What’s Wrong With My Marriage? I Was Bought as a Wife, Yet My Husband Is Madly in Love With Me! - Chapter 2

Why on earth would a complete stranger go out of his way to single out Luce and propose marriage?

Given how rushed the wedding was, there had to be a reason. Luce wondered what kind of treatment awaited her at her new home. It probably won’t be anything good, she thought.

He had paid off her father’s debts which was essentially the same thing as buying Luce with gold. Would he treat her like an object? Would he strike her if she didn’t obey? Luce shivered, imagining the horrific husbands she had heard of in rumors.

But even if she were treated like an object or beaten, Luce felt she didn’t care anymore. Perhaps she had simply become desperate.

(Still, it has to be better than living with those people…)

When she was packing her things, the items Luce truly considered precious were few.

• A favorite book of poetry.
• Sewing tools given to her by her grandmother.
• A hair ornament she bought with her own pocket money.

That was all.

Luce’s closet was nothing more than a dumping ground for her mother’s and sister’s discarded items. How pathetic, Luce laughed to herself.

The carriage sped through the noble district. Eventually, it pulled up in front of an exceptionally large and luxurious mansion on the outskirts of town.

(I hope I’m wrong, but it can’t be here, can it?)

However, the carriage passed through the gates, rolled by a garden with a fountain, and arrived at the front entrance where the servants were lined up in formation. Cold sweat broke out on Luce’s skin; she wondered if she had come to the wrong place. But they had confirmed her name before she boarded, and she was told the destination was the estate of Earl Klaus Barth.

(Even if we hold the same rank, our lifestyles are worlds apart.)

There was a knock on the carriage door, and it opened slowly. Standing there was a man with a gentle smile.

“Ah, Luce. Thank you for coming to my home. Come, take my hand, my wife.”

As Luce’s tension reached its peak, the man offered his hand. When she took it, he escorted her with a tenderness she had never received even from her father or brother.

“I am Klaus. Klaus Barth. It was a long journey; you must be tired. Would you like to rest in your room? Or perhaps some sweets?”

“U-um…”

“If there is anything you need, just say the word, Luce. I will prepare anything you like.”

Klaus smiled, holding her hand.

Luce couldn’t understand what was happening. Why was he welcoming her so warmly? Perhaps there was some hidden condition her father hadn’t mentioned. Realizing this, Luce hurriedly placed her other hand over Klaus’s and spoke again.

“U-um, Lord Barth.”

“We are husband and wife, so please, call me Klaus.”

“K-Klaus-sama.”

“Just Klaus.”

The pressure to use his name was intense. With a twitching expression, Luce called his name. At that, his face broke into a broad, crinkling smile.

(He looks so different when he smiles. He’s actually kind of cute.)

Startled by her own thought, Luce shook her head. She couldn’t let her guard down; there might be something she wasn’t being told.

When Luce said she wanted to talk, Klaus clutched his chest as if moved to tears and nodded enthusiastically. She felt relieved that her request was accepted. Having no memory of a man smiling at her so kindly, Luce’s heart began to beat like a loud bell. Her face felt hot; she was undoubtedly blushing. When she tried to look away in embarrassment, Klaus asked if she felt unwell.

“I-I’m fine, Klaus-sa…”

Klaus placed a fingertip against her lips.

“Please, call me Klaus, Luce. I want to hear my name from your lips.”

(N-no, don’t look at me like that… I…!)

“K-Klaus.”

“…Yes!”

As Klaus replied with a beaming smile, Luce mentally put her head in her hands. Her old bad habit had surfaced.

Luce was weak against being asked for favors.

Whenever someone said “Please” or “I’m in trouble, help me,” Luce would devotedly jump in to assist. Her younger sister, older sister, brother, and parents had all exploited this. That was why she had always ended up cleaning up their messes and drawing the short straw.

(In the end, I just end up resenting it later. I’m such a fool.)

She had sworn to stop doing this when she left home, yet she had already lost to Klaus’s smile. As she lamented her own foolishness, a servant spoke up.

“My Lord, excuse me for interrupting your conversation. Keeping a lady standing outside indefinitely is the mark of an inattentive man. Please, take her inside for some warm tea.”

“You’re right. Come, Luce, into the house.”

Guided inside, Luce finally stepped into the mansion. The servant who had spoken bowed deeply. Over tea, Luce learned she was Nora, the head maid.

“Nora is a veteran here. She knows everything about this estate. If you have any trouble, ask her.”

Klaus added that the authority of the mistress belonged to Luce, and Nora was there only to provide counsel. Nora’s expression remained stoic; it was hard to tell if she agreed. Luce was also introduced to the butler, Deck, who had also served the house for a long time.

“We, the servants, will do our utmost to ensure your ladyship lives comfortably,” Deck said with a deep bow.

Luce panicked. She had prepared herself for many things, but she never expected this kind of hospitality. The thought that this might all be a misunderstanding kept her on edge. Steeling herself, she finally asked:

“Um, Klaus. About you requesting me specifically for this marriage…”

“I am so happy you accepted my proposal,” he said with a melting smile.

Luce blushed but pushed through. “Are you sure you haven’t mistaken me for someone else?”

“Never! You are Lady Luce Orlov. The second daughter of the Orlov family. With lovely hair the color of milk tea and honey-colored eyes. I remember your face perfectly!”

Luce had never heard anyone describe her appearance that way. In the Orlov house, because her hair was a lighter shade than the others, they whispered that she looked like “weak, leftover tea.” Her siblings and father would often laugh, saying she looked like an old woman.

The bitter memory resurfaced. Luce clenched her hands and looked Klaus straight in the eye.

(…No matter how much I think about it, I don’t recognize him. He must have me confused with someone else.)

“Are you sure it isn’t my older or younger sister?”

“No. I know what your sisters look like. I would never mistake them. It is you and no one else. Please believe that.”

“I… I can’t.”

She truly couldn’t believe it. Klaus watched her as she cast her eyes down. After a brief silence, he whispered:

“You probably don’t remember. But I could never forget you. …That is why I asked for your hand.”

Seeing the pained, longing expression on Klaus’s face made Luce’s chest ache slightly. However, looking at his unfamiliar face, her suspicion that this was all a mistake refused to fade.