Marriage First, Dating Later
“Of course.”
Having finished dinner with his wife for the first time in a long while, Herman crossed his long legs and clasped his hands together.
Sensing that resolute will, his aide Tristan let out a deep sigh.
“But you saw it yourself just now, Your Grace. The lady of the house… no, Young Lady Aroline showed not the slightest intention of remarrying you.”
“…….”
“She even arranged a ship to leave. If she’s prepared to quit the capital entirely, this isn’t some decision she made overnight.”
“…….”
“Ah, didn’t I tell you? Over the past year you should have at least tried to contact her somehow!”
“Quiet.”
“What is this, honestly? If the late Duke hadn’t stepped in, you two would have been forever separated!”
Ordinarily Herman would have told him to restrain himself, but this time even he could offer no real rebuttal.
Because, frankly, Tristan was right.
“……I thought contacting her would only burden her.”
In truth, he had wanted countless times over the past year to write letters or go see her, yet he had never quite found the courage.
For me this is still ongoing, but coldly speaking, for her isn’t it already a finished connection…?
What if my contact only made her avoid me more? What if she thought of me as a stalker?
And if she reported me to the watch and got a restraining order…
That, he felt, would truly shatter him.
“……No, anyone watching would think you’d fought and broken up.”
Tristan, who had watched the Duke’s torment all this time, let out a hollow laugh.
Is the man sitting in front of me really the Herman I know?
A man who executed massive business deals without hesitation was now fretting and moping over one woman—it was hard to believe.
“You parted cleanly, didn’t you? You said yourself you didn’t make any particular fuss when you divorced. And during the marriage your relationship was amicable.”
“Because Riena approached me without reservation.”
And he had fallen for that.
“Then what’s the problem? My sister often reads novels, and in one of them there’s this saying.”
“What saying?”
“Marriage first, dating later.”
“……!”
“So what if you married and divorced first? The order’s just a little scrambled. You never properly expressed your feelings, so you still have a chance!”
At those words Herman’s blue eyes flashed for an instant. He shot up from his seat with the determined expression of a man who had just received enlightenment.
Has he finally perked up a bit?
He’d looked so downcast earlier at dinner when he couldn’t say a word.
Still, I did offer a hint of sorts.
He’s so sharp; he’ll handle a situation like this just fine…
“Tristan.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
“The novels your sister reads.”
His voice, deep and cavernous, sounded oddly excited.
“Buy them. Immediately.”
“…….”
He is sharp… right?
“To see My Lady again like this… I’m honestly so thrilled…….”
“Me too. Even if the timing’s a bit awkward, I’m so happy we can see you again. So you’ll be staying the night today, won’t you?”
“Mm. Probably…….”
Riena, now changed into a comfortable indoor dress, smiled awkwardly. Excited by her words, the maids quickly withdrew, saying they would go prepare her favorite scented oils for the bathwater.
Left alone in the blink of an eye, Riena gazed at the firmly closed door and let out a small sigh.
Of course I’m glad to see them again too.
I never imagined I’d end up staying the night like this, though.
Riena glanced down at the dress she was wearing, then slowly surveyed the entire room.
I never thought it would still be exactly the same.
It had already been over a year since the divorce. Yet her room in the Bertis mansion remained untouched.
Not only that—the dresses and accessories she had worn back then were all still there.
Everything was so perfectly prepared that it felt less like she had returned after a divorce and more like she had come home from a long journey.
At least it didn’t feel unfamiliar, which was nice in its way.
“Haa.”
Riena plopped down onto the bed.
“What am I supposed to do from here?”
She had carefully brought it up during the meal, but the answer had been the same as before: let’s discuss it further.
No, I’ve already said everything I need to!
It was enough to drive her mad.
At this point Riena wanted to crack open Duke Bertis’s head and see exactly what he was thinking.
No. Still, I have to wrap this up by next week at the latest.
The ship heading south departed in about two weeks.
