Chapter 81


    Shortly after the execution of the Empress, the Emperor followed. His body could not fully recover due


    to the act of the poison over a long time.


    And thus, Oscar Iassa was crowned the twenty-third Emperor. Ian Reinhardt himself put on aurel


    crown, dering friendship between the imperial family and the Duchy to everyone.


    Finally, the Empire was under the rule of a good gentleman with the scepter of peace in his hold.


    However, peace was not seen at the Reinhardt mansion. Ian and Laritte, after they returned, were


    never seen speaking to each other. Ian rarely came out of his office.


    For the first time in their lives, the employees felt like they were walking on thin ice.


    “What happened in the Capital?”


    “Neither of the knights who have been to the Capital know the reason. His Lordship has be


    strange overnight.”


    “Duke!!” Once, Ava was seen storming into Ian’s office to solve this situation. But a few minutester,


    her old features were drooping into a sad expression. The employees just guessed that the couple had


    fought, but they couldn’t say anything.


    “Madam, I don’t understand. You were definitely getting along well…..” Alice had also be less


    talkative. She keptbing Laritte’s hair with an expensive brush.


    “I also sent a letter to my grandmother, bragging about the rtionship between Madam and His


    Lordship. You don’t know how happy she was. She even wrote a poem, saying that the peace of the


    Duke was his happiness.” Irene also joined.


    “Could you tell us what happened, Madam?”


    “I don’t know what’s wrong with Ian either. I’m sorry I couldn’t help you.”


    Now Laritte had fewer injuries. For her, there was no way to know if the idents were simply gone or


    it was something Ian had done.


    After a while, the girls she met at the imperial castle visited the mansion.


    “Okay! Let us begin the 21st hobby club. Today’s teacher is Vivienne.”


    A small salon was built in the rose garden of the Duchy. Ste ced a flower on the table as if taking


    a solemn oath. The activity of this hobby club was flowers. Because it was Vivienne’s hobby, each


    person put a flower ording to Vivienne’s guidance.


    Ste proudly brought up the story of defeating Bartolt with Laritte. “…..Back then, the Duchess held


    my hand and said, ‘I need your help, friend!’” She stabbed the air as if she were a knight.


    Envious, Vivienne and Floretta leaned themselves over the white table.


    “I also want to hear from Madam that I’m your friend.”


    “I wish we were there together!”


    After they chatted for a while, the girls recalled the Duke.


    “Come to think of it, did the Duke leave for his duties? Since we’re invited to his mansion, we should


    greet him.”


    “He’s probably in the mansion. I haven’t seen him for days, so I’m not sure. If you want, I’ll ask Ava,”


    Laritte said softly. The girls were shocked to hear that.


    “Madam! You said that to an outsider, you can’t say it carelessly! Anyone could get excited with this


    information.”


    Even if it was not revealed, many people were curious about the private life of the Duke and the


    Duchess. Numerous types of rumors could be spread from her words.


    They exchanged nces. If this word leaked out, one of them would be dead.


    “…..Did you two quarrel?” After deciding to keep it a secret, Vivienne asked what she was most curious


    about. To be honest, the other girls were itching to know, too. The Ian they met at the capital was


    definitely someone who was head over heels for Laritte. They thought they would have a view of their


    sweet rtionship again.


    “We didn’t fight, but I don’t know why he became cold.”


    “Have you asked him?”


    Laritte shook her head as if it were natural. The girls were astonished by her attitude.


    “Why haven’t you asked? Wouldn’t the Duke have answered his wife honestly?” Still, when Laritte kept


    silent, she added seriously, munication is the best way to reduce your distance from him. Of


    course, many men can’tmunicate like my father….. but it’s not bad to try, right?”


    Laritte’s heart was a little shaken.


    “It’s normal for couples to quarrel. I’m sure Madam will do well.”


    The girls advised on how to talk with him before they left. Laritte’s eyes flickered down to the bottle of


    flowers they made together.


