk alone and leave quickly. Those who coveted the wealth of the Venice family tried tirelessly to approach her, but Titania cut them off with a single phrase:
“I’m too weak; I’ll be leaving now. Oh, my head…”
She always disappeared at the most inconvenient moment as if waiting for someone to speak to her, and she seemed oddly healthy, even deliberately staggering her body in a way that looked fun.
There was an unspoken rule in the social circles: if you wanted to gain her friendship, do not speak to her.
Seeing her, Fernandez wondered if Titania had become cynical due to people constantly pursuing her for her family’s prestige. That thought created a sense of kinship with Titania.
It was also the reason Fernandez accepted the Emperor’s command and agreed to this marriage.
Of course, Fernandez didn’t know that Titania’s apparent cynicism had nothing to do with her. She was always the first to flee social gatherings, worrying about the laboratory she left in chaos:
“Ugh… If only I had loosened that a bit more! I hope Mother didn’t clean it up.”
She never cared about the glances of other nobles, who were trying to muster the courage to speak to her.
Regardless, her behavior led Fernandez to misunderstand her, which piqued his curiosity.
He glanced at the yellow flags of the imperial palace in the distance. Soon, he would see the Duke estate.
He urged his horse onward, knowing that once he returned, a pile of work would be waiting due to three years of neglect. But he rode on anyway.
Even the kindest wife would eventually turn her back after three years.
He silently hoped that Titania would quickly calm down and face him.
Of course, he had no idea that she was not angry at all.
“…Milady?”
Sara watched Titania carefully as she picked up a basket.
“Where are you going now?”
“Hmm…! I thought I’d try preparing dinner tonight.”
Titania glanced at the basket full of dough and spoke as if puzzled by the question. Then she urged Sara to carry the rest of the baskets.
Chemistry and cooking were similar. Following formulas or recipes and adding ingredients accordingly, then making slight alterations to create something new, was fascinating.
Titania had always liked cooking, at least as far as her stepmother allowed.
Her degree had been nothing but a display for show.
Titania swallowed her past and urged Sara on.
“Carry these quickly.”
“Milady! Milady!”
Sara panted as she followed behind.
“Why are you in such a hurry? There’s still plenty of time until dinner…”
Titania replied in a serious tone as if there were nothing more important than this.
“Today we’re making Pané Cream Pasta. According to the recipe released by Rebecca, a chef who has recently reached the pinnacle of culinary skill, the dough for the Pané bread must be properly aged to achieve the ultimate flavor.”
Rebecca was the chef Titania now idolized. Only by following her recipes could one achieve perfection.
Titania had blossomed over the past three years, enjoying freedom in the ownerless Duke estate. According to letters exchanged between Sara and the Duchess, spring had also arrived at the Venice estate.
The position of heir, which Titania had vacated, returned to her cousin, but the Duchess showed no regret. Her letters radiated happiness.
The daughter who had shown no interest in marriage had completely overwhelmed the Duchess’s efforts.
Sara, dragged into the kitchen like entering a hellish mouth, spent two hours kneading bread, baking, and making pasta for the entire household.
The estate’s staff were unusual. Usually, chefs are proud and protective of their kitchens, rarely handing over their frying pans. Yet Titania swung the pan with authority, and the staff moved in perfect unison, their eyes shining with trust toward her.
Sara, who had known nothing of cooking, watched the pasta she had cooked reach a decent level and then turned her head toward Titania.
“Eek!”
“What? What is it?”
One chef had hurriedly asked, stopping mid-vegetable stir, worried for their precious, beautiful, and capable mistress.
Sara pressed her hands to her cheeks in despair.
“M-Milady, there’s flour on your dress! Aah!”
She screamed again.
The chef squinted, trying to see if Titania had spilled too much flour, but there was not a trace of it.
‘This person is not normal either,’ he thought, shaking his head before returning to work.
After various twists and turns, they finally had a peaceful dinner.
Forced by Sara, Titania trudged out of the kitchen to change her dress.
“This little thing… no one will notice.”
“Princess Ludmila or Dowager Victoria, eager to find fault with you, would notice, though.”
Better to change than deal with troublesome quibbles.
‘I wish we could dine separately, though.’
Noble etiquette was exhausting, Titania thought, shaking her head.
As she stepped out of the kitchen, a massive shadow fell over her.
Looking down at the floor, Titania’s shoe struck something solid and white. Slowly, she raised her head.
Sara’s panicked voice came from the side:
“M-M-M-Milady…! H-H-H-Hu-Hu-Hu!!”
What is she saying?
Titania frowned, lifting her head fully. After craning her neck, she finally saw the man in front of her. He had silver hair and pale sky-blue eyes. His scent was a mix of horse, wind, and sulfur.
Blinking, Titania asked,
“…Who are you?”
Those were the first words Titania ever spoke to her husband.
