Chapter 28

"Boyfriend?"

I, who had always been timid and stayed at home, could never have done something so bold. I was startled by the strange direction the speculation was taking and jumped up.

"It's not like that! There were circumstances!"

"Since you gave such a precious ring to a young man, it's a reasonable suspicion. Even if someone else found out, they would think the same."

"That may be so... but Dillion promised to keep it a secret..."

"Unfortunately, his mouth wasn't tight enough when faced with a sword."

I took a deep breath, staring into Altair's sharply gleaming red eyes. The image of Altair from the novel, who could easily cut off an opponent's head with a single sword, flashed through my mind.

'No, no!'

I tried to calm my trembling body and opened my eyes wide.

'The Altair I know is different from the villain Altair in the novel!'

If I explain well, he will understand the situation that left me no choice. I don't know if Altair will believe my story, but it would be much better than being misunderstood as Dillion's girlfriend. I gathered my courage and looked into Altair's eyes; he was calmly waiting for me to speak, his eyes still cold and piercing, but for some reason, I felt relieved.

"Dillion is a good person. He helped me when I was in trouble."

"So you gave him the ring as a thank you?"

"No! It's not like that... Dillion disposed of the ring for me."

"Disposed?"

Altair raised an eyebrow, not understanding.

"Did you sell the ring?"

"Yes."

"I heard it was a precious ring passed down from your maternal family. Why did you sell it?"

"I needed money urgently."

"What? Money?"

"Yes. Marie introduced me to Dillion after learning about my situation. He said he could sell jewelry for noble ladies."

Altair fell silent, his mouth tightly shut. He seemed to have no idea why a nobleman's daughter would need money urgently.

"...I needed the funeral expenses for my parents. And the land to bury them."

Altair still looked confused.

"The funeral of the previous marquess and his wife should naturally be the responsibility of the marquess family. Why did you have to arrange the funds? And the land... doesn't the Vain marquess family have a family cemetery?"

Most noble families have a dedicated plot of land for a family cemetery. The Vain marquess family was no exception; all the previous marquesses and their direct descendants were buried there after their passing. However, my uncle did not allow it.

"My uncle said that if I didn't pay the land use fee, I couldn't bury my parents in the family cemetery. He also said that it was my duty as their child to cover the funeral expenses."

"That's absurd... They were the previous marquess and his wife, so they naturally have the right to be buried in the family cemetery."

"That's... because the damage my parents caused to the family was too great."

"Damage?"

"...My parents had accumulated a huge debt. They were repeatedly tricked by scammers into making meaningless investments and then got into gambling to try to recover their losses, but failed. My uncle said that if I paid the cemetery use fee, he would not reveal their misdeeds to the public and would bury them."

As the story continued, Altair's face hardened. I quickly added an explanation, fearing he might misunderstand my parents.

"Of course, it's all my uncle's claims! I know my parents well. They wouldn't do such things. But with my uncle in control of the family, I had no way to act."

The main servants of the marquess family were on my uncle's side. Even those who knew the truth all spoke of my parents' mistakes.

'I even thought about seeking help from outside...'

My uncle was active in social circles, had a good public image, and many allies. His words carried strong influence, which was his most powerful weapon.

'He didn't even allow me to go out or send letters to my parents' friends.'

Thoroughly isolated, my options were limited.

"The trust fund I brought as a dowry was restricted for use after marriage, and the other marquess family assets were already in my uncle's hands... If I kept holding out, I wouldn't be able to properly arrange my parents' funeral, so I sold the ring."

Fortunately, Dillion was a reliable person. He sold the ring for a fair price, allowing me to cover my parents' funeral and the exorbitant cemetery use fee demanded by my uncle. That was the best I could do at the time. After the funeral, the treatment I received worsened drastically. The servants treated me as a criminal, calling me the daughter who almost ruined the marquess family. Only Marie believed in me and helped me. Thinking about the past made my eyes well up. I could endure the criticism, but the words that maligned my always warm parents were unbearable. But if I fought back and upset my uncle, he might spread false rumors, so I had to swallow everything.

From then on, I became accustomed to enduring. I held back my tears and tensed my shoulders, but the weight of the past made my head droop.

"You might find it hard to believe, but that's the truth."

"..."

Altair showed no reaction. It was indeed a hard story to believe.

'Even if he doesn't believe me, there's nothing I can do.'

Still, I didn't want Altair to have an unreasonable misunderstanding. It wasn't just about avoiding a quick death at the hands of a villain.

'I don't want to be hated by Altair.'

