A Leisured Afternoon.
In the garden where verdant trees and flowers of various hues blossomed.
At the center of the garden, in front of a teapot on a tea table, sat Adelle and I, facing each other.
Adelle had suggested this tea time, but despite that, she remained silent, savoring the tea brought by the maid without a word.
After waiting for her to speak for quite some time, I eventually broke the silence.
“Why did you call me here?”
“Does one need a reason to summon their fiancée?”
“Hmm.. That’s true.”
The slightly prickly tone she used to say that must be because of yesterday’s assassination attempt.
Indeed, yesterday’s assassination attempt was far more threatening compared to the previous ones.
They had even dared to break into my office.
Perhaps that’s why her demeanor when dealing with me has grown more relaxed compared to before. In a way, I have inadvertently placed her in the line of assassination threats.
I thought about this while taking a sip of tea. Adelle then gazed at me and slowly opened her mouth.
“Lord Duke Hardenberg.”
“Hmm? What is it?”
“I have a question regarding the contract between you and me.”
“What is it?”
“Who besides us knows about this contract?”
“It’s only Evan, Alan, and myself. Just these three.”
“Are you sure about that?”
“Does it matter?”
“Of course, it does.”
“If we’re not sure, we’ll make sure of it.”
“..Pardon?”
“Is that a sufficient answer?”
At my implication that I’d ensure no one else finds out, Adelle’s expression stiffened.
Does she find my way of thinking incomprehensible?
Well, I suppose so. To her, who still retains modern ways of thinking, my approach must be quite alien.
After all, there’s a gap between someone like me, who doesn’t hesitate to silence others when necessary, and someone like her, who has a deep aversion to taking lives.
For some reason, a bitter taste surfaced in the tea, making me furrow my brow slightly.
Her expression softened hastily as she changed the subject.
“..I see. Then, let’s work out the finer points.”
“Finer points?”
“Like the reason for our engagement. Surely, Lord Hardenberg knows about my reputation, right?”
“Of course, I do.”
Adelle Este.
Originally the daughter of the Este Dukedom, she became a countess when the Este family was demoted to a viscounty.
The exact reason for the demotion of the dukedom has never been made clear.
Because of this, rumors swirled in society, suggesting that her actions had led to the Este family’s demotion.
‘That must not be true.’
No one in their right mind would believe that seriously.
For a Dukedom, especially one renowned for its large trading operations, to suddenly drop in rank because of just one daughter?
Moreover, the timeline of the rumor is flawed too.
Her so-called “misdeeds” didn’t happen until after the family’s demotion. In other words, her actions didn’t cause it; instead, the demotion came first.
‘But that’s somewhat irrelevant now.’
What’s relevant is that Adelle’s reputation has spread far and wide.
Adelle, after becoming a countess, had her engagement to the Crown Prince terminated. She believed the female lead of the original story, who had grown close to the Crown Prince, was the reason and thus went out of bounds several times in her efforts to persecute her.
While her misconduct stemmed from a misunderstanding, her acts eventually went too far, earning her a notorious reputation.
Of course, I’m talking about the Adelle from before her reincarnation.
“So, you think we need a fitting reason?”
“Yes. Otherwise, it might cause trouble for the Hardenberg family.”
Her words made me furrow my brow slightly.
Could she think that my engagement to her alone could harm the Hardenberg family?
Could she view the Hardenberg family so lightly?
I frowned and spoke.
“Distasteful remarks, indeed.”
“..What?”
“Why do you think it would harm the Hardenberg family?”
“But… didn’t you say you’re concerned about public opinion?”
Does she remember what I’ve said before?
Certainly, given her nature as someone who recalls even small details, it’s unsurprising she remembers.
However, she seems to have misconstrued my words.
“You seem to misunderstand.”
I continued to clarify her misconception.
“I care about public opinion, but I’m not swayed by it.”
True, I did start to pay attention to public rumors after being constantly plagued by false rumors when I first became a duke.
But I don’t intend to get bogged down by those rumors either.
Previously, perhaps, but now I’m the head of the Hardenberg family, and one of only four dukes in Arie Empire.
In short, it’s been a long time since the time when I would be swayed by those rumors.
