Chapter 133
Nonplussed, Noah could only stare back at her as Adele comforted him.
âItâs alright. You can slowly learn to remember.â
A few seconds of silence ensued. Then he said, âYou are still the same.â
âWhat?â
âWhen we first met, you kept saying it was alright, even when blood was splattered all over the place.â Mesmerized by the thought, Noah had a nostalgic look on his face, especially when he internalized the words âwhen we first metâ.
Adele said as she pondered to herself.
âYouâre still a little muddled.â
ââ¦â
Making up her mind, she suggested. âWhy donât we take a stroll around the garden? To clear your headâ¦â
ââ¦by the garden?â
Adele nodded and set down her glass. âYes, it would be a nice change of scenery, and you need a breath of fresh air. Soââ
âDid you decorate it?â
âHm? Errâyes. Thatâs part of my job as the lady of the house.â then she paused, âOh, did you want to go together?â
Noahâs eyes widened and replied cautiously, âI didnât mean it like that⦠But, if you are okay with it, thenâ.â
âOf course, Iâm okay with it. Weâre a couple, itâs only natural that we go on walks together.â Adele spoke calmly while looking at him.
Noah mumbled the word âcoupleâ to himself, and he unknowingly let out a soft smile. Seeing that small curve on his lips, Adele squealed inwardly at this grown man being so cute. It was as if a 12-year-Noah was sitting in front of her!
Noah jumped up without warning, hiding the giddy emotions he was feeling deep inside while maintaining a slightly stoic expression. âThen, letâs go to the garden nowââ
âIâm just going to go through some important documents and issues today before I go out.â she interrupted all of a sudden.
ââ¦what?â
âIâll accompany you in the garden when Iâm done.â
Noahâs excitement rapidly extinguished.
Seeing his crestfallen expression, Adele wanted to pinch him, but she held herself back and resumed speaking, âDarling, I was worried to death about you thatâs why I couldnât attend to these matters even if I wanted to, and now theyâve all piled up. More work is still waiting for me, so I really have to do them now.â
Noah sat down again.
âLeave those things to the vassals.â he uttered, most probably annoyed. He couldâve been spending alone time with her by now and touching her as much as he wanted.
Adele saw Noahâs pouty expression on his face, and she struggled to hold back her laughter.
She immediately pasted a solemn expression on her face.
âYou do realize that I am your wife, which makes me the duchess, correct? I have so much to do that I canât finish them in a day.â
Noah scowled, but it was directed to himself. âThis is unacceptable! As far as I know, Iâm already a powerful, twenty-seven-year-old duke, why would I allow you to do such laborious tasks? â
Adele assuaged, âItâs fine, and I like having something to do. Youâre already very busy with the Knights Templar and raining, so I took it upon myself to manage the inner castle affairs.â
Noah understood, but he only held the handle of the cup firmly without answering.
Adele had a lot of fun at his easily riled-up behavior, but she pretended not to notice and spoke authoritatively. âIâll send a maid to inform you of when I am done with my tasks. Iâll be on my way to the garden soon after that.â
Noah nodded his head as a sign that he understood what she meant. Then Adele got up and went to her office while reminiscing the look of regret that came across her poor husbandâs face.
***
Adele, who had only planned to work for a couple of hours, became increasingly perplexed when she realized she had more papers to finish than she thought.
Luckily, she wasnât the only one busy.
The butler started teaching Noah of his duties as the lord yet again. From simple payment papers to important financial reports, they went through it all one excruciating step at a time.
Fortunately, Noah was accustomed to this process after having been in multiple succession classes until the age of seventeen. He was a little clumsy, but not soon after, he already started to handle it decently.
As he had lost his memory, Noah thought it would be more productive to seek advice from the butler or one of his vassals until his wife was finished. But as it turns out, she took a while.
Time passed and it gradually became night and they were still busy with their respective works. Their plan for a walk was canceled as a result.
After receiving confirmation from her maid that Noah was in the office, Adele left her office, bringing along her own set of tea and snacks.
Instead of knocking, she slipped through the open door and eyed Noah, who was utterly focused that he didnât even notice her come in. She thought it was a little odd since she knew he was a seasoned veteran on the battlefield and shouldâve been more attuned to the sound of intruding footsteps.
Hm.
Perhaps he thought she was just a maid or a vassal who brought some papers.Or perhaps it was because he had obviously lost his memory. Either way, Adele cautiously sat on the sofa so as to not disturb him.
Glancing at his profile with his fingers busily flipping papers with a sharp gaze, she couldnât help but admire this work-of-art that was her husband.