DLYTL 25

Chapter – 25

For some reason, Psyche felt that her husband had changed a little recently.

It wasn’t a huge change.

Perhaps it had started after he had been seen by Seira at the duel grounds.

At first, it was only that he would show his face briefly whenever Psyche invited Mia and Seira—or just Mia—over to the house, and then leave.

Next, when Psyche was walking through the rose garden talking with Mia, she sensed someone watching her. She looked up and saw him at the window of his study, watching them.

Even their mealtimes had shifted slightly.

Meals with Icali had rarely been more than once or twice a week. But now, he appeared reliably for dinner.

The sudden change was disconcerting, and the atmosphere was a little awkward, so the meal didn’t go down easily—but it wasn’t as tense as when they had fought in the Huliam family salon.

Had this been her past life, before taking the blame for treason, she might have felt her heart race and her spirits lift at the thought of getting closer to him.

“What on earth is going on?”

Even minor changes felt magnified.

Why had his attitude shifted?

Psyche recalled calling his name a few days ago under the shade of the ancient tree.

And the promise to act as a married couple in front of others.

“Could it really be because of that?”

While Psyche was lost in thought, Mia came to visit.

“You come by so often, I brought a special gift today,” she said.

“A gift? Just having you visit is enough for me,” Psyche replied softly, smiling as she greeted Mia and Seira.

After the incident in the salon, Mia had brought rare teas or pastries to keep Psyche company, knowing she might feel uncomfortable attending major events.

Time spent with Mia was precious and comforting to Psyche.

Perhaps because they had both married into foreign families, Mia treated Psyche—over ten years her senior—like a younger cousin.

Seira would occasionally come along, but if Icali was rarely out or too busy to visit, Mia would come alone and leave early.

Seira said that on days she didn’t visit the duke’s residence, she would roam the balls and banquets until late at night, meeting people far and wide.

“Did you make many acquaintances at the ball? I’m curious how it was,” Psyche asked.

She invited both of them into the parlor to have tea together.

With the windows wide open, the room was filled with the scent of flowers.

Seira sipped her tea with a slightly tired expression.

“Well, the men in the Empire were worse than I expected,” she said.

“Really?”

“If they seemed decent, they were either already engaged or married.”

For some reason, she wanted to marry an Imperial man within the year.

Perhaps she wanted to follow in her aunt’s footsteps, marrying a marquis and fitting properly into Imperial society.

Mia tried to reassure her niece that there was no reason to rush into marriage. Seira only pouted.

Psyche smiled at her, finding her cute.

“Then, instead of the ball, can you tell me about Nixen? Or maybe the Sherman family? I don’t know much about Nixen, so I’m curious.”

“It’s really a small and boring kingdom. Even though we hold the title of count, there’s nothing remarkable to boast about.”

Psyche was momentarily taken aback by the cynical comment. Mia sighed beside her.

“Don’t mind him, ma’am. He probably had a quarrel with my father or something. He’s been like this for the past few days. He’s just like his older brother,” Seira interrupted unexpectedly.

“I’m more interested in stories about the Duchess than our boring family history,” Seira added.

“What kind of stories?”

“For example, what kind of relationship did you have with the Duke before you married?”

“Oh… why are you curious about that?”

Psyche furrowed her brows slightly in confusion, then relaxed.

Was this just the naïve curiosity of a newly adult girl?

But Seira, as Mia had said, was clever and perceptive. Psyche sensed that her question was not entirely innocent.

Seira smiled leisurely.

“I understand the public reasons, but I don’t know the private ones. I’ve heard that you two were close since childhood.”

“That’s right. When I was young, the Duke often visited the palace as a playmate for my older brothers. That’s how we met.”

“So you’ve known each other for quite some time?”

“Yes.”

“You didn’t marry the Duke out of love, then?”

“Is that important to you, young lady?”

Psyche gazed at Seira over her teacup. She wasn’t sure of Seira’s intentions, but after taking a sip of tea, she smiled faintly.

