“Who?”

“Damion! I think it’s your wife.”

Hofri quickly regained his composure and shouted inside. Damion, who was having a conversation with someone else inside, immediately turned towards this direction.

“Come here quickly, you!”

Damion walked towards the terrace with a doubtful look on his face. Hofri found the situation even more interesting, as Damion was not usually one to show much interest in various spectacles.

A woman with a bonnet on her neatly tied black hair. Damion, who spotted her, leaned his arms on the terrace railing in a leisurely manner.

“Ansi!”

And he called out to her without hesitation.

Ansi widened her eyes and looked around a few times. Then she soon raised her head to find the source of the sound.

“Damion?”

“Are you on your way back to the mansion now?”

“Yes.”

“Let’s go together. I’ll come down.”

Damion said that and immediately turned around. Hofri, who was thirsty for an interesting situation, was startled and blurted out unintentionally.

“How about having a meal with us?”

At those words, Damion paused.

He had done it. Hofri, who had come to his senses, tried to smooth things over by saying it was a joke, but Ansi’s reply was quicker.

“Can I come up?”

Ansi widened her eyes and stared intently in this direction, then soon began to move her steps.

The people filling the restaurant near the club building were all members of the Row Club.

Except for one person, Ansi de Orphe.

The restaurant was solemn and quiet. Everyone who was playing card games and billiards to relieve their boredom followed along, wanting to be a part of this interesting scene, but no one dared to speak rashly.

Ansi, who was eating in the heavy atmosphere, looked around the restaurant and asked innocently.

“Is this the usual atmosphere?”

It was a quiet question, but because the restaurant was originally quiet, her voice was conveyed to everyone. Flinching could be seen here and there. Damion casually asked back.

“Then what kind of atmosphere did you expect?”

“I thought it would be a bit more lively. I thought there would be a lot of conversation too.”

“So, are you disappointed?”

“Should I be honest?”

“They’re friends who enjoy other people’s feedback. That’s why I invited you today, Ansi. So speak honestly like you usually do.”

“Really honestly?”

Damion nodded as if it was obvious. Then Ansi spat out harsh words with a nonchalant face.

“It doesn’t look like you’re close at all, so I don’t really understand what fun you have in gathering. It looks like you’re all being punished.”

Pfft. At those words, laughter erupted from a few places. Ansi blinked her eyes seriously, not understanding the reason. At that sight, the corners of Damion’s eyes curved.

He had no intention of making this woman a spectacle. That’s why while Ansi was walking over, he had kindly told the men of the club not to make any unnecessary remarks.

However, it seemed that if they continued to eat in this atmosphere, everyone would get indigestion and the attendance rate tomorrow would converge to 0.

“Actually, it’s usually a noisy atmosphere. They’re being silent because they’re afraid of making a mistake in front of you.”

Damion whispered affectionately.

When he said this, usually the answer that they shouldn’t mind him would come back. But Ansi’s reaction was different.

“Ah, that’s a good method.”

She exclaimed. And she resumed eating as if nothing had happened.

Somehow, Damion felt like laughing at the sight, and put the fork that had picked up the food into his mouth with a smile on his face.

At this rate, it seemed they would end up having a silent meal until the end. Unable to stand it any longer, Henet poked Damion’s side.

Ignoring this, Damion leisurely and slowly swallowed his food, then leaned towards Ansi only after taking another sip of wine.

“It seems like everyone wants to get close to you, so would you allow them to open their mouths as long as they don’t make mistakes?”

Ansi raised her head and looked around. The eyes of the people who had their mouths shut tight were all focused here.

“Is there anything for me to allow? Each person’s mouth is guarded by themselves.”

At those words, everyone began to open their mouths as if the reins had been loosened.

“That’s right, isn’t it? Everyone here is an adult with intelligence.”

“Yes. Madam, you are truly wise.”

The restaurant quickly became lively. Some people chatted among themselves as if they hadn’t spoken for several years, and there were even those who struck up conversations with Ansi.

“Madam, what did Damion confess to you? He won’t answer even if I ask.”

“Then it would be difficult for me to answer as well.”

“Hmm… then how is married life? Is Damion a good husband?”

