❦❦❦
AFTER that, Yuuri became very busy with preparations of her own.
She would be accompanying her husband, the ambassador, to Fosdan, after all. There was much she had to learn, so she was given a room at Ernest’s manor.
She returned to her shop intermittently to gather her things and clean up. Thankfully, Simon was taking ownership of the shop, so Yuuri wouldn’t have to say goodbye to the home she had shared with her grandparents just yet.
She was exhausted. Her mornings were filled with lessons on everything she needed to learn to be a good ambassador’s wife. Her afternoons were filled with dancing lessons.
Ernest found her in her room, sipping tea, happily free from the day’s obligations.
He had been scrambling to try and pull together a respectable wedding in only three months. Most noble weddings took anywhere from six months to a year to prepare. And gaining the proper acceptance and permission to marry into the nobility took some time.
“No ordinary man would be able to pull all of this together in such a short time. I suppose I’m just that amazing,” Ernest boasted, though the truth was he had been planning this well before he even asked Yuuri. He had even been meeting with her father, ever since she first drank his blood.
“I wish you had told me, rather than done so much behind my back.”
“Shame on you, you wicked witch. I was so madly in love that I couldn’t contain myself, and there you are, holding back and letting me make a fool of myself.”
“You’re the wicked one.”
This time, it was Yuuri’s teasing words that hurt Ernest. But he merely laughed it off. Having her call him “wicked” actually made him feel proud somehow.
She took a sip of tea as a sign of defeat, just as a knock came at the door. A maid entered a second later.
“M’lady, a letter has arrived for you!” a woman in a polished servant’s uniform announced, far louder than most servants would.
It was Rosie, wearing one of the manor’s maid uniforms.
“Please stop addressing me that way. What are you doing here, Rosie?”
“The count hired me! We’re coming with you to Fosdan too!”
Yuuri had heard that Ernest had hired Dan after he could no longer work at the baron’s estate. But why Rosie too? Yuuri gave Ernest a quizzical look.
“Just for insurance. I didn’t want anything to happen to her if that creep ever got out and tried to take revenge. …We’ll need servants when we go to Fosdan, so why break them up?”
Dan had received reparations from the baron over his injuries. But they weren’t enough to cover all the debt the baron had paid off. And Dan was unemployed.
Ernest took over the remainder of the debts, with the caveat that Dan would pay a little back from his salary each month. But as Dan would have to come to Fosdan, he couldn’t just force the man to leave Rosie behind.
“All right, I’ll just set your letter here then.”
Yuuri wasn’t sure if she should correct Rosie on her boisterous manner.
She felt someone watching them from the door and looked up to see Tarrah standing there, seething.
“Rosie, come along now. …Master, I beg your pardon, she is still learning. Please excuse us.”
It was inappropriate for Tarrah to wear anything but a smile in front of the head of household. But it was clear as day that Rosie was in for quite the lecture.
“It never is boring here, as you can see. Is it from your family?”
“Yes. I wrote to them regarding the wedding…and…”
With everyone gone, Yuuri could read the letter in peace. But her face clouded over and Ernest could guess what it was about.
“Is it your mother?”
Yuuri had asked her father if her mother would be attending her wedding ceremony.
“He said why let someone who cannot share our joy sour our special day?”
“Are you all right with that?”
“Yes. I suppose I knew she would choose this all along. After all, she did say she would never accept me.”
It was so strange. For most of her life, the fact that Yuuri’s mother had shunned her was like a millstone that she struggled to carry through life, weighing heavy upon her heart.
Children revered their parents above all others. So if her mother hated her so, then she must truly be a despicable creature. A monster.
But the words from the man she loved were even more powerful. Knowing how deeply he loved her, that she was in fact lovable, set her free.
Her mother was neither right nor perfect. And she could finally admit it. So she no longer needed to be bound by what this heartless woman thought of her.
“Are things different now?”
“…Yes.”
To Yuuri, Ernest’s words were her truth. Because he told her she was not a monster, though she was “determined, awkward, and extreme in her expressions of love,” she felt free.
“Ohh. And just why have you become so positive all of a sudden? Care to tell me?”
“No.”
“I see. Too bad. I have an idea anyway. By the way, this is your room, for you to use as you see fit…for now.”
“Thank you very much.”
Why was he bringing up the room all of a sudden? What was he really getting at?
“……”
Ernest gave her a wounded look, though she wasn’t sure what she had done to upset him. She had merely thanked him for letting her have use of the room.
“That’s not what I was looking for. This is a guest room and you are no longer a guest, so you won’t be able to stay in here forever. Just prepare yourself for that.”
This room had an expiration date? What would happen then? He certainly wasn’t going to run his fiancée out of the manor, so where would she go? After he said “prepare yourself,” she had a good idea of what he was implying.
Ernest lifted a lock of Yuuri’s ebony hair to his lips. Startled, she tried to scoot away, but found herself trapped by the armrest. He was always so intimidating when he closed in on her like this.
Surely, it was his right as her future husband, but still, she wanted to wait just a little longer.
She was trying to squirm away, but she ended up on her back. She didn’t want him any closer, so she grabbed his shirt, and gave a mighty shove.
“Ohh, you’re being so aggressive today!”
No matter what happened, Ernest had the uncanny ability to rewrite every situation in his favor.
Yuuri was trying to push him off of her so she could evade his advances, but Ernest was treating it like she was trying to take his shirt off.
“N-No, I wasn’t! …Stay back or I’ll bite you!”
“Go ahead.”
His lips curled into a mischievous smile as he swiftly undid his tie.
“Never mind, I think I’ll pass for now!”
No matter how Yuuri’s eyes filled with tears or how much she glared at him, he only smiled brighter. He usually gave her an out. But this time was different. Was it different because he was more serious than ever…or because this was exactly what she wanted as well?
Ernest gave Yuuri no time to think it over.
✦ ✦ ✦
❦❦❦
COUNT Selden’s wife, Countess Yuuri, was known as the “Misfortune Devouring Witch”. Anyone who had problems that needed solving could visit her at the manor. But in order to gain the witch’s help, there were two rules one need follow.
One: All requests for aide were to go through the count himself first.
Two: No one was to request jasmine tea from the countess.
The count could be rather jealous and couldn’t bear to see anyone else drinking jasmine tea his wife had made.
If you can manage to follow those two rules, the kindly witch from a distant land will happily devour your misfortunes too.
But what becomes of those who have their misfortunes devoured—?
The End