If You Wish For A Married Couple’s Duties - Chapter 76

“…Right, Daniel. There’s that guy too.”

Perhaps feeling unpleasant at the memory of the face he didn’t want to recall, he curled his fingers inwards one by one.

“Was disguising as an escort his idea?”

“…I also thought that it would be better if I did that. ”

The duke’s eyebrows wriggled at Dooha’s answer.

“Ahh, so you also agreed, did you?”

“I needed a plausible identity if I wanted to walk around freely without being doubted.”

“…In such a dangerous situation, you were actually thinking about walking around. Without knowing how to treasure your own life.”

The more Dooha tried to explain, the lower Leonhart’s voice became.

“It can’t be helped!”

Dooha answered loudly like she was making excuses, and avoided her husband’s gaze.

“…I wanted to personally ascertain your safety.”

Her answer caused the duke’s heavily knitted brows to ease slightly.

“I like the reason, but I don’t like your actions, wife.”

Leonhart glared at her, lifting the fish skewer he was holding.

Though he couldn’t hide the slightly raised corners of his mouth.

“You could have died because of me. Please don’t act so recklessly from now onwards.”

“I can’t make any promises.”

“Wife.”

Dooha spoke sternly like she wouldn’t yield this time.

“Would you have sat by idly and remained indifferent when I’m in danger?”

“That’s different from this.”

“It isn’t different at all. That’s why, I’ll run over immediately if you’re in danger. Because I like you.”

At her response, Leonhart’s eyes widened slightly before returning back to their original state.

“…My wife is good at saying embarrassing things.”

“I’m just being honest.”

Although that’s what Dooha said, she also couldn’t help but feel rather embarrassed.

She lowered her gaze and took a bite of the fish that she was holding.

The savoury taste spread throughout her mouth.

Strangely, once food entered her mouth, she began to feel extremely hungry.

Dooha began devouring the fish without realising it, and a stinging gaze came from her opposite side.

Leonhart was staring at her.

“W—What’s wrong?”

The dim light cast a remorseful shadow on the Duke’s face.

“If I hadn’t let my guard down, the both of us would have returned to the Esbaden castle by now.”

“Well, it’s not necessarily your fault.”

In the first place, it wasn’t a matter of letting his guard down.

Who would have expected that that wizard was so skillful, and was thoroughly prepared. Who would have expected that even the other accompanying wizards were the wizard’s clones.

Given the fact that even Daniel didn’t notice it, he must have had considerable skill.

“Of course, it’s your fault that you disregarded my words. Truthfully, this wouldn’t have happened if I’d stopped Count Jive’s party in advance. Why did you ignore Daniel’s words?”

“At that time, I didn’t have evidence that Count Jive was trying to harm me. If I’d listened to Daniel and drove them out, I would lack the necessary military strength.”

There was only one reason the duke asked for reinforcements from the castle despite knowing the possibility of Nate’s interference.

It was in order to completely subjugate the pack of werewolves that had destroyed Tochern Castle.

“Our knights have become rather exhausted due to the long battle, and there was a huge number of soldiers led by Count Jive. I didn’t want to create internal strife for no particular reason.”

“But you almost died because of that.”

Leonhart looked at Dooha’s worried face.

“The day before yesterday, I think I told you this when we were by the stream.”

To be exact, it was the truth that he’d confided in Dooha, who was disguised as an escort, on an impulse.

“As the Duke of Esbaden, I have obligations to fulfil. I’m ready to risk my life to protect what I’m responsible for.”

For Leonhart, it was an obligation he had to bear as long as he held the title of Duke of Esbaden.

“In fact, that’s why I’ve kept some distance from you.”

“What?”

“It’s because I know it’s terribly painful to live as a companion of someone that has to fight for his life at any time.”

Leonhart lifted his head after a brief moment of contemplation.

“Have I ever told you about my parents?”

Dooha shook her head quietly.

She’d looked into his parents privately, but I’ve never heard him personally speak about them.

“…My mother is a wandering dancer. My father loved her enough to put her in the position of the duchess, but that was all.”

The previous Duke of Esbaden was someone that valued his honour and duty as a duke more than anyone else.

After tying his beloved woman to a position she couldn’t handle, he became busy with his job.

Eventually, Leonhart’s mother slowly withered within the castle, where no one would take her side.

Like a wildflower that was forcibly plucked and placed in a vase.

“And on the day my father decided to go on a territorial inspection with my mother for the first time.”

It was just a week before Leonhart’s 12th birthday.

The previous Duke and Duchess entrusted their young son, who’d wanted to follow along, to his grandmother, and set off.

The two people, who got on the six-horse carriage that only the duke could ride together, looked happier than ever.

“And the carriage they were on fell after leaving the territory of the ducal castle.”

Similar to what they’d experienced today, the carriage of the previous duke and duchess fell from a high cliff.

