3 Already A Married Couple

Aretha felt like a hole would be bored in the sides of her face if they kept staring. He was staring at her but they were all staring too. She had become a spectacle while eating and she could almost not eat anymore.

"Excuse me, is there something on my face? If not, why are you all staring at me?"

"Milady, we were wondering if just that is enough for you?"

They gestured to her plate that had a small portion on it. Her table manners were adequate but the portion was too small to satiate her appetite. When people said she ate like a beast, they didn't mean she had horrible table manners, they just meant she could eat the food portions of a horse.

"It is fine!"

"But you haven't eaten anything else today. Please let us…"

"I said it's fine!" She snapped at them. They no longer spoke and just watched her. Caspian felt awkward because he knew it was somehow his fault. Asking for extra servings in the house of a guest was rude but now that the circumstances were different…

"May I have another portion? Perhaps a larger one," he asked Conan. The portion on his plate was barely touched so they knew he wasn't asking for himself. Before Aretha could say anything, Conan already left for the kitchen. They came back quickly and it was obvious that it was already prepared.

"Please place it on the table. I would like to share it with the Duchess. If…she allows of course."

Heat flooded her cheeks. It felt like she was a petulant child throwing a tantrum over nothing and he stepped in like an adult. Nothing humbled her more. But she didn't want to see her eat so much food.

"I would feel bad if my host isn't satisfied because they had to mind me. I am a simple count and you are the Duchess. Please do not be embarrassed on my account."

"I'm not embarrassed!"

"Then were you planning to sneak into the kitchen and scare the poor old ladies there when you get hungry in the middle of the night, my lady?"

"Shut up, Conan."

"Yes, my lady."

They finished eating roughly at the same time because she ate fast and he ate slow. He finished last. After the incident earlier, he didn't have an appetite. After eating, they went into her office. It was finally time to discuss the issue they had been postponing.

"Please make yourself comfortable. Conan, bring us tea."

"Yes, Milady."

Everywhere in the office was neat except the top of her table. There were stacks of documents piling up places to the side and it seemed to be growing without being tended to. She ignored it as sat on her chair.

"Count Aderam, I'm sure you have been informed properly about this engagement."

"Yes. I was told I was going to be a groom for your grace. It might not be a favorable arrangement for your grace but unfortunately, I have no no control over it."

"Hmm, did I ever say it was unfavorable? And you're not a groom. You're my husband."

"…pardon?"

"Conan, where's the document we received from his majesty?"

"I'll fetch it right away, my lady."

The shelves had more documents than the table and Conan knew exactly where t find the expected document. When he presented it to her, she stood from her chair and went to sit beside him on the couch.

Her preparations knew no boundaries. The couch had a large space he could easily fit his wheelchair and feel like they were sitting right beside each other. She rolled open the document for him to see.

His eyes and mouth were as wide as saucers after reading it. He had no knowledge of this and from how he was sent, neither did his parents. Or perhaps they knew and sent assassins after him.

"We're…married?"

"Of course we are. This is our marriage certificate, stamped by the king. Finally, this tax cuts would start coming in! That insufferable bastard wouldn't let me cater to my people without marrying someone he chose. Of course we couldn't do the wedding ceremony without you here."

"Huh?"

"The wedding ceremony might be a bit subpar. I used to have a lot of money after the war but I used it to renovate the entire town and the rest to pay off those stupid taxes. Now that we're married, I won't have to pay those taxes and will finally be able to save up for the wedding we deserve."

"I…deserve? Don't you want a wedding ceremony?"

"Not really? But I heard the people of the capital really loved parties and I wanted to throw a big one for you. Do you not like parties? Have I been too forward?"

The whole time, she had been considerate of him. She didn't have any money but the chairs and wheelchair were custom made but to fit him. The castle was in good condition and all the servants appeared to be well fed.

Again, she was puzzling to him.

"Since the marriage has already been completed, I don't think we need a wedding ceremony. And no, I'm not a fan of parties."

Hearing that, Conan and the other servants eavesdropping outside deflated. Caspian saw the change in mood and was flustered. He didn't know what to say anymore.

"Th wedding ceremony will have to hold. But we can postpone it. However, I will be throwing a party to celebrate your safe arrival and welcome to the territory. I'll be inviting all the territorial lords so you can get to know them. If they're rude to you, just remember they're easily replaceable."

"Milady, you already promised Lord Renfield that you won't arbitrarily kill the territory lords anymore."

"If they insult my husband, am I just supposed to let it go?"

"You can suspend them or revoke their titles!"

"An insult to him is an insult to me. If they valued their necks, they will worship the very ground he wheels on. Now, stop distracting me. I'm trying to talk to my husband."

She looked like she liked saying the word husband. She also didn't look like the type to arbitrarily kill people with how freely her servants could talk to her. He didn't know what to expect so he just sat there quietly.

"Conan, aren't you supposed to be preparing for the party with the other servants? I left you in charge."

"It's in good hands, Milady. I'm here to make sure you don't intimidate Count Aderam."

"Now why would I do that?"

"I didn't forget how Lord Renfield became your assistant. I will stake my life for his innocence!"

"Tch, how annoying."

She stood from where she sat and went to her main chair. She ran a hand through her hair and sighed, deflating on her chair.

"Count Aderam…"

"Please, call me Caspian. We are already married so it would be awkward to keep calling me by my title…or just husband," he said, a tinge of pink on his cheeks.

"Why? I quite like calling you husband. But if I'm in a good mood, I can just call you Caspian," she smirked, leaning forward.

For a moment, he was mesmerized. She was like an Angel, backed by the halo of the sun. Everything was perfect…until it was interrupted by Conan's voice.

"Milady, aren't you going to work? You need to finish that before the welcome party tonight."

"Ugh, I have a broken nail on my right hand. I can't do it."

"Lord Renfield isn't around so there isn't anyone else who would do it! And aren't you ambidextrous, Milady?"

"My left hand is hurting," she said, pouting. Conan's veins were already visible and it felt like they were about to pop.

"How…about I take a look?" Caspian offered. He had no idea why he did but his brothers often locked him in his room to do their work for them while they were off frolicking with their friends and ladies in town.

"You can do it?" She asked, very pleased. Conan shook his head, about to refuse his help. He was shoved by Aretha while she presented the document to him eagerly.

He read through it and finally realized why she didn't want to do it. It was a useless query from one of the territorial lords that was definitely a ploy to occupy her time. He had t deal with this a lot back home. At least his skills would finally be put to use here.

"If we do them together, we can reduce the amount of time we need to complete it."

"Perfect! Don't worry, Fabian will handle the rest when he returns. It's his job anyway."

"Fabian?"

"Fabian Renfield, my assistant. He's a bright one. He does my work for me while I deal with the territory lords and protect the Crimson Divide. As you would imagine, I don't have that much time to deal with office matters because of my actual job. I'm sure you'd like him if you met. He's a good person."

"Of course he's a good person. How else were you able to take advantage of him?" Conan mumbled bitterly.

"Don't pay any heed to that old miser. Now, let's get this over with. If we're lucky, the demons won't attack today."

"R-Right."