Chapter 163

With a shy expression, the viscountess hesitated before finally taking Iona’s hand.

Iona, noticing her awkwardness, asked, “Is the Bardem greeting style different from this?”

“No, it’s just that I’m rather shy,” the viscountess answered in a small voice.

Her hands were quite firm for a noblewoman’s, though Iona couldn’t tell if it was due to the feel of her bones or calluses.

After a brief handshake, Iona released her hand without hesitation.

The viscountess, with a bright smile, suggested, “If you’re not hungry yet, would you like to walk and chat a bit?”

Although Iona’s sweat-drenched body and workout attire were hardly suitable for a noble’s stroll, she accepted the offer without hesitation.

It was near dawn, so there weren’t many people awake, making it more comfortable to walk.

Iona handed her towel to Marsha and began walking alongside the viscountess.

Looking up at the cloudy sky, Iona commented, “You wake up quite early.”

“I usually wake up much later. But my husband ordered me to get closer to you, so I made an effort today.”

A maid, who had been standing a step behind, continued to translate the viscountess’s words. Though Iona could understand basic Bardem, she appreciated the time to prepare her responses.

Iona, who had been hiding her expression all along, finally smiled awkwardly after the maid’s interpretation ended.

“Did the Viscount say that?”

“The Viscount has always regretted not being able to interact with neighboring estates.”

This implied that their previous distance from the duke’s family was not by choice.

Considering the sensitive history between the two families, Iona simply smiled in response.

The viscountess continued, “Regardless of the benefits and losses that might arise from this interaction, I also wanted to become friends with you.”

“That’s very kind of you to say.”

“I’ve always been lonely since I got married and moved to a foreign country at a young age. I’m happy to have a neighbor my age nearby.”

The current viscountess, standing before Iona, was the second wife of Viscount Ida, whom he married a few years ago.

When Viscount Ida acquired the Schmidt estate and was erasing traces of the previous owner, the Bardem family pushed for a marriage to strengthen their ties.

With the Viscount’s first wife deceased and the mistress’s position vacant, the marriage proceeded without issue.

The Viscount did not expect much from his young wife, and she behaved very modestly, so their marriage remained harmonious.

The Viscount’s son, born from the first marriage, showed little interest in his stepmother.

While not a warm family, in a sense, they were peaceful.

Naturally, there was no romance or love that a young bride might have hoped for.

“It’s not easy to fit into an already established family,” the viscountess said with a hint of bitterness.

The Viscount’s son and the viscountess were twenty-one and twenty-seven years old, respectively. Their age gap was closer to that of siblings, and the Viscount’s son did not particularly treat her as his mother.

From the viscountess’ perspective, it was inevitable to feel like an outsider within the family.

“I heard that Viscount Ida was not a first-time groom.”

“It’s something I need to work on, but it’s hard to avoid feeling lonely when there’s no place to put my heart.”

The viscountess looked somewhat pitiable as she spoke.

Iona thought that the title of viscountess did not suit her well.

The exterior, tailored to the trends of the empire, blended naturally with the surroundings but didn’t quite feel like a perfect fit for her.

It highlighted the pitiful side of a woman struggling to adapt to life abroad.

Forcing a smile, the viscountess said to Iona, “The Viscounty is full of diverse people and sights. It would be a great comfort if you, as my close neighbor, would visit often to ease your boredom.”

***

“She was adopted with the intention of marrying Viscount Ida from the beginning,” Leroy finally answered after Iona asked about the viscountess.

Though the situation wasn’t exactly the same, Iona could understand the viscountess’ attempts to form a bond due to their similar circumstances.

They both had been adopted into high society, entered into arranged marriages, and moved far from home to follow their husbands.

Iona asked curiously.

“So she wasn’t originally a noble?”

“Officially, she was adopted from distant relatives... But, it’s said she came from an orphanage. This is just a rumor, so I can’t say for sure.”

Even during the luncheon after their walk, the viscountess didn’t remove her gloves.

Considering this was her own home, her insistence was almost obsessive.

When Iona casually asked if she liked gloves, the viscountess shyly replied that she was embarrassed by her hands.

She didn’t admit to a rough upbringing but neither did she hide it.

Iona thought that if the viscountess truly wanted to conceal traces of her past struggles, she would have come up with a different excuse.

After all, it’s been six years since the viscountess married Viscount Ida. Not long enough for a complete transformation, but enough that the calluses from hard work should have faded if she had lived as a noblewoman.

The hands, hardened by tough labor, might be a crafted flaw to divert attention from her true past.

So that anyone who looked at them would be too shocked to wonder about the hidden truth.

“When you said you wanted to interact with the Viscount, I didn’t think you’d start by targeting the viscountess. Judging by your questions about her.”

“If I’m correct, we might not need to take action ourselves to deal with the Viscount,” Iona answered, deep in thought.

“Perhaps the next meeting will provide a definitive answer.”

“The Viscount must be eagerly awaiting your visit,” Leroy said with mock sympathy for Viscount.

His perfectly curved lips didn’t seem to genuinely pity the Viscount at all.

Iona was about to correct Leroy’s exaggeration about the Viscount eagerly waiting, but she remembered how desperately the Viscount had clung to her and decided to remain silent.

It was true that she had exerted considerable effort to extricate herself from the Viscount’s grasp and leave the Viscounty after breakfast, as he insisted she stay for tea time as well.

Even then, Viscount Ida had clung to Iona as she climbed into the carriage, making sure to secure a definite date for her next visit.

It was a frightening persistence.

“We’re almost there,” Leroy said, pulling back the curtains he had drawn to block the sunlight.

Peering outside, Iona saw that the carriage was indeed nearing the duke’s estate.

As the long journey was coming to an end, she felt a sense of relief, but then noticed the crowd filling the streets.

Initially, she thought the people were out shopping or returning from work, but she soon realized they were all standing still, waiting for the carriage to approach.

As the carriage with Iona and Leroy drew closer, the knights managing the crowd unsheathed their swords in unison.

Iona, who had been absentmindedly looking outside, reached out and opened the window.

The cheers of the people grew louder and more distinct.

Just then, flowers thrown by someone caught the wind and fluttered through the small window.

Iona muttered in a daze, “...I’ve never received such a welcome before.”

Perhaps she had been too preoccupied with the thought of dealing with Viscount Ida.

She hadn’t anticipated a procession to welcome the duke and duchess.

In the past, Iona had never received such a reception from the people of the duchy.

After all, she had never come down to the duchy with Leroy after their marriage. It was only natural.

Iona had only stayed briefly in the duchy when absolutely necessary, always moving quietly and unofficially to quickly return to Richard, making her presence discreet.

“It seems my instructions to prepare in advance paid off,” Leroy said, watching Iona’s surprised reaction with a smile in his eyes as he looked outside.

“I hoped you would come to love this place as much as I do.”

--- End Of The Chapter ----

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