According to the testimony of the knights that were present on that day, while passing through a curved path, the wheels broke, thus resulting in the accident.

“But it wasn’t an accident.”

The previous ducal couple’s cause of death was murder.

Leonhart discovered this a week after he turned twelve, and the twelfth birthday of Daniel, his only cousin.

Daniel, who was often ill since young, fell especially ill on that day, so his birthday banquet couldn’t even proceed as he kept staying in his room.

As such, Leonhart decided to pay Daniel a visit with his favourite book.

Although he couldn’t break free from the shock of losing his parents, he wanted to celebrate his only cousin’s birthday personally.

“…If only I hadn’t paid him a visit that day.”

Yeah, if he hadn’t discovered the truth that day, he would still have a brotherly relationship with Daniel.

Of course, he wouldn’t have become the duke.

“You’d asked me why I hated Daniel that much.”

Leonhart gave a bitter smile at Dooha, who was shocked and unable to say anything.

“He already knew about his father’s plan. Before the accident happened.”

He could still remember it vividly.

The scene of Daniel crying while clinging to his nanny.

“Nanny, is Father alright now? Is it because Uncle has passed on?”

He acted childishly in the arms of a nanny who was soothing him.

“I didn’t tell anyone. I didn’t even tell Leon. I didn’t tell anyone that Father broke Uncle’s carriage wheel.”

The young Leonhart returned to his room as soon as he heard his cousin’s words.

The book he’d prepared as a gift was already thrown into the fireplace.

“He betrayed everyone for his father’s sake.”

Even though he was their nephew, the previous ducal couple loved him like a son, and Leonhart trusted him like he was a brother.

To him, Daniel was a traitor that couldn’t be forgiven.

“Perhaps I’ll never ever forgive that punk.”

Leonhart muttered icily.

“Unless he dies.”

Meanwhile, Dooha was still in shock.

It’s not enough that she was suddenly told the Duke’s past, but even the fact that Daniel was involved in the death of the previous ducal couple.

Dooha swallowed the sound of his dark voice.

Daniel was definitely a sly person.

However, he didn’t seem like someone that would betray a person that was once like his own brother.

At least, the Daniel that Dooha knows of wasn’t like that.

‘Was there a reason behind it?’

At that period of time, Daniel, like Leonhart, was only a 12-year-old child.

But she didn’t speak her thoughts easily.

She thought that even if she said this to Leonhart now, it wouldn’t be of any use.

“I guess I shouldn’t have pointlessly talked about that.”

At his words, Dooha quickly shook her head.

“Thank you for telling me about this. It must have been hard for you to speak about it.”

“Indeed.”

Leonhart ate the fish with a straight face.

“It’s a little awkward. I’ve never had anyone to chat about these kinds of things with before.”

Was it because he’d told her things that he couldn’t tell anyone else?

Dooha felt a ticklish sensation within her chest, so she fiddled with her hair for no reason in particular.

Then, Leonhart suddenly rose from his seat.

He took the cloak that was drying beside the campfire and approached Dooha.

“I told you to take off your clothes and let them dry by the fire.”

Leonhart frowned and draped the cape that he was holding over her shoulders.

Only then did Dooha realise that she was shivering while hugging her knees.

“Let me know if you’re cold.”

“…Thanks.”

The cape was thick and warm, but it was too heavy.

Dooha unintentionally fiddled with the hem of the cape, and an astonished expression appeared on her face.

The cape was made of two overlapping layers.

The exterior was a worn-out blue cape, but the inside was the goat hair cape that she’d given the Duke.

She thought that she’d never seen him wear it, but she didn’t expect it to be covered.

“This…”

Leonhart replied nonchalantly when he saw her gesture towards the cape’s inner layer.

“I didn’t want that cape to become damaged, so I added another cape on the outside.”

“That makes it too heavy. Moving around must have been uncomfortable.”

“It’s better than destroying the item that you gave me.”

“Ah…”

Leonhart turned his head towards her, who seemed quite flustered.

“Now tell me about yourself.”

“…Myself?”

“Yes, I don’t think I’ve ever heard you talk about yourself.”

Is that so?

Dooha couldn’t help but agree once she started to recall the past.

She’d only mentioned her personal history to the duke once.

It was on the day they had a drink at a bar in a village outside the castle, when she briefly mentioned her family to the duke, who was drunk and disoriented.

‘That also became a memory. It was so hard to settle the payment while supporting a drunk person…”

Just then, Dooha’s amused gaze just had to stop at his pants.

Suddenly, the embarrassing memory that she’d subconsciously suppressed began to surface in her mind.

‘I must be crazy. Why am I recalling that kind of thing in such a situation?’

“Are you alright? Your face is red. You aren’t having a fever, are you?”

Leonhart seemed quite worried when he saw her face, which suddenly turned red.

He approached Dooha with a rather serious face.

This time, Dooha’s gaze was attracted to those red lips.

* * *