I’m In Trouble Because My Husband Is So Cute - Chapter 34

5. On the Road to Adulthood (2)

The two walked side by side along a long corridor lit in a soft scarlet color with lanterns here and there. Normally, they would have talked about various things, but today it was tranquil.

After a while, they arrived at her room.

“Well then, good night. Zachary.”

Before closing the door, Iellie whispered softly in a shy voice.

Zachary struggled to smile as he replied.

“You sleep well, too.”

Eventually, she nodded her head and walked into her room. There was a click, the sound of the door closing. Then, Zachary let out a long sigh. He raised his hand and covered his forehead.

The dark blue eyes trembled softly.

“…Len.”

He bit his lips. Frankly, he was happy. Even though he knew he shouldn’t rejoice over her anxiety, he nevertheless couldn’t help but rejoice.

That was how much she seemed to value him…

“Sometimes because of you… I feel really crazy.”

His heart was pounding, and he couldn’t stand it.

Zachary, who was holding his hand over the top of his heart, swallowed a breath.

And, the morning of the banquet came.

Iellie went around the Duke’s Castle in the morning for final preparations for the banquet. The food, drinks, and even the decoration of the banquet hall were perfect.

She took a deep breath.

“There’s a lot of energy in you.”

“Ah, Duke.”

Iellie laughed softly. Before she knew it, the Duke was approaching.

“Thank you for opening the hall to Zachary’s coming-of-age ceremony.”

“Anyway, he’s the next successor to Hessenweitz.”

The Duke answered with an expressionless face, though she was able to distinguish the Duke’s expression a little now.

‘You seem a little shy now.’

Maybe it was because he usually had a blunt temper? The Duke was not good at expressing his inner feelings.

It was the same with Zachary when she first met him, but he improved his temper quite a bit by staying with her.

“I’ve been to the Emerald Hall. The decorations are great.”

“I’m really glad that the Duke likes it.”

Iellie replied with a twinkle in her eyes, and the Duke nodded his head slightly. Looking at him, she tilted his head.

Weird… just recently, a smile appeared on the Duke’s lips.

‘Isn’t the coming-of-age ceremony the Silver Hall and the banquet hall the Emerald Hall?’

Iellie recalled the Emerald Hall that she had decorated in her mind again. Although it was a small hall for VIPs, it had a relative meaning, and the Emerald Hall was large enough to accommodate more than a hundred people.

“I looked around the kitchen and even the banquet hall. I don’t think the Duke has anything to worry about.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. We have plenty of food, and we have a lot of wine in the wine cellar.”

She smiled brightly. It was the first time she had received so many guests, although it didn’t seem like there would be a big difficulty in hosting the guests.

She said to the Duke in a confident tone.

“If this is the case, I think we can hold a banquet without any shortages.”

“I see. By the way, Iellie.”

“Yes?”

The Duke looked at Iellie softly. After a while, he pretended nothing was wrong and told her.

“You can use whatever you like, as long as you think it is necessary for the banquet.”

…Huh?

Her eyes widened a little. Duke, what were you saying now?

Iellie smiled awkwardly and opened her mouth.

“If the Duke says that, I must really be mistaken.”

“It is real. You are the one who will become the mistress of Hessenweitz, so of course, you can use that level of authority.”

She rolled her eyes. Looking back, the Duke’s attitude toward her was slowly softening.

The Duke added with some concern.

“Just don’t overdo it. Wouldn’t it be difficult to conduct a banquet if you were ill?”

…That was just what the Duke had said now. It was a statement that would never have been expected if it had been in the past—

“Yes, I will.”

Iellie nodded her head calmly.

Still, the Duke added a word to her, as if he wasn’t satisfied. “I’m just saying, if Countess Laurent bothers you, you can come to me anytime.”

“Don’t worry. That’s definitely my problem.”

A spirit of victory rose in Iellie’s eyes.

In fact, she was more bothered by the Countess than preparing for this banquet. The Countess tried to climb up every now and then, so she had to tread properly.

‘And, the Duke is good, but I have Zachary.’

Whenever a difficult situation arose, the first person that came to mind was, in the end, Zachary. Realizing so, she smiled a little.

Eventually, the day of the banquet came.

Iellie had to welcome the distinguished guests who visited the Duke’s Castle.

“Welcome, Baroness Toulan.”

“Oh my, Lady Hessenweitz.”

Barony Tulan, although they held the title of baron, was one of the most famous families in the north, producing renowned lancers from generation to generation. Because of the beasts and barbarians from generation to generation, they had a high name in the north, where the military was significant.

“I’m meeting the one who will be the mistress of the North.”

Baroness Toulan smiled brightly, and Iellie followed with a smile.

Since she was going to be the next mistress of Hessenweitz, the monarch of the north, her attentiveness made the baroness feel good.

‘It is worthwhile to memorize all the lists of nobles in the Empire.’

How many nights did she stay awake while memorizing the list of nobles? Iellie made a proud expression. But then, two familiar people walked by from afar. For a moment, her heart was beating like it was about to explode.

She shouted.

“Mom, dad!”

Iellie raised her voice without realizing it. Then, she gasped. ‘Oh, I shouldn’t be like this, can I?’

“Len, my daughter!”

But, when her parents strode towards her, her reason was gone. She unwittingly clings to her parents.

Her pale green eyes peered at her mother and asked in a worried tone.

“Mom, are you all right now? Wasn’t it difficult to get here?”

“Sure. It seems like I have become stronger because my daughter cares for me.”

