The Virtually Exiled Duke’s Daughter Is Troubled When Her Fiancé in a Neighboring Country Says, "I Will Never Love You" - Episode 34

“Here, I brought it for you.”

Mrs. Lauren placed the lunch on a simple wooden table next to the greenhouse, one of her husband’s workplaces.

“Thanks, Lauren. Oh, today’s meal looks delicious too.”

“Hey! At least wash your hands and face first!”

Her husband shrugged and obediently headed for the well. He had a bad habit of getting so absorbed in his gardening work that he lost track of time. As a result, he was often covered in dirt even at lunchtime and couldn’t enter the servants’ dining hall.

So, his wife would bring his meal on a tray and deliver it here. Today, she had also brought her own meal, so they could eat together.

“Mmm, it’s good. Vito has improved his cooking again.”

“You should tell him that in person. You rarely eat in the dining hall, so the head chef feels sad because he never gets to hear your feedback.”

“Oh? Is Vito the only one who’s sad?”

“?”

Lauren grinned mischievously.

“You’re sad that I’m not in the dining hall, so you bring lunch to me instead, right?”

“!”

His wife remained silent and expressionless, but the spoon in her hand trembled slightly, causing a bean to roll off and fall onto her plate.

Seeing this, Lauren smirked even more. However, his usual villainous-looking face, combined with the snake-like aura he exuded, made it look like a truly wicked grin. He didn’t mean anything bad by it, though.

“…Honestly! If you’re just going to tease me, I’ll go back to the dining hall!”

She stood up quickly, reaching for her unfinished tray. Her husband hurriedly stopped her.

“Ah, my bad! I wasn’t teasing you!”

“Then what was that supposed to mean?”

“…Well.”

“Well?”

“I just meant that… I feel lonely when you’re not around too.”

“!”

This time, even his expressionless wife widened her eyes in surprise. She sat back down as if gravity had pulled her into the seat. The gardener blushed slightly and scratched his head.

“Ah, damn it. You made me say something embarrassing…”

“…You’re the one who said something strange in the first place.”

“Huh? Was that just your way of hiding your embarrassment?”

“I could say the same to you.”

“Ha.”

The gardener grinned again. Seeing this, the head maid also smiled. Although Lauren had the face of a villain and his wife appeared strict and serious, they had been married for over fifteen years and were actually very close.

However, their way of showing affection was a little different from that of ordinary couples—they enjoyed conversations sprinkled with slight sarcasm.

The two resumed their meal. When her husband muttered, “It’s really good,” Mrs. Lauren suddenly stopped moving.

Her gaze wandered off into the distance.

“…Huh? What’s wrong, Lauren?”

“Ah, it’s nothing.”

Even as she said that, she did not continue eating. She simply stared at the warm beans and meat stew on her plate and muttered softly.

“…I never realized how simple and happy I really was.”

“Hmm?”

The gardener looked up and stared at his wife’s face. Realizing this, she hurriedly corrected herself.

“Oh, I mean, I’m happy now! I’m glad I married you!”

“Jeez, you scared me for a second.”

“But… I always thought I couldn’t make you happy. Because… I can’t give you children.”

“Hey, are you still saying that…?”

Lauren’s eyes glinted sharply, and a dangerous atmosphere surrounded him. The topic of children was almost a forbidden subject between them.

For his wife, this was her second marriage.

Lauren, the daughter of a poor viscount family, had been married off to a nobleman in a political marriage.

However, not only was their child stillborn, but she was also told she could never bear children again. Because of this, she was divorced. With nowhere else to go, she sought refuge in the Sisley Marquis household, where she had once worked as a trainee maid, and resumed her duties—not as a temporary worker this time, but as a lifelong servant.

After renouncing her noble status and becoming a commoner, she was initially teased by the gardener for being “too serious.” But eventually, he started courting her for real. Laura confessed about her inability to bear children and rejected his proposal once.

However, Lauren was not the type to give up so easily. Their strange relationship, where he kept proposing and she kept refusing, went on for years—until she finally gave in.

Given this history, it was no surprise that Lauren reacted negatively when she brought up the topic of children again. But his wife had something else on her mind.

“No, that’s not what I meant! What I wanted to say is… how should I put it? It’s about Lady Deborah.”

“Huh? What about that lady?”

“She… probably didn’t get to eat properly in her own country.”

“What? A duke’s daughter and the crown prince’s fiancée struggling to eat? That’s ridiculous.”

“No, listen. Starting today, Lord Sisley ordered her to wear proper dresses instead of her usual simple dresses.”

“And?”

Lauren was confused by his wife’s roundabout explanation.

“When I tightened Lady Deborah’s corset today, she couldn’t eat properly.”

“Huh? You mean those waist-tightening things? Yeah, if she’s that thin, it must be hard to eat.”

Lauren finally started to understand what she was getting at.

“Also, I once overheard that high-ranking nobles can only eat food that has been tested for poison.”

“Oh! To avoid being poisoned, huh? That would ruin anyone’s appetite.”

“Not only that. Because they have to wait and see if the food taster is fine, their meals get cold before they can eat.”

“…I see.”

They both recalled how Lady Deborah looked on the day she arrived—dressed in luxurious clothes, but with a fragile, thin waist and a delicate neck. Back then, they had assumed she was just a haughty noble with a privileged life.

“She couldn’t even eat warm food, carried the heavy responsibility of her position, had her engagement broken due to her fiancé’s illness, and now she lives as a political hostage. And yet, she still wants to be useful here.”

Mrs. Lauren gazed into the distance. Even for something as simple as wanting to practice dancing, Deborah had apologized, saying, “I’m sorry for being selfish.” Just how restrictive was her life back in her home country?

Probably worse than the tightest corset.

“Compared to that, I feel silly for ever thinking I was unlucky.”

“Well… I don’t know about complicated things like that, but…”

Lauren spoke to his wife gently.

“Happiness and misfortune aren’t things you measure by comparing to others. If something was painful for you, then it was painful. But if you’re happy now, isn’t that all that matters?”

“..Yes, you’re right.”

“I’m happy just being with you, and if Lady Deborah can find even a little happiness in this country, that’d be even better. Don’t you think so?”

“Yes… you’re right.”

Although her husband’s words comforted her a little, Mrs. Lauren’s heart was not yet completely at peace.