Who gets married for that reason? - Chapter 6

Lydia finally checked the safely closed basket and carefully stood up with it.

She was surprised to see Marquis Esteban still standing motionless in place.

“Are you okay? Is there another problem……?”

Ilian, his hand trembling noticeably, tried to hide it between the hem of his clothes but decided, for a brief moment, to put his pride aside.

“It seems like my gloves brushed against my nails. I can’t use them.”

It was a pathetic excuse, one so poorly made that if his sister had seen it, she would have clicked her tongue in disbelief.

But at this moment, it didn’t matter to him.

He casually took off one glove and stuffed it into his coat pocket. Then, he rushed ahead of Lydia and grabbed her bag, lifting it with ease, while extending his bare hand toward her.

“I can go down the stairs on my own. It’s fine.”

“You’ll have to get used to this kind of escort in high society.”

With his mind working quickly, he came up with another excuse. Lydia, upon hearing his words, nodded in understanding and took his hand again.

From their clasped hands a warm energy seemed to spread throughout his entire body, calming him in the process.

The warmth spreading through their joined hands seemed to calm him, like a soothing wave that spread throughout his body, comforting him against the surrounding noise of curses that seemed to drill into my head, and the pain that made even moving my arms difficult.

The moment they sat in the carriage and released their hands, the sharp pain in his arm and the piercing scream in his head immediately returned.

“Marquis, are you alright?”

As he pressed his head with his hand, a concerned voice came from Lydia.

Just as he was about to dismiss it, a soft sound of the carriage jolting followed, and a white fluff emerged from the basket, poking its head out.

“Oh my, Didi! You can’t do that. Come here, alright?”

The animal, though initially hesitant, finally climbed out gracefully and perched itself on her lap.

But when Lydia’s hand reached out, He changed his mind.

The delicate wrist and slender fingers peeking out from her long sleeves were irresistibly attractive.

“Leave it alone.”

“But…”

“Would this be okay?”

He deliberately stroked the wrong spot.

“Not like that.”

Lydia moved beside him, guiding his hand to the right place, and naturally overlapped her fingers with his, gently stroked the cat.

“Oh. No, not there—yes, right here. It likes being petted gently here. Can you feel it?”

If my sister had seen me in this pathetic state, she would have gasped and thought I couldn’t possibly be her brother.

But at that moment, Ilyan craved Lydia’s touch even more than the white cat purring on his lap.

“I’m glad you seem to like cats.”

From today on, I’d probably have to start liking them too.

Ilian was struck by an intuition as he watched the cat wagging its tail and making a low growl.

I’d always thought that marrying Lydia wouldn’t change much in our daily lives—as long as we saw each other briefly each day out of necessity.

But now I sensed that many things might change for me as well.

***

“Are you not coming out?”

Lydia stared at the blond man who had stepped down from the carriage and reached out to her, but she couldn’t bring herself to take his hand.

The large, Ivory mansion behind him felt overwhelmingly intimidating.

I couldn’t quite believe that, I was about to set foot in that place.

Marquis Esteban.

Yes, he was a Marquis,a noble with a title.

Back at the antique shop, she had run into him. Though she’d been rude, he hadn’t said anything about her bad behavior, so she’d let it slide.

Now the reality has dawned on me.

“There’s no turning back now”

“I never said anything like that.”

“You looked like you were about to run away, dismissing the whole marriage thing.”

Ilián Esteban leaned back into the carriage, resting his arm on the door, speaking in a nonchalant tone, and that eased the tension a little.

“I’m not that irresponsible.”

“Then I’ll let’s get off now. Unless you plan on staying here all day,”

As Lydia stepped out of the carriage, clutching the basket in one arm, she took his hand with the other. His face twisted slightly, and his grip on her hand tightened.

Even his slightly furrowed expression seemed truly artistic.

His golden hair, shining under the sunlight, made the Marquis’ appearance seem almost unreal

Lydia snapped out of her thoughts, noticing his gaze upon her.

“Did I do something wrong?”

“No”

It seemed like there was some problem, but he didn’t say anything more.

