I No Longer Have Love to Offer You - Chapter 26

Ricardo was elated after divorcing Mirabelle and welcoming Marietta into his mansion. The daily life with Marietta, whom he had longed for over the years, brought him joy beyond imagination.

Moreover, the fact that Marietta who had once chosen Ludovic had ultimately left his brother and come to him tickled his pride. Though their engagement had originally been arranged between their families, Ricardo felt as though he had finally bested his elder brother for the first time.

“Would you like to go out with me today?”

At her words, Ricardo lifted his gaze from the documents he had been reviewing. Marietta stood at the entrance of his study.

Marietta loved shopping. Though goods were sometimes brought to the mansion for her perusal, she much preferred going into town herself to select items from the shops. Since coming to Ricardo, she had already gone out with him several times.

The documents in his hands were ones he had hoped to finish by the end of the day, but after a brief moment of consideration, Ricardo set them aside and stood.

“What would you like to look at today?”

“I’ve been invited to the Count’s tea party soon. I’d like to find a dress and accessories for the occasion.”

With a smile, she approached and naturally slipped her hand into the crook of his arm. The ease with which she leaned against him filled him with warmth.

For a fleeting moment, Ricardo recalled that she had just recently purchased new dresses and accessories, but he quickly dismissed the thought and ordered the butler to prepare the carriage. Watching Marietta choose a dazzling dress was always a delightful experience for him. How bitterly he had once resented seeing Ludovic present her with gowns.

Now, the mere memory made him want to shower her with gifts endlessly.

“I heard the dress shop has new designs in stock. A friend of mine said she thought one would suit me perfectly.”

Listening to her light, birdlike voice, Ricardo made his way to the entrance hall.

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A faint shadow crept into their blissful days in the form of small, unsettling moments.

As Ricardo increasingly accompanied Marietta on her shopping trips and outings, his daytime hours dwindled, forcing him to work late into the night. He didn’t mind staying up after bidding Marietta goodnight, but his sleep had undeniably suffered compared to before.

Suddenly aware of his dry throat, Ricardo set down his pen. He closed his tired eyes, pressing his fingertips lightly against his eyelids.

“…Haaah…”

An unconscious sigh dissolved into the silence of the night.

He reached for the bell to summon a servant for a drink, but his hand stilled when he caught sight of the pocket watch on his desk.

“It’s already this late?”

Servants were bound to obey their master’s orders regardless of the hour, but Ricardo had always maintained an early schedule, so they were likely already asleep.

And then it struck him.

There had been times in the past when he worked late into the night. Back then, Mirabelle would always bring him herbal tea. She had also been attentive in other ways draping a coat over his shoulders when he was too absorbed in work to notice the cold, or gently reminding him to take breaks before he overexerted himself.

“Now that I think of it, there haven’t been any flowers in the study lately.”

The murmured words found no listener.

Once, a modest bouquet had adorned a corner of his desk, never obstructing his view but offering solace whenever he leaned back in exhaustion.

Come to think of it, the documents on his desk had also been sorted for his convenience before they even piled up. Urgent ones on top, those with more leeway beneath or in the adjacent tray.

He had assumed the butler handled it, but the man still assisted him as always, and many of the documents were outside his purview anyway.

So, who had been organizing them?

“Could it have been Mirabelle?”

No one else would have had access to his work.

The realization unsettled Ricardo. He told himself it was merely surprise at the unexpected revelation, yet somewhere in his heart, a voice whispered, Is that really all it is?

Mirabelle’s subtle, unnoticed acts of care.

With an indescribable emotion stirring within him, Ricardo spent the rest of the night in quiet contemplation.