Chapter 74

When Nine and I confirmed our feelings for each other and stepped out of the greenhouse, we were greeted by the servants, who looked at us with warm smiles and affectionate gazes.

“Duke. Please come this way.”

“Duchess, this way for you!”

As if they had planned it in advance, they took Nine and me separately and immediately began assisting us with our baths.

When I, who had been bewilderedly dragged along, finally came to my senses, I was standing awkwardly in an unfamiliar room, wearing only a thin nightgown.

“Huh…?”

Having only been bathed and then deposited in the room, I was utterly confused. I looked around, then quickly grabbed a towel to dry my wet hair.

Soon after, the door burst open again.

I turned around to see Nine being pushed in, wearing nothing but a bathrobe, his hair dripping water, seemingly unable to resist the insistence of Van and another attendant.

‘Why is the front of that robe so open!’

Nine’s loosely draped robe revealed his muscular chest entirely.

I quickly looked away in surprise, and the door closed behind me.

“……”

“……”

No, this is too explicit…

As I hesitantly turned back, Nine was looking at me, his face flushed. My face instantly began to feel hot.

“Ahem! Ahem!”

“Ahem.”

Unable to bear the embarrassment, the two of us avoided each other’s gaze and coughed awkwardly.

I bit my lip, recalling his chest that I had just seen. If I didn’t, I felt like a shriek of embarrassment might escape.

‘Wait, I’m older, though.’

Although our age in this life is the same, am I only a person who has lived this one life?

Including my past life, he should be calling me “Noona” (older sister)!

‘Of course, I prefer my name though.’

In any case, I recalled our combined age, which I had never been conscious of before, and decided to act like the elder.

“Sit down first. You’ll catch a cold if you leave it like that.”

A Northerner and a Sword Master like Nine wouldn’t catch a cold just from not drying his hair.

But he obediently came over to my side, sat down with his back to me, following my suggestion.

Somehow, the sight made me want to laugh because it was so adorable.

I stood up, picked up a new towel, and gently began to dry his hair.

“This is the first time someone has dried my hair since I was a child.”

“Is that so? Do you think I’m doing a good job?”

“Yes. But even if my hair never dried, I would still enjoy it if you were doing it.”

“……”

Nine’s casual comment made me blush, and my hand movements quickened, aggressively drying his hair.

Then, realizing my touch was too rough, I softly slowed down, and Nine let out a soft chuckle, as if he noticed something.

His laughter made me even more embarrassed, and I quietly continued drying his hair.

“All done.”

Once his black hair was fluffy, it looked so soft that I secretly reached out and touched his head, pretending to check if it was dry.

Fortunately, Nine didn’t seem to notice my hidden intentions. He took the wet towels I was holding, placed them aside, and then lay down on the bed first.

Then, he looked at me and patted the space next to him. The gesture was utterly captivating.

‘Is Nine actually a huge Casanova?’

I knew he wasn’t, but I couldn’t help thinking that.

But then again, even in the original novel, Nine skillfully dealt with the female protagonist.

‘…Well, a male lead who is too naive might not be very attractive either.’

I tried to settle my suddenly confused mind with strange thoughts and stiffly lay down next to him.

I felt my body stiffen, wondering if we would go beyond the first kiss tonight.

At that moment, Nine pulled the blanket over me.

“……?”

He wrapped the blanket around me, pulling me into his arms without covering himself, and then kissed my cheek.

“Sleep well, dream good dreams.”

“……?”

His hand, placed over the blanket, patted me at a steady pace, as if soothing a child to sleep.

When I looked at Nine, his eyes were already closed.

“……You too, Nine.”

I said goodbye, feeling a strange sense of incongruity, and slowly closed my eyes.

It would be a lie to say I wasn’t disappointed, of course, but I was happy enough that it didn’t matter.

And so, contrary to the servants’ expectations, we spent a peaceful night.

