138 What is love?
***[Catherine, Duchess]***
In the end, the day’s work came to nothing.
Oscar said that the fortuneteller was behaving strangely and everyone was on edge.
curse.
I didn’t say it specifically, but that’s the only thing that comes to mind when you think of a fortune teller.
Well, it wouldn’t have been anything like a blessing.
Oscar-sama, realizing that Katrin had realized, put a finger to her lips.
The action was like a work of art.
Really elegant and pretty, pretty anyway.
You must keep it in your mind for a long time.
Thinking that way, as I concentrated on watching, Oscar-sama said with a small smile.
[That’s a secret.]
No wonder.
Look at the rumors that the Duchess is cursed.
It truly becomes the center of social rumors.
But that wouldn’t have been the only thing.
Anne may only know that much, but Oscar knows something else.
It’s not that Catherine herself knows that because she’s smart.
I know because it’s Oscar-sama’s job.
All the while talking to her, Oscar gently stroked her shoulder, held her hand, or dropped a kiss.
Previously, it was just lightly holding hands.
At best, a light pat on the head or, if you’re really lucky, a light kiss on the back of the hand.
It was always Katrin who was thirsty for touch, but this time it was the exact opposite.
Oscar-sama comes in contact.
I keep stroking and touching.
It’s been like this for days since I learned about the curse.
“…”
I don’t know what it is, but that curse must have been quite scary and difficult.
And Oscar seems to keep touching Catherine because of that.
‘Good, damned!’
Catherine clenched her fists.
Anyway, as long as you wear the amulet on your body, there is nothing dangerous.
Looking at what has happened so far, it certainly seems so, and Mr. Oscar said so.
It’s not dangerous if you have the amulet, so don’t worry, you just need to smile.
I am confident in smiling.
I wanted to reassure Oscar-sama, so I said that and smiled brightly, and as if Oscar-sama was relieved, I held my hand again and kissed it, and even after that, I held it without releasing it.
At that moment, Catherine’s mind was made up.
This curse drags me until I die.
To monopolize Oscar-sama’s attention, and to experience the miraculous experience of being touched by Oscar-sama, is nothing but gains.
If you have a curse, you can be like that for the rest of your life.
‘Go to work, Igor! It’s okay to be a little stronger!’
I briefly thought of meeting Igor and encouraging him, but quickly gave up.
I knew that if I did that, neither Oscar nor Anne would ever forgive me.
Even an idiot could understand that much.
‘Should I ask the priest to make something like an amulet that the couple sticks to? Something like a cursed talisman that prevents you from turning a blind eye to other women.’
I hadn’t thought of that until now, but if the curse and the amulet that blocks it work, I’m sure something else will work too.
While I was thinking about that, I suddenly saw Anne’s face.
It’s big.
“Anne! I was surprised.”
However, still not clearing the face in front of her nose, Anne quietly looked into Catherine’s eyes and spoke in a stern voice.
“Don’t think strangely.”
“What are you talking about.”
“When you’re silent like that and have that exact expression, you’re thinking about something bad. How many years do you think we’ve been together? I know everything. I don’t know what you’re thinking, but it’s better to stop thinking about it now.”
“…Anne, use that feeling for me. Don’t use it to spy on me.”
“It’s only for my lady, no, for your wife. If it weren’t for me, you’d be standing in a really strange place by now. Not here.”
that may be true
Because of Anne’s presence, sometimes they would argue together, sometimes she would stop them, and they could do whatever they wanted.
Catherine was able to live much more freely than other aristocratic women because she had Anne who acted according to her will.
Catherine hugged Anne tightly.
“I know, I know. Thank you very much.”
“Why, why are you doing this! Are you thinking of something strange?
Anne panics and pulls herself away.
Hey, isn’t this the part to be moved?
When I let go of my mouth and glanced at it, Anne tried to put on a stern expression and said.
“You know?
“…Anne, you changed because of your fiancée. You don’t want to do anything risky anymore because of him, not for me, right?”
At Catherine’s words, Anne cleared her throat with an ahem and opened her mouth.
“Miss, no ma’am. That’s not the point. Think again about what I said.”
“…!”
Catherine’s eyes widened spontaneously.
“Uh… no way, right before the adult stage… did you say that?”
“is it so.”
“When did you get there? Until recently, at least a kiss.”
Anne let out a small sigh and shook her head.
“Of course, your young wife doesn’t know, but once a man and a woman start to catch fire, they can build castles overnight.”
Anne suddenly stuck out her chest and laughed.
“How far have you gone?”
Catherine asked, and Anne undid the scarf that was draped around her neck.
Come to think of it, a high-quality cloth in a beautiful color was wrapped around her neck, which was normally exposed.
I thought it was a gift for my fiancé, so I was wearing it even on hot days, but maybe something was different.
Anne untied her scarf and held out her thin neck.
“See?”
“…”
I don’t know what to look for.
There were traces of insect bites on the neck, but nothing.
I didn’t see anything that symbolized the stage of adulthood.
“Huh hu hu hu hu. Your wife is still young, so you don’t know.”
After speaking in a strangely proud voice, Anne pressed her face into Katrin’s ear and whispered.
“This is not an insect bite. This is…”
Whispering, tells me how Anne was made.
What?
What happens when you kiss?
“but….”
Catherine looked at the back of her hand.
Clean.
