“P-please calm yourself, my lady. I would have done the same. It is your beloved younger sister being taken away by a man you do not even know.”
“Hic….”
Yellodia buried her head in Edward’s chest and wept. Edward stood stiff as a board, wordlessly stroking her back.
“Are you done crying?”
“….”
Yellodia’s tears had long since stopped. Yet she was so mortified by her own appearance that she could not lift her head.
She could not fathom why she had shown such a disgraceful sight; she would have had nothing to say even if Edward had demanded they break the engagement right then.
But Edward found the situation amusing, and Yellodia adorable, so he was barely holding back his laughter.
Unable to even raise her head, Yellodia mumbled,
“M-my maid Masa should be waiting outside the main gate.”
“Yes. I shall send my aide to fetch her.”
“You needn’t go to such trouble! If you would just see me to the main gate, I can return to the mansion on my own.”
“That will not do. I shall personally escort you to the mansion.”
Yellodia lowered her gaze and bit her lower lip. Her fiancé utterly failed to take a hint.
Of all times for her tears to burst forth….
“Can you stand?”
Yellodia managed a nod and rose from her seat.
As if it were only natural, Edward escorted her.
“It really would be fine if you just saw me to the main gate.”
“I may not know all the etiquette of nobility, but I do know it is not proper to send you off from here with only a single maid in attendance. By any chance, did you come in a carriage?”
“Yes. I did.”
“Then I need only ride with you in that carriage.”
Yellodia’s head snapped up; flustered, her eyes darted about. Edward asked nonchalantly,
“Is something wrong?”
“The thing is…… I drove it here.”
Edward barely swallowed his laughter.
‘I had sensed from the start that she was no ordinary woman, but…’
To drive the carriage herself and rush to the naval headquarters to save her fiancé, then stand unarmed before her brother’s sword—she was even more unconventional than he had expected.
However, as a soldier, he decided to feel respect first.
“Hern.”
“Yes, Your Excellency.”
At Edward’s call, Baihern answered promptly from outside the door.
The telltale signs indicated he had clearly been pressing his ear against the door, eavesdropping on the room all this while, but Edward showed no sign of it and called his aide inside.
“Enter.”
Baihern came in through the door and saluted respectfully.
“You called, Vice Admiral?”
“My fiancée has left her carriage outside the main gate. Send one soldier to drive it to the ducal mansion.”
“I shall drive it myself, Your Excellency.”
At Baihern’s reply, Yellodia flinched.
Baihern looked at Edward, barely restraining the smirk creeping across his face.
He liked that his superior’s betrothed was far more beautiful than rumor had it, that she was candid and endearing in an un-noble-like manner, and he liked even more that she had greater pluck and backbone than most men.
But most of all, what pleased him was that Edward was already hopelessly helpless before her.
Paying no heed to his subordinate’s sly gaze, Edward gently entreated Yellodia,
“Would you please allow my subordinate to drive the carriage?”
“……Yes.”
Yellodia nodded reluctantly.
＊ ＊ ＊
The ride back to the Sabie ducal estate was deathly quiet.
Seated beside Masa, Yellodia stole glances at Edward, who sat across from her. Each time her gaze touched him, her fingers and toes twitched of their own accord.
The wide carriage seat was unbearably uncomfortable today.
That Yellodia, who could mount the saddle of a massive horse without a second thought, should feel so uncomfortable was entirely due to the fiancé sitting before her.
‘Why did I do that…….’
Yellodia wanted to scold herself harshly for recklessly driving the carriage all the way to the naval headquarters.
Yet if she could turn back time, she would make the same choice.
Just thinking of what trouble Fabian would have caused had she not stopped him in time was enough to make her knees shake.
“Are you tired?”
“Ah, n-no. Y-yes, a little…….”
Startled, Yellodia looked at Edward, then stared intently at her knees. She became only more dejected. It was because of the clothes she had worn when leaving the ducal mansion.
‘Of all things.’
She tried to cover the tattered hem of her trousers with her hand, but it only drew more attention.
Sensing her distress, Edward asked,
“The clothes you are wearing—did you say they belonged to Lord Fabian?”
“Y-yes. They are clothes my brother wore when he was about twelve.”
