IDMH - Chapter 43

IDMH - Chapter 43

I Decided My Husband

As I went down the central stairs, Perdes saw Adele already ready to go out and waiting in the hall.

Wearing a chemise dress and spencer for easy movement and a wide-brimmed hat, she exuded a different charm than usual.

The Adele he's seen so far seemed calm and elegant like any other noble lady.

Right now, she looked lively and cheerful, as if she was running around a wide field.

She looked so good that it was scary, and she was so pretty that he wondered if it was okay to be like this, so Perdes forgot that he had to go down the stairs and looked down at her.

While talking to Hannes, Adele felt a gaze so intense that it felt like it was going to pierce the back of her head, so she turned around.

"Ah, Your Highness."

Adele soon found Perdes standing in the middle of the stairs and smiled, her eyes curved prettily like a crescent moon.

thud-

At that moment, Perdes felt a tense pain as if his heart was falling and he clutched his chest.

"Are you okay, Perdes?"

The maid who was following saw him and asked worriedly. But Perdes didn't answer.

"..."

To be exact, all the senses in his body were focused only on Adele, so he couldn't hear the maid and couldn't answer.

"I saw you earlier and you seemed unwell. Are you okay?"

"It's okay, don't worry."

I was so worried that I asked, but the answer I got was overwhelming 

Moreover, ever since Perdes got into the carriage, he had been looking out the window without even looking at me once. His face also seemed a little redder than usual.

"Are you really okay?"

"That's right."

"If there is anything bad about it, please tell me to go back to the mansion right away, Your Highness."

Only then did Perdes turn his head so hard that he made a sound and looked at me.

"Why are you doing this? Do you know what the residents of the Duke's residence call me?"

Of course, I knew. As I nodded. Perdes twitched his lips in displeasure.

"But why does the Young Lady keep calling me to tell you?"

"Do you want me to call you like a servant?" 

"I guess that's why you asked?"

I'm sure it's not my mistake that he feels more upset than usual. 

"I understand, Perdes."

Since it wasn't a difficult task, I willingly let him call me whatever he wanted.

As if he was finally satisfied, Perdes' face relaxed a little. It was still the same as not being able to see my side properly.

"Where are we going now?"

Perdes asked if he still wanted to talk to me. 

"I haven't had lunch yet, so I'm going to go eat lunch first."

"What's on the menu?"

"You'll know when you go."

"Judging by your confident answer, the food there must be very delicious."

"Yes. You can look forward to it."

When I answered with a bright smile, Perdes glanced at me from the corner of his eye and then looked out the window again.

I saw him keep his mouth shut and his eyes rolling quickly, so I thought he was looking outside, so I didn't say anything more.

The silence that flowed inside the carriage was broken as the carriage arrived at its destination and stopped.

Perdes, who got off the carriage first, was embarrassed when he saw the building in front of him and turned to look at me who followed him.

"I think I came to the wrong place."

At those words, I looked at the building in front of me and shook my head.

"No. You came to the right place."

"What?"

Perdes looked even more embarrassed than before and pointed to the building.

"Are you really going to eat lunch in this shabby place?"

As Perdes said, the building was very shabby with cracks here and there. It didn't seem surprising even if it collapsed right away.

"Even if it looks like this on the outside, it's fine on the inside, so you don't have to worry."

"That's not the problem. No matter how you look at it, this is not a place a noble lady would come."

Ah, that's the part that bothered you. I also laughed because I had a similar reaction to Perdes when I first came here with my father.

"I am grateful, but you don't have to worry. This is a place I've been to often before."

"You came here often?"

"Yes. So, come on in."

I took Perdes, who was still distrustful and went inside. As I told him, the inner place was clean and without any cracks.

Even though we came a little after lunchtime, the store was crowded with customers.

I was worried about what would happen if there were no empty seats, but fortunately, there were. I sat down first, and Perdes sat across from me.

Perdes rolled his eyes repeatedly and looked around.

"Khahaha. I won!"

"Ugh. I'm so angry. I will definitely win next time!"

In particular, whenever the mercenaries occupying the center of the store made a loud noise, I looked at them in shock.

It's not that I'm scared, it's that I can't get used to this situation.

It must have been an extremely unfamiliar situation for him, who had only ever lived in the imperial palace, so I fully understood his feelings.

"Welcome... Oh my, long time no see!"

The employee who came to take my order recognized me and greeted me warmly.

"How are you doing? You've been quiet lately, so I was worried something might have happened."