There was nothing that looked like an insect bite.
Traces of being kissed by Oscar exist only in the head, not on the back of the hand.
“So, this is the first step up the adult level. A kiss on the back of the hand like that is just a greeting or a child. It’s completely different, ma’am. You won’t understand it, Mrs.
Anne’s soft talk made her hateful, so Katrin rubbed her hand over the worm marks on her neck.
Disappear, disappear, traces of this kind.
“What, what are you doing, young lady! What are you going to do when you disappear?”
“That’s what you’re rubbing.”
“Because a woman’s jealousy is ugly.”
“I’m not jealous. I’ll get that before I’m seventeen.”
“Well, looking at the current situation, I think I should be thirty.”
“Don’t be scary, Anne.”
While talking about that, the image of Anne and her fiancé kissing suddenly came to mind.
No, I’m trying to come to mind.
I think that would be gross.
Catherine looked at Anne’s face, still holding her neck.
Anne is pretty
She doesn’t seem to think so, but her aunt cautioned her a few times.
At the banquet hall, be careful of drinks given by other men, drink only drinks brought by waitresses, do not go out alone in the garden where there are no people, etc. Be suspicious when a man says something sweet, everyone but your fiancé are wolves, etc. It was to watch out for men.
According to my aunt, there is something about Anne that attracts men.
As I thought about it, the usual question came out of my mouth.
“Where does Anne like her fiancé so much?”
“… I feel somewhat rude.”
“…”
Honestly it is.
Anne’s fiancé has a square face, a round neck, and a thick torso.
It’s hard to say that he’s handsome even with empty words, and he wasn’t really popular with women.
“Anne is worth a million times.”
It’s not because I’m close to Anne, but even if I just think of it from afar.
After saying that, Anne straightened her expression with a hmmm and grabbed Katrin’s wrist.
“Please let go of my neck first. If I do something wrong, I will die.”
“…”
After removing her hand from her neck, Anne opened her mouth with a slightly red face.
“Ma’am, I don’t know what it looks like in your eyes, but I like his square face, thick neck, and thick fingers. I also like his dark eyebrows, as if they were drawn with charcoal. If you look at me with that face…”
Anne’s face grew redder.
“I really like it. I like that face as much as my wife likes the duke. I fell in love with it from the first time I saw it.”
“I know everyone is different… but I’m not sure. Besides, I get a little angry at the thought of Anne giving birth to that person’s child.”
When I thought of Anne being born with a square face, I was bubbling with anger.
It seems that Anne was taken away by that man.
“I thought I knew Anne inside and out, but I really don’t understand this. Oscar-sama has a beautiful face, right?
“…”
Anne looked at Catherine like an idiot.
“Hey, it’s a little bit like saying this, but the duke, to be honest, is for contemplation. Although he is beautiful, he is not at all like a man I want to be with. Other women, except for some, have similar thoughts. I like the duke so much. The only person who is happy just being by your side is a young lady.”
“why?”
To Catherine’s surprise, Anne shrugged.
“Think about it. The duke is, so to speak, so pretty. As a woman, I don’t want to stand next to him. To say that a man is more beautiful is miserable.”
can not understand.
Since Oscar is more beautiful, it is only natural that you look ugly when standing next to him.
But it doesn’t matter if you like it, right?
That’s what I like.
Thinking so, Katrin felt sorry for herself.
“Sorry, Anne. I understand. It doesn’t matter if the person you like is beautiful or not.”
When I said while holding Anne’s hand tightly, Anne let out a small sigh.
“Well, the crotch I wanted to say seems to be subtly different for some reason, but that’s okay. And the young lady is different from other women. Standing side by side with the duke makes it a picture, it doesn’t look ugly. You know that much.”
“No, Oscar-sama’s beauty is exceptional. It’s true that I’m beautiful too, but compared to Oscar-sama, I’m a goldfish poop.”
“… It’s like a lady to sincerely think that she’s beautiful, but when it comes to the duke, the lady is, to say the least, misunderstood. He’s beautiful, but the lady is really beautiful too.”
Anne stared blankly at Catherine.
“And just in case, don’t even think about going to a fortune teller.
Before I knew it, the title was ‘Miss’ again, but Anne doesn’t seem to know that either.
Catherine shrugged and smiled.
“…”
Maybe this is what Anne really wanted to do.
Not to go to the fortuneteller.
It may be because the story started with a kiss and looked around and the story came out at the end.
Anne has a tendency to put off what she really wants to say and say it at the end.
As if she had suddenly remembered, Anne leaned over to Catherine and whispered in a low voice.
“I think an aphrodisiac is more effective than a fortuneteller’s charm or curse. Send a letter to the Countess. Maybe she can help you.”
“Anne, do you want an aphrodisiac?”
“Desperately. It feels like the door is closed in front of the adult stage.”
Saying that, Anne let out a long sigh.
“If you’re a man, it’s like this! You have to hit something hard, right? But these days, men don’t have ambition. They don’t have courage.”
“…”
Anne, don’t use me for your desires.
Thinking of that, I looked towards Anne, and she was smiling at me.
Catherine giggles too.
I’m really happy that even after we get married and come to the duke’s family, the two of us can still chat.
‘But I’m not kidding, after all, aphrodisiacs might be needed. If I do this, I’ll be completely behind Anne.’
Catherine muttered to herself and laughed again.