    There was one thing they didn’t know. For her to speak to him, she had to at least meet him. Ian had


    never left his office and bedroom. And he only moved to his room from the office when the coast was


    clear.


    So Laritte made a decision. She would pass by Ian’s bedroom door, even if it meant she needed to do


    it for 24 hours.


    ‘Then, we’ll bump into each other someday!’


    Operation: to upy the hallway.


    Immediately after that, she went to the office and sat herself on the cold floor.


    “Madam?” Whenever the employees passing through the hallway asked what was going on, she only


    shook her head and pressed a finger on her lips to shut them up. They were already familiar with her


    strange behavior, so they didn’t question her quest.


    Instead of talking behind her back, they thought about everything they could do to make the Duchess


    comfortable on the floor.


    “Madam, you can use this to sit here. Or should we call the servants and install a sofa here? Oh, that’ll


    be better!”


    “I’ll bring you bread so that you can easily have your meal here.”


    “Madam, this flowerpot could change your perspective a little!”


    Laritte did not utter a word, but the area around the hallway grew up luxurious and decorated.


    She sat quietly on the sofa, drank milk tea, and stroked the white fur of Nabi who came up next to her


    when she was bored. It was very pleasant for a makeshift shelter. Perhaps the hallway was a very


    suitable ce to be turned into a shelter.


    Some of the maids also stayed behind in case she was bored.


    “These days, Nabi is very interested in Bertrand. The cat and the horse silently stare into each other’s


    eyes, but it feels like they’re talking.”


    Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!


    “Maybe it’s because they’re both *females.”


    [*N: Generally, girls canmunicate with their eyes.]


    Laritte’s eyes shone as she also grew engrossed in the story. The women were chatting for hours now.


    And Ian, who was sitting inside the office, was going crazy. He had been aware of Laritte’s existence


    when she came outside the office. He could recognize her footsteps from a distance.


    The familiar sound of her shoes hitting the floor lightly. The sound he remembered from a long time


    ago.


    Ian watched everything. From the way she came with confident steps and sat down on the floor of the


    hallway without a care about her skirt.


    “You’re going to kill me. Laritte……,” he sighed.


    Ian’s eyes watched Laritte through the gap between the doors. Luckily, the employees provided


    convenience for her stay, but he was still worried.


    Wouldn’t it be scary when night falls? She would go back by then, right? But it was Laritte! What if she


    stayed there until the end?


    ‘Then my only option is to go out through the window.’


    It was the second floor, but he would be able to do something.


    Since Laritte waited calmly, he couldn’t help but sit on the floor like her. That was not enough, so he


    stretched his legs and sighed helplessly.


    “You always drive me crazy. Even in the worst way. Damn it.”


    It was Ian and Laritte—the Ducal couple that everyone in the Empire looked up to. Even their clothes


    never knew that they’d be worn to sit on the floor.


    Ian stayed in his study for a long time.


    ***


    Raindrops from the dark clouds looming over the mansion began tapping the windows of the mansion.


    It was an ensemble created by nature and the mansion.


    Laritte opened her eyes, waking up from her slumber on the sofa in the hallway. It had already been 13


    hours since she upied the hallway. Her tired eyes looked outside the window. It was dawn.


    She had woken up due to the smell of rain. She looked around. There was no one, but lights in the


    hallway. It was because Laritte kicked out all of them. The employees needed their sleep.


    She sat up. The nket started to rustle down, that the maid had piled up on Laritte. “Oh,” she tried to


    grab the nket, but it was toote.


    “Oh, my……”


    The nights weren’t very cold now, but everyone was so worried.


    Laritte recalled what Alice said when she was forced out by Laritte.


    “Madam, don’t stay too long out here! If you catch a cold, Alice will not stop crying for forty days


    straight!”


    Laritte turned her head to the right and looked at the office door. She looked under the door, but there


    was no lighting from inside the office.


    Was Ian still in that dark office?