Chapter 112
Nina couldnāt understand why they did something so shameless if they were going to tremble at a single complaint and rush to settle.
āā¦Thank you so much, Madam.ā
āIām truly grateful too. If you hadnāt helped us, we wouldāve been in serious trouble.ā
No.
If anything, it was thanks to them that she had been able to accomplish her goal in the capital without incident.
It was a mutually beneficial deal, so to speak.
āStill, it feels nice to be thankedā¦ā
To have been of help to someone.
To be able to see someone smile because of that.
It was something that hadnāt existed in āNinaāsā life, and it left her feeling proud.
Back at the beginning of her regression, most people hadnāt even worried about herāonly clicked their tongues and mocked her.
āChange, huhā¦ā
Nina absentmindedly brushed her lower lip with her fingertips.
That cold fingertip that had pressed down firmly, as if stamping a seal.
The touch that remained vivid even in her foggy, dreamlike consciousness.
Had that merely been a gesture to help her take her medicine?
When she recalled the breath of the man that had hovered so closely over her lips on the imperial palaceās balcony, the lingering heat made her cheeks flush with warmth.
Nina pressed her cool hand against her cheek.
āā¦No delusions allowed.ā
No overthinking, either.
After Jessie and Yona left, Nina got up from the bed.
She arranged the bouquet they had given her neatly in a vase.
āI should take a walk through the garden for the first time in a while.ā
The weather outside looked lovely.
Her body had recovered.
She needed to stretch her stiff limbs and shake off the useless feelings sheād been harboring.
***
The dukeās office at the Bayern ducal manorā
Ash was staring at the documents on his desk more seriously than ever.
āThis recent trip to the capital mustāve been extremely difficult for the Madam. According to the Taylor familyās medical records, she was born premature and suffered from frequent illnesses as a child.ā
The physician had judged that the problem was not just the arduous journey, but also the intense stress she had been forced to endure all at onceāon a body that wasnāt healthy to begin with.
Ash, who had been staring at the writing on the document as if facing an important decision, finally opened his mouth after a long silence.
āSend someone to the dressmakerās.ā
āā¦Pardon, Milord?ā
Hozi, who had been waiting for Ashās approval, gaped.
It was a rare, dumbfounded expression.
Because this was not something the Duke, who had been reviewing documents with such serious eyes, should have been saying.
Was that what he had been thinking about while pretending to concentrate on the paperwork?
āYour Grace, donāt tell me youāve been daydreaming all this time?ā
Ash ignored Hoziās incredulous question and continued speaking.
āTell them I will be purchasing clothing for my wife under my name.ā
He had agonized over this from the moment they were still in the capital.
How could he suppress the rumors of marital discord?
What they had done on the balcony hadnāt been enough.
A handful of witnesses wasnāt enough to erase the slander that had tarnished his wifeās reputation.
āIf her eyes so much as linger on something, regardless of the price, I intend to purchase it all. So make sure they prepare properly.ā
A boutique was a place where rumors gathered.
Though nobles rarely visited in person, the ownersā close employees came and went frequently.
And if he placed such an order under his name, one that prevented other families from making reservations for the entire season?
It would be enough firewood to set rumors ablaze.
And even if it wasnāt enough, it would at least produce some smoke.
āNot just dresses. Tell them Iāll be looking at hats, shoes, bags, and accessories too. Have them send every catalogue they have. Ah, one place wonāt be enough.ā
The more mouths involved, the stronger the firepower. It would be better to send people to every luxury boutique nearby.
āYour Grace, do you even realize how much this is going to cost?ā
Even Hozi, who was unshakable under most circumstances, was left speechless.
But Ash, indifferent, continued in a calm voice.
āIt doesnāt matter how much it costs. This is the least I can do to restore her dignity.ā
Ever since he saw his wife falling silent while overhearing a conversation led by Duchess Nordāor perhaps even since he read that vulgar, wretched piece of writingāhe had been thinking it.
He didnāt care how much it cost.
āā¦After all, with a wife like that woman, how can he risk producing a heir, only for the child to be just as deranged as she is?ā
He no longer wanted to see his wife standing in the shadows, head bowed, silently enduring such ridicule.
And he no longer wanted her to consider ādivorceā as part of her future.
ā¦He didnāt want that anymore.