I was just starting to understand and work on what I needed to do as a wife. I didn't want to lose his trust.

"How did you find out about Dillion and this ring? Did he spread any rumors?"

If the story of a noble lady selling jewelry to get money spread, it would quickly turn into a bad rumor. People generally assumed that such actions were done for nefarious reasons. At the time, I was alone, so I thought I had to endure any misunderstandings. But now, as the Countess of Eilsford, it was no longer just my problem. For the sake of Altair and Eilsford's honor, I needed to clear my name.

"I'm sorry. I will definitely resolve this. I will find a way to ensure that Altair and Eilsford suffer no harm..."

As I raised my head determinedly, Altair lightly tapped my forehead with his finger. The resolve that had built up to the tips of my hair melted away, and my mouth opened slightly.

"Marie told me to look into the ring called Cassandra's Smile to understand you better. This definitely helps me understand the situation."

"..."

"It means that the problem you're worried about hasn't happened. And even if it did, I wouldn't ask you to solve it."

I blinked, feeling bewildered, and Altair frowned, bending down to meet my eye level.

"Do you think I won't help you?"

"Help... me? You, Altair?"

"Of course. You're my wife. Now your problems are my problems, and my problems are your problems..."

Altair suddenly trailed off, narrowing his eyes.

"Surely, you don't think my problems are not your problems? Is that why you reacted this way?"

"No way! If Altair has a problem, I will work hard to help!"

I shook my head quickly without hesitation, and Altair's lips curved slightly.

"Right. So this is our problem. It became that way the moment we got married. I have the right to act."

Not understanding what 'this' meant, I tilted my head, and Altair pressed for agreement.

"Right, Nadia?"

"Um... Yes..."

Still feeling bewildered, I nodded, and he gently patted my shoulder, as if satisfied.

"So, first, relax your shoulders. I'll take care of our problem."

The tension in my shoulders, which had been taut, relaxed. But his next words brought the tension back.

"The Eastern Nobles' Gathering is coming up, so focus on that."

"Y-Yes. The gathering is coming up."

I imagined a large number of nobles gathered, laughing and chatting, and felt cold sweat break out just thinking about it.

'I need to prepare thoroughly to avoid making mistakes.'

I had been so preoccupied with other things that I had forgotten about such a big event.

'If I attend the gathering unprepared, I'll make a fool of myself and tarnish Eilsford's name.'

I needed thorough practice and training. As I burned with determination, Altair lightly cleared his throat and smoothed my hair.

"Shall we... go now?"

"Where?"

"You were thinking of asking me to go for a walk together, right? Wasn't that it?"

"Oh."

That was true, but it was before I remembered the important event.

"I'm sorry, but I can't go for a walk. I just remembered something important."

"Something important?"

Altair tilted his head curiously, but I quickly pulled the bell cord to call Marie.

'I need to become the perfect countess before the gathering!'

* * *

"...My lord, you've stopped working."

Pavel, who was assisting Altair with his duties, gently pointed out his lack of focus. Despite the document not being particularly important, Altair had been stuck on the same page for several minutes.

"Oh."

The fact that he only realized this after being pointed out indicated that he had indeed been lost in thought.

'This feels familiar.'

Pavel, who had experienced a similar situation a few days ago, narrowed his eyes. Of course, there was a difference from that day. Altair's mood then had been strangely elated, while today he seemed to be at rock bottom.

"You know the Eastern Nobles' Gathering is coming up, right? You won't be able to handle your duties for a while once you leave, so you need to get a lot done now, my lord."

"Right. I need to."

Altair gave a vague answer and flipped through the documents, but it didn't last long. Seeing Altair lose focus and look dejected, Pavel crossed his arms.

"Did something happen with the lady again?"

It was a reasonable question. Recently, the only person who could affect Altair so much was the Countess of Eilsford. However, Altair immediately denied Pavel's guess.

"No."

"There's no way. I'm sure something happened."

"Do you not believe me? Nothing happened. Nothing has happened, and it's still not happening."

Pavel tilted his head, unsure, and Altair, feeling frustrated, sighed.

"I heard Nadia has been inviting knights for tea every day."

"Oh, that."

In the small Eilsford Castle, news spread quickly. Pavel already knew that the countess had been inviting two or three knights daily for tea.

"The lady is very considerate. In fact, I was invited and had a conversation with her..."

"What? You were invited?"

"Yes."

"I... haven't been invited. You were invited too?"

Altair clenched his teeth and tightened his grip, causing the pen in his hand to snap in two with a crack.