“You’re very curious,” she said, subtly hinting that Seira should stop asking.

Seira flinched, and Mia intervened.

“Seira, come on. Stop. Why would you ask questions that embarrass the Duchess? Next time, I won’t even bring you along. You’re making me look bad.”

Seira didn’t back down.

“What did I do? I’m just curious. Everyone marries without love these days. I just want to know what that life is like. Isn’t it okay to be aware?”

As Seira grew more defiant, Mia’s eyes hardened. It seemed the two often quarreled even when Psyche wasn’t around.

Was she attending balls because she enjoyed them?

Mia crossed her arms, scolding her niece firmly.

“Why are you like this? Weren’t you supposed to find the man you love and marry him? Then why be so rebellious?”

Seira twisted her mouth.

“Well, that was true until I was fifteen. I also thought I would marry the one I loved. But you don’t understand.”

“What did you say?”

“Well, you’ve been away from Sherman for more than ten years, so it makes sense,” Seira replied.

“What do you mean I don’t understand? Did something happen at home?”

Mia pressed, but Seira clamped her lips shut like a sulky child. She abruptly stood and asked Psyche’s permission to leave.

“I’m sorry, but I want to get some fresh air. Staying inside makes me feel sluggish,” she said.

“Shall we have a maid accompany you?” Psyche offered.

One of the maids standing by the wall stepped forward, but Seira immediately waved her off.

“No, I want to be alone.”

And with that, Seira left the parlor abruptly.

Once the door closed, Mia grabbed her throbbing head in frustration.

“I don’t understand what’s gotten into him lately. He used to be very obedient, smarter than my sisters even….”

“Maybe something’s going on at the Count’s house?”

“I haven’t heard of anything from my brother. Besides, I’m Imperial now, so it’s natural to drift away from my family,” Mia replied.

Psyche thought of the royal family.

Before her marriage, when the royal family was drowning in debt, she had lived sheltered, unaware of the world.

In her previous life, after marriage, she had grown distant from her family, and after her father’s death, contact ceased entirely.

With no pillar to lean on, she had to survive alone in the Empire, with no connections.

After Icali joined the war, the four years of solitude in the Empire became even more chaotic for him.

At the palace, everyone had always listened to him and paid attention, so being alone in the Empire was particularly lonely.

Soon, contact with the royal family would naturally become scarce. Psyche wanted to maintain a good relationship with the favorable Mia.

Seeing Mia embarrassed by past quarrels with her niece and worried about Seira, Psyche tried to comfort her.

Before Seira returned, someone entered the parlor.

It was Hans.

“Madam, and Mrs. Huliam, dinner is prepared.”

“Dinner?”

“The Duke asked me to prepare dinner for Mrs. Huliam, so it’s ready,” Hans explained.

“…The Duke?”

Mia’s eyes widened.

“Oh, does that mean the Duke of Demiosis will dine with us?”

In both this life and her previous one, Psyche and Icali had never hosted dinner guests. They had never even eaten with their attendants.

Occasionally, Icali would dine with Psyche, then leave without speaking.

But recently, he had been having dinner with her every day, so she wondered if this was a special dinner as a married couple.

Hans smiled awkwardly.

“I’m sorry, but the Duke is busy and plans to have a simple meal in his study. He said you should enjoy the dinner without worrying about him.”

“I see… what a pity. It would have been more enjoyable if he were here, but I’m grateful for the invitation.”

Mia said she would go find Seira, leaving the parlor. Psyche also rose from her seat, puzzled.

“We’ve been having dinner together these past few days. Strange that he’s busy today. It would have been nice if he joined us,” Psyche said, glancing at Hans.

Hans looked surprised that she even asked about Icali.

“Excuse me?”

“Oh, it’s nothing. I just thought it might be proper for the master of the house to join his guests at dinner. Even if it’s just tea, I thought it would be nice for him to see Mia,” she said, feeling slightly ridiculous for explaining herself despite it being perfectly reasonable.