Viscountess Blanchett, who looked exactly like Iellie, smiled broadly with delight.

Iellie turned to her father right away. Viscount Blanchett, who looked considerably younger than his age, had his eyes glossy.

“Len, is there anything difficult?”

“No, how nice everyone is to me.”

She hurriedly nodded her head before turning around and lowered her voice and whispers. “How have you been, dad? How is the situation in the estate?”

“Now that all the debts are settled, there is no problem.”

Viscount Blanchett looked at her with a mixture of regret and gratitude.

“It’s all thanks to you.”

“Now, what?”

At that, she had an embarrassed face. And, with her eyes wide open, she opened her mouth to the Viscount.

“Ah, I have to meet the guest. You two go in first, okay?”

“I will, my daughter.”

Her parents entered the banquet hall with happy faces. Iellie stared at their back, and then she began to greet the guests again.

Meanwhile, Zachary and the Duke stood side by side and gazed at Iellie.

“She looks happy.”

“I know, right.”

The father-son opinion was rarely the same in agreement. Zachary glanced at the Duke, then he carefully opened his mouth.

“Thank you for allowing me to invite them two.”

“…No. I thought it was a good idea, too.”

The Duke answered in a calm voice.

Suddenly, an awkward silence enveloped them. It was Zachary, who opened his mouth first and coughed heavily.

“Then, I’ll go to Len.”

“Sure.”

As the Duke nodded his head, he headed straight to the banquet hall. At the end of his gaze, there was only Iellie.

The atmosphere in the banquet hall was gradually heating up. The well-decorated banquet hall, where he could feel that Iellie put all her heart into it, was elegant and splendid.

Zachary quickly walked over to her.

“Len.”

“Ah, Zachary.”

She looked back at him, curving her pale green eyes. Zachary almost lost his mind for a moment.

‘…I’ve seen it before. What’s wrong with me?’

His heart was pounding rapidly.

Today’s Iellie looked like a fairy. The fine pink hair was braided long, and her headdress was a mixture of pearls and diamonds. The dress of pure white sky highlights her slender figure. Zachary could barely keep his composure.

“Today, you are really pretty.”

“Thanks. I mean, you’ve said that before, but…”

Iellie shrugged her shoulders and answered.

She whispered softly to Zachary with a slightly nervous expression on her face. “Now, all we need to do is take care of the Crown Prince and Princess.”

The Prince and Princess were not greeted separately by Iellie, but by the royal attendant to announce the arrival of the two siblings.

Iellie and Zachary stood there and waited for the two royal family members to arrive.

Right then.

“His Highness the Crown Prince and Her Highness the Princess has arrived!”

At that moment, a roaring voice rang out. It was a servant of the Royal Family.

The VIPs gathered at the place murmured lowly.

Two royal families appeared among the people. They were the only imperial descendants of the Empire, the Crown Prince and the Princess.

‘These people are the Prince and Princess…’

The two siblings, who looked completely different in every way, had only two things in common. The first was that although they look different, they have gorgeous looks. And, the second thing was that they had transparent gray eyes that proved they were of the Royal Family.

‘Lord Lippenberg, the founder of the Royal Family, was nicknamed the Gray Knight.’

The Prince looked around with a bored face.

The Duke, Zachary, and Iellie stepped forward.

“Greetings, Crown Prince.”

“Oh, Lord Hessenweitz. Nice to meet you.”

Unlike other distinguished guests, for the two Royal Families, the Duke directly greeted them. The eyes of the Crown Prince, who had left a greeting, rolled around.

His gaze went through the Duke and Zachary, and finally stopped at Iellie.

“….”

The Prince was silent briefly.

The moment the light green eyes met, the Prince felt a strange feeling.

‘That woman…’

Not knowing how to explain his feelings right now, his chest fluttered, and his heart pounded.

‘…I’ve never felt this way when looking at a woman before.’

The woman whose eyes met him objectively was very beautiful. Light green eyes, pink hair pouring like Asha petals…

However, it was not just her beauty that made him look at her.

‘What the hell is this feeling?’

The Prince bit his lip. He had never felt such a strong possessiveness in his life.

Looked like he would have to make her his own right now. His heart began to beat faster. The Prince looked at her as if possessing her.

‘What?’

And Iellie, who received that gaze, felt a faint displeasure.

The Prince pushed up the tip of his lips. He spoke in a soft tone. “I didn’t know that the Heir Apparnet’s wife could be so beautiful.”

“…Thank you.”

Iellie answered in a shaky tone.

Objectively, the Crown Prince was a handsome man with fiery red hair and dark gray eyes. But, she really hated the way the Prince stared at her.

‘Why is he looking at people like that…?’

The Prince smiled once more, turned his gaze away from her, and gestured to the Princess without sincerity.

“This is my sister, Annerose.”

It was a rude attitude, as if inviting a pet.

Nevertheless, the Princess walked this way lightly. She had dark blonde hair flowing like honey and light gray eyes that looked noble. She was a beautiful woman with an elegant impression.

‘She is a beautiful person.’

As soon as she recognized that fact, Iellie felt her mood go down. Anyway, the Princess once had a relationship with her husband, though she didn’t expect the Princess to be that beautiful.

To be honest, she was a little jealous.

‘…Jealousy?’

At that moment, Iellie was startled by the thought she had.

Just then, the Crown Prince spoke his words.

“RIght, His Majesty the Emperor personally asked to send a praise to the Heir Apparent himself.”