Chapter 11
“What do you mean, you met the Duke by chance?”
Since Ethan had his back turned, Adele walked over, draped the shawl over her shoulders from the sofa, and closed the window she had opened.
“He said he was inspecting the canal facilities. We happened to run into each other there.”
“That was… a coincidence?”
“If you’re worried I might’ve said something strange to the Duke…”
“That’s not it.”
“Well, that’s a relief then.”
Ethan’s increasingly unreadable attitude felt strange, but Adele replied nonchalantly. Other than the Duke arriving a day earlier than planned, it had been an ordinary day.
“Did the Duke… say anything else?”
“Anything else? No. We both got soaked the moment we met, so we went straight back to the mansion.”
“Soaked?”
Adele intended to stand until the conversation ended, but she was far too tired. Shivering from the chill, she kicked off her slippers and sat at the edge of the bed. Her white nightgown rode up slightly, exposing her ankles in the moonlight.
Startled at the word “soaked,” Ethan turned to look at her—and was momentarily captivated by the sight of her ankle glistening under the moonlight as if it were glowing.
“What do you mean, soaked?”
“Well… Water suddenly burst out. But don’t worry. The Duke didn’t blame us. He just let it go.”
Adele yawned softly and tried to tuck her feet under the blanket. In that moment, Ethan instinctively stepped forward and grabbed her ankle. It was a reflex—he didn’t want her ankle to disappear from his sight.
The moment he touched her, the air in the room changed. Both of them froze, their eyes locked. Adele couldn’t quite understand his actions, but she assumed he’d soon let go and step back.
But Ethan didn’t retreat. His hand slid up from her ankle to her calf.
Though Adele had no experience, she could tell this was a signal—a gesture of desire from a husband toward his wife.
“Ethan…”
He gently pressed her knee with his thumb and leaned closer. Her heart pounded so loudly it felt like the sound might fill the quiet room.
The situation was overwhelming.
Their lips were about to meet—for the first time since that suffocating kiss on their wedding night.
Ethan slowly tilted his head, eyes fixed on hers without blinking.
But then, Adele heard it.
〈Anna, Anna, my Anna…〉
Suddenly terrified, she turned her head away sharply. Ethan froze mid-motion.
“Adele…”
Her name, spoken by him, carried a flood of complex emotions. But the one more shocked at that moment wasn’t Ethan—it was Adele.
She quickly tried to recover, attempting to wrap her arms around his neck to apologize, to say she was simply startled.
But her hand on the sheet wouldn’t move.
“I’m sorry, Count. I’m just a little tired tonight…”
When she felt his hand release her knee a moment later, Adele breathed a sigh of relief.
She understood that accepting her husband as a woman should might be expected at any moment. But having been rejected and mistreated her whole life, Adele had learned one thing: no matter the pressure, she would never force herself to do what she didn’t want to do.
‘Maybe that’s why I’ll never be loved…’
Even filled with sad self-pity, she couldn’t bring herself to look at him again.
“Rest, then.”
Even when Ethan straightened his clothes with a sharp pat, she avoided his gaze. Soon, the sound of his footsteps approached the door. Then it suddenly stopped.
“Tomorrow… I want you to help Anna a bit. She doesn’t know anything about the canal facilities, so guide her as best you can.”
Adele didn’t answer, but Ethan left anyway.
Once the door closed behind him, Adele exhaled deeply and lifted her head. Her heart was pounding so hard her head hurt. She shook her head to clear her thoughts.
If Susan found out Adele had rejected Ethan, she would sigh from morning till night, too polite to criticize her lady outright.
But what could she do, even if she was pathetic?
Love was for people who had been loved before.
Mocking herself, Adele buried her face in the pillow and fell into sleep, tears soaking the pillowcase.
The location Adele selected for the inspection was the most difficult site where she had installed the canal facilities.
The ground was filled with stones and a low hill with alternating slopes made construction very challenging. It was the last site completed and required considerable effort.
She believed that if Jacques understood the system installed here, it could be implemented across much of the empire.
When the terrain became too rough for carriages, everyone disembarked and continued on foot.
Adele stood slightly apart from the group and looked at the Duke. She had dreamed about him all night. In her dream, he had held a portrait of her and sobbed like a child, covered in blood.
She kept seeing that image over the man who now looked so immense, like a mountain. It was hard to look away.
But the dream was so foggy, like mist—it refused to come into focus.
Jacques soon approached Anna Stone for an explanation. As she drew close beside him, he tilted his head curiously and held out his hand.
She blinked prettily, confused by his gesture. Then, realizing, she hesitantly placed her hand on his—as if expecting a kiss on the back of it.
Jacques gave a slight laugh—just as Ethan stepped between them.
“My apologies.”
“No need. Expecting a commoner to understand noble etiquette is too much.”
Then he turned to Adele and extended his hand again.
She recognized the meaning behind it and clasped his hand. This wasn’t a ballroom or parlor—it was a worksite. His handshake meant he wasn’t seeing her or Anna as women, but as professionals.
“After all, asking for a handshake from a lady also isn’t noble etiquette.”
He gripped her hand briefly and once again tilted his head curiously.
Then he turned back to Anna.
“But… can you inspect the site wearing that?”
“Pardon?”
The area around the canal was still full of mud and dust. The facilities hadn’t been fully cleaned or prepared yet.
Yet Anna wore a dress more suited for a banquet. It wasn’t overly ornate, but it was inappropriate for the setting. Had she been a maid in the estate for years, she might have made a better choice—but she had apparently wandered for the past decade.
“This way, Your Grace.”
Just then, Ethan stepped forward, distracting Jacques and beginning to lead him. As the Duke walked ahead, Ethan gave Adele a glance.
Adele understood—it was her cue to explain the facilities. She quickly followed behind.
“Where does this water come from?”
“Ah, th-that is…”
As expected, Anna couldn’t answer. Seeing this, Adele smoothly stepped between them.
“Your Grace, though it was Miss Anna Stone who originally conceived the system, there are areas I personally oversaw. This is one of them—may I explain it to you?”
Jacques raised an eyebrow but then shrugged. Adele took that as a yes and stepped closer.
“The water in this canal doesn’t come from a single source. We connected the canals from the nearest available water supplies. In this case, we drew water from a nearby noble’s estate.”
“Was there no opposition from the noble?”
“Well…”
When Adele hesitated, Jacques stopped walking.
“Well?”
“I didn’t ask for permission. That water doesn’t belong solely to the noble anyway.”
Jacques narrowed one eye—then burst out laughing.
After his father, the previous emperor, had suddenly died, the current emperor took the throne under suspicious circumstances. Everyone whispered about it but no one voiced their doubts. Thus, the new emperor was overly conscious of the nobles who had helped him gain power. If those who hadn’t supported him began to question his legitimacy, the throne could shake. As such, the empire had become a noble-centric era.
“You don’t care about noble pressure.”
“I care more about the people in the territory.”
Jacques chuckled and began walking again.
“Sometimes, you remind me of the Crown Princess…”
Adele didn’t reply, assuming it was just a passing thought. But she couldn’t help feeling good about being compared to her sister.
