Chapter 7

"Ah, damn, I messed up."

Her beloved voice murmured these words softly.

When I looked in the direction of the voice, my dearest wife Cynthia was lowering her gaze to the documents she was signing.

Cynthia is probably foul-mouthed.

She always speaks politely and never breaks the formal language even to me after we got married, but the words she accidentally lets slip are like that. Since her student days, when she is focused on something or a bit tired, she often lets out such short, crude words.

I find such moments utterly adorable.

She usually exudes such grace and elegance that she could be mistaken for a saint, but the moment she reveals her true nature is incredibly endearing to me. I don’t want to lose these precious moments, so I’ve never mentioned her foul mouth. I want to be by her side forever.

I thought about asking if there was anything I could help with, but before I could, her hand reached for the next document. My excellent wife seemed to have solved the problem on her own. Determined to show my own excellence as her husband, I focused on the documents in front of me.

"Doing it together, it’s done in no time."

"Yeah, now we can take a break for a while starting tomorrow."

Feeling a sense of accomplishment from the completed tasks, I sipped the tea brought by the servants. Compared to when I was forced to handle the Brook Duke’s work alone in this mansion, we can now finish the work much faster thanks to Cynthia’s support.

"Father and Mother will arrive around this evening."

"Really? We can have dinner together. I’m glad."

The Viscount and Viscountess Ludran are stopping by the Brook Duke’s mansion on their way back from their trip, wanting to hand over the souvenirs directly. They plan to stay overnight, but I think they could stay longer if they wanted to.

After the kidnapping incident, I was protected by the Ludran family for a long time. Even before I was engaged to Cynthia, the couple allowed me to call them "Father" and "Mother" and treated me like their own son. I was overjoyed to have someone call me "Father" and "Mother" with a smile.

I am still very happy now, but I can’t forget the happiness of those days. I look forward to seeing them tomorrow.

"Shiraya, after the bath, let’s try the new scented oil. It has a warming effect and is said to release fragrance more easily from the skin. It sounds interesting, doesn’t it?"

"Wow, that’s rare. You’re good at finding interesting things, Cynthia."

I remember she distributed something called protein to the servants last time.

To try the prepared items sooner, I stood up to head to the bathroom, and Cynthia gently leaned into me. Her lips approached my cheek, and I felt my heart race, expecting a gentle kiss. I bent my body slightly to make it easier for her to kiss me and then stood still, determined not to interfere with her actions.

"The scented oil, I’ll apply it to your whole body..."

"..."

It wasn’t a kiss. She whispered sweetly into my ear, making my face feel as if it was on fire.

Even though it’s our first time for both of us, I’ve never been able to outdo her so far. I want to take the lead someday, but it might not happen tonight.

Feeling like I had already lost before it even started, I walked to the bathroom with a dazed, heated step.

It’s going to be hotter than usual tonight.

"I missed you both."

"I bought a lot of souvenirs. Let’s open them together."

The next day, the Viscount and Viscountess Ludran arrived at the mansion as scheduled in the evening. I was worried I wouldn’t be able to greet them because I couldn’t get out of bed this morning, but I’m glad I made it in time.

"Father, Mother, I’ve been waiting... Ahem... Excuse me."

"Is something wrong? Do you have a cold?"

"No, no. I’m fine."

I felt something sharp in my throat and coughed. I know the cause, but I can’t tell them. Cynthia gently patted my back.

"There’s a good tea for your throat in the souvenirs. Let’s drink it while we relax."

"Thank you. Let’s go to the room."

As I took a few steps to lead them to the inner room, they expressed their concern again.

"Is there something wrong with your walk? Did you hurt your back? It’s a problem to hurt your back at a young age."

"I’m worried. Should we call a doctor? Or have you already seen one?"

"...I’m fine. Please don’t worry."

I tried to brush it off, but they still looked concerned. How could I get out of this?

"Sorry, Shiraya. I love you so much, I went too far yesterday. If it hurts, shall we go back to bed?"

"Cynthia!?"

I was surprised by Cynthia’s lack of attempt to cover up and called her name in a fluster.

"That’s good. You’ll get better soon."

"That’s good. Don’t be too rough today."

Is it good? After hearing Cynthia’s words, they both smiled in agreement and walked down the corridor, saying, "Take your time, no need to hurry."

"Cynthia, let’s go slowly. I’ll support you."

"Ugh..."

I walked forward, my face hot with embarrassment, fighting the shame.

After having dinner with the Viscount and Viscountess Ludran, we enjoyed a chat in a room with a fireplace and many sofas. The room, decorated in a calm color scheme, seemed to bloom with the presence of three people with bright red hair and eyes. The Viscount and Viscountess Ludran both have bright red hair and eyes, and they are said to have married within the family.

At our wedding, surrounded by the Ludran family, everyone said, "It must be tough, but do your best." I thought they were referring to the responsibilities of becoming a Duke and having a wife, but upon closer listening, I realized it was something entirely different.

