My Dear Husband, Let's Keep It Business-Like! ~Countess Anastasia, Raised in The Downtown, Won't Give Up Her Way~ - Episode 3

“Well, so far, it’s pretty much gone as I imagined. I never expected to be welcomed with open arms, and considering how I was treated in the duke’s household, this actually seems quite livable.”

Looking at the room arranged for me, I muttered to myself.

When I flop onto the bed, I feel the pleasant texture of the mattress and the nice smell of the fluffy bedding.

――Ah, I think I can sleep soundly today.

I remember the damp, dim room and the hard futon that were given to me at the duke’s residence.

The so-called “minimum education and lifestyle that wouldn’t embarrass the daughter of a duke” was actually more miserable than the time spent living as a commoner in the lower town.

The nobles, for some reason, believe without a doubt that commoners live miserable lives, but at least I was living happily with my parents, just the three of us.

It was not permitted to study the subjects deemed unnecessary by the duke, and only manners were drilled into me.

Even as a daughter of a duke’s family, I shouldn’t be shabby, but I also shouldn’t be overly beautiful, so I was only half-heartedly taken care of.

If one did anything that displeased the duke, being beaten, having meals withheld, or even being harassed by the servants was an everyday occurrence.

I thought many times about wanting to run away.

The security at the duke’s residence was surprisingly lax, and I think I could have slipped out if I really wanted to.

As long as I can shake off my pursuers and get into a neighboring country, finding a job and taking care of myself will be a piece of cake for me.

The reason I didn’t do that was to fulfill a certain purpose.

Dad, Mom, watch me.

My tenacity is incredible!!

I tightly grasped the pendant that I never even take off when I’m sleeping, and stood up.

Before dawn, I quietly open the door to the couple’s bedroom and peek inside.

My husband was sleeping soundly at the edge of the huge bed all by himself.

In the end, I slept in this room. Am I just calm, or am I not thinking about anything at all…?

While thinking something rude like, “It’s probably the latter,” I walk over to the bed.

I’m sorry to disturb you while you’re sleeping so peacefully, but there’s something urgent I need to discuss with you right now.

“Master, Master, please wake up.”

Whisper softly to your husband at your ear.

However, there is no sign of my husband waking up at all.

To be sound asleep in this situation… they might actually be quite composed.

Thinking about such things, I pace around the room, but there is no sign of my husband waking up.

It can’t be helped, I guess I’ll wake him up in the old town style…

Deciding that, I ruthlessly yanked the sheets that my husband had laid out.

My husband rolling around on the vast bed.

“Good morning, A-na-ta! Please wake up a little!”

“Whoa!? Whoa!? What the heck!?”

He must not be used to being woken up so roughly. When he jumps up in surprise, his eyes wide open, he looks like he’s at the edge of the bed.

It seems that somehow, I managed to avoid falling.

“Wha, what are you doing here… What the heck, it’s still dark out, isn’t it?”

When I realized it was me who had woken them up, I quickly adjusted the disheveled neckline and hem of my gown. Am I a maiden?

“Ha, ha-ha. So, you realized that things are indeed bad and came back, huh? Well, if you understand your position and are willing to obey me…”

Somehow, my husband, who started babbling away with his own interpretation, raised his right hand again.

“I would like to confirm the details in advance to align our conditions!!”

“Huh? Conditions? Pre-check?”

“That’s right. First, regarding this white marriage…”

“Wait, wait, wait, hey, hey, hey…”

“Is this something we keep secret between us, or do we make it public?”

Because it will change the way we do things in the future, I had to ask about this tonight.

“Originally, the head of the count’s family and his wife should keep the fact that it is a white marriage a secret, but for example, there might be individual circumstances like wanting to ‘make the white marriage public’ for the sake of the husband’s mistress…”

“Ah, ahhhhhhh, a lover?!?!”

“That’s right. Ah, excuse me. Should I have called you something like ‘beloved concubine’?”

“You! What are you talking about!! I don’t have a mistress!!”

“Huh?”

This time, I end up being the one who is puzzled.

“Eh? Is there someone else you truly love besides me? That person would live with you as your de facto wife, while I would become a mere decorative wife. That’s why you agreed to the absurd idea of marrying me instead of Christina, right? Because with me, no matter how I am treated, the ducal family wouldn’t complain, so it would be convenient for you too.”

