...What does this woman say now?
Ethan frowned deeply as he looked at Camille.
Is she drunk, perhaps?
The idea occurred to him, but she didn't seem drunk.
There were no bottles or cups in the room either.
Of course, Camille saying incomprehensible things was nothing new.
But this time, I felt like she took it too far.
“I don't want to be your wife anymore, and I don't want to stay in this house. "I always had this feeling, but I couldn't leave because you kept me here."
Those words that Camille had said to him not long ago remained clearly engraved in his mind.
Since that day, Ethan's mood had rarely improved.
It wasn't because he was fighting with Camille, after all, this was their work routine.
It was the sight of Camille clutching her head, screaming in the rain, clinging to it tremblingly, and then even after she regained consciousness, stubbornly feigning strength, her lips still blue. Those images never left his mind.
'the curse. Why did she have to go to this extent...?'
He understood her position, of course.
He was neglectful towards his wife, that is undeniable.
She had said it countless times, and sure enough, he could see why she wondered why he was acting this way now.
But they were still husband and wife, bound by marriage vows.
Was it wrong for a husband to worry about his wife? Did she really have to set that limit and push him away from her?
The more he thought about it, the angrier he got.
He had spent the past few days lost in thought, sometimes surprising those around him by suddenly uttering curses.
In fact, today he came to face Camille, and he was no longer able to suppress his feelings. But as soon as he entered the room and saw her, he forgot everything he intended to say.
Camille stood in front of a long mirror, wearing an evening dress.
Her hair is elegantly up, her slender neck and bare back are exposed, and her pale skin glows with a slight golden touch under the dressing room lights.
Ethan found himself speechless, staring at her back.
Maybe because she only wears simple dresses at home recently. Suddenly, I felt shockingly strange seeing her like this.
Even after Camille turned to face him, he still felt the same way.
Her soft and simple makeup was surprisingly on point, making him wonder if she always looked like this.
While he was regaining his composure, another bomb fell.
Camille looked at Ethan with a completely casual look.
There was no trace of discord or hatred in her eyes.
However, he had to be careful.
He had made a mistake before and embarrassed himself.
"Didn't you say you wanted a divorce? And now suddenly you want a baby?"
Hearing Ethan's words, Camille looked a little shy.
“Well, yeah...but this is this, and that is that.”
How can “this and that” make sense?
Ethan frowned deeply as he thought.
“So, just seeing the orphanage children made you think about it, but you don't actually want a child?”
“What? No, I want one if I can.”
“Preferably a daughter,” Camille said, then added, as if she had just remembered, “and if possible, with honey-blonde hair and a love of books.”
“……”
The specific nature of her desire made Ethan's frown deepen.
Camille looked excited, as if she was imagining a real daughter.
Ethan had really racked his brain.
'Are you saying...she wants a daughter who looks like us both?'
Blonde hair was Camille's trademark.
A love of books was, without a doubt, Ethan's trait.
She felt a little strange, but there was no other way to interpret her words.
“By the way, what do you think about your daughter inheriting the title?”
"… What?"
Why are you asking this now?
He still couldn't understand the course of this conversation.
“I mean, it happens sometimes, right? Even if it's rare.”
It was not a mistake, but it was very rare, and it was a common choice when noble families did not have sons and did not want to adopt.
“…If there is no other option, I guess”
Ethan watched Camille's reaction carefully.
“So, if there was another option, would you prefer your son to inherit?”
“Yes of course”
“But what if the son is hopelessly incompetent, and the daughter is intelligent, capable, and the ideal candidate to inherit?”
“……”
At Camille's quick questions, Ethan frowned again.
He paused for a moment before replying: “In that case, the title should go to the daughter.”
“I knew you would say that.”
Camille smiled cheerfully, looking really happy for some reason.
...what's up? So, even if we have a son in the future, do you want our eldest daughter to inherit the title?
This was not a common feeling. But if what Camille described happened, transferring the title to our daughter would be the perfect choice.
Camille whispered melodiously, then reached for a jewelry box next to her. She held up two different earrings, and turned to Ethan.
“Which one do you think looks better?” she asked with a cheerful smile, her eyes crinkling in genuine happiness.
...What in the world is happening?
Ethan frowned deeply again, unable to shake the strange feeling.
***
“Is it possible that the Duchess is trying to reconcile?”
Hearing Jack's words, Ethan narrowed his eyes and looked at him.
"reconciliation?"
“Yes. Maybe she was too embarrassed to take back her words about the divorce, so she is trying to say it in a roundabout way.”
“...I don’t know. She said: This is this, and that is that, when I asked her about divorce.”
Jack raised his eyebrows in annoyance, “It's just because she doesn't want to admit it directly. Like I said, women often say things they don't mean. They bring up other topics and avoid what they really want to say. The key is to understand what they're really thinking.”
“……”
Ethan frowned, deep in thought.
No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't fully accept it.
“So you're saying that talking about wanting to have a baby was just an excuse, and what you really mean is that she no longer wants a divorce?”
“Exactly. Think about it: why bring up the topic of procreation of all possible topics? To have a child, you have to...”
“...establishing a relationship”
“Right. And after having a baby?”
“… his upbringing”
Ethan spoke uncertainly.
“Exactly. Therefore, the idea of your divorce does not make sense. So, the implicit message here is that she does not want a divorce.”
“……”
عندما سمع إيثان ذلك ، شعر أن هذا قد يكون صحيحًا.
ما أثّر فيه أكثر هو ثقة جاك بنفسه. لا ، بل أكثر من ذلك ، كانت نظرة الانتصار الغريبة على وجهه. It was almost convincing.
استشار إيثان جاك لأنه لم يكن هناك شخص آخر مناسب للتحدث معه.
Victor would likely have offered an overly optimistic explanation like, “It's all right,” and Mile is still too young and single to help.
Jack, on the other hand, was newly married but had dated a lot of women before, and his personality was more rational than Ethan's.
“و لكن لماذا إثارة موضوع وراثة اللقب من قبل الابنة؟”
“She wanted to see how far she would go to satisfy her desires, Your Majesty. After all, she had clearly expressed her preference for having a daughter. She was testing whether her husband would prioritize her desires over tradition.”
“……”
كان هذا منطقيًا، ولكنه لم يكن كذلك. It was a vague answer.