“Still, shouldn’t we at least establish the reason for the engagement?”
“That’s reasonable.”
Indeed, that’s a valid point. At the very least, a basic veneer would help prevent the spread of false rumors.
It’s not that I won’t get caught up in rumors, but there’s no reason to let them spread unchecked.
Just that so far, no idea has come to mind… Perhaps it’s best to leave it to her.
“What do you think about doing it your way?”
“..Really?”
“Yes, I don’t lie.”
As I watched Adelle, who paused to think, I took a sip of tea. The scent of roses accompanied a slightly bitter taste.
Apparently, tea and I don’t mix well.
“Then, how about this?”
“What?”
“You were traveling and happened to meet Lord Hardenberg, and he immediately fell in love with you.”
“Hmm… That’s quite an interesting love story, isn’t it?”
At my dispassionate reaction, Adelle seemed slightly flustered. Did she think I’d be caught off guard by a statement like that?
On second thought, if she sees me as a character from a romantic story, that’s understandable. Making the male lead flustered over things like these is indeed a cliché from such stories.
But from my perspective, having heard countless love stories from my personal maid, Laura, since childhood, this is such a hackneyed story.
Even if I were the protagonist of such a tale, the story would be the same to me.
“Then what about this?”
Inspired by my unexpectedly calm reaction, Adelle began enthusiastically suggesting various scenarios, clearly hoping to see me flustered.
If I had lost my composure over such tales, I would’ve long replaced Laura as my personal maid by now.
“That’s enough. This much will do.”
“Huh?”
“Let’s stick with the first story. It’s hackneyed, but it’s likely to work well enough.”
“If that’s the case..”
“Yes, Adelle and I met by chance during a journey and instantly fell in love. That should suffice when we return to society.”
“..That should do.”
There was an expression of apparent frustration on her face, which made me smile.
It is still the middle part of the original story, so these pure characteristics linger more than usual.
The later version of Adelle had been a truly ruthless and merciless woman, a psychopath who only thought of Abel, her true love.
It reassures me, therefore, to occasionally see her more innocent side. It gives me confidence that I’m truly changing the future of this world.
“While we’re at it, let’s also sort out our terms of address.”
“Terms of address?”
“Yes. Surely you can’t be addressed as ‘Miss Adelle’ forever, can you? If we supposedly fell in love at first sight, people would find it odd if I keep using such a formal title.”
“True. In that case, please address me as ‘Adelle.'”
Her confident tone made me chuckle involuntarily.
Does she still not give up? It seems she’s trying to fluster me using the manner of address.
Is this tenacity praiseworthy, or is she putting too much effort into a trivial matter?
“Adelle.”
“..Yes?”
When I straightforwardly called her by her name, she looked at me with an expression of surprise.
Could she have not expected me to call her immediately?
As if I, far from being an innocent child, would be flustered by naming someone.
It seems she’ll have to be flustered first if this useless tenacity of hers is to be broken.
“Come to think of it, it seems rather unfair that only I call you ‘Adelle.'”
“Yes?”
As I looked at her slightly flustered face, I continued.
“Then why don’t you call me ‘Abel’ in return, my beloved Adelle?”
At my words, Adelle suddenly shut her mouth. Did she not anticipate being caught off guard like this?
This is a good opportunity to press her further.
“I have certainly called you ‘Adelle.’ Surely, you can call me ‘Abel,’ can’t you?”
At my words, Adelle squeezed her eyes shut and slowly began to speak.
“A, a..”
“I can’t hear it.”
She opened her eyes and glared at me as if I were a nuisance. Well, what can I do? You started it.
“..Abel.”
“That’s too soft.”
“Ugh..”
After pausing for a moment, Adelle finally spoke again.
“Abel!”
After almost shouting my name, she looked down with a bashful expression.
Oddly enough, it feels like I haven’t heard my name in about ten years.
“Perfect. From now on, use that name.”
With a sense of satisfaction, I smiled at her and said that. Then, as Adelle lifted her head, her face slightly flushed.
She started sipping her tea without saying anything, as if realizing that trying to fluster me was not the right approach.
Apparently, flustering her first was indeed the right solution.