“You… don’t think of anything underhanded…”

That’s just ruthless.

Is this really considered harsh… do they not know the brutal realities of noble society??

Are you okay? Aren’t you a bit too naive about the world, young master?

My husband, with a face so red it looks like steam is about to come out, is shouting things like “Shameless!!” and “Do I look like such a dishonest person to you!?” But a sincere person wouldn’t say such things to their bride on their wedding night.

However, my husband, you didn’t have a mistress? That’s honestly surprising…

I accidentally blurted it out earlier, but I thought that my husband already had a mistress, and that’s why I agreed to this marriage.

Huh? Wait a minute, so this person married me, a commoner with no advantages or connections, without any ulterior motives?

That might be a bit… no, more than a bit, it could be quite pitiful…

Because I grew up in the downtown area, I understand that the world where the nobility live and the world where commoners live are completely different.

If it’s a lower-ranking noble, there might be business connections with commoners, and very rarely, there are stories of marriages resulting from such ties (though this is limited to the daughters of extremely wealthy merchant families or exceptionally handsome men), but when it comes to an earl’s family, the status is on a different level.

To the common people, they are now like someone above the clouds. A celestial being.

I couldn’t help but make a sympathetic face and stare at my husband, but noticing that, he started trembling.

“Anyway! I don’t have a mistress! I have no intention of getting one!!”

“Yes, yes, I understand. So, it would be better if people around us don’t realize that it’s a sham marriage, right?”

When I asked him that, my husband paused for a moment and then reluctantly nodded.

“Well then!”

When I dive onto the bed where my husband was sleeping, I mess up the sheets.

The gaze of my husband, who ran away from the bed in shock, is painful, but I continued to swim through the sea of sheets without caring and then bit my own thumb hard.

“Hey, wait!?”

And then, they drip their own blood onto the sheets.

“Y-you… that…”

I suppose you’ve finally realized what kind of disguise I’m using.

Covering her mouth with her hand, she mumbles something, but her ears are red. No wonder, she’s a maiden.

“As you can guess, this is a ruse to make it seem like the wedding night went smoothly. They say to deceive the enemy; you must first deceive your allies. It’s better if the servants don’t find out that it’s a sham marriage.”

“……I see.”

Regarding our future married life, should we pretend to be a harmonious and happy couple in public?

Or do you prefer a relationship where we are just fulfilling the bare minimum of our duties?

“……”

“Master?”

“…………”

“Master!?”

“………………”

“…You?”

“!?!”

Until then, my husband, who had been deep in thought without responding, suddenly turned to face me.

“Hey, for now, stop using that weird voice to say ‘Anata’!!”

“Oh my. Since you didn’t respond when I called you ‘husband,’ I thought you might have come to like being called this way.”

Seeing me chuckle, my husband, looking like he was about to stomp his feet in frustration, said this.

“How could that be! … This is pointless! We’ll continue tomorrow!!”

Indeed, it seems like a proper discussion is impossible right now. It’s late, after all.

“Understood. Then, let’s continue after we sleep and wake up.”

Well then, I tried to return to my room through the next door, but my husband stood by the bed I had disguised, looking utterly bewildered.

“Is something the matter? Would you like to return to your room and rest, sir?”

You wouldn’t want to sleep in a dirty bed, and besides, there’s no need to sleep here in the first place.

“Wouldn’t I be thought of as an insincere man…?”

I hear my husband’s voice muttering softly.

Hmm? Ah, so you did what you had to do and then left your new wife alone until morning, huh?

Well, you’re just abandoning your new wife without doing anything, aren’t you?

I’ve said it many times, but that initial thing was already extremely dishonest. Don’t you think so…?

To me, my husband’s behavior is utterly incomprehensible, but watching him like that made my mischievous spirit bubble up.

“So, shall we sleep together here?”

When I tried saying that, my husband turned bright red before my eyes.

“I’m not sleeping!! Ugh! I’m going to sleep in my own room!!”

When the master screamed like that, he rolled into the door leading to his room as if to escape.

Even from behind, it was so red that you could see it all the way to the ears.

Yeah… such a maiden.