Chapter 50 - The Problem is Edith (4)
Just as they had on their dates, she naturally took his hand as they left, and Lenny, who was just returning, saw the two of them and smiled brightly. When Lope, who was with her, bowed politely, Lenny hurriedly followed suit and bowed as well.
Edith tried to return their greeting, but Grayson didn't even glance back at them, walking straight ahead. So, Edith quickly matched his pace.
"Where are we going?"
"It would take a while to tour the entire estate, so I'll just show you the main building today."
As he headed for the stairs, he explained that the main building had five floors.
"As you've seen before, the first floor has the main hall, reception rooms, a banquet hall, and a dining room. From now on, please use the reception rooms on the first floor when greeting guests."
"Yes. Should I go to the dining room at set times for meals?"
"I'm often out, so you may have your meals whenever you wish."
"Ah, I see."
Even though she knew he was a busy man, she couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.
"The second floor, as you can see, is where our bedroom is."
She ascended the stairs with him.
"The third floor has a study, a conference room, and other rooms used for various purposes. Do you want to take a look?"
When Edith shook her head, he stepped onto the staircase leading to the next floor.
"There's not much of note on the fourth floor; it's mainly used to store artworks and jewels we've acquired from various places. There are several empty rooms as well, so you can use one if you need a separate space for yourself. Would you like to see it?"
Having little interest in art or jewels, Edith shook her head. The last was the fifth floor.
Unusually, a heavy-looking door stood right at the top of the fifth-floor stairs.
"This is the library. The entire floor was converted into one. Would you like to see it?"
"Yes!"
She had been full of curiosity since she was a child. She had wanted to learn to satisfy that curiosity, but Wyatt had never given Edith the opportunity. If her mother hadn't secretly brought her books, read to her every night, and taught her to write, she would have reached this age without even knowing how to read.
When the heavy iron door opened, a new world unfolded.
The late afternoon sunlight poured in through large windows on all four sides. In a space so well-lit that even the dust motes dancing in the air were visible, bookshelves stood packed tightly together.
"Wow."
Entering the space filled with the scent of books, Edith let out an involuntary gasp of admiration.
"They say sunlight damages the paper, but I believe a library should be bright. Do you like it?"
"Very much so. It's truly magnificent."
Edith said with a flushed face as she walked further inside. Grayson followed slowly behind, watching her as she looked around.
"There are so many different kinds of books. Oh, is this a fairy tale? Do you read these too?"
"I read whatever I can get my hands on. That fairy tale won a cultural award in the Sidewether Kingdom three years ago."
"Oh, I see. Then, Duke, have you read all the books in this library?"
"Not all of them, but as many as I could."
"Then may I read them too?"
"By all means."
Edith reached for a book on a nearby shelf. It was a thick, hardcover volume that looked expensive at a glance.
"Is it alright to read something like this? It looks expensive."
"Books exist to be read. I think it's more disrespectful to just store them without reading them."
"That's right, I think so too."
Edith thought of the books that merely sat on the shelves in the library of the Family of Marquis Reynolds. Wyatt treated them as precious treasures, but he never read them.
After looking around the library for a while, Edith asked as they headed back to their room.
"Are there any places I'm not allowed to enter?"
The main building alone was so vast; she assumed there must be at least one or two restricted areas.
"None."
The reply came back swiftly and firmly.
"There is nowhere in this mansion you cannot go, Wife. If anyone should try to stop you, let me know."
*Tell me, and I'll take care of it.*
That's what it sounded like, and her heart pounded. The giddy feeling cooled into something else entirely when they reached the second floor, where the bedroom was.
Suddenly, a conversation they'd had long ago came to mind.
-"We will enjoy a few proper dates until the day of our wedding."
They had enjoyed their dates.
-"The next time we meet, we'll hold hands."
They had held hands.
-"And on our fourth meeting or so, we'll share a light kiss."
They had shared a kiss.
So, now that they were married, all that remained was...
-"After the wedding, we will share a bed for the first week or so."
Sharing a bed.
When Edith stopped dead in her tracks, Grayson, who was half a step ahead, turned to look back at her. He gave her a look that asked what was wrong, but Edith couldn't answer.
'I'd completely forgotten!'
Because she had drunk poison at the wedding and been unconscious for days, she had missed the first week of sharing a bed immediately after the ceremony. Since Grayson liked to handle everything perfectly, he would surely want to achieve that goal today, now that she was awake.
She had been prepared for the fact that they would have to share a bed. Just as they had kissed when they were lovers, it was only natural that as his wife, she would have to share a bed with him.
The problem was...
'How do you do it?'
Having been unable to socialize, Edith knew nothing about the intimate affairs between a husband and wife.
Usually, before a wedding, the mother would arrange for someone to teach her daughter how to spend the night with a man. But Julia, the current Marchioness, would never have bothered with such a thing.
Edith had married knowing nothing, and now she was faced with her first night.
She didn't have the faintest idea what to do or how to act on the first night with her husband.
As Edith stood there silently for some time, Grayson grew tired of waiting and approached her. Edith flinched and took a step back.
"Did I do something to upset you?" he asked, seemingly misunderstanding.
"No, no, Duke. It's not that."
"Then?"
"It's... about today. You know... that thing."
"That thing?"
"Th-the thing... We agreed to do it a week after we got married."
"Ah, that."
It seemed he hadn't forgotten, as he understood immediately what she was talking about. Unable to look him in the eye, Edith lowered her head and clutched the fabric of her skirt.
"I... um... about that..."
"Wife."
Grayson gently took Edith's chin and lifted it. Edith tried to avoid his gaze by looking down.
"I'm not that much of a brute."
"Pardon?"
Only then did Edith raise her eyes to meet his. He looked at her with an amused expression and said.
"I'm not so insane as to pounce on my wife the moment she's woken up from a near-fatal poisoning. Surely you didn't see me that way?"
"Oh, no! Of course not, right? You wouldn't. Of course. I believed you weren't that kind of person."
Grayson, who had been gazing at Edith's lips as she chattered on, let out a soft chuckle and released her chin.
"Good. So focus on your recovery. I'd like for us to share a bed in a week."
Watching Edith's face instantly turn red was an amusing sight. Grayson felt the urge to tease her further as even the nape of her neck flushed red, but then, surprised at himself for having such a thought, he started walking again.
A moment later, he heard the sound of her following behind him. The soft, rhythmic sound of her footsteps on the carpet was pleasant to his ears.
***
Her first day at the ducal estate passed without any particular problems.
'I thought everyone would hate me...'
After Grayson left, saying he had business to attend to, Edith felt a little nervous. It was because she thought the staff of the ducal house would never welcome 'the mad Duchess'.
Of course, the servants didn't welcome her with open arms, but they didn't openly ignore her or give her unkind looks either. The maids who came to help her bathe, the maids who came to turn down her bed, and the maids who brought her dinner—all of them were polite to Edith.
"The Prince will likely be late today, so you may retire to bed first."
Mrs. Windsor also spoke politely to Edith, who was still awake late into the night.
"Is he always this late?"
"Not always, but there are many days when he returns late. You don't need to wait up for the Prince. The staff also goes to bed when the time comes."
"Yes, thank you for letting me know."
At Edith's words of thanks, Mrs. Windsor looked slightly surprised before leaving her with a wish to rest well.
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