Rubica was more than capable of doing that. She was stubborn and had a strong will to carry out what she believed was right. On the day they first met, she even tried to pack her things and run away. Maybe she was trying to reach that Arman.

‘And she didn’t give me any information about him.’

Edgar hadn’t cared much about it back then. Whether she was in love with someone or not, it hadn’t been his concern. He rather welcomed it as he was sick of people who liked him. Of course, he had been slightly irritated with Rubica for not sharing any information about that Aman even though she said she loved him.

Edgar had finished doing a background check on her before proposing to her. There weren’t any men around her, and those who had been near her had run away once they found out she had no inheritance and no dowry.

Moreover, Rubica herself hadn’t been that interested in men. She preferred doing her cousin’s hair rather than going after men. That was why he thought she was lying, so he scolded and mocked her.

At the time, she had only been a tool to him. He had meant to offer some good conditions and bring her home. Moreover, the marriage had been nothing more than a mean to have her near him as she was the only clue to solve his curse. And even that had proceeded by the strong hope and insistence the king showed when Edgar discussed the matter with him.

Edgar was trying to solve his curse for one reason. The kingdom needed him now. That was all. He had expected Rubica to recognize him and say she knew the way to break the curse and nothing more. He hadn’t sought any emotional interaction with her. Sadly, judging from her reaction, she clearly had never met him before.

Edgar regretted it only now. He should have been suspicious and wondered why she acted like that. He should have asked that even later as she wasn’t the kind of person who was good at lying. She rather showed her feelings openly.

“That bastard.”

He threw away some documents on his table. He always lacked time and even worked while traveling. That document could be the result of a very important experiment or the king’s letter, but now, he couldn’t afford to care about that.

“How dare you leave such a woman?”

He recalled how Rubica’s clear eyes had looked at him when she said he couldn’t sleep with her if he didn’t love her, even if she wanted it. At the time, he hadn’t noticed because of the pain in his slapped cheek, but his heart was already fluttering. She was an upright person.

“And she is so pretty!”

Rubica wasn’t just kind-hearted, she was beautiful as well. Edgar considered her plain when they first met, but his eyes had been wrong and failed to recognize her beauty. He could swear she was the most beautiful woman he knew, and he had met every beautiful lady in the capital’s society. He was sure that his judgment was objective and exact.

That Arman had to be a fool and an idiot. Edgar couldn’t let Rubica go to such a man, no matter how much she loved him. Which man, which husband could bear to see his wife meet a bastard and ruin his wife? It might have been different if Arman had been a nice guy, but this couldn’t be. He just couldn’t let the pregnant Rubica throw herself into a pit of fire just because of her faith in him.

‘She is my wife, so the baby is mine.’

Edgar made up his mind. The baby was Duchess Claymore’s child. If the baby was the duchess’ child, it was also the duke’s child. Her past wasn’t important. The baby’s biological father was ignoring both of them, so he didn’t deserve to claim his rights as the baby’s father.

Rubica is my wife. I don’t care if our marriage ends in four years. Right now, I’m her husband.

‘If it’s a boy, he will become Claymore’s heir.’

Rubica was smart, so the child could become intelligent after being taught by Edgar himself. Moreover, he would be responsible and clever just like Rubica.

‘And if it’s a girl…’

He could almost see a little girl who had Rubica’s light-brown hair and innocent auburn eyes. He excluded the possibility of the girl resembling her biological father. Even imagining that was enough to drive him crazy. Anyway, the cute child, who would be just like Rubica, was going to call Edgar ‘daddy’. Maybe the child would nag on Rubica and tell her to be nicer to daddy, she might even cling onto her skirt and beg her not to leave daddy after four years.

Imagining that scene made his heart ache and warm up at the same time. Rubica could stand strong against people who had power, but she was so weak to the weak. She would never be able to leave if her own child begged in tears. When Edgar thought of that, he almost thanked the man who made Rubica pregnant and ran away.

‘I must make sure the child considers me his daddy.’

Then, he had to catch Rubica first and convince her to raise the baby at Claymore as his own. He could talk about the baby’s future and remind her she could starve to death with the baby if she left. Moreover, he was going to even request to get the money he had given her back as she was breaking their deal. But if she insisted and left in the end, he would be…

‘I can’t let her suffer.’

Even imagining it tore his heart. He would get her a house and send food even if she didn’t get to find out it was him. He didn’t want her soft hands to become rough.

‘But first, I cannot let her know that before I stop her from leaving.’

Rubica might not mind about starving to death herself, but she would eventually stay at Claymore if leaving would put the baby in danger. Moreover, Edgar was going to love the child. He was going to let the child have and do everything. It couldn’t be good educationally, but the child wasn’t going to get spoiled as long as Rubica was there.

The sun went down when he made that decision, and the carriage had entered Claymore’s domain. He was going to arrive at the mansion soon.

***

Contrary to Edgar’s anxious heart, Rubica was in a very calm state. She was embroidering with Elise under the warm light of the fireplace. She had already finished what she had been making. This time she had found a book with patterns that had been passed down in the family for generations and was going to embroider four corners of a handkerchief.

“You’ve already finished it?”

Elise asked in surprise. They had been looking at the same book, but Elise had embroidered only one corner of her handkerchief.

“You pick up speed once you get used to it.”

Rubica tied a knot to finish the work. Unlike the impressed Elise, she seemed somewhat bored.

“You’re going to embroider the duke’s initial, right?”

Rubica’s hand that was putting the finished handkerchief into the basket stopped. Elise then gave her a pamphlet that had various alphabet designs.

“He would be really delighted.”

Edgar, delighted? Rubica couldn’t even imagine that. He didn’t seem to be that interested in showing off and fashion. However, he had refined hobbies and Carl always prepared his clothes and shoes perfectly. He probably had handkerchiefs for the next twenty years stored somewhere.

‘And he will probably throw a handkerchief away after using it once.’

But she couldn’t say she wasn’t going to embroider Edgar’s initial to Elise’s sparkling eyes that now looked green under the yellow light of the fireplace.

‘Well, I started doing it as practice in the first place.’

Rubica narrowed her eyes and looked down at the handkerchief. Yes, it was for practicing and there wasn’t a need to put much meaning in it. And now, finding out more about the girl’s taste was more important. One day Rubica would have a dress made that was so beautiful that Elise wouldn’t be able to resist it and make her wear it.

“Could you choose a few for me?”

Elise found a few letters designs she liked and recommended them to Rubica, and Rubica quickly memorized what they had in common.

‘She likes curved lines more than straight lines, and she prefers luxurious but not too complicated designs.’

Checking her taste again reminded Rubica of that royal blue fabric.

“And I think this one would be good for the last letter.”

Rubica looked at the design Elise was pointing at and became sure. The dress she had designed with Khanna was in line with Elise’s taste. However, Khanna had said it was too innovative and people wouldn’t accept it. Rubica knew she had to give up, but she couldn’t help thinking about it.

‘How can I make people accept that dress?’

She couldn’t think of a good idea for now, so she decided to put it aside and smiled at the girl.

“Okay, I’ll do as you recommended.”

Rubica embroidered Edgar’s initial in no time. Even Claymore’s seamstresses weren’t that fast. And the moment she finished embroidering, she lost all her will.