Sunlight slipping through the curtains settled across Lisi’s face. Lisi opened her eyes and stared at the unfamiliar ceiling.
‘Where am I?’
The answer came quickly. Kayvrant Green’s bedroom. Now the bedroom of the Count and Countess of the Green House. The place where Kay had been lying was empty, but his scent still lingered unmistakably.
"You will have good dreams."
The voice she had heard as if in a dream came back to her. Just as he said, it seemed she had indeed had a good dream. Lisi slowly got out of bed and walked toward the window. The moment she pulled the curtain aside, blazing sunlight rushed straight into her eyes. Frowning slightly, she opened the window, and a gust of warm air pushed its way inside.
‘It’s the kind of weather that makes you want sherbet.’
Thinking that, she lowered her gaze, and the garden of the Green Estate came into view. The Green family, guardians of the sacred relics, possessed great honor, but they were not a particularly wealthy house. Because of that she had not expected much, but although it was not large, a beautifully maintained garden spread out before her.
Lisi imagined herself walking outside with a parasol and sitting on the bench before the fountain in the middle of the garden, eating sherbet. A small but pleasant daily life she had never been able to enjoy in her previous life. Even after leaving the Whitlow family and becoming Baroness Huchis, she had never been able to enjoy such a life.
In her previous life, Iris Huchis had merely been an ornament and toy that existed to make Alford shine.
While she was recalling that unhappy life, she noticed two men walking side by side across the garden. The large man with dark gray hair was clearly Wallace, whom she had greeted yesterday. But the slender man beside him was someone she had never seen before. His golden hair, tied back, reached his shoulders.
At that moment Wallace spotted Lisi. He broke into a wide grin and waved his hand energetically, then pointed at her with his index finger while saying something to the blond man. The blond man turned his head absentmindedly, saw Lisi, and jumped in surprise. He grabbed Wallace’s pointing finger and bent it sharply downward.
"Aaaagh! That hurts, Jamie!"
Wallace’s shout reached Lisi’s ears. Despite Wallace’s ferocious reaction, the man called Jamie paid him no attention and politely bowed toward Lisi.
A short while later the two of them knocked on Lisi’s door.
Lisi suddenly realized she was still wearing Kay’s enormous robe. She glanced around the room, thinking she might at least change back into the clothes she had originally worn, but she could not find them anywhere. Perhaps they had been sent out to be washed.
With no other choice, she tightened the robe around herself and opened the door.
"Sister in law, did you sleep well?"
Wallace asked in a cheerful voice.
"Thanks to you."
At Lisi’s reply, Wallace turned toward Jamie.
"You heard that, right? She said it’s thanks to me. Thanks to me."
Jamie ignored Wallace completely and stared straight at Lisi. Looking closely now, Jamie had an extremely neat and refined appearance. His pale skin, slightly downturned eyes, and the bright blue irises within them were striking. A faint smile rested on his lips.
Soon Jamie bowed his head slightly in greeting and spoke.
"Our captain… the Count did not inform me in advance, so I did not know the Countess would be arriving. I was unable to greet you yesterday."
"Sister in law, this guy here was really sulking because he was the only one who didn’t know you were coming. He tormented the captain all night long about it. Even though he looks like he’s smiling like that, he’s actually really narrow minded inside—"
Thud!
Jamie drove his elbow hard into Wallace’s stomach while he was rambling. Despite his slender frame, his strength was no joke. Wallace coughed dryly and staggered backward.
"I swear you were actually trying to kill me just now."
Wallace protested, but once again Jamie ignored him and spoke to Lisi.
"Please forgive the discourtesy of greeting you only now, Countess."
"There’s nothing to forgive. You didn’t do anything wrong. The marriage was sudden, after all."
"My name is Jamie. I am the butler of this estate. If the Countess needs anything in the future, please tell me."
"I see. Then first… could you change that title?"
"The title?"
Judging by how Jamie treated Wallace, he seemed to share a close relationship with Kay as well.
"You can just call me by my name."
"Oh, then I can also—"
Thud!
Without a word, Jamie struck Wallace in the side before he could finish speaking.
"I cannot presume to call you by name so casually. If the title Countess feels burdensome, I will address you as Iris."
"That’s fine."
"Is there anything else you need?"
"I need clothes."
"I will call a tailor."
"No, something I can wear right now. Yesterday I noticed someone named Nathan seems to have a similar build to mine…"
"Nathan might look like a girl, but he’s actually a man, Sister in law."
Wallace explained.
"It’s fine. In my own house, who would dare say anything about what I wear? As long as it’s comfortable."
At Lisi’s answer, Wallace grinned.
"Exactly. Comfort is what matters. I’ll go strip Nathan of all his clothes!"
Before Lisi could say she only needed one set, Wallace dashed off.
"Surely Wallace won’t really take all of Nathan’s clothes, will he?"
