“Newlyweds! That’s right, you’re still newlyweds. It can be like that.”

“Indeed, after having a child, it’s hard to find time for yourself.”

“Plus, it’s difficult to even do night activities.”

At the mention of night activities, I hiccupped uncontrollably.

“So-sorry. Hic. Hi… hiccups.”

As I held my breath, trying to stop the hiccups, the ladies looked at me affectionately.

“I didn’t know the Duchess of Perhaem could be this cute.”

“Right. Just like when my husband and I were young, it’s so refreshing and nice to see.”

“I can see why the Duke of Perhaem fell head over heels for you.”

Just hearing it made me feel shy. I quickly turned my head away. But the more I did, the more the three pairs of eyes sparkled, sticking to me.

Tick tock. Time passed quickly. Perhaps because we unexpectedly became a passionate newlywed couple, the ladies looked at me adorably, and the tea time ended without any special incidents.

I secretly let out a deep sigh. Although there were occasionally awkward moments, it was just a bit embarrassing, but other than that, the conversations and atmosphere were all good.

‘Rather, it’s fortunate. Even in the comfortable atmosphere and conversations, there were moments when I was at a loss for words.’

I had ambitiously vowed to become close enough with the Marchioness of Stemun to have her as my supporter. But what I learned after coming here was that if I, who had almost no social experience, had gone to the Marchioness of Egert’s tea time first, I would have certainly been suspected or caught on something.

‘Now, when I return to the mansion, I need to coordinate more with Yezar. There will be many occasions where I have to attend tea times or official banquets like this. I can’t afford to have moments where I’m at a loss for words each time.’

While I was busy thinking, the ladies were discussing the date for the next gathering.

“Then, when shall we meet next?”

“That’s right. Since it’s still early spring, how about we meet when it gets warm enough to go on a spring outing?”

I tried to join the conversation, wanting to somehow remain in this group and become close with the Marchioness. But the Marchioness of Stemun turned to me first and asked.

“Sounds good! Duchess of Perhaem, you’ll come next time too, right?”

At the unexpected suggestion, I hesitated like someone who didn’t know what to do with myself and threw out a passive question.

“…Can I keep being here?”

I should have answered coolly. Without knowing, I got nervous and said something unlike myself.

Honestly, everyone seemed like good people, so I wanted to continue being with them. I enjoyed the small talk with people after a long time. Even if it wasn’t for a calculating purpose, I wanted to keep attending gatherings like this.

Then the ladies spoke to me in unison.

“Of course! We always welcome such a cute lady like you.”

“That’s right. Please make sure to come next time too.”

“Yes. I’m curious about your passionate newlywed stories.”

I don’t have any passionate newlywed stories to share, but still, I want to be here too. I answered with a bright smile.

“Yes, I will definitely come.”

As we came out together in a friendly atmosphere, an unexpected guest was waiting for me.

“Oh my. It seems the Duke has come to pick up his wife.”

“What? The Duke?”

I did tell him that I was going to the Stemun Marquis’ residence today. But I didn’t hear anything about him coming to get me.

Even from afar, his presence was announced by the bright halo that shone around him. Plus, his neatly styled bangs and the white uniform he wore, probably after finishing work, suited him so well.

I quickly ran to him.

“Yezar, what brings you here?”

Then his gaze turned to me. At that moment, a smile spread across his previously expressionless face. His flushed cheeks, like the setting sun, and the blue eyes that held me were so radiant that it was hard to look at him directly.

“I’m sorry, Wife. Even if I couldn’t accompany you, you said you were going out, so I wanted to come and greet you first.”

Then he handed me a bouquet of roses.

“This is…”

As I received it in surprise, his shy voice seeped into my ears.

“I bought it because it’s pretty like the color of your hair.”

As he said, the bouquet of blooming roses was as red as my hair color.

“Didn’t you say you like flowers?”

That was something I had said to him in passing. I playfully mentioned that the Viscount’s garden always smelled of flowers because I liked them.

He remembered that and even picked flowers that matched my hair color to bring them.

‘Plus, it’s not even the season for roses to be in full bloom yet…’

I knew very well how packed his daily schedule was. So our conversations were limited to when we trained together or when we fell asleep together in the bedroom.

“…It’s been a really long time since I received a gift like this from someone.”

Julieta’s birthdays were very lonely. The people who should have celebrated were too busy to be at the mansion. Father and eldest brother were occupied with work.

‘Julieta, I’m sorry. It seems I have to go for a while as there’s a problem with trade.’

‘It’s okay. You have to go and resolve it quickly.’

