Chapter 34.1

“Now tell me. Was the rumor true?” Someone asked as soon as Yernia moved.

The wives who saw Viscount Laxen had their eyes twinkling in delight.

“He was as good as everyone thought.”

“You have to be specific!”

“He is handsome, but what about other things?”

“It was better than I thought.”

“Oh my!”

Everyone burst into laughter and she wondered what was so good about Viscountess Laxen as she laughed along with them.

The topic of discussion had suddenly shifted and she didn’t quite understand what they were saying.

It was impossible to understand the conversation based on whether or not rumor was true.

“Wel, he’s a decent guy.”

A flush appeared on Viscount Laxen’s cheekbones as he nodded with indifference.

A lady covered her mouth with a fan and laughed.

The rest of the women blinked in excitement as they cover their mouths to utter praises.

It was breathtakingly quiet a while ago, but the atmosphere seemed different now with the husband’s absence.

“I want to meet him, too.”

Why did this other woman have to meet Viscount Laxen?

Viscountess Laxen covered her mouth with a fan, her eyes folding into down-turned crescents as she chuckled.

The other lady’s face hardened for a moment before her lips quirked into a smile.

“Are you an opera singer? You seem arrogant.”

“You’re the type to collapse in front of money!”

What the hell are they talking about now?

Yernia couldn’t catch up with the conversation, and she felt isolated.

These women were supposed to get along because they saw each other daily except for Yernia.

So far, she had no complaints, but this wasn’t fun.

Not being able to join the conversation caused her discomfort.

Suddenly, the Viscountess Laxen regarded Yernia.

Chagrined, she avoided her gaze.

The Viscountess squinted and patted her lips with a fan.

“Why don’t you make a girlfriend in advance?”

“A girlfriend?”

“I don’t know what the Marquis is like, but no matter how ‘lovey-dovey’ the newlyweds are, the wife could end up being ignored. That’s what  men do.”

This was common in aristocratic societies where arranged marriage had prevailed.

“What you don’t get from your husband should be given by someone else. Now, this—-”

The woman next to Viscountess Laxen slipped out a booklet where opera singers’ personal information were written.

“Ah.”

Only then did Yernia realize what the ladies were talking about.

“It’s all right.”

Yernia shifted in her seat from discomfort.

She wanted to blame them, but she didn’t want to.

Possessing a government position was prevalent among nobles, but she wanted to remain loyal to Cassian even if it wasn’t a love marriage.

When Yernia showed no interest, the topic quickly moved on to something else.

“Family men seemed more popular these days. Did these men still exist in this world?”

The wives sympathized with the woman.

Yernia also nodded hard out of sympathy.

Yet, throughout the conversation, Yernia realized again that this meeting wasn’t for her.

“Yernia, we have to go now. We have a lot of things to do.”

“Oh, we have? Well, I’ll be getting up first. Have a good time!”

Cassian had appeared out of nowhere, saving Yernia.

Yernia rushed out of her seat and held Cassian’s outstretched hand, becoming the receiving end of the wives’ envy.

***

Cassian glared at the pot.

The chef behind him broke a sweat, not knowing what to do.

“What’s wrong, Your Grace?”

As soon as he asked, Cassian lifted the ladle.

He suppressed the urge to wring his hands in panic as he wondered why this precious young master had visited the kitchen of Lecardo Mansion while personally clutching the ladle.

“What’s the simplest, most delicious dish to prepare?”

“What?” He asked, his absent-minded gaze fixed on the ladle in Cassian’s hand.

Cassian looked back at the chef.

“I wanted to try cooking. I heard that family men are popular these days.”

“……!”

“Cooking good food seemed to be a good place to start.”

He recalled what the ladies were talking about during the meeting.

It just happened that he overheard the discussion.

Yernia even sympathized that a ‘family-man’ type of husband was popular.

Nothing else mattered to him.

What’s important is that Yernia agreed with liking men like that.

Then, they would be happy living a simple family life.

“First of all, Your Grace, you can simply —-”

“Simple? Are you looking down on me?”

“No, Your Grace. This is your first time cooking, but I know you’re good at everything, of course.”

“Keep talking.”

“Yes, first of all….”

The chef glanced at Cassian.

Fortunately, he didn’t seem bad at it.

He dipped the ladle in the pot and turned it around.

The chef thought about why the Marquis acted like this without a logical explanation.

He didn’t deserve to have the Marquis do anything in the kitchen, so he tried to make the lesson as simple as possible.

“Do you want to move the food I made, Your Grace?”

“Move what?”

Cassian’s brows furrowed.

“First and foremost, we should start making brunch, Your Grace.” The chef quickly switched his words, and the creases on Cassian’s brows loosened.

Then, the chef gave him an egg for him to crack.

***