"I was absent for a while because I was visiting the capital. As you can see, I had a good time."

"Thank God! Oh, I have to tell Mom that the Young Lady has arrived!"

The waiter went into the kitchen instead of taking orders.

I looked at Perdes as I drank the water the waiter had left behind. He had a stunned look on his face as if he couldn't believe this situation.

Even his expression was the same as the one I had when I first came here, holding my father's hand.

After all, people all look the same.

I was laughing to myself and trying to talk to Perdes when a middle-aged woman with good looks appeared with a bright smile.

"You're finally here, Lady!"

It was Amber, the mother of the employee earlier and the owner of this restaurant.

"I was worried that you might have forgotten my store because you didn't come so often!"

"There's no way I'm forgetting Amber's store. In particular, I can never forget Amber's pie and potato stew, even in my dreams."

"Oh ho ho. I feel relieved to hear you say that. Then can I serve it to you the way you always eat it?"

"Okay."

Amber asked to wait a moment and then disappeared with light steps that did not suit her large body. Perdes seemed to come to his senses only then, blinking his eyes wide and asking me.

I guess you come here often?

"You said earlier that you often came in front of the store. Who did you often come with?"

Why are you curious about that?

A question suddenly occurred to me, but I answered obediently.

"With my father."

"..."

Perdes's expression clouded for a moment.

He apologized, lowering his gaze toward the old wooden table.

"I didn't mean to stab where it hurts sorry."

"It's okay."

That's not an empty remark, it was really good.

As I continued through life, the wounds of losing my father were gradually healing and new skin was growing. As long as he didn't stab me intentionally to hurt me, it was fine.

However, Perdes's expression did not improve at all, as if he could not believe what I was saying.

I was about to say again that it was really okay and that there was no need to be sorry when someone tapped my shoulder from behind.

"Wow, you're a real Lady."

It was a group of mercenaries who had surprised Perdes by making a loud noise earlier.

There were faces I didn't know, but there were also faces I knew. In particular, I knew this mercenary who touched my shoulder well as he had previously been hired by my father.

"It's been a while, Lady. How have you been?"

"Wow, you seem to be prettier than before."

"This is the girl of the rumor! Nice to see you!"

The mercenaries surrounded us like a fence and chattered like sparrows. 

"Oh, but the person sitting next to you...?" 

The attention that had been focused on me soon shifted to Perdes. I always came with my father, but since I brought a boy I had never seen before, it was no wonder that they were interested.

Introducing Perdes to them was like throwing a game to hunting dogs.

"He's my fiancé."

However, when I thought about what Perdes had to do in the future, I thought it would be better to formally introduce him. 

"Ah! This is the Prince, your fiance!"

Sure enough, the mercenaries were talking more excitedly than before.

"I think you're a better person than I heard through the grapevine!"

"Still, I think it would be better to be a little bigger. You're so thin now."

"Uh huh, what are you talking about to His Highness the Prince!"

"I'm sorry, Your Highness! This guy is a bit ignorant and has a habit of talking nonsense!"

"Someone is being ignorant!"

They are talking so frantically that it is almost mind-boggling.

Perdes' eyes were half-open as if he had already lost his temper.

"I know. it's good to see you, so let's leave this and everyone go back."

I felt like I couldn't leave him alone any longer, so I forcibly kicked him out.

Despite their rugged appearance and large stature, the mercenaries listened to me obediently.

As soon as the mercenaries disappeared, food came out. It was Amber's special pie, potato stew, and spaghetti topped with plenty of cheese.

"Please eat."

Even though the food was served, Perdes still couldn't come to his senses.

“Perdes...”

I was about to call him by his name without thinking, but I belatedly remembered and corrected that he had told me to call him by his first name like a servant.

“Ah.”

Then Perdes let out a short exclamation and washed his face dry.

"There was a lot of commotion, right? Sorry. It's not usually like this, but it's been so long since I've been here and everyone is happy to see me."

So, when I asked him to understand, Perdes shook his head.

"You don't have to apologize. I was just a little surprised because it was different from the normal cases I know."

"Usually?"

"Normally, the daughter of a noble family does not get along this well with the residents of the territory."

"That's right."

In my first life, I thought this was normal. After repeating my life several times and visiting various territories, I realized that I was a special case.

"This is what happened after I often walked around the estate with my father."

"What is......."

Perdes muttered as if he was talking to himself, but his voice was so quiet that it was not audible at all. 

"What did you just say?"

When I asked him what he thought was being said to me, Perdes slightly avoided my gaze.

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