Woke Up And I'm A Married Woman (17 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 7

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He must be referring to the second-floor room where I woke up. I shook my head.

“You said you’re sensitive to presences, right? Wouldn’t it bother you if I’m hovering around you all the time?”

Cedar tilted his head as if my question was hard to understand, then gave a light flick of his fingers before replying.

“Oh, you think that room earlier is near mine? Don’t worry about it. There’s no one else on the second floor except you.”

“I see.”

It really seemed like there was no one else in this manor besides the two of us. I nodded readily.

“This makes it even more ideal for maintaining my current condition. I won’t disappoint you.”

“What?”

Cedar’s brow furrowed deeply. Ignoring it, I continued with what I wanted to say.

“Still, you’ll need to tell me where the laundry room and kitchen are. Sometimes people assume mages can live like plankton on magic alone.”

“The laundry room? The kitchen? Do you intend to handle chores yourself?”

“Huh? Are you offering to do it for me? Should I just never leave the second floor at all?”

“…?”

Cedar’s eyes widened, clearly unable to grasp my meaning. I tilted my head in confusion as well.

“Our conversation seems to keep missing the point. Am I really that shocking to look at—just because there’s no one around?”

“Yes.”

At my sharp reply, Cedar’s expression twisted. Feeling a bit too blunt, I waved my hand and added quickly,

“Don’t worry about it. At the academy, I always handled my own laundry and meals anyway. I’m fine staying on the second floor.”

“…”

But somehow, his expression only grew more pained.

Realizing this might be the wrong approach, I fiddled with my fingers and added another sentence.

“I’ve lived sleeping curled up in a study room half the size of this one. Honestly, this feels spacious. And it’s nice and quiet with no one around.”

“…Why don’t you just stop talking.”

“Okay.”

So it really was true—the more I spoke, the worse things got.

Living among eccentric scholars at the academy had left me rather awkward in conversation.

‘I’ll just stay quiet.’

Following Cedar’s advice, I clamped my mouth shut. Cedar let out a heavy sigh.

He stopped his steady footsteps, turned to face me, ran a hand through his hair, and spoke.

“I don’t mean for you to lock yourself away. Do I really look like a fool who can’t even manage his own staff? There are no visitors here, only people I trust—you’ve nothing to worry about. Live freely.”

“But you said you’re sensitive to presences?”

“I hardly ever come here anyway. I’m busy.”

“I see.”

So he was saying I didn’t have to stay cooped up on the second floor—I could move around as I pleased.

‘But I still need to know where the laundry room and kitchen are.’

Just as I was about to ask again, Cedar added with an oddly eerie smile,

“If anyone ever comes by, hide behind a curtain or something. They definitely won’t be welcome company.”

“…Alright, I understand.”

I wanted to ask for an example of what kind of guest he meant, but his expression was too serious, so I stayed silent.

‘His face looks just like the professor’s when he’s planning some weird assignment.’

In short, it was the frustrated look of someone forced to outsmart an opponent they’d rather just crush.

For a Swordmaster, wouldn’t it be easier to just eliminate anyone he dislikes?

‘Guess even someone at his level has to hold back sometimes. Life really isn’t easy.’

Perhaps embarrassed at showing his emotions, Cedar turned his back to me.

“Let’s go eat.”

“Alright.”

Since I was hungry too, I followed him without complaint, trailing behind like a little duckling.

Honestly, I’d expected we’d have to cook for ourselves, but when we reached the dining room, the meal was already set out.

Still, there was no sign of anyone else around.

‘It feels like fairies prepared it.’

Trending

But I knew better than anyone that it couldn’t be fairies—fairies and spirits are dense bundles of magic, impossible to hide from my eyes.

So someone must have prepared the meal.

‘Are they shy? Why won’t they show themselves?’

Back at the academy, there was even a student who was practically invisible—more like a shadow than a person.

Maybe the chef here was just as painfully shy.

As I sat down, Cedar walked back out of the dining room. I half-rose from my seat and called after him.

“Aren’t you eating with me?”

His silvery-gray eyes looked displeased.

“You eat as much as you want.”

“Yes. Right, then.”

We weren’t exactly the type to sit happily together over a meal, after all.

Once Cedar left, the dining room fell silent as a tomb. The clinking of cutlery was almost irritating.

Having gone so long without eating, even the food scraping down my throat felt unbearably rough.

