Yelena seemed to be gloating over the maids words as she glanced sideways into the mirror.

She seems to be right.

Plus your voice, too.

Theres more?

The maid continued her words despite Yelenas evident surprise.

You sound beautiful every time you speak, as if you are singing.

Is that so?

Yelena, who usually self-praised while looking at herself in the mirror, was slightly embarrassed.

The maid had driven a wedge in.

I swear by this humble servants mouth, that no man in this world would think that you are not beautiful upon seeing you. Including the duke.

Thank you.

Yelena replied sincerely.

It came from the bottom of her heart.

The maid smiled gently.

Its nothing. Ive only replied truthfully based on what Ive seen.

This maid will make it big.

What was her name?

Was it Abi?

Yelena memorized the maids name in her heart and said, Take back one of the things I said earlier.

Thanks to that, Yelena had gained back her confidence.

There was no problem with her. If there were a problem, it would be on the other party.

Tell the Duke. Well have lunch together if he isnt busy.

Yelena corrected herself, No, even if he is busy, we should have lunch together.

She must hear a reason from him.

They were a married couple, so why is he not acting as such?

Yelenas pink eyes burned with determination.

The veteran maid gave a simple reply this time.

Yes, Madam.

***

Yelena gulped as she sat down at the dining table with the Duke.

They were sitting quite a distance from each other.

Since the Dukes seat was always set at the head of the table, this sitting arrangement was Yelenas choice.

Yelena could hardly take her eyes off the table.

I wanted to sit closer to him.

That had been her original plan before she stepped into the dining room.

They were supposed to be seated close enough to see each others reactions while having conversations.

But as soon as Yelena stepped into the dining room and saw Duke Mayhard, her body automatically took the seat furthest away from him.

Her body seemed to have ordered itself to not be greedy any more, as all the courage she had mustered as she walked up until now dissipated.

After taking her seat, Yelena didnt get even one look at the Duke until all the food was served.

Last nights event which had seemingly faded with time, suddenly flashed across her mind vividly.

A-ah.

Yelena swallowed a sigh.

It now seemed amusing how determined she had been in the morning, desperately trying to figure out why he did not want to lay a finger on her .

Would it be a troublesome thing to ask about within a day of the last incident?

Yelena began to regret that mornings impulsive decision.

Yelena had begun restlessly fiddling her fingers under the table when Duke Mayhard finally broke the silence.

How are you feeling today?

Yelena realized immediately that he was referring to her hangover.

Although replying was painfully embarrassing, Yelena still forced herself to answer, seeing as she could not just ignore the question.

Im fine. Thanks for the concern.

Thats great to hear.

Yelenas gaze wandered even farther away from the Duke.

She soon made up her mind to look back at him.

It wasnt as if she could avoid him the entire time whenever they had a meal together.

Yelenas eyes met the Dukes blue ones.

Ah. Damn it.

A cry rang out within Yelenas mind.

That played out in her head again.

This time, it was not only that shameful event that was stirred up.

It included the Dukes arms rolling her body up with the blanket.

Though she could not feel it due to the sheer fluff of the blanket and the fact she was under the influence of alcohol, she recalled it to be firm and strong.

Duke Mayhards arm muscles could be seen when his shirt sleeves had been rolled up slightly.

Only

Yelena subconsciously gulped again.

Yelena then downed a glass of water, as her throat was dry.

Im suddenly feeling very hot.

Did the temperature indoors go up?

As Yelena had learned more about the household expenses, shed found out that the budget was not enough, and that the household tended to overspend. That could be why they did not use the firewood sparingly.

While holding onto that thought and pondering if Yelena should fan herself, Duke Mayhard started to speak.

No one is allowed to come in until they are called.

Those words were meant for the servants.