A good husband? Ansi stared intently at Damion sitting next to her.

Just then, the next dish came out. Damion cut it with his neat hands. She was staring at his long eyelashes resting above his quietly lowered eyes, when the man raised his gaze. The strands of hair that had slightly fallen forward swayed lightly.

Their eyes met. Ansi unknowingly held her breath.

However, Damion casually moved his hands and naturally switched his plate with Ansi’s. The food that had been prepared for easy eating was now placed in front of her.

“It’s because the preparation is complicated.”

Damion gave a light reason.

A good husband.

Ansi pondered once again the question that Elize had asked, which was in the same context.

She had evaded and brushed off the answer in front of Elize. But here, it seemed she shouldn’t avoid answering.

Ansi thought of the objective conditions that Damion possessed, not the man in front of her eyes.

Wealth, appearance, abilities, personality.

Objectively speaking, it was not an easy thing to have a husband with this level of qualities.

So while it may not be the case for Ansi de Luvelce, this man was…

“He’s a good husband.”

“How much?”

Damion asked with a playful smile.

How much, such a question was somewhat difficult to answer. Because goodness is not visible to the eye, it was hard to convert it into a numerical value.

In the end, Ansi decided to borrow the expression her father and mother used to share when she was young. It wasn’t an expression she could quite agree with, but it was an expression that would appeal to the heart of this romantic.

“As much as the sea.”

At that answer, Damion flinched and froze. Ansi wondered if she had misspoken. Or did he not understand again?

“The sea is so wide that you can’t see the end. So it means he’s that good of a husband.”

She kindly explained the meaning in detail. Then Damion burst out laughing.

“I know what it means.”

“Then why that reaction?”

“I thought you would answer a lot, quite, or pretty. But as much as the sea, it’s such an unexpected answer.”

“…It’s not an answer to my taste.”

“Then, even if it’s not to your taste, how about a good husband who makes you have enough goodwill to lift the mood with an exaggerated expression?”

“That’s excellent.”

Ansi let out a laugh. Seeing that, Damion felt like a child who had been praised.

What was this feeling of his shoulders rising over something like this? Moreover, why was he laughing like a fool? Was the champagne served with the meal actually a high-proof liquor?

In the first place, he had intended not to add to the questions pouring in to Ansi, but to simply watch over her.

Though the atmosphere was pleasant now, he knew that the evaluation of her had not yet reached the trajectory of being good. So if anyone brought up a story that crossed the line, he was going to leave the seat immediately.

However, he was somehow pleased to hear the words “good husband” from the mouth of this woman who didn’t know how to express herself.

So on impulse, he had asked how much.

But it’s strange. Once he participated in the conversation, he became curious about all the other answers too.

“What do you think is Damion’s most attractive point?”

Especially for questions like this.

Damion listened attentively to Ansi’s answer.

Ansi shifted her gaze to the person who asked the question.

“What did Damion answer?”

The man, as if embarrassed, stretched out his words with an “um,” but soon confessed.

“He didn’t answer.”

Damion fake coughed.

It was true that he hadn’t answered the question about Ansi’s charm. Because he didn’t want to talk about her in front of others, whether in a good or bad sense.

But somehow, wasn’t there room for misunderstanding in this?

“Ansi, listen.”

“Don’t you have any?”

“Any what?”

“Charm, I mean.”

“There’s no way.”

Damion answered immediately.

And immediately, he asked and answered himself inwardly.

Why did you answer like that, as if someone was chasing you?

Ah, because this woman now thinks he didn’t answer because he couldn’t feel her charm.

Come to think of it, he had only given vague words like he liked her or fell in love at first sight, but had never talked about it in detail.

Then, it might be good to tell her once in a while.

“Ansi, I…”

“I don’t want to answer either.”

Ansi turned her head sharply. She seemed to have no lingering feelings.

But Damion had already decided to talk about her merits. Since it was judged to be a better route, it was right to do so.

So, it wasn’t because he was curious about what she thought his charm was.

In terms of atmosphere, now that this friendly atmosphere had been created.

As part of the process of getting what he wanted from her.

“Shall we say it at the same time?”

Damion asked with a grin.