When Jen visited the Green County estate, Kay and Rishi were away on business regarding the gold mine.
In the parlor, Jen looked at Eugene, Nathan, Wallace, and Jamie one by one before speaking.
“Lion, leopard, eagle, deer.”
At Jen’s words, the subordinates Kay referred to as his “shadows” flinched.
Like Kay, these shadows were beastmen, and his family was well aware of their true nature. Whenever Jen was angry, she didn’t call them by their names, but by the animals they transformed into.
Quick-witted Jamie spoke up.
“Jen, I’m in the same position as you.”
“……What?”
“I, too, only found out much later that the Captain had married, and that they had even submitted the marriage contract to the government office on their way back from the Wittlow Duchy.”
Jen’s gaze, which had been fixed on Jamie, shifted to Eugene.
Knowing just how terrifying Jen could be when she was angry, Eugene scrambled to defend himself.
“I know nothing about that matter.”
“That’s right, we know absolutely nothing!” Nathan quickly chimed in. “I was just riding my horse when the Captain suddenly called me over, and that was that.”
—I’m getting married, and there’s something you need to do for me.
Nathan mimicked Kay’s expression and tone, but Jen did not smile.
“I don’t know why the Captain suddenly decided to get married…… but since he’s going to do it, what can we do? How are we supposed to stop that stubborn man?”
While Nathan protested, Wallace nodded along beside him as if his head might fall off. Jen, standing before them with her arms crossed, listened without a flicker of expression. At moments like these, she looked so much like Kay that anyone could tell they were siblings.
“Anyway, we don’t know anything, Jen. Where the Captain met our sister-in-law, how they know each other…… we don’t know at all. And we don’t know why he decided to get married so suddenly. Oh, I do know why he wanted to do it, though. Our sister-in-law is surprisingly, truly beautiful!”
As Wallace spoke as if boasting about his own sister, one of Jen’s eyebrows arched. Jamie, sensing the shift in the room, poked Wallace in the side, but he continued.
“You’d be surprised if you saw her! Oh, you’ve heard of her, right? The flower of the Wittlow Duchy. She really is like a flower.”
“Like a flower…….” Jen muttered. The way she said it made the description sound almost like an insult.
“Yes, truly. The Captain is a man, after all, so maybe he was just head over heels because our sister-in-law is so pretty? Huh? Jen, why is your expression like that? Oh, is it because I said someone other than you is pretty? You’re pretty too, pretty.”
The other subordinates sighed softly. What were they to do with such an oblivious fool?
“I have no interest in whether the woman who married my brother is the flower of the Wittlow Duchy or a piece of dung.”
Only when Jen spoke coldly did Wallace shut his mouth.
“What I find astonishing is that not one person among you thought to inform our family about our brother’s marriage.”
+++
Rishi and Kay were traveling by carriage. Kay sat across from Rishi, quietly staring out the window. His slightly disheveled black hair, the straight bridge of his nose, and the line of his lips were as perfect as a painting.
A breeze blew in, scattering his hair. Looking annoyed, Kay brushed it back, then realized Rishi was watching him.
“Why are you looking at me like that, Rishi?”
“You didn’t have to come with me. You’re busy, after all.”
“I couldn’t let my wife go somewhere far away all by herself.”
“Wallace said he would go with Nathan.”
“I am stronger than those guys, Rishi.”
“I know that. But I feel bad for making you take time off.”
“I’ve never been married before, so I don’t know for sure, but when a husband accompanies his wife on a journey, do wives usually think they’re being a burden?”
“……I suppose not, right?”
“Then that’s settled. Whatever the reason, we are a married couple. By the way, have I told you that outfit looks fantastic?”
Rishi was dressed in attire that resembled a man’s: tight-fitting black trousers that accentuated her slender legs, a dark brown shirt, and a tailored vest. She had tied her long hair back tightly and wore a black fedora. At a glance, she could have been mistaken for a slim man.
“You’re saying it for the first time today.”
“It’s fantastic, Rishi. How did you think to order clothes like that? It’s not something ladies typically wear.”
“I don’t want to stand out when I’m out and about. I also don’t like my business being gossiped about.”
“If that was the goal, you failed, Rishi.”
Kay reached out and took her fingertips, pressing his lips gently against her knuckles. Rishi flinched at the warm, soft sensation that felt as if he were branding her. Staring at her from beneath his lashes, Kay kissed each knuckle before suddenly pulling her toward him.
Unable to resist his strength, Rishi was pulled onto his lap. As he kissed the inside of her wrist, he slid his hand under her leather vest to stroke her back. The heat from his palm flowed down her spine.
