Chapter 46

If Altair had made up his mind, there was no way to resist. I gave up on trying to escape and was carried comfortably to the bedroom in Altair's arms.

'Just imagine I'm in a carriage.'

I tried to calm myself down this way, but I couldn't stop my face from turning red due to the servants' gazes that flew at me with every step.

'The number of servants has increased a lot...'

With so many eyes watching, I wondered if it was appropriate to create such an embarrassing situation, but Altair seemed completely unconcerned. Well, would this indifferent man ever care about what others thought?

'I'm always the one who feels embarrassed.'

Maintaining Eilsford Castle became difficult with the increasing number of spaces being used as the renovation progressed. Therefore, the butler Pavel and I worked together to hire the necessary staff, and now we manage the castle quite well. We hired maids for cleaning, footmen to greet guests, kitchen assistants, and gardeners to maintain the overgrown and neglected gardens. The number of staff was comparable to that of the noble Vain family, who owned a mansion in the capital.

'Fortunately, we managed to get everything in order just before leaving for the meeting.'

Now, even if a guest suddenly arrived, we could entertain them without feeling embarrassed. As we finally reached the bedroom, breaking through so many gazes, a sigh of relief escaped me, thinking that I had arrived at my own, or rather, our own space. Altair frowned, seemingly interpreting my sigh in a different way, as he laid me down on the bed.

"Are you in pain? Should I call a doctor?"

"No! I'm fine!"

He seemed ready to call the doctor, so I quickly grabbed his sleeve to stop him. Although I didn't use much force, Altair stopped walking. His uniquely cold eyes stared at me intently. Now I know that the concern in his eyes is genuine. I used to tremble at the sight of his shadow, but now I can think so calmly. Isn't that a huge improvement? Feeling somewhat ridiculous at my own progress, I laughed, causing Altair's frown to deepen.

"What's so funny?"

"I'm laughing at myself. I can now look Altair in the eye confidently."

"Ah, that's true."

Altair nodded slightly, narrowing his eyes in agreement.

"When we first got married, I saw your scalp more often than your face. You always had your head bowed."

"My scalp!"

I was startled and covered my scalp with both hands. Back then, I thought I had to avoid his gaze because he was scary. I never considered what he saw.

"My hair is thick..."

"Did I say your hair was thin?"

"Well, it worries me. A bald scalp doesn't look good."

Every time Marina Anna combed my hair, a lot of hair would fall out, making me worry that I might lose all my hair. They say stress can cause hair loss. So, as someone who is easily stressed, I need to be especially careful about hair loss! Feeling somewhat serious, I touched my hair and looked in the mirror, causing Altair to chuckle.

"It's not bald. It's very thick. It's your hair, don't you know?"

"I can't see my scalp myself."

I tried to look at my scalp by bowing my head and using the mirror, but my hair kept blocking my view. As I struggled, Altair reached out and tousled my hair.

"Don't worry. It's very thick."

Although I couldn't see it clearly, I trusted Altair.

"Altair's hair is also thick. I bet it will still be thick even when he's a grandfather."

"Grandfather? Are you already worried about that?"

"It's an important issue. Well, I can't imagine a bald Altair."

Even as I said this, I tried to imagine Altair with no hair. His face was so handsome that even without hair, he would probably still look good.

'Hmm, so Altair wouldn't have a big problem even without hair...'

Is a good face the ultimate completion of everything? I blinked, staring at his face, which made everything look good. Feeling uncomfortable under my gaze, Altair stroked my face.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I suddenly thought you were handsome."

"...What?"

Altair frowned, repeating my words. It was an unusual reaction to a compliment.

"You don't need to flatter me with empty words."

He seemed to think I was saying sweet things to flatter him. I waved my hands to correct him.

"I'm not flattering you. I don't need to flatter Altair."

"Well..."

Even when I thought I needed to make a good impression on Altair, I never considered flattering him. I only thought about doing my job well to secure my position. As I continued to stare at his face, radiating sincerity, Altair couldn't bear it and turned his head away.

"Stop looking. It's embarrassing."

"Embarrassing? You feel that way too?"

