CH 56

In the first place, Ciel only used Aiden as an excuse—he brought his younger brother here to get to the bottom of the real identity of the Closch Barony’s esteemed daughter.

But regardless of his initial purpose, Ciel had forgotten what he said to the baron because he was fully convinced already that Irene was his wife.

Faced with the awareness of his own actions, even Ciel thought that the current situation he was in was embarrassing.

A strong wave of shame rushed into him, but his expression remained unchanged.

Instead, the curtains around them went up in flames and quickly turned to ashes.

Seeing this, Arthur was flustered as he murmured.

“Duke?”

After looking at a window, where the curtains had disappeared and through which the bright sunlight was filtering in, Ciel answered quietly.

“…Ah, goodness, I made a mistake.”

“No, but… My wife brought those curtains from her household when we got married…”

The baron’s pupils shook minutely. Ciel, on the other hand, coughed in embarrassment.

“Ku-hum, I shall explain to the Baroness.”

“This conversation is giving me a sense of déjà vu.”

“Um…”

As if he had made up his mind, Ciel folded his arms over his chest and looked at the baron.

“I haven’t been able to show Aiden around the whole estate yet. I believe we need to stay longer, so…”

“Ah…”

Unable to hide his puzzled expression, Arthur scratched his forehead. Ciel tried to gauge his reaction with moderate tact.

“May I also speak to the Baroness directly?”

This was a strictly hierarchical society, and Arthur was in no position to deny the duke. If he wanted to stay, then he could stay for as long as he wanted.

Still, Arthur felt pleased every time Ciel showed some appreciation for how he had been running the barony, especially when the duke sometimes asked for his opinions.

Ciel was a high aristocrat—higher than the others—but compared to Arthur’s initial impression of the man, there’s actually more to him than that. It was admirable how polite he was, and he even knew how to respect subordinates.

Thus, Arthur couldn’t help but be glad that such a person like Ciel wanted to stay longer in his barony.

“That’s alright with me—I’m actually glad to hear that. It seems like it’s been bothering my wife that she couldn’t welcome you more generously in our home, so please be kind to her.”

“What are you talking about? I couldn’t ask for anything more during my stay here. Truthfully, I already feel so attached to the Closch Barony to the point that I ask myself, why didn’t I come here far earlier?”

It was a complimentary remark that Ciel would never have uttered if he had been his past self. However, with how long he had stayed in Korea, he now knew how exactly to apply the right amount of honey in his words.

“Hoho! My family’s estate is small, but it does have a lot of good sides to it! Do you know how diligent the citizens of this territory are? Though the land itself isn’t fertile, the people are very much talented.”

“Ahem, yes, I fully agree with you.”

“Then, I’ll entrust the explanation to my wife with you, Duke. I’ll be on my way back to the garrison.”

“I’ll meet the Baroness the soonest I can, you have nothing to worry about. Be safe on your way, Baron.”

As his uncomfortable worries disappeared, Arthur smiled. Why a cheery laugh, he replied deftly.

“I normally receive such well wishes from my wife, but to hear it from Your Grace is such a novel feeling. Then, I’ll be off.”

“Yes, yes.”

Dazed as he was, Ciel even raised one hand to wave goodbye at the large-framed baron until he left the room.

After returning to the empire, Ciel vaguely thought that he must have gotten dimwitted.

He didn’t know why, but he somehow felt that he’d become pathetic. Maybe it was because he was now living again after such a violent death, or maybe it’s because all of his senses were completely attuned to his wife after he found her.

In any case, at least he had enough presence of mind to know that the first thing he must do was meet the baroness.

With his power over the wind, Ciel blew the piles of ashes out the windows. Then, after checking the floor if everything was clean, he left the room.

Now that he thought of it, he didn’t even know where Aiden was right now.

His full attention was on Irene and Irene alone, so he was utterly unaware of what was going on around him.

Going out the door, Ciel now walked down the hallway. The interior was old, but with the baroness’s touch, it was quite neat.

Throughout the duration of Ciel’s stay in this household, it was clear to him just how adept the baroness was at managing her family’s internal affairs. Other noblewomen in the capital were only interested in dressing up and luxurious activities.

Unlike them, the baroness put efficiency above keeping up appearances. And more than that, it’s evident that she was prioritizing the people of the estate rather than her own indulgence.

Therefore, even if she was managing their family’s estate and internal affairs under such weak financial conditions, it wasn’t at all obvious because of how excellently she was doing it.

Not as lavish as that of his ducal residence but nonetheless classy, the hallway through which Ciel passed was brimming with the baroness’s elegant tastes.

When he went out to the rear garden, he felt a humid wind around him. Some distance away, he heard the sound of people talking.

Soon enough, he found the baroness in front of the stables. She was ordering the servants to load the horses’ droppings into a cart.

Ciel didn’t know that she personally oversaw even this, and so he pondered how he should talk to her now.

She might feel embarrassed that he saw her doing this. He waited quietly for her to finish her work, showing a touch of consideration that he never once considered doing before.