“I can’t take my eyes off you.”
“Uh-huh……?”
Busy focusing on the sensation against her skin, she forgot their previous topic. As a soft, moan-like sound escaped her red lips, he narrowed his eyes and laid her down on the long seat of the carriage. His gaze glowed darkly.
“We are…… in a carriage.”
“Do you think a beast would care about that?”
Kay’s weight pressed heavily onto her. Rishi squeezed her eyes shut. His lips teased her earlobe while his fingers dug into her hair, as if scratching her scalp. Every place he touched felt like electricity surging through her. She felt her heart race and her breathing grow shallow.
When he bit her earlobe and sucked on the nape of her neck, a moan threatened to burst out, but she managed to swallow it. Rishi had no intention of rejecting this—it was a natural progression of their marriage. Whatever Kay wanted, she was prepared to give.
However.
‘What should I do? How should I react?’
It wasn’t like this in her previous life. When she was with Alford, her heart would race, but it was from terror, disgust, and pain. Because this sweet, electric, and dizzying sensation was a first for her, she was embarrassed by her own reactions. Simultaneously, the memories of her time with Alford kept surfacing, making her stomach churn.
It felt unfair to Kay. He wasn’t rough or disgusting like that man. In fact, despite it being a political marriage, he was showing her genuine consideration.
“Relax, Rishi.”
She had been so tense she hadn’t realized Kay had pulled away. He took her wrist and pulled her up gently.
“I’ve said it before, but I like things hot.”
“I see.”
Rishi barely managed to answer, lowering her head as she straightened her clothes. Her face was burning.
“Please understand if I try this and that to make things hot.”
“You can do whatever you want.”
“You shouldn’t answer like that, Rishi.”
Though he thought she might like it, Kay spoke with feigned sternness, using his index finger to lift her chin. He furrowed his brow, staring at her with dark eyes.
“You should refuse when you don’t like something.”
For some reason, Rishi felt affection in that short sentence. No one had ever said such a thing to her.
She remembered the voices that had belittled her:
—Do it even if you don’t like it. What are you going to do if you don’t like it?
—Don’t like it? Did you just say you don’t like it with that mouth?
—Sure! I’ve fed you and given you a roof over your head, you should at least do that much! You parasite.
The words that had crushed her past life were blurred and erased by Kay’s single remark. A stinging sensation filled her eyes, and she slowly turned her head.
“I understand.”
+++
Rishi stood in front of a house so shabby it looked like a hut—a place she had found by tracing the memories of her past life.
‘Gauzer…’
That a man who had once held dignity as the estate manager for the Witlow family was living in such squalor was heartbreaking.
“Who lives here?” Kay asked, intrigued that their long journey had led to a slum.
“Gauzer. He used to be the estate manager for the Witlow family.”
Gauzer had been the only one to show Rishi pity. He used to take her side whenever the maids treated her poorly, or when Britney humiliated her.
“One day, he protested to the Duke of Witlow that my treatment needed to be improved. As a result, he was kicked out. After being cast out, he was even divorced by his wife.”
“I see.”
“I’m going to hire Gauzer as the manager of the Lavent gold mine.”
“You can’t do that, Rishi. I don’t want someone from the Witlows in my estate.”
She had expected his opposition.
“I’m not bringing him into the estate. I’m hiring him for my gold mine. Under my name.”
When Rishi said this firmly, Kay propped up her chin with his finger.
“Rishi, do you know how fascinating you are? Sometimes you seem so submissive, but other times, you’re quite terrifying.”
Rishi curved her eyes into crescents and gently lowered his finger.
“I don’t really care to know about that.”
“Entrusting a gold mine should be done with someone you can truly trust. I have many reliable subordinates.”
“But they aren’t *my* subordinates.”
“My subordinates are yours now, too.”
“Would they kill you for my sake?”
“I doubt it.”
“But they would be able to kill me for yours.”
Kay had no answer for that. Rishi smiled softly and tapped his chest.
“A husband who meddles too much in his wife’s affairs is not attractive, Kay.”
“So, ‘shut up and just watch’?”
“Exactly.”
Kay grinned, showing his teeth. Rishi liked it when he smiled like that.
“As you wish, my lady. Do as you please.”
Only after Kay stepped back did Rishi knock on the door.
Knock, knock.
No response.
Knock, knock.
Still quiet.
Unable to watch any longer, Kay stepped up and kicked the door.
BANG!
Something crashed inside, followed by a curse: “Damn it!”
Rishi stood elegantly, waiting for the door to open. Gauzer was a talent among talents who would later be recognized by the Emperor himself. Rishi was determined to make him her own.