What’s Wrong With My Marriage? I Was Bought as a Wife, Yet My Husband Is Madly in Love With Me! - Chapter 11

It seemed Klaus was busy with work; by the time Luce woke up, he was already gone. She was told he had left early in the morning for some sort of meeting.

“The Master left instructions for you to relax and spend the day at your leisure, as you must be tired, Madam,” Nora said as she brought in breakfast.

“I see.”

“He also mentioned that he will return by evening and wondered if you might like to go to the park with him.”

Going to the park together just like a normal married couple.

(I wonder if Klaus would actually enjoy having someone like me along?)

For some reason, pessimistic thoughts always managed to find their way into Luce’s head. She felt a pang of guilt. Here he was, extending a kind invitation, and instead of being happy, she was worrying. I really am an uncharismatic woman, she thought dejectedly.

“Madam, is something the matter? Please, rest easy. I managed to stop him from trying to purchase the entire park grounds.”

(Wait, was that a concern too?!)

“However, he has started drafting construction plans instead. He has gone to a meeting for that very purpose. I am sorry that my influence was not enough to stop him.”

“Is it really that easy to build a park?”

“For the Master, it is. The Barth family estates include facilities for processing magic stones. This means he employs a vast number of craftsmen. Many of whom are Dwarves skilled in architecture.”

“My… I’ve only ever read about them in books.”

Luce knew that there were various races in the world other than humans. However, in the country where she lived, it was primarily only the Human race. To Luce, other races were merely facts in a book—stories from a far-off, different world.

(I’d love to meet them at least once but it would be rude to say so out of mere curiosity.)

Luce always felt a resistance toward voicing her own desires. It was just a wish, after all. If the answer was no, then that was the end of it. Or, if a counter-proposal was made, she could just think about what to do then.

Even though she understood this intellectually, she still shrank back. She was constantly overwhelmed by the feeling of: I’m so sorry for someone like me to say something so strange.

(…Why am I like this?)

She had broken ties with “those people” by marrying Klaus. And yet, the mocking laughter of those she once called family continued to haunt her.

As she gripped the hem of her dress tightly, Nora’s hand gently touched hers.

“Madam, if you grip it that hard, you’ll hurt your hands.”

“Oh… I-I’m sorry.”

“It is I who should apologize for being forward. …Madam, the master of this house, Lord Klaus, is a generous man.”

“Yes, he is.”

“He listens to the words of us servants and forgives even our occasional rudeness. He treats our opinions as sincere advice. If he treats mere servants with such care, then surely he would grant any wish of his beloved wife.”

“B-beloved…!?”

Hearing it from someone else made her face flush with embarrassment. Beloved? Surely not. It had only been about two days since they met. Luce was utterly bewildered. As if to drive the point home, Nora continued.

“Madam, the Master has said for a very long time that he wanted to make you his wife. It is no exaggeration to say he inherited his title for that very purpose.”

“I-is that true?”

“Yes. We were present when the title was transferred.”

Though they had only known each other a few days, Nora didn’t seem like the type to lie. Luce found herself wanting to believe her.

“And Madam, you are the Mistress of this house. You are someone who may do as you please, without having to feel hesitant toward anyone.”

“Y-yes.”

“You are the only person in a position to tell the Master ‘don’t go to your meeting’.”

“…!”

(Would I really be forgiven for saying something so selfish?)

Until now, no one had ever listened to Luce’s words. No one cared.

But.

But maybe.

With Klaus…

“…You’re right. When I wake up in the morning and no one is beside me, it’s lonely.”

At the very least, she wanted to exchange a “good morning.” If he was going out, she wanted to see him off. If it was permitted, she wanted to try doing the things couples did in the books she admired.

“Then, Madam. Let us go tell the Master at once.”

“Eh? T-tell him?”

“Yes. If you don’t tell him directly, the Master is rather dense about such things and won’t understand. …Judging by his momentum this morning, simply building a park wasn’t enough; he was looking into buying an island in the lake near the Royal Capital to give to you as a present.”

“An island?! You can buy an island? Not just a shop?”

“Yes, Madam, islands can be bought. In this world, the only thing you can’t buy is life itself.”

Luce felt dizzy; this was entirely outside her common sense.

At any rate, being gifted an island would be quite a problem, so Luce decided to get ready and head to Klaus. She chose a dress with Nora and the other maids; her hair was beautifully braided, and she was even given a lovely hat.

Furthermore, the butler, Deck, prepared a basket filled with light snacks.

“Please, enjoy this with the Master.”

“O-oh, thank you?”

“Now, the carriage is this way.”

Handed a parasol, Luce felt less like she was going to Klaus’s workplace and more like she was going on an outing. It feels just like we’re going on a picnic, she thought.

The meeting was apparently being held in the Craftsman District. It was Luce’s first time visiting, and the atmosphere was entirely different from the Noble District. If anything, it resembled the streets around the church where she used to do volunteer work.

There was no one at the entrance of the assembly hall where Klaus was supposed to be.

(I wonder if it’s okay to just go in?)

Seeing her hesitation, an attendant told her it was fine and opened the door for her. The moment she stepped inside after thanking him, she was hit by a wall of shouting.

“I’m telling you, it won’t be strong enough like that, damn it!!”

“And I’m telling you, I don’t care how much money it costs!”

“That’s not the point!! Safety is what matters here!!”

“We can’t have anyone getting injured on our watch!”

“Then just develop a new material!!”

“If ideas just popped out that easily, the world would be a lot more convenient than it is now, you idiot!!”

Luce was startled by the deafening volume. However, she thought she heard Klaus’s voice among them, so she peeked into the room at the back of the entrance.

There, men who were short only coming up to Luce’s waist but possessed muscular builds and long white beards were discussing something while holding what looked like blueprints.

(Are those the Dwarves?)