If You Wish For A Married Couple’s Duties - Chapter 92

“I didn’t expect to hear something like that from Madam.”

Daniel smiled while his brows were furrowed.

He’d always asked if she’d believe him if he said that he was being honest, but now she was telling him to be honest first.

Well, Dooha always saw through him, but he didn’t know that this wouldn’t come as a surprise to her.

After hesitating for a long time, Daniel finally opened his mouth.

“…While my father and the previous duke were brothers, they didn’t share an amicable relationship. Their relationship was poorer than others.”

When the previous duke was still alive, Nate tried to establish his own power independent of the duchy.

Thus, Nate succeeded in accumulating an enormous fortune through his business, which introduced precious medicines and luxury items of the Eastern Empire to the capital’s central nobles.

However, the previous duke was wary of his brother’s power becoming stronger than his own.

“And when I was ten years old, my mother fell ill. Although she was originally weak, her collapse was so sudden that everything became a mess.”

In the end, Daniel’s mother couldn’t last past that winter and bade farewell to the world.

The publically known cause of death was complications arising from pneumonia, but her actual cause of death was poison.

“Poison?”

“Yes, my mother enjoyed partaking in an Eastern tea leaf daily, and a small amount of lead was detected from there.”

Nate was certain that his brother, the Duke of Esbaden, was the one that poisoned his wife’s tea.

Just then, poison was detected in his meal, so suspicion turned into certainty, and Nate’s mind was filled with thoughts of revenge.

It was around that time that the young Daniel learned of his father’s scary plans.

“My father said that the previous Duke was jealous of his success, hence he attempted to murder him. He said that he had to retaliate before he was killed.”

Nate locked Daniel, who overheard the plan by accident, into a cramped and dark room and pressed him.

If you don’t want to see your father die, you must keep what you’ve learned today a secret forever.

For a young boy with a frail mother, his father’s words were like the gospel.

“Up till that moment, my father was my everything. I didn’t want the previous duke to die, but I also didn’t want my father to die either.”

He knew how much Leonhart loved his parents.

He didn’t want to see his cousin being sad, but he didn’t want to lose his father either.

On the other hand, if it was the truth that the previous duke had poisoned his mother, shouldn’t he be punished?

After that day, Daniel couldn’t even sleep well and stopped eating and drinking completely.

After agonising over it for a long while, he tried to inform Leonhart about his father’s plan.

But the fates weren’t on the side of Daniel, but on his father’s.

“Even if I didn’t collapse due to my illness that day, the current situation would’ve been very different.”

His inherently weak body easily betrayed its master at a critical moment.

Eventually, he became a coward that knew of the truth and didn’t speak it out under the pretext of being unwell.

After the truth was revealed, that the poisoned tea leaves and meals weren’t done by the previous duke but a servant that held a personal grudge against Nate, it became inexcusable.

If he didn’t collapse in Tochern Castle, he could have saved Leonhart and Dooha.

If that happened, they might not have gotten this close.

Daniel smiled bitterly at the desire that was flowing outwards from deep within even at this moment.

It was obvious that he was drunk, for him to be having such useless thoughts.

“…So that’s what happened.”

Daniel turned his head around with a brilliant smile, like it wasn’t anything major.

“Madam is free to believe it or not…”

“I believe you.”

Dooha’s voice sounded more determined than ever.

“I believe everything that Daniel had said.”

“…why?”

Daniel couldn’t help but ask back reflexively.

“It’s not like there’s any evidence that what I’ve said is the truth, isn’t there?”

“It’s not like there’s any evidence that you’re lying.”

The golden eyes that faced him twinkled faintly, like a light in the distance.

“And is evidence needed to trust someone?”

It didn’t matter to her whether Daniel said the truth or not.

It’s because she believed that Daniel would never lie.

“I believe the Daniel that I’ve seen, so I’ll also believe Daniel’s words. That’s all.”

Because she trusts a person, she’ll believe everything that he says. What a lackadaisical naivete.

Although Daniel liked her almost reckless innocence and naivete, sometimes he wanted to destroy it.

He opened his mouth while feeling like he was teaching a child that doesn’t know the cruelty of reality.

“Madam, you shouldn’t trust people so easily. Disaster will befall upon you one day if you continue to…”

“Easily?”

Dooha chuckled, before laughing heartily like she found his words amusing.

“Do you think I trusted you easily?”

The ends of her eyes eased and lowered.

“Aren’t you underestimating the basis of my trust?”

“Madam…”

“Otherwise, Daniel is looking down on himself.”

Dooha shrugged when she saw Daniel’s bewildered expression.

“Daniel, even if it’s me, I wouldn’t believe in just anyone. I told you, I believe the Daniel that I’ve seen.”