***

It was several days later that I realized the nature of the strange sense of incongruity I had felt.

‘I didn’t tell him the pregnancy was fake!’

Since that day, Nine and I had become a true couple, sharing the same bedroom.

But even after several days, we merely slept under the same blanket, with nothing further happening, which made me wonder.

‘It’s because he still thinks I’m pregnant!’

As soon as I realized that, I urgently wanted to clear up the misunderstanding, but the day of our return to the North was fast approaching, and Nine was extremely busy.

Of course, as his wife, I also had to organize the townhouse and prepare for the return, so a moment to talk never presented itself.

No matter what, I felt that saying “Actually, I couldn’t tell you” in bed before sleeping would be a little too awkward and seem too trivial, so I couldn’t bring myself to say it.

And so, today.

I ended up not clearing up Nine’s misunderstanding even on the day we returned to the North.

“Chacha.”

I looked up at Nine’s voice, and he was holding out his hand to me in front of the carriage.

We, who had concluded the social season a month earlier than others, were just setting out from the townhouse for the North.

‘It was quite eventful, even though we only spent a month here.’

Perhaps because I was leaving the capital, I was momentarily lost in sentimentality. I took Nine’s hand and got into the carriage.

Nine then boarded the carriage and, unlike when we came to the capital, sat next to me instead of across from me.

When I smiled sweetly at him, he smiled back and asked, “Are you comfortable?”

“Yes, completely.”

I answered honestly because I was genuinely comfortable, but Nine still checked on my condition constantly, looking concerned.

Even that didn’t feel troublesome, only adorable, so I subtly snuggled closer to him.

‘I couldn’t be uncomfortable.’

In fact, during this short preparation period, Nine had chosen the best carriage among the ducal family’s carriages and entrusted it to the Tower of Magic’s wizards.

The schedule must have been tight, but he must have hounded them severely, as the carriage, upgraded by the wizards, had a ride comfort like a modern luxury sedan.

Nine and I naturally held hands, neither of us initiating it first.

Feeling the carriage start, I opened the window and saw the knights riding alongside the carriage on horseback giving me a brief salute.

‘So much has changed.’

Even before Nine’s proposal, I was well-liked by the Eclipse family’s servants and knights through various events, but as my relationship with Nine changed, they also changed.

They began to fully open their hearts to me and genuinely accept me as the Duchess.

‘Chacha Eclipse.’

And so, I gained a new family.

My changed name no longer felt awkward.

***

The carriage reached its first stop only when the sun was setting.

I took advantage of the fact that this return journey was not rushed and planned the itinerary to involve as little camping as possible.

After all, it was clear that when we arrived in the North, Nine and I would both be busy with our accumulated work.

‘I need to have dates with Nine before we get busy!’

As a result of greedily scheduling the itinerary, the first stop became Rom, a small city in the central region.

Thanks to being the Emperor’s direct domain, the place was prosperous. It was a city responsible for the production of various necessities for the Imperial family, so it was common to see women gathered in groups, embroidering.

I opened the carriage window and looked around.

Somehow, there seemed to be more people out on the streets today.

‘Is there something happening today?’

The question was resolved shortly after I got off the carriage.

As soon as I arrived in the room, I quickly changed into the clothes I had asked Annie to bring.

I was checking my simple attire, tightening the belt at my waist, when Nine entered the room.

He stopped just inside and tilted his head, looking at my clothes.

“Chacha, that attire…?”

“Ah, you came just in time.”

The clothes I was wearing now, unlike those I wore in the carriage, were very plain, like those of an ordinary woman in the street.

I held out the men’s clothing I had packed along with this outfit to Nine. It was modest clothing of a non-lustrous material, similar to mine.

“Do I have to wear this too?”

“Yes.”

Nine looked puzzled but accepted the clothes obediently.

I told him in an excited voice,

“There’s a night market tonight. You won’t be able to enjoy it in those clothes!”