I was surprised. Feeling embarrassed. I thought Altair, being so indifferent, wouldn't feel such things.

'He was so bold when he carried me through the corridor just now.'

How could I learn such boldness? I even admired him for it. Feeling embarrassed just because I said he was handsome. I found it amusing and burst out laughing, causing Altair's ears to turn slightly red as he looked around awkwardly, trying to change the topic.

"Many letters arrived while I was away."

Altair brought me the letters stacked on the silver tray on the side table. All the letters sent to Altair were delivered to his office, so the letters here were all addressed to me.

'How did I start receiving so many letters?'

When I first became the Countess of Eilsford, I didn't receive even a congratulatory letter. No tea party or ball invitations either. But as Eilsford's status rose, I started receiving numerous letters and invitations.

'They know that if sent to Altair, they would be rejected.'

They probably thought it was easier to approach the newly married countess than the cold and scary count.

'Besides, social activities are definitely the lady of the house's responsibility.'

I couldn't just reject them all, so I had to filter them and make appearances.

'Altair didn't say anything, but...'

I glanced at Altair, fiddling with the envelopes. Even though he didn't say much, he probably wanted me to be active in society. That's what most noble husbands expect from their wives.

'I won the eastern noble meeting, didn't I? I can do it.'

The problem was that I could only say I won, not that I won well... As I thought this, I unconsciously flipped through the envelopes and stopped at a familiar crest. Noticing something was off, Altair took the envelope and frowned slightly.

"A letter from the Vain family."

"...Yes."

The crest of the Vain family, which was once my name. There were not just one but three more envelopes with the same crest. It didn't seem like a normal matter. Sensing my hesitation, Altair shook the envelope lightly.

"Should I read it?"

"No. It's addressed to me. I should read it."

I tried to sound calm, but my mouth felt dry.

"Let's read it together."

Altair handed me the envelope. Feeling reassured by his offer, I carefully broke the seal. I couldn't guess what my uncle had written, especially in four letters.

'Oh?'

But to my surprise, the sender was not my uncle.

'It's a letter from Melissa.'

Melissa, my cousin of the same age, with whom I lived for a long time, but we weren't close enough to exchange letters. In fact, I was often looked down upon by her. However, the tone in the letter was so friendly and affectionate that it made me wonder if our past conflicts were all a misunderstanding. If someone who didn't know our history read this letter, they would have believed it was a message from a close cousin.

Altair, reading the letter with me, seemed to think the same and casually tilted his head.

"Of course, the Eilsford story must have reached the Vain family."

"Yes."

Melissa was asking if the recent rumors about Eilsford's good fortune in the capital were true and if she could visit Eilsford. The other three letters had similar content, but they seemed to misinterpret my absence due to the eastern noble meeting as intentional, and urged me to reply quickly.

'And in the last letter...'

She expressed her concern over not receiving a reply and said she would visit Eilsford soon.

'Eilsford? She's coming to Eilsford?'

I was so shocked that I jumped out of bed. I read the letter several times, but my eyes weren't deceiving me. Melissa was the type to do what she said. She wasn't just saying it. The fact that no more letters came after this one confirmed it. Visiting another noble's house without permission was a huge faux pas, but Melissa was prepared to do anything for me.

"Melissa is coming!"

I shouted, looking at Altair, then realized he didn't know who Melissa was.

"Melissa is my..."

"I know. Your cousin, right?"

I was about to explain more, but Altair already knew.

"How do you know? I never talked about Melissa..."

As I asked, surprised, Pavel's urgent voice came from outside.

"My lord! It's a big problem! A guest has arrived!"

For calm Pavel to rush in so urgently meant it was an unexpected guest.

'She really is coming?'

I was at a loss, but Altair opened the bedroom door calmly and greeted Pavel.

"Is the guest from the Vain family?"

Pavel blinked, confused by Altair's question.

"No. From the Vain family, that is, from the lady's family?"

Altair and I exchanged a glance. The unexpected guest wasn't Melissa.

'Then who?'

As I wondered, Pavel sighed and spoke.

"The royal family has arrived,