At first, she thought that he was just a cousin that had a poor relationship with the duke.

Then, she thought that he was an insidious man that liked playing and had complicated relationships with women, and afterwards, she thought that he was a pretty useful wizard, despite not knowing what he’s actually thinking.

“Also, I’m someone that believes in the actions taken rather than the words that were spoken.”

Although he would purposely curry favour with her and flatter insincerely, in the end, Daniel was a weak-hearted and kind person.

He was the one that rescued Dooha from the monster that appeared in the lake, and the one that accompanied her to Tochern Castle to render assistance.

There wasn’t any hypocrisy in his actions.

If she didn’t trust someone that didn’t act hypocritically, who in this world could she trust?

“That’s why you don’t have to advise me not to trust people easily. I’m already being careful enough.”

Daniel’s face flushed slightly.

He seems to have just realised that he was trying to teach her.

“I’m…”

“You were about to apologise again, right?”

Dooha glanced at Daniel, who had embarrassment written all over his face, and smiled softly.

“Well, what’s wrong with being credulous? If I suffer a huge casualty one day, well.”

She revealed the white teeth between thick lips as she smiled.

“I’ll return it doubly in kind. That isn’t anything difficult.”

Only Dooha, who took pride in her own skills, could say something like that.

Daniel couldn’t help but smile.

“Yes, Madam is very strong. I’m needlessly worried…”

“Also, it isn’t your fault that the previous ducal couple died.”

Children didn’t have to take responsibility for their parents’ faults.

Even more so when the fault in question was out of personal revenge.

“That’s why, you don’t have to call yourself a bad person anymore, Daniel.”

Daniel’s eyes widened.

It was the first time.

That someone told Daniel that that day’s events weren’t his fault.

His father, his cousin, and even the grandmother that raised him had never said that it wasn’t his fault.

His grip on the bottle of alcohol tightened.

“…Madam, you’re…”

Out of some unknown impulse, Daniel opened his mouth with a sad smile.

“You always tell me what I want to hear. As though you’ve read my mind.”

“Didn’t I tell you before?”

Dooha smiled happily.

“I’m good at reading anything.”

“…Yes, you did.”

Daniel made a surprised expression for a moment before smiling with her.

“That’s why I’m always amazed.”

Not only in this very moment, but in each and every single moment.

Dooha has always surprised him, from the moment they first met.

But the most surprising thing was how a single sentence of hers could bring him comfort.

“Because whenever I’m with the Madam, I’ll feel like everything is okay even if it isn’t.”

Daniel looked upwards at the night sky silently for a long while before turning his head.

There wasn’t guilt on his face anymore.

The only thing that remained was the brilliant smile of the beautiful and brazen man that Dooha saw at their first meeting.

“That’s why I like Madam a lot.”

Swish, Bang!

At that very moment, fireworks began bursting from the castle wall once more, perhaps because there were still leftover fireworks.

A bright, multicoloured light illuminated the surroundings, revealing the landscape of the Esbaden castle.

“Daniel, look at that! I guess it isn’t over yet!”

Dooha smiled brightly and applauded at the blinding explosion of light.

After watching the exploding fireworks, Daniel looked at shimmering Dooha’s side profile.

Having unconveyed feelings was painful.

It would always remain in his heart, and end up festering like an old wound.

He was helpless despite being aware of it, perhaps because he was no longer the owner of his own heart.

“…Daniel?”

When Dooha stiffened in place when she realised that his head was gently resting against her shoulder.

“…Please let me rest.”

Daniel leaned against her shoulder and continued.

“Can I stay like this for a while?”

He looked at the fireworks dotting the sky as he recited quietly.

“Just until the fireworks have finished.”

Even if it’s momentary, he hoped that his heart could stay beside its master.

He could feel Dooha fidgeting under his head, but he didn’t care.

When he’d dared to borrow the duchess’s shoulder under the pretext of being drunk, he’d already made mental preparations not to back down easily.

“…The wine is so sweet, it seems that I’m drunk.”

He murmured quietly, like he’d forgotten the bitter taste of alcohol that was akin to poison.

“I’m a little dizzy.”

In the end, Dooha felt uncomfortable, but she couldn’t refuse him.

On the contrary, she raised her shoulder silently to make it easier for Daniel to lean on.

He couldn’t help but laugh dryly at that small action.

It was ridiculous.

It’s because he could feel her internal view of not seeing him as a man.

Nevertheless, it was pathetic of him to resort to cheap tricks to stay by her side.

“Madam.”

Daniel opened his mouth slowly.

“Please let me know if you become unhappy with the Duke.”

He conveyed his true feelings in a joking manner as fireworks exploded overhead.

“I’m always prepared to stand by Madam’s side.”

With a brilliant smile, as always.