She needed to settle everything within a week so she would have time left to tidy the house and pack her belongings properly.
So he needed to hurry up and make a decision already!
Riena lightly scrubbed her face dry and groaned under her breath.
Knock knock—
Just then a maid knocked politely and entered.
“My Lady. His Grace has arrived!”
……What?
Tick-tock. Tick-tock.
The second hand of the clock ticked with metronomic regularity.
Riena cradled a warm mug in both hands and stole glances at the man seated across from her. The Duke, who had arrived without warning, sat quietly drinking the same hot chocolate as she was.
I thought he disliked sweets.
And with a generous dollop of cream on top, it had to be terribly sweet.
Watching him eat it so meekly only made her more confused.
Just…… why did he come?
It was eight in the evening.
Normally he would still be working until bath time, yet here he was.
Riena simply stared down at the slowly melting whipped cream.
“What were you doing?”
“!”
Her small shoulders flinched.
Her large eyes rolled in confusion.
“I was about to wash up. Aren’t you busy, Your Grace? You always work at this hour.”
“You remembered?”
His voice lifted slightly with excitement.
But Riena, tense as she was, unfortunately failed to notice that subtle change.
Watching her freeze up, Herman lowered his gaze.
“I meant to work.”
“…….”
“But I kept thinking about it.”
“About what……?”
“You.”
“Pardon?”
Riena echoed him in a somewhat dazed voice.
A faint smile touched Herman’s lips.
“I kept thinking about you.”
So I came.
“Is that not allowed?”
“Uh, umm.”
Well, it’s not that it’s not allowed……
Why would he be thinking of me?
Is there some separate reason the Duke would want to see me……
Ah, maybe!
In that instant her eyes lit up.
“Your Grace.”
“What is i—”
“Is there something you wanted to discuss regarding the business rights?”
“……What?”
“I heard the central commercial district has been a bit unsettled lately. Counterfeit bills were discovered.”
She had heard that the matter was giving both the capital’s merchants and the royal family a severe headache.
Having worked as an accountant for a small trading company herself, she understood the seriousness of the situation better than most.
If it’s that kind of problem, then certainly.
She had always handled money-related matters, so perhaps he had come seeking her opinion on that?
They had occasionally discussed trading companies and financial issues before.
“I’m fine with it, so please speak freely. Remarriage is one thing, but if it’s something like that, I’m happy to talk anytime.”
“…….”
“Your Grace?”
Riena tilted her head.
The Duke’s complexion, which had been fine until a moment ago, had gone a little pale and lifeless.
Don’t tell me he’s been overworking himself because of this?
Enough that just hearing about it does that to him?
Come to think of it, he did seem to have lost a bit more weight than before.
His jawline looked sharper, and those eyes that had always been cold now appeared even fiercer.
He looked so clearly on edge that Riena began to worry about him.
Herman von Bertis was particular with others, but even stricter with himself.
No matter the situation, he always maintained a calm, flawless expression.
If a man like that was this shaken, was there something else she didn’t know about?
“……Right. There was that matter.”
Whether he should be glad they could continue the conversation or cry……
Unlike the earnest Riena, Herman felt his insides burning black.
Still, Riena wasn’t wrong.
Counterfeit bills had indeed been circulating lately. Because of it, several small trading companies had already gone bankrupt.
“It’s a headache, yes.”
“I thought so. I’ve heard the damage is already considerable.”
The moment work came up, Riena’s golden eyes—reminiscent of warm sunlight—sparkled.
If only those eyes would look at me that way—
“I’m worried that the capital’s commercial district is in such chaos. How are the banks moving? Ah, maybe I’ve gone a bit too…… deep.”
“No.”
……Fine. So what if the direction was a little off?
Herman decided to treat this as an opportunity instead.
First open the conversation with work talk, then naturally steer it toward marriage—wouldn’t that work?
“What part exactly are you struggling with? If it’s something I can offer an opinion on—”
……It should be possible, right?