What’s Wrong With My Marriage? I Was Bought as a Wife, Yet My Husband Is Madly in Love With Me! - Chapter 12

While Luce watched the scene with a mix of excitement and trepidation, the discussion heated up even further until the men began grabbing at each other. Before she knew it, a full-blown fistfight had broken out.

(E-eh? Is… is a meeting usually this violent?!)

What’s more, among the sea of brawling dwarves, she spotted a very familiar face.

“Klaus?!”

Stripped of his jacket with his sleeves rolled up, Klaus was right in the thick of it, trading punches with a dwarf. At the sound of her voice, everyone froze.

Klaus’s head turned toward Luce with a slow, jerky motion, like a broken doll.

“…Luce?”

“U-um, Klaus. I didn’t mean to interrupt your work. I just brought some refreshments. Yes, refreshments. But it seems I’ve chosen a bad time.”

Finding herself the sudden center of attention, Luce began to shrink back.

Just as she turned to leave, saying she would head home, Klaus grabbed her arm.

“W-wait! Wait, Luce!”

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have come.”

“That’s not true! This… this is just, well, the debate got a little passionate. Normally, everyone here is very well-behaved. …Right!?”

That last “Right!?” felt strangely forceful.

When Luce looked back, the dwarves had scrambled into a neat line, all nodding vigorously in agreement with Klaus.

“That’s right! We owe everything to Boss Klaus!”

“It’s a cozy, family-oriented workplace! Always smiles here!”

“The Boss’s wife is always welcome for a tour!”

“In fact, it’d be a huge help if you came by all the time!!”

“”Welcome, Madam!!!“”

Since they greeted her with such a synchronized shout, Luce turned back to the dwarves, pinched the hem of her dress, and performed a polite curtsy. She wasn’t quite sure how a noble wife was supposed to act in this situation, so she fell back on the general courtesy of returning a greeting.

“I am Klaus’s wife. Thank you all for working so hard with my husband.”

Before arriving, she had heard from Nora that Klaus tended to push the dwarves quite hard with unreasonable demands. Having just witnessed the brawl, she could only pray that their frustrations hadn’t reached a breaking point.

“Thank you for the kind words, Madam!”

“What a gentle lady! She’s too good for the Boss!”

“If you’re newlyweds, don’t hang around a place like this. Go home and relax!”

As the dwarves teased them, a look of awkward embarrassment crossed Klaus’s face.

“Anyway, let’s step outside for a moment.”

“I’m so sorry if I’ve caused a work stoppage.”

“No, it’s not that. I just want to clear up any misunderstanding.”

Misunderstanding? Luce tilted her head in confusion. Klaus took her hand and led her out of the meeting hall.

“Wait, Klaus. What misunderstanding?”

“It’s not usually like that. I don’t usually do… violent things.”

“Violent?”

“…If you didn’t see it, then never mind.”

(Is he talking about the fistfight? It’s certainly unusual for a nobleman, I suppose.)

Luce was a nobleman’s daughter, but she had been treated poorly. Back when she accompanied her sister to volunteer activities, she was made to work like a common laborer. She’d been ordered to run errands and sent alone to shops near the church. The area around the church wasn’t the safest, and seeing people scrap in the streets was a relatively common occurrence. While “used to it” might be the wrong phrase, she had seen the rougher side of urban life and wasn’t particularly shocked.

(But if I tell him that, he might be appalled…)

Klaus seemed to know a lot about her, but he might not realize the extent of it. She understood that her upbringing was far too strange for a daughter of the nobility. She had even been sent to run errands in taverns. While she had never been caught up in anything untoward, from a noble perspective, it was bordering on a scandal.

(I don’t want Klaus to find out and hate me.)

So, Luce remained silent.

“Regardless, what brings you here? Did you really come just to see me?” Klaus asked in a teasing, playful tone. “I’d be very happy if that were the case.”

“It’s true. …When I woke up this morning and you weren’t there, I felt lonely.”

Since Klaus had changed the subject at the perfect time, Luce spoke her true feelings to hide her past. Only after the words left her mouth did she realize how embarrassingly honest they were.

Startled, she clapped a hand over her mouth, but it was too late.

Realizing she couldn’t take it back, she waited for his reaction, her face turning bright red. But as the seconds ticked by, he said nothing.

(O-oh no. Did I offend him?)

She timidly looked up to check his expression and froze in surprise.

(What…?!)

She thought he might be angry, but Klaus’s face even his ears was flushed a deep crimson.

“…Luce. You shouldn’t say such wonderful things. It makes me too happy.”

(He’s like this because my words made him happy?)

Luce felt her whole body grow hot. She felt a strange sensation. A mix of exhilaration and a lightheadedness that made her feel like she could float away.

(H-he might actually be cute.)

As the two stood there, both beet-red and silent, a noise erupted.

Looking over, they saw the dwarves peering at them from the doors and windows of the hall.

“Give her a hug and a kiss, Boss!”

“Be a man! Show your wife some love, dammit!”

Seeing them whistling and cheering, Klaus barked at them to get back to work. The dwarves yelled back without a hint of fear, telling him to “just go be happy.”

“Luce, shall we go?”

“What about your work?”

“…Spending time with you is more important.”

As Klaus said this, the dwarves, who were supposed to have scattered, began to applaud. Deciding it was far too embarrassing to stay a moment longer, Luce let Klaus lead her into the carriage. At the very least, it seemed the dwarven craftsmen didn’t think poorly of their marriage. They were even celebrating it.

When the carriage reached a nearby park, they decided to take a stroll arm-in-arm. They saw many affectionate couples walking through the grounds.

(I wonder if we look like them?)

Luce’s face flushed again. Just as she thought she had cooled down, the heat rushed back. Since meeting Klaus, she felt like she spent every day blushing.

(It’s so embarrassing. My heart is beating so loudly.)

The thought that Klaus might feel her heartbeat through her arm made her even more self-conscious. Despite being in a beautiful park, she couldn’t even focus on the scenery. It was trendy for young lovers to stroll through the park and go boating, something Luce had always longed for. Now that her wish had come true, she was too flustered to enjoy it.

“Luce, look, they’re selling flowers.”

At Klaus’s voice, she looked up to see a mobile cart laden with flowers parked under the shade of a tree. It was a makeshift florist. Perhaps because it was a popular spot for lovers, the cart was dominated by roses.

“Since we’re here, let me give you some flowers.”

Klaus called out to the vendor, but instead of the roses, he pointed to a different flower.

White Lisianthus.

(…That’s my favorite flower.)

“Boss, you sure? You’re giving ’em to your wife, shouldn’t you go with roses?”

“Roses are beautiful, too. But I want to give my wife the flower she loves most.”

“Ah, my apologies then.”

Chatting away, the vendor skillfully put together a bouquet. Klaus paid and handed the flowers to Luce.

“…Thank you.”

“I wanted to give these to you to commemorate such a lovely day.”

“You really do know everything about me, don’t you?”

“I’ve been telling you that all along.”

Clutching the bouquet to her chest, Luce thought to herself that she wanted to keep these flowers forever.