Lydia, feeling uneasy, observed his complexion, but Marquis Esteban appeared unaffected.

At that moment, a thought suddenly crossed her mind.

“Then, what exactly should I do? Is it really okay for me to just go in like this?”

“Just follow me and stand quietly by my side. I’ll handle everything.”

Lydia inwardly sighed, wishing he would stop saying those words. “I’ll handle it.” He might sound calm, but to her, it only brought more uncertainty.

The real issue had started earlier, when Didi had suddenly tried to escape from the carriage.

Arriving at the mansion, Lydia regretted not asking the most basic questions,what to expect, how to behave, what she should prepare for. The lack of answers was starting to bother her now.

“Welcome, my lord. And this young lady is…?”

Lydia barely had time to voice her frustration and demand explanations. A butler appeared at the grand entrance and greeted them.

“This is a distinguished guest. She is to be my fiancée,” the Marquis stated, his voice smooth as he casually placed his hand on Lydia’s shoulder, sending a strange, contradictory mix of comfort and confusion through her.

The Marquis acted as if they were already lovers, pulling her into a warm embrace and even placing a light kiss on her forehead, all the while continuing his conversation with ease.

“A room near mine will do.”

“The… fiancée, you say?”

The butler’s face showed disbelief, but he quickly recovered, responding with professionalism.

Lydia could empathize with the butler’s reaction. She had felt the same when the Marquis had proposed to her, though she hadn’t been able to fully process it. Even now, the notion that the Marquis of Esteban had proposed to her felt like a scene from a fairy tale.

It was hard to believe. Sometimes, when reality is too surreal, you accept it without thinking. Lydia felt like that now.

“Yes, the reason I’ve been out so often lately… It was because of Lydia. She finally accepted my proposal, so I brought her to the mansion today. I don’t want to be apart from her anymore.”

This time, his fingers intertwined with hers.

The hand clasp, though unexpected, felt oddly reassuring. Despite the oddness of the situation, it gave her a small sense of calm, grounding her in the moment. She didn’t pull away, perhaps it was better to let him hold her hand for now.

The butler’s eyes briefly fixed on their joined hands before returning to Lydia’s face, where he gave a formal greeting.

“Lady Lydia, it’s an honor to meet you. I am Fredrick, but please feel free to call me Fred.”

“….It’s nice to meet you too.”

She didn’t mention her title, subtly signaling she wasn’t of noble blood. The butler likely noticed this, but he showed no reaction, maintaining his professional demeanor.

“Please, follow me. I was just about to have the guest rooms cleaned. Looks like we were right to prepare for your arrival.”

With a polite bow, the elderly butler gestured toward the interior, his movements graceful yet purposeful.

However, his gaze toward the Marquis contained a hint of reproach.

“If we’d known you were bringing such a beautiful lady, we would have made better preparations.”

“I’ve always been a bit… unpredictable, you know that,”

The Marquis replied casually.

“Still, marriage is a serious matter. If only I’d known you were serious, I would have made more of an effort. I didn’t think I’d live to see the day you actually got married, but now it seems my wish is coming true.”

The exchange between the butler and the Marquis, though lighthearted, revealed a deep, long-standing trust between them. It seemed the Marquis’s frequent outings weren’t just about meeting Lydia, they were tied to investigating a curse.

It was surprising, though, how well the Marquis kept his secrets, even from someone as close as his butler. It seemed he led a life of isolation, hidden behind his cold professionalism.

Feeling a pang of guilt for deceiving the seemingly kind butler, Lydia smiled warmly.

“Thank you for the warm welcome. I must say, the garden outside is beautifully arranged.”

“I’ll be sure to pass your compliments to the gardener. Our lord doesn’t often entertain guests, so the gardener rarely gets recognition for his work.”

The butler’s smile was tinged with pride as he continued, now showing some curiosity.

“By the way, when do you plan on holding the wedding? We should start making preparations.”

“In a month,”

the Marquis replied calmly.

The butler froze.

“…A month?”

Lydia’s response had been a little too casual, as if they were discussing something minor. The butler’s surprised reaction was understandable; a month seemed far too soon to prepare for a wedding.