What’s Wrong With My Marriage? I Was Bought as a Wife, Yet My Husband Is Madly in Love With Me! - Chapter 35

A single invitation arrived for Luce, who had recently sent Adelheid safely on her way. It was a formal request for the presence of a woman who had not yet made her debut in high society, nor even held her own wedding ceremony.

“The Countess of Feinen? I don’t know her at all. …Does the House of Barth have a prior association with them?”

Deck replied, “She is the wife of a school friend of the Master’s.”

“Klaus’s friend?”

“Yes. If I recall correctly, a son of the House of Feinen was among his classmates.”

“Were they close?”

“My apologies, but I do not know the extent of it. The Master does not speak much of his time at school.”

An invitation from the wife of a school friend.

The letter stated: ‘I wish to deepen our friendship as the wives of my husband’s classmates; please, come visit our home.’ Furthermore, there was an additional note expressing interest in hearing about the new magic stone stoves that the House of Barth had taken the lead in selling.

“It is quite common to invite the wife to hear about such things rather than the person actually managing the business,” Nora explained.

“I see.”

Nora further clarified that even among nobles, if a husband is engaged in trade, his wife will often assist him. She acts as his proxy in social circles, unveiling or promoting products.

It was one of the duties of the Mistress of the house.

Come to think of it, Luce’s mother, the Mistress of the Orlov house never did anything of the sort. In fact, she seemed to loathe wives who assisted their husbands. Luce remembered her mother returning from tea parties with her older sister and speaking ill of them, mocking such behavior as “unbecoming of a noble.”

(She was far more decent than my mother, who did nothing but waste money.)

Her mother aside, Luce was torn on how to handle this invitation. After all, a second letter inviting Luce to tea had also arrived.

“…An invitation from Adelheid. I want to go to this one, but is it acceptable to accept one and decline the other?”

Luce had not received a formal education as a noble daughter, so she didn’t know how to navigate these social waters skillfully. She knew she mustn’t be rude, but she wasn’t even sure if it was alright to decline honestly.

Klaus told a troubled Luce that she should do as she pleased, but…

“I’m worried that if I decline clumsily, it might affect Klaus’s business.”

“Please rest easy, Madam. The Master possesses enough financial and organizational power that even if you said you wanted to rule half the world, he could make it happen. Do not trouble yourself with trivialities.”

Luce felt like Nora had just said something that should probably be troubled over more. She looked at Nora to see if it was a joke, but as usual, the maid’s expression was unreadable. And Nora wasn’t the type to tell jokes.

(…A joke… right?)

After agonizing over the decision, Luce wrote a polite refusal to the Countess of Feinen. She preferred to prioritize her friend, Adelheid, over an invitation from someone she didn’t know.

“Luce, thank you for coming today!”

They had arranged to meet at a café in the city to spend some time together. Adelheid seemed to have a talent for languages; after staying for only two weeks, she had begun to understand the local language, albeit with some stiffness.

When an impressed Luce complimented her, Adelheid bashfully insisted it was all thanks to her.

“You exchanged letters with me, didn’t you? That’s how I was able to learn. And you helped me with the carriage. You’re truly my savior.”

“No, really…”

“Adelheid, it’s about time you introduced us.”

“Ah, sorry, Mother!”

A noblewoman standing behind Adelheid spoke up. The letter had mentioned her mother and brother would be present, so this was undoubtedly Adelheid’s mother. She was a lady holding a folding fan and wearing a hat adorned with flowers.

“This is my mother, Heutrauda. She is the thirteenth consort of the King of Ghoolam. And this is my brother, Halum. He’s the thirtieth prince. He hasn’t officially left the royal registry yet.”

“H-how do you do? I am Luce Barth.”

“My, such polite manners. Thank you so very much for being a friend to Adelheid.”

“Though we are royalty, there are a great many of us in Ghoolam. Please don’t be so stiff; treat us casually. Thank you for helping my sister, Mrs. Barth. You have my gratitude.”

Halum spoke with a pleasant smile, offering a small token of thanks. At his signal, an attendant brought forward a box. When they opened the lid in front of Luce, she saw a delicate fabric of exquisite color inside.

“This is the finest silk weaving in the Kingdom of Ghoolam.”

“My!”

Luce let out an involuntary gasp and quickly covered her mouth.

Ghoolam silk was incredibly famous but known for rarely appearing on the open market. Her sister Cassandra often used it as an excuse to reject marriage proposals.

—’If you want to marry me, bring me Ghoolam silk.’

She would sneer because she knew it was impossible to obtain. And yet, that very precious silk was right here in front of Luce.

“You’ve only just married, haven’t you, Luce? In Ghoolam, we use this silk to make clothes for celebrations. It’s even used for bridal gowns.”

Adelheid explained it was a gift of congratulations from her. Luce’s heart swelled with joy. To receive a wedding gift from a friend she had only just met.

But just as she was about to thank Adelheid…

“Sister! Why on earth did you decline the invitation to the tea party?!”

Mirella’s voice, overflowing with rage, echoed through the café.