Married Couple’s Qualifications

“Hello, Duke Pierre. I don’t know if you remember me.”

A woman appeared from behind the pillar, smiling awkwardly and clasping her hands together. Calix frowned for a moment.

The woman’s face was strangely familiar to him. He didn’t remember, but he was sure he had seen her somewhere before.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t remember who you are.”

“Of course it’s understandable. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you, sir.”

“A long time ago?”

“Before, at the Academy.”

The woman quickly added an explanation, but it didn’t help much.

The Academy was twenty years ago now, and since all nobles had to go through the Academy’s education program, the Academy was always crowded with people. Calix couldn’t remember all the people who greeted him during that time.

Calyx eventually gave up trying to recall his memories of women and turned his attention to other subjects.

“So, what’s the matter? I don’t have much time, so speak shortly.”

“I’m here to talk about Rivianna.”

“…”

After the familiar name was mentioned, Calix remembered the name of the woman in front of him.

Then again, he’d also heard her name recently.

The woman in front of him had once lied to Rivianna about having a child with him. Calix’s eyes got thinner. 

Her belly was not very noticeable yet, but the woman’s behavior of wrapping her belly like a habit was suspicious enough.

It wasn’t his child, but it might be true that she was pregnant.

Wasn’t she the Marquis of Clayton’s mistress from the beginning?

Calix’s brow wrinkled involuntarily as he remembered the name he had seen in the background investigation he had don on Bake at Luzen’s order.

Margaret, startled by the minute change, hastily opened her mouth. The huge man was threatening with a slight twitch of his expression.

“I apologize for the discomfort this may cause you, Your Excellency, but the situation is problematic.”

“…”

“Actually, the rumors that are circulating right now are true.”

 “…What’s the truth?”

“…Rivianna lost her memory.”

“And why are you telling me this, when I already know that level of rumor?”

Calix cynically snarked.

It wasn’t much of a secret that Rivianna had lost her memory thanks to Bake’s brief stirring of the capital to hide Mariel’s existence.

“She hadn’t simply lost her memory of Mariel, she had lost all her memories of the last decade or so. Even the fact that she’s married.”

“That doesn’t change anything. If you’ve been following the rumors, you’ll know who it was that sold me out to live.”

“It’s just a rumor.”

“A rumor?”

“At least I don’t think so. You know better than I do, my lord. Rivianna is not that kind of person. I think there was a misunderstanding. You knew how how much Rivianna liked you.”

Calix stood at an angle to Margaret, who moistened the corners of her eyes as she squeezed her hands together to stifle a shudder.

Her words sounded like she was thinking about Rivianna, but listening closely, he could tell that she wasn’t.

She would not have attached to her lover’s wife who had lost her child and even her memory, unless she wasn’t in her right mind.

Calix looked down at Margaret for a moment, his left eyebrow raised. Margaret shuddered, but finally opened her mouth again.

“I know her better than anyone, having watched her closely. Rivianna has always missed you, my lord.”

“…”

“…That’s why their marriage wasn’t very good. On the outside, they looked like a perfect couple, but on the inside, they were a festering mess. So this time, too, ……………”

Margaret hastily covered her mouth as if she made a mistake and quickly looked at Calix’s face.

Calix looked at Margaret, who was deliberately slurring her words, and crossed his arms.

“So what do you want me to do?”

“I don’t know how Your Excellency will take my story, but I think this is your chance. You and Rivianna had no choice but to break up then, but I think things are different now.”

“Are you asking me to do bad things?”

“Rivianna’s marriage has always been unhappy, and now she’s lost her daughter as well. It was all thanks to Mariel that Rivianna was able to maintain that difficult marriage.”

“…”

“I just want Rivianna to be happy. Especially after all the bad memories are gone like they are now.”

Margaret’s eyes, wrapped in lush lashes, moistened. The woman looked so innocent that if he didn’t know any better, he could be fooled.

And she looked like someone Calix knew. The word “imitate” seemed more appropriate to describe Margaret than “resemble”…

“…Why do you try so hard to help her?”

“She’s my friend.”

“Your friend?”

“Rivianna helped me a lot. I just want to help her even in this way. It’s the only thing I can do.”

“…”

“…I know you may have doubts about my true intentions, Your Excellency, but just trust me once. I’m sure I’ll be useful.”

Margaret put her hands on her chest and smiled slightly. It was a social smile, but he knew everything contained in her gaze was a subtle intention.

***

“Your Excellency, Marquis Clayton is currently out. Please give me your message and I will pass it on to him.”

“I’m afraid that’s going to be difficult, as this is a matter that needs to be discussed in person. When will Marquis Clayton return?”

“He went to see the outer territories, so he won’t be back until the evening at the earliest. “

“I see.” 

“I will inform you as soon as the Marquis returns.”

Instead of answering the grumbling servant, Calix pulled his watch from his pocket. 

“It’ll be dinner time in an hour or two anyway, so I’ll just wait.”

“ I don’t know when he will actually be here, just the time I gave you as an example. Is that okay with you?”

Of all people, a big man like the Duke with blood on his hands would come to visit while Bake was out of the house. The young servant lowered himself more and more, grumbling inwardly. The Duke was not a man of good reputation. He (the servant) didn’t know when he would get his head chopped off with that sword on the Duke’s waist. All he could do was hope that the Duke would leave as soon as possible.