"The redder the hair, the more strongly the Ludran traits are inherited."

This was said by a man with light chestnut hair. He is a commoner and a cross-border merchant. His wife is from the Ludran family and has hair and eyes as red as Cynthia’s, showing strong Ludran traits.

"Your place, not only your wife but also your in-laws are completely red, right? Oh, sorry, you’re a Duke, right? I’m still not used to the formal language here. Was that impolite?"

"No, it’s fine. You can speak casually."

"Really? Thanks. So, the Ludran family is said to become more loving the redder their hair. ...Is it like a yandere?"

"Yandere? What’s that?"

"Sorry, it’s a word from a distant country. It seems you don’t know it."

"Wow, I’ll look it up. Anyway, the Ludran love is said to be deep and heavy like the sea. Once you’re submerged, you can’t come up again. It’s called溺愛 (drowning love). Literally, it’s a love that drowns you. My wife... Oh, this story is embarrassing, so I’ll stop. Drowning love is not just for partners. It extends to parents, children, siblings, and relatives. If they think they can reach, they pour all their love into their family. In my case, my father-in-law is from the Ludran side, but he’s not that red, and we often travel abroad. My wife only needs to handle my drowning love, but you, with both in-laws completely red and being a Duke, can’t easily leave your territory... It’s tough. Do your best."

He patted my shoulder, and others followed with words of encouragement like, "It’s true, do your best," "It’s tough until you get used to it, but do your best," "Even if you drown in love, you won’t die...," patting my shoulder and back.

Those who had Ludran family members as spouses or partners looked at me with slightly distant eyes...

"I couldn’t decide which to buy, so I ended up buying all of them."

"That’s good. The more you have, the more you can read."

The Viscount and Viscountess Ludran opened their mountain of souvenirs from their trip and showed us each one. They are now holding a mountain of picture books.

"Thank you. Our future children will surely enjoy them."

Cynthia and I decided not to have children for the first two years of our marriage. We wanted to get used to managing two territories and have more time together, as our engagement period was short. However, the Viscount and Viscountess Ludran probably want to see their grandchildren soon. I understand their urgency. They probably want to resolve the issue of the Viscount’s successor as soon as possible. Despite feeling guilty, I still want to cherish my time with Cynthia...

I picked up a picture book with a complex feeling, and the couple looked at me with puzzled faces.

"Children? No, no, these are for Shiraya and Cynthia."

"Yes, the gifts for the grandchildren will be bought after they are born. These are for our son and daughter."

"...What?"

I looked back and forth between the picture book in my hand and the couple. For me and Cynthia? Am I receiving picture books now, after graduating from school and becoming an adult?

"The picture book you’re holding, Shiraya, is very nice. Let’s read it tonight."

"Read it...?"

Cynthia said this as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"Pirate story! I’m ready!"

"The role of the beautiful female pirate is mine! No need to go to bed, let’s start here!"

Hearing Cynthia’s words, the couple stood up with excitement.

"Start...?"

I was the only one who couldn’t follow the situation and just sat there on the sofa, but the couple sat on either side of me and Cynthia. The mother-in-law sat next to Cynthia, and the father-in-law, lacking space, sat on the armrest next to me.

"Shiraya, you’ll turn the pages. It’s the most important role. It’s tough to turn the pages while fighting sleep. I’ll pet you, Shiraya."

Is petting me necessary? Yes, it is. I always welcome it.

"Are you going to read the picture book now, all together?"

"Bedtime stories must be read together. The reader is the parent. I hope we can do this for our children someday."

"Is that... how it works?"

Bedtime stories. I’ve heard of them. So this is what bedtime stories are. Even adults do this. I didn’t know.

I turned the first page, and the mother-in-law quickly took out a telescope from the souvenirs and held it up.

"Yo-ho-ho! We’ve found the new land! Are you all ready?"

"Ahoi! Captain, it’s bad! The Kraken has spotted us!"

Their performances were so vivid. I wonder if I’ll get too excited and can’t sleep.

Cynthia’s gentle hand petted my head, and her arms embraced me, occasionally kissing my cheek. As a child, I must have wanted this kind of affection.

As the story progressed, my heart strangely calmed down. Feeling the warmth beside me, I found it increasingly difficult to keep my eyes open, and my vision slowly narrowed.

"Cute."

The father-in-law’s voice.

"Cute."

The mother-in-law’s voice.

"Cute person. My precious treasure."

Cynthia’s gentle voice.

I had a dream.

On the pirate ship, many hands were petting and loving me, then slowly dragging me into the sea. I felt a brief moment of fear, but once in the sea, it felt warm and enveloping. The hands continued to drag me deeper into the ocean. I didn’t resist. I wanted to sink deeper.

Even if I never came up again, it was fine.

In the depths of this sea, I would remain eternally happy.