“The attire looks simple and light.”
“It’s just, I, was in such a hurry…….”
Yellodia could not continue.
That she had driven herself here in her haste was unavoidable—shocking enough as that was—but never had she imagined meeting her fiancé while dressed as a man.
The reason Yellodia enjoyed slipping out while shaking off the servants was, needless to say, that being the center of attention was exceedingly burdensome.
The position of being the youngest daughter of the Duke of Sabie sometimes led to troublesome and tiring affairs, and for her, Fabian’s clothes had served as an excellent disguise.
…Which had been the case, right up until she was discovered by her fiancé in that state.
“You have left the mansion dressed like this before, I see.”
“……Yes.”
Yellodia admitted with her lips pursed. She truly wished to exercise her right to silence.
Confessing to a hobby of sneaking out of the mansion in men’s clothing was the last thing she wanted to do as a lady of a grand noble house.
“Then I shall be able to meet you in such attire next time as well. I shall look forward to it.”
“…….”
Yellodia timidly raised her head. Edward was watching her with an unreadable blend of fondness and curiosity. She quickly lowered her eyes.
“Is… Is that all right?”
“If that attire is comfortable for you, my lady. To me, you look far more comfortable and appealing than if you were wearing a whalebone petticoat.”
“…….”
Yellodia hung her head deeply, her face burning red.
She could not tell whether her fiancé was complimenting or teasing her attire. Her mind felt as though it were in a whirl.
She gave up trying to understand. Before she knew it, the ducal mansion was drawing near.
‘Will my brother be very angry?’
She should have been worrying about that from the start!
She had not thought twice while causing the trouble, but now that it was time to face the consequences, her heart sank with fear.
If her father learned of today’s events, she would doubtless be scolded so severely she would cry her eyes out.
Just then, the aide’s voice rang out.
“Your Excellency, we have arrived at the mansion’s main gate.”
“Drive inside the gate and stop at the main building’s lobby.”
“Yes, understood.”
Baihern faithfully obeyed Edward’s order. Yellodia started and looked at Edward in alarm.
“Y-you are coming inside?”
“I have come this far; I shall escort you all the way in.”
“You will be scolded quite severely as well, Baron.”
Edward pressed his lips together, swallowing a laugh.
“I shall be fine. I have not been scolded much of late.”
“…….”
When the carriage finally came to a halt, Yellodia could not sit still.
“Welcome, my lady.”
A servant of the mansion, guarding the lobby, tactlessly opened the carriage door.
Edward stepped down first, then extended his hand to Yellodia. She, red to the very tips of her hair, took his hand and alighted.
At that moment, as if he had been waiting, her eldest brother’s strict voice rang out.
“Yedi.”
“Good to see you again, Young Duke.”
At Edward’s nonchalant greeting, Kias’s eyebrows shot up. It was then that Yellodia quickly hid behind Edward’s back.
A tsk slipped from Kias’s mouth.
“What on earth do you think you are doing so impudently? Yedi, come here.”
“What of Brother Fabian?”
“I have heard the gist from the second brother. I will not scold you, so come here. If Father finds out, he will take a switch to you at once.”
“Really…… You won’t scold me?”
Kias’s eyebrows twitched.
Having cared for Yellodia like his own daughter in place of their ailing mother, he was dumbfounded to see his little sister hiding behind her fiancé, watching his reaction as though staging a protest.
Feeling as though his place had been stolen by Baron Adrian, whom he had met only a handful of times, he was both aggrieved and simmering with irritation; nevertheless, Kias did his utmost to feign composure.
“The chef roasted the turkey you like. Surely you will not refuse to come?”
“What of the roasted figs?”
“He made those as well.”
Finally, Yellodia slipped out from behind Edward and scurried over to Kias.
Kias suppressed the urge to grab her ear and shake it, fixing Edward with a cold gaze.
“As we did not receive advance word of the Baron’s visit today, I am afraid we cannot dine together.”
It was a brazen reproach of Edward for visiting the ducal mansion without prior notice.
Unaccustomed to noble turns of phrase, and not particularly regretting his actions, Edward replied nonchalantly, placing his right hand over his left breast.
“Next time, I shall file a formal request and call upon you.”