‘Julieta, suddenly an urgent matter came up in the department I work in, so I think I’ll have to stay at the imperial palace for a few days. I’m really sorry.’

‘No, it’s fine. You’ve been so busy lately that you can’t even sleep. I understand.’

Still, it was okay because my second brother, who took good care of me, was there. But for Wizlet too, Julieta wasn’t his top priority.

‘Since it’s your birthday, I’ll have breakfast with you before leaving.’

‘Do you have something in the afternoon?’

‘Well, my fiancée called me out in the afternoon, so I think I’ll have to go. I told the servants to put your present in your bedroom.’

‘I see.’

‘But if you’re really concerned, we can have lunch together too…’

‘No, it’s fine. Hurry and go to your fiancée. She’s the person you should prioritize the most when you get married.’

‘Thanks for understanding.’

It’s okay. It’s really okay. Everyone’s busy. Still, at least my second brother ate breakfast with me. Giving me overflowing expensive gifts like this. It’s not even the affection I should desire in the first place. Why do I keep wishing for more than I deserve?

Birthdays aren’t even that special, right? Back then, I was in an empty banquet hall at sunset, forcibly putting food in my mouth. The room was filled with gifts. Expensive jewelry, accessories, and dresses inside them.

But the gifts placed in the empty seats where my family should have been felt like empty gift boxes.

I remembered the nanny who hugged me as if to comfort my pitiful self.

Ah… Yezar is so kind that he touches my heart. A gift he said he bought just because he thought of me made my heart ache.

Even if he was doing it without any meaning as a perfect husband, I was sincerely happy. I couldn’t help but smile.

“I’m really happy… Thank you, Yezar.”

At that, he also gently closed his eyes.

“Shall we head back now, Wife?”

I naturally took his outstretched hand. His words about going back somehow knocked on a corner of my heart today.

The Marchioness of Stemun looked at their departing figures with a delighted face. The ladies beside her also smiled and chatted.

“I guess those rumors were false after all. Look how affectionate they are.”

“Right, how could wrong rumors spread about him being into men when he’s like that…”

At their words, the Marchioness of Stemun also nodded and replied.

“Aren’t they such a beautiful couple?”

“Indeed. They look so lovely together.”

The Marchioness of Stemun, who was thinking of going in and preparing to greet her husband, looked at the red rose bouquet in the Duchess’ arms.

‘Come to think of it, roses have different meanings depending on their color. The meaning of a red rose is…’

Her eyes naturally turned to the Duke beside the Duchess.

Since arriving, his gaze had been fixed solely on the Duchess. Seeing his flushed cheeks, as if they had absorbed the color of the red roses, and the eyes looking at the Duchess as if dripping with honey, it was unmistakable.

‘It was definitely love, right?’

At first, the invitation was sent because she wanted to meet the protagonists of the romance that was the talk of the town. There was also a somewhat calculated thought that if she observed them, she might get good inspiration.

Originally, when the unfathomable emotion of love is mixed into art, it becomes special. In fact, she herself had fallen in love, and that emotion had blended into her painting style.

But after her relationship with the Marchioness of Egert had gone sour, powerless ladies refused her invitations with roundabout words.

So she had no expectation that the Duchess of Perhaem, who had not yet properly established her position, would accept the invitation. But she readily accepted that invitation, and the Duchess of Perhaem she actually met was fresh and lovely.

In particular, the sight of the ducal couple exchanging bouquets was so sweet it made the inside of her mouth tingle. As the Marchioness of Stemun and the genius painter Cortina shrouded in mystery, her hands were itching. She wanted to run to the studio right away, pick up a brush, and paint it.

The fresh feeling of love when she first met her husband vividly came to mind after a long time. Her heart pounded as if she were holding a brush for the first time. This time, it seemed like an undoubtedly great masterpiece would come out.

“Do you like it that much?”

“Ah, I’m sorry. I was staring at the roses too much, wasn’t I?”

Inside the rattling carriage, I was gazing at the red roses like someone who had fallen in love with flowers and love.

‘But I’m just so happy. What do I do?’

He did it without much thought. I know I shouldn’t misunderstand, but it was impossible to suppress this tingling feeling.

“Yezar.”

“Yes, Wife.”

“Do you usually take good care of people?”

I asked that to try to quell my increasingly excited emotions, knowing his kind personality well. But the answer that came back startled me.

“Not necessarily. Because Julieta is my wife. I bought it because I wanted to see you happy.”

“…I was happy. But the roses aren’t even in full bloom yet. Don’t overdo it.”

Then he prettily curved his eyes and said to me.

“If it were someone else, I wouldn’t overdo it. But you are the precious person I should prioritize the most, Wife.”