Chapter 92

Chapter 92

Zachary also agreed with Iellie’s words.

The Emperor had affairs with numerous women and was even obsessed with the next mistress of Hessenweitz… so being the wife of such an emperor would be a good position with honor but no affection. Besides, what about the duties she would have to shoulder as the Empress?

“By the way, Len.”

When Zachary kissed her neck briefly as he opened his mouth, Iellie turned to him at the ticklish touch.

“Before that, aren’t you… kissing me too often?”

“I think you keep looking at me like a child.”

Her face turned pale at his smirk. Meanwhile, Zachary continued in a sluggish tone.

“I’m trying to express myself as a man, too.”

“…Even if you don’t make that kind of effort, I see you as a man enough.”

As Iellie eventually turned her gaze away as her face turned red, he let out a soft laugh and nodded his head.

“I’m glad you think so. By the way…”

“By the way?”

“Isn’t it better to think of our marriage first than the marriage of the Emperor and Lady Rondo?”

She was hit on the head. No, that was right.

Iellie rolled her eyes.

“Are we not going to have a wedding?”

“But, do we really need a wedding?”

Iellie’s questioning voice left Zachary speechless for the moment. Still, she expressed in a clear tone.

“Besides, we already registered our marriage.”

“Still, it’s a pity just to report the marriage and be done with it.”

“I thought you don’t like troublesome events like that?”

She suddenly remembered Zachary’s coming-of-age ceremony. While he faithfully attended his own coming-of-age ceremony, it was more of a duty. Looking at him, she thought that she should not bother Zachary.

Oh, that wasn’t it? She tilted her head.

“Len, I want you to be recognized as the Mistress of the North.”

To be honest, I don’t really care as long as I have you.

Iellie, who was about to answer that, suddenly stopped. It was because Zachary’s eyes were so serious. As he gazed into her eyes, he persisted.

“Anyway, we got married when we were too young… I hadn’t even thought about a wedding.”

A large hand covered her cheek, and he spoke to her with a sad and apologetic face.

“I feel like everything you deserve has been taken away.”

“….”

Hearing the low voice mixed with guilt, Iellie rolled her eyes, but Zachary really meant all his words.

Most of the nobles used to have a splendid wedding ceremony. Even among nobles, they took pride in their family by the size of their wedding, so there was no way she would have such an opportunity when she married for debts instead.

‘Len is someone who is not enough even if I give him everything.’

Besides, he was determined to have this wedding, even if only to make it clear that she was the Mistress of the North, just in time for the Emperor to hold his imperial wedding. Strangely, a spirit of competition flared up within him.

“Why are you so serious, Zachary.”

At that time, Iellie laughed, trying to lighten the mood. She patted Zachary on the back of his hand.

“I’m fine.”

“I am not fine.”

“Is there any reason not to be fine? Oh, by any chance…”

She glanced up at Zachary with a mischievous face. Then, with her mouth gently curved, she asked a question.

“Do you want to see your pretty wife in a wedding dress?”

“Oh. Of course, that’s a certain matter.”

“….”

Zachary’s stern reply left Iellie at a loss for what to say as he patted her on the head.

“Anyway, I think it’s time to get serious about the wedding, Len.”

“…Somehow, you seem to be treating me like a child.”

He was constantly stroking her hair, cheeks, and forehead from before. Iellie’s face became sullen. Still, he just did that while gazing at her with lovable eyes.

‘…Well, if he’s happy.’

Caught in his arms again, she thought so. Iellie honestly thought she liked it.

Since he was so enthusiastic about her wedding, it seemed that she would have to show some of her will. Thinking so, Iellie called the butler over and started talking about the wedding budget.

“I don’t think we need to make a big budget for the wedding.”

“Yes? What do you mean by that…”

The butler’s face seemed somewhat confused at those words, and he asked back. Seeing his reaction, Iellie was bewildered. Did she say something she shouldn’t?

“After all, Zachary and I have been married for a long time.”

“What does the wedding budget have to do with married life?”

“It’s like having a new ceremony for people who are already married, so why bother?”

Iellie sincerely didn’t understand the purpose.

However, the butler still looked like he didn’t understand her as well. The butler, who seemed to be seriously thinking about something, opened his mouth cautiously after a while.

“Perhaps the Duke wouldn’t want that…”

“Zachary? Why?”

Confused, she widened her eyes.

That… The butler gently caught the tip of his tongue. How could he say that the Duke had great expectations for this wedding and that he wanted to hold a splendid wedding ceremony that would not be inferior to anyone else…?

He only smiled awkwardly.

“…No. First of all, I will tell His Excellency that.”

“Okay, let’s do that.”

While Iellie still looked a bit puzzled, she politely nodded her head.

‘Well, the butler will take care of it and tell Zachary well.’

Even if it wasn’t so, Zachary, who had just inherited the Duke’s title, had many things to take care of. Not wanting to hassle him for just a wedding, she decided to keep her wedding simple.

At least the item that she decided to prepare with extra care was the ‘wedding veil’ used by the bride.

‘Well, a wedding veil is essential even at a wedding.’

