[TKOSINM] 199 - Like A Dream

“Then shall we begin?”

Irene, who nodded at Lady Jasmine words, began to select and trim her flowers diligently. But soon, her mind began to wander.

Why do you keep avoiding me…?

A few days ago, Noel suddenly started avoiding Irene after abruptly leaving her room while giving her a scalp massage. When his skin came in contact with hers, he backed away with a shudder. He pretended to sleep at night and secretly snuck out after making sure that Irene was indeed asleep.

‘Sigh.’

‘Snip.’

Irene took a deep breath and then accidentally cut the stem of her flower too short. She could not use it for flower arranging like this.

I’m so confused…

Seeing her poke the cut flower drearily, Lady Jasmine asked her.

“Madame, what are you doing?” 

“Yes? Ah… nothing…”

“I see. It is a married couple’s problem.”

Irene was trying to change the topic to avoid rumours, but Lady Jasmine spoke ahead of her. Irene’s eyes widened at the words that cut straight to the point.

“How did you know?” 

“I know when you pretend. Tell me what is going on. I might be able to help, right?”

At Lady Jasmine’s words, Irene’s eyes fluttered.

She had no one to consult with for Noel’s sudden action, so she was struggling alone.

Can I tell you?

She worried that Lady Jasmine would spread strange rumours. 

“If you are worried about me spreading rumours, don’t worry. I am not mean enough to even gossip about personal stories.”

Irene looked at Lady Jasmine with her swaying eyes. To be sure, even at the last exhibition, she did not tell anyone that Irene and Noel had come. Although the time was short, above all else, Irene somehow decided to trust in her. She began to confide her concerns.

“Actually, I think he is avoiding me these days.”

“Hmm, is there a reason?”

“I don’t know...” 

“Madame, there is an excellent way to do that. May I tell you?”

Irene’s eyes widened at Lady Jasmine’s words. How could she so quickly discover without any context how many days she had been struggling?

In admiration, Irene nodded.

“What is it?”

“To ask him directly.”

“...Yes?”

But when her reply was too simple, Irene could not hide her embarrassment. Seeing that, Lady Jasmine smiled and spoke.

“Perhaps the Duke may not even know that his wife is so troubled, so if he doesn’t know why, I’d rather coolly ask him, why are you avoiding me? If he can’t answer properly...”

“…what if I can’t do it?”

Jasmine’s speech blurred at the end, and she bent slightly, lowering her posture. Then she whispered into Irene’s ear in secret.

“He must have committed a great sin, so in that case, just leave the room without engaging in each other’s business.”

“That …”

“That is right. The Duke must have done something he cannot be proud of, so why don’t you stop avoiding him and ask him the reason as to why? No matter how the Grand Duke has wronged his wife, you should never tolerate it.”

Of course, Irene did not think Noel had sinned against her. She had reasons to trust him and because the two had a contractual relationship that they could never break.

However...

Indeed, as Lady Jasmine said, she could not just keep moping about like this.

Irene hardened her heart. 

“Okay. Duchess, as you said, today I will ask him directly,” she said with determination.

“That’s it.”

Seeing her dignified appearance, Lady Jasmine cheered her with applause. Seeing that, Irene loosened her tight grip and spoke with a smile on her face.

“Thank you, Duchess Jasmine.”

 ”What do you mean?”

At Irene’s appreciative words, Duchess Jasmine was puzzled.

“You listened to me sincerely and gave me strength. Actually, I have been having a bit of a hard time these past few days because of this problem.”

“Is there no one around you to listen to your story?”

They might be hurtful words, but it felt like it was not a big deal when she asked so casually. At her question, Irene nodded.

“There are many people I can trust, but I don’t think anyone whom I can talk to so openly like this.”

Noel was close to Irene, but even he could not share her concerns. She could not speak to Louiselle because she thought she would get rid of the cause of her troubles rather than listen to them, and the Grand Duke and Tom would escalate things after talking.

“Then aren’t you so lonely?”

When Lady Jasmine, who had listened to Irene’s story, she shook her head.

“Not at all. Even though I cannot tell you all my troubles, they are all good people for me. So I am not lonely.”

Instead, it was a problem because she was so happy. Irene was delighted these days to the extent that she was always radiating. To the people who gave her this happiness, a smile naturally leaked out when she was with them, and sometimes it felt like a dream.