Chapter 20

“Abubu.”

Carl clung to me more with a clumsy babble. The Duchess’s space was cold as the owner of the room was absent and the room had not been heated for quite some time. I opened my fur coat and embraced Carl into my coat. The baby’s warm body gave me some comfort.

When I opened the colorful door, I saw a room with a dressing table, various mirrors, and a glass display. When I opened the door that followed, a room full of dresses came out, closed the door again, and I looked into the glass shelf. It seemed to have been made so that the Duchess could change her clothes, look at the display, and choose the accessories to wear herself.

Merilyn, originally a pretty daughter of a wealthy Count Petrika, was on display with jewels that seemed to shine on their own without dazzling lights. There were some things that I was familiar with because Merilyn wrote about them to her in her maiden days. All of this was kept for Carl’s future, and when he grew a little bigger, I’ll have some of it to be kept for Carl to carry around so that he could see and remember his biological mother.

In the original, Carl had nothing to remember his mother by. Because the greedy ‘Amanda’ took or resold all of Merilyn’s things. Carl would often imagine what his mother would be like if she were alive. Now, Carl, looking at his mother’s jewels, could picture his mother, Merilyn.

“This is all your mother’s, Carl. I’ll keep it well and give it to you when you grow up. Isn’t it pretty? Merilyn had a lot of jewels that matched her green eyes. It’ll look good on Carl, too. Because Carl inherited pretty green eyes of his mother.”

Carl looked at the glittering jewels with a curious eye and reached out.

“Oh, it’s a no no. You’re going to put it in your mouth if it touches your hand, right? That would be a disaster.”

The last time he coveted Agatha’s necklace, Carl seemed quite fond of glittering objects. Carl struggled and whined for a moment, but when I patted him on the back, he turned his attention from the jewel to my hair.

Slowly walking along the display stand, I learned the jewels with my eyes and memorized the number by color. There are quite a few, so I thought I should ask the maid, and I opened Merlin’s dresser drawer in case I missed something. Carl, who was looking at the jewels with me with an interesting face, went to the dressing table and buried his face in my arms again. I froze holding the child in one arm. Now, Carl was getting heavy to hug with only one arm.

“What?”

While roughly opening the drawer, I saw dried flowers in a small drawer. A letter envelope was seen under a flower that was so dry that it was hard to tell what color it was originally, and the sender of the light pink envelope was Charlotte. Young lady of the Emile County called Charlotte. It was an unfamiliar name to me. Seeing that it was not in my memory with Merilyn as a child, it must be someone she started to interact with after marrying here.

Did she come at the funeral? I was also curious as Merilyn was the one who kept the letter separately on the dressing table. Young lady, Countess Charlotte Emil. I closed the drawer, thinking I should look into it separately. Her personal correspondence would also be well collected and kept by an experienced maid.

Later, Carl could guess her character and life from the correspondence her mother received. Unlike jewelry, letters are not worth the money, so Lady May will keep them well on her own.

Confirming that there were no other valuables, I came out of the Duchess’s dressing room. Later the maids carefully moved Merilyn’s jewels and there was not a single lost article. I kept all the jewels in good custody. I decided to donate the clothes and furniture that Merilyn wore, filling the dressing room, in her name . This was probably the last charity in Merilyn’s name.

Things went right this winter. With the help of Lady Blone, military supplies for the next war began to be prepared one by one, and seamstresses and jewelers visited so that I could get new clothes made and buy new jewelry.

When spring came again and the day of the Duke to leave also arrived, after his first birthday, Carl grew quite big and waddled and went out with me to see the Duke off. Seeing his bright young son, the Duke felt awkward, but bent down in armor and hugged him. Carl seemed to like the heightened view, so he laughed and rejoiced even when the Duke lifted him awkwardly.

“I’ll be back, Madam.”

The Duke casually embraced Charles with one arm, whom I can no longer hold with one arm, and with the other hand, he held my arm quite affectionately and kissed it, I lifted my head slightly and he kissed my lips this time.

“Have a safe trip.”

“Don’t worry.”

And we looked at each other silently. Under the name of a couple, we overlapped their bodies countless times, but there was an awkward distance between us because that could not overlap with their daily lives. However, the intimacy was as high as the bodies overlapped, so he and I couldn’t easily say goodbye because we felt some affection was missing.

I stroked the Duke’s armor. The battle against monsters on the border does not stop until Carl grows up and falls in love with the dragon. The Duke would have spent almost half his life on the battlefield, just as his father, his grandfather, did.

“Come back in good healthily. Do a lot of good things.”

The Duke blushed at the joke he tried to throw with a smile. He nodded stiffly. Carl, who had been quiet in the Duke’s arms for some time, struggled toward me again, and I held him in my arms. Seeing the figure, the Duke said.

“Hug me like that when I come back.”

Then he turned around. The way he left, as usual, was stately and dependable. I know he’ll be back safe and sound. Seeing the Duke on horseback, I kissed Carl on the forehead.

“Yes, Carl, was it very cold? Let’s go in now. Since your father is coming back later, can you wave your hand and say goodbye?”

Carl raised his hand, waved it to the Duke, I hugged the baby tightly, and headed to the castle in case Carl caught a cold. He’s on the battlefield on the border, I’m in the castle. I had to take care of the administration of the estate in my own way while he was away. When the Duke comes back next winter, Carl will have grown quite big, so I thought I should build a rapport between him and Carl, and I should also build some intimacy with him.

Anyway, unlike last year, I was now recognized as the wife of the Duke of DeMancier. I can live just by looking at Carl, but it’s good to live with a handsome and young husband for a long time. Patting Carl’s warm back, I bravely walked into the castle. Lady Blone, Lady May, and the Duke’s administrators followed me in a polite manner, the lord’s wife and the acting Lord.

Second method. To be recognized as the duke’s wife. Success!