"He will take them all, Iris. Wallace is the sort of fool who does exactly what he says."
"I feel sorry for Nathan."
"It’s fine. Who would dare complain about anything Iris does? Is there anything else you need?"
"I need sherbet. And a parasol."
"I will prepare them."
Jamie did not even ask why she needed such things. When Lisi quietly stared at him, Jamie tilted his head slightly. Several strands of golden hair slid down, brushing across his elegant face.
"Did you have something to say?"
"How far am I allowed to act as I please in this house?"
Jamie smiled.
"You just referred to it as ‘my house,’ Iris. How far you may go in your own house is something you alone may decide."
+++
Wallace really did seem to have taken all of Nathan’s clothes. Lisi found herself laughing as she imagined the expression Nathan must have made when Wallace burst into his room, opened the wardrobe, and started gathering up his clothes.
Lisi examined the pile of garments Wallace had left stacked on the sofa, choosing what to wear. She selected a pair of black straight leg trousers that clung to the legs, a white shirt with wide sleeves, and a dark brown leather vest. It was a style she had never worn even once in her previous life.
Even if Nathan had a small build, he was still a man. His clothes were slightly large on Lisi, but they were still better than wearing Kay’s robe.
After checking her appearance in the mirror, Lisi let her long hair sway behind her as she stepped out of the room.
Jamie was waiting by the entrance door, holding a parasol and a glass bowl filled with sherbet. His eyes widened when he saw Lisi, then curved pleasantly.
"You look splendid, Iris."
"Thank you."
"Shall I guide you through the garden?"
"No, I’m fine on my own."
Holding the parasol and the glass bowl of sherbet, Lisi walked along the gravel path through the garden. Each step produced a soft crunch beneath her feet. The sound was pleasant.
At last she reached the center where the fountain stood and sat down on the bench, opening the parasol. She had intended to shade herself elegantly while eating sherbet, but with the parasol in one hand and the bowl in the other, she had no hand left to hold the spoon.
After trying several awkward positions, she finally gave up on the parasol.
What did it matter if her face got a little sun?
Lisi set the parasol beside her and picked up the spoon. The sherbet made with lemon juice and honey was sweet, tart, and cool.
She had been eating it for a while when a shadow fell over her head. Someone had picked up the parasol beside her and held it above her.
Turning her head, she saw Kay.
"I heard you met Jamie, Lisi."
"He’s a very polite man."
"Hm?"
Kay tilted his head as though he did not understand what she meant and sat down beside her.
"Sherbet in the morning?"
"It’s hot."
"Is it good?"
"Do you want to try?"
Lisi scooped up a spoonful of sherbet and held it out in front of Kay’s mouth. His eyes gleamed mischievously.
"Rather than eating it like this…"
Kay’s face suddenly moved closer to hers.
"I’d prefer to be fed by those pretty lips."
If it had been last night, she might have been flustered. She might even have pulled back in surprise. But now Lisi had already grasped Kay’s personality.
So instead of blushing and retreating, she dropped the spoon and grabbed the back of Kay’s head with that hand, pulling him forward.
Kay had not expected that at all. Completely defenseless, his head was drawn forward by Lisi’s small strength.
Their slightly parted lips overlapped in an instant.
While Kay remained frozen in shock at the unexpected situation, Lisi parted her lips. The sweet and sour liquid remaining in her mouth slipped into his.
Even after Lisi pulled her lips away, having achieved her goal, Kay remained still, eyes wide.
It was amusing to see Kay, who had teased her all day yesterday, now shocked in return. Lisi wiped his lips lightly with her thumb and spoke.
"Well? Is it good?"
Only then did his eyes narrow. He burst into laughter.
"It’s sweet, Lisi. Sweet beyond compare."
"That’s good to hear."
Lisi smiled and reached down to pick up the spoon she had dropped, but his hand covered hers.
Kay gently clasped Lisi’s hand and lifted it, making her look at him.
"Those are Nathan’s clothes."
"I had nothing else to wear. And I didn’t want to wear the maid uniforms."
"You could have worn my clothes."
"Your clothes are too big."
"You’re too small."
Lisi smiled faintly as she recalled their conversation from last night, but Kay did not smile.
"It’s not particularly pleasant to see my wife wearing another man’s clothes."
"Oh my. I didn’t realize Count Green was capable of jealousy."
"I didn’t know either, Lisi. But do you know this?"
His lips brushed past the side of Lisi’s mouth and lingered by her ear. He gently bit her earlobe.
A sweet shiver ran down her spine.
"Wolves keep only one female beside them for their entire lives, Lisi."
Mixed with the strange sensation spreading all the way to her toes, his voice flowed into her ear. His deep voice seemed to travel down from her ear and stroke her entire body.
"So the only male allowed to leave his scent on your body…"
"...must be me."