“It doesn’t matter. Clayton mansion is a big place, I can spend some time just looking around. Last time I saw it, the fountain was quite lovely.”

“…”

It was an unexpected response. The servant rubbed his hands together and smiled awkwardly. The young Duke’s gazing at the garden had a look of disinterest in anyone’s eyes, if they were to honestly believe Calix’s words. 

“Why? Can’t I just look around?”

“No! No, sir! I’ll show you around.”

Although Bake told him (the servant)  not to let outsiders go inside when he was not confident, Carlix was in an ambiguous position of being an outsider. No matter how much Bake tried to hide Rivianna’s health issues, the fact remained that the Young Miss of Clayton had died.

Clayton and the imperial family needed to discuss the issue of responsibility and compensation for this, and the emperor had chosen Calix as the emissary to replace his voice.

Duke Pierre himself was terrifying, but few people had enough guts to turn down the man with a letter branded by the Emperor like no other.

“I’ve been many times, so don’t bother showing me around, just contact the Marquis right away.”

After all, the garden was an excuse, and it seemed to be for the purpose of urging.

The servant hurried to his feet, wondering if he should be grateful that he didn’t have to deal with the rugged man or worry about how long Calix’s patience would wait.

He didn’t know when Calix would change his mind. It was times like this that it seemed better to hurry and contact the Marquis. 

Calix stepped away from the servant, who hurried away like a flustered chicken.

The meticulously maintained garden hadn’t changed much from a few days ago, but Calix’s steps were faster than before.

It was because he knew that if he walked, he would eventually reach one place.

Calix stopped when she spotted Rivianna sitting on the bench next to the fountain table.

He had been constantly in a hurry, but when he saw her, he couldn’t get closer.

“…”

Calix took a small deep breath and finally took his steps again.

He didn’t know if it was because his footsteps were quiet or if she was lost in some other pensive thought, but Rivianna didn’t notice Calix approaching until there was a shade over her head.

Whoosh.

At that moment, the wind blew.

The pages of the book in Rivianna’s hands flapped violently. He could see her make-up free face through the soft blonde hair that had fluttered wildly in the wind as if it melted in the spring sun.

Calix tensed his jaw.

He almost called out her name.

“You’re later than I thought.”

Rivianna smiled faintly as she lifted her head while Calix missed a step.

Calix didn’t know what expression to give her, so he just stood there and looked down at Rivianna.

The woman he had seen for the first time since the funeral, which he had seen from a distance, was emaciated and thin. It was really funny that that was the first thing he saw even in this situation.

Calix was debating what to say. Actually, he still didn’t know what he wanted.

Did he really want the woman in front of him to lose her memory, or was it the other way around?

 “You’re playing a dangerous game.”

“It’s the safest way to be dangerous.”

“The woman* wasn’t willing to help you.” (*Margaret)

“I know. That’s why I took the trouble to write it down as a liaison. No one knows Marquis Clayton’s schedule as well as that woman does, so I’m sure she’ll know and find the safest time for you without daring to go through the trouble.”

“Why would you trust her to do such a thing?”

“She even managed to get me and Your Excellency involved in a lie that would have been easily discovered. I just didn’t think it would be much different this time.”

Rivianna smiled lightly. The young lady who closed her book without a care in the world seemed to have too much time on her hands.

“…I was wondering if it was possible, but you didn’t lose your memory after all.”

“Yes. I haven’t forgotten anything. Nothing at all.”

Rivianna bowed her head for a moment, then quickly raised it up. The flowing blonde hair flowed gently down the exposed shoulders. The fine hair was no less than any good quality fabric.

“Why did you find me?”  (Calix)

“I’m going to ask for your help.” (Riv)

 “…me?”

Calix’s voice was noticeably subdued. She was the woman who had expressed hostility when he had tried to give her the news that Mariel’s academy had a fire.

It wasn’t clear what her intention was to ask him for help now. Even more so since even Cheshire, who had turned himself in, had come on strong and refused to answer anything until Rivianna gave him permission.

However, Rivianna didn’t care at all about Calix’s suspicious gaze. 

“My daughter is dead. She didn’t just die, she was murdered. Not by Rose Hamilton, who is now believed to be responsible for the incident, but by other people.”

“…And you want revenge?”

 “Yes.”

Rivianna’s expression looked calm for her unwavering answer. Calix narrowed his forehead by looking at the elegant face of a woman who did not match the word ‘revenge’. 

“Then you are mistaken. I’m not on your side.” (Calix)

Calix shook his head resolutely .

 “I understand. We don’t have the best relationship to be having this conversation, but sometimes enemies can be friends.” (Riv)

The aristocrat was not used to being rejected and would blush easily at even the smallest thing, but Rivianna’s expression did not change even when she was bluntly rejected.

From the beginning, there was no hesitation, and there was only one thing that her straight gaze aimed at. Rivianna took a short deep breath and then parted her lips.

“I will give you what you want.”

“…”

“Whatever you want, my lord, everything.”

Calix’s neck shook as Rivianna looked at him intently.