In the end, I couldn’t finish even half of what was on my plate.

‘Cedar didn’t touch his, and I left so much—someone’s going to feel bad about all this waste.’

After a brief moment of hesitation, I found a note pad in the corner, wrote that the food was delicious, left it on the table, and exited the dining room.

[This is the timeline separator]

True to his word about rarely staying home, I couldn’t sense Cedar’s presence anywhere in the manor.

Left alone, I paced the second floor—my designated living space—lost in thought as if it were exercise.

‘This doesn’t seem like a duke’s residence.’

If a prestigious house like the Grenit Dukedom lived in such a modest manor, that would be surprising in its own right.

‘They must have some centuries-old, heritage-listed estate somewhere else. He’s probably living separately on his own. Could it be because of his sensitivity to presences?’

I was curious what it actually felt like—to be so sensitive you could clearly sense someone’s presence even while asleep.

‘That sounds exhausting by itself.’

Just as I turned sharply at the end of the hallway, lost in these thoughts—

A man I’d never seen before stood right behind me. My eyes widened, and I froze.

He had cheerful features and fiery red hair. He bowed his head respectfully and greeted me politely.

“Good day, my lady. I am Hyle, in charge of managing all aspects of Sir Cedar’s daily life. You may simply think of me as the butler of this manor.”

So there really was someone managing the manor! Overjoyed, I smiled warmly and bowed my head.

“Hello.”

“…”

“Hello?”

He didn’t react, even after I repeated my greeting twice.

When I flicked my fingers to make a sound, puzzled, he finally moved slowly.

“Oh—seeing you move in person truly makes it feel real that you’ve awakened. My apologies.”

“I was asleep for quite a while.”

Though, honestly, I didn’t feel it myself either.

Hyle seemed delighted to see me and started chattering away about recent events.

“Until Sir Cedar instructed me to prepare meals for two, I’d just assumed he was simply feeling extra hungry today. I never imagined my lady would awaken!”

“The term ‘my lady’ feels odd.”

“Ah, of course—it must feel unreal to you. I understand.”

Hyle lowered his eyes mournfully for a moment, then quickly brightened and added cheerfully,

“But Sir Cedar loves you so dearly! You’ll adjust in no time.”

“Huh?”

“He worried so much about you while you were asleep and stayed by your side for so long. I’ve been his apprentice for years, yet I never knew he had such a romantic side!”

Hyle’s eyes sparkled as he recounted things about Cedar I’d never seen. I smiled awkwardly.

‘There wasn’t a shred of affection in the way he looked at me.’

I had a rough idea of how he was using me publicly.

He probably claimed he’d always admired me and insisted on taking responsibility for me, even in my comatose state.

‘That’s exactly the kind of story Diana would write.’

ads

It was perfectly in line with her romantic flair.

While it was nice that my younger sister had talent for storytelling, it was regrettable she’d used that talent to steal my inheritance.

“Are you the only person working in this manor, Mr. Hyle?”

“Yes. A gardener and a grocer visit once a week on Wednesdays. Aside from them, no one else.”

“And they’re both men?”

“Yes, they are.”

After answering briskly, Hyle seemed to realize something belatedly and hesitated before adding,

“We don’t have maids simply because we didn’t expect my lady to awaken so soon…”

“Oh, no need for that.”

“Huh?”

I wasn’t asking him to hire maids. I smiled gently as I replied,

“At the academy, I always took care of myself. Just tell me where the groceries are kept and where to do laundry—I’ll handle it myself.”

“But… that’s… not really…”

“My husband said he didn’t want anyone to know I’d awakened from my coma. If too many people are around, word’s bound to get out eventually, right?”

“Sir Cedar said that?”

He tilted his head, puzzled. Embarrassed to explain further, I quickly changed the subject.

“Will you be staying here permanently, Mr. Hyle?”

“No. Sir Cedar commands the Azure Dragon Knights, stationed near the manor. I reside there.”

“I see—so you’re here only because of me. Normally, you’d stay only when my husband is here.”

“Precisely.”

Another piece of information added to my knowledge of Cedar Grenit: Heir apparent of Duke Grenit, Swordmaster—

And commander of the Azure Dragon Knights.

‘So he’s gotten a place near the knights’ barracks.’

He probably eats and sleeps in his own room there anyway, so he doesn’t need to stay at the manor for long.

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