She intended to call in seamstresses from the Duke’s castle to have the wedding veil made. She also wanted to have a wedding with the people of the Duke’s castle, so she did not even think of a luxurious wedding from the beginning.

They had already lived as a couple since she was a little girl and had done enough to live a married life, so she thought that there was no need for more. That was how Iellie felt comfortable.

‘Wouldn’t it be fine to call the priest, listen to the message, and invite some of the relatives to have a meal together…?’

However, Iellie’s thoughts and Zachary’s thoughts were vastly different.

“…Len said that?”

When the butler conveyed Iellie’s wishes, Zachary, who was buried in a mountain of papers about the new title, asked.

As he nodded, Zachary pushed away the paperwork. The butler’s face swiftly turned into a mournful expression the next moment as he glanced at the documents that had escaped the Duke’s attention.

‘No, he has to look at all those documents today…’

However, when it came to ‘Iellie,’ Zachary, who was becoming the most resolute in the world, didn’t seem to have time to focus on papers anymore.

“No.”

Zachary muttered, squinting his eyes. Even so, he and she divorced and got back together not too long ago.

Her vacancy was great, so he wanted to give her the best in everything.

‘…Besides, I made Iellie suffer.’

He, therefore, intended to make up by making this wedding as lavish as possible. However, since Iellie was going to have a simple wedding, this was absolutely not allowed.

“Okay, let me meet Len in person.”

After saying that, he quickly stood up while the butler swallowed tears inside and watched the master disappear into the distance. No matter how positively he tried to think about it, the mountain of paperwork seemed to stand firm until the Duke and his wife come to an agreement on this wedding.

“Len.”

“Yes?”

“Why didn’t you call the jeweler?”

And as soon as he went to find her, Zachary threw a question like that without hesitation. Iellie, who was engrossed in budgeting, gave a puzzled look. She had never expected that.

Nonetheless, Zachary opened his mouth with a serious face.

“You’ll also have to contact the dressing room to get the things you need for the wedding.”

“Za, Zachary…?”

“I thought you were busy because I couldn’t see your face properly these days.”

He looked a bit uncomfortable.

Meanwhile, Iellie started to wonder if the reason why he was uncomfortable was because she didn’t show her face to him often or because she didn’t contact her jeweler and dressing room.

“I heard you didn’t say much to the seamstresses except to weave the wedding veil?”

“Yes, it is. But…”

“It’s sad that I couldn’t see your face properly these days, but it was because of the wedding preparations, too.”

…Perhaps, both reasons were correct.

‘Oh, my husband.’

Iellie smiled awkwardly.

“Is it because of the budget? Come to think of it, you said you wanted to keep the budget low. You are the mistress of Hessenweitz. Don’t worry about that…”

“No, not like that!”

Somehow Zachary’s imagination seemed to stretch in the wrong direction, so she shook her hand and hurriedly explained.

“Well, Zachary, you look busy these days.”

“What?”

“You have just taken on the title of Duke, so you have a lot to take care of.”

Saying so, she patted him on the shoulder. Zachary turned sullen and turned to face her.

“So I was just trying not to bother you.”

“…Len, no need for that.”

Zachary uttered that with a very sad face. His face was so sullen that she felt guilty even though she hadn’t done anything wrong. He continued to mutter to Iellie, mixing in between sighs.

“Seeing your face is a rest for me.”

“Ah, is it…”

Occasionally, he would make embarrassing remarks like this. Iellie smiled with an embarrassed face.

“Well, it must be a bit difficult to be busy with a pretty wife like me.”

Even though Iellie played a prank to change the crisis, Zachary doesn’t even think about letting go of his serious expression.

“Len, you know me too well.”

“….”

“Because I rarely see your face these days… It was really hard.”

His sincere reply left Iellie at a loss for what to say, and Zachary stroked her hair.

“Anyway, I’m seriously considering having a wedding with you.”

Yes, the expression on his face seems to say that… Ellie nodded gracefully and intertwined her fingers with him. It occurred to her that some attention should be paid to their wedding.

And the next day.

‘No matter what, isn’t this a bit too much…?!’

Seeing the jewels and fabrics that came in countlessly, Iellie was frightened. Now, this situation was far out of the category that she expected her to be. The scale of the wedding she thought she had and what Zachary had thought were vastly different.

“Zachary, what are all those things?”

Surprised, she looked for Zachary. While looking at the documents, he rolled his eyes at her and smiled.

“Why? Is there something missing?”

“No… Rather, it is a problem because it is too much.”

Iellie narrowed her eyes. No, what were those huge items that were sent without notice? Silk, jewels, lace, and all kinds of luxuries abound.

Zachary tilted his head.

“What is too much?”

“…Are you asking such a question like that because you have no idea?”

At her words, he narrowed his eyebrows slightly before he folded the files with a snap and gazed at her with a twisted gaze.

“I have no idea. What’s wrong with that?”

“I bet the Imperial Family wouldn’t exchange that many gifts, right?”

Iellie shrugged her shoulders. Of course, she, too, married him and lived a life feeling the wealth of the Duchy on her own skin. However, what surprised her was his distribution of such riches casually.

“Of course, you should do that.”

Nevertheless, Zachary still looked up at her while resting his chin, thinking it was an obvious thing to do.

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