After I, a Penniless Noble, Entered a Fake Engagement with the Most Elegant Duke’s Daughter at the Academy, For Some Reason She Started Showering Me with Love - Chapter 10.1: On the Way Home—in the Carriage

Chapter 10.1: On the Way Home—in the Carriage

Whether I liked it or not, I ended up riding in the carriage.

And to my surprise, it was a lot more comfortable than I expected.

Plush cushions. A spacious interior.

The exterior, painted white and decorated in gold, was a real attention-grabber—

And way too flashy for someone like me.

It honestly made me feel out of place.

But the ride was so smooth, I almost stopped caring.

It felt like even the carriage itself was welcoming Yuri’s presence.

Which… kinda annoyed me.

Should I be grateful?

Or annoyed?

Lost somewhere between those two feelings, I ended up making a bit of a sour face—

And across from me, Yuri, looking perfectly content, opened her lips to speak.

“Fufu. You know, it’s okay to thank me.”

“…Stop reading my mind.”

I pouted and pushed out my lower lip.

“You’re really easy to read, dear husband. Everything shows on your face.”

“…Tch.”

I touched the corner of my mouth instinctively.

Sure, I knew I was probably frowning a little.

But it’s not like my inner thoughts were written across my face.

And yet she nailed it so accurately… it kind of made me nervous.

“Feels like you’re calling me a big dumb guy whose brain spills out through his face.”

“Fufufu.”

“Hey, you’re supposed to deny it.”

I shot a glare at her, but Yuri just smiled.

Unlike me, you couldn’t tell what she was thinking from her expression.

But at the very least, after spending this much time with her, I could tell one thing for sure—

She was enjoying teasing me.

Maybe she could read me so well…

Because she’d spent just as much time figuring me out.

Come to think of it, it’s been almost a month since we first met.

Even if our engagement was fake, we’d spent nearly all our free time together.

At first, it was just to make our engagement seem real to the rest of the academy.

But if you spend that much time with someone, the line between pretense and reality starts to blur.

Was it just coincidence?

A strange kind of friendship?

…Or maybe something else entirely?

With how unusual our first meeting was,

I honestly didn’t know what to call this relationship we had now.

“You know, weren’t you planning to come with me anyway, dear husband?”

“…Huh? What makes you think that?”

I tilted my head.

“You left the academy without arranging a carriage, didn’t you? Surely you weren’t planning to walk all the way to your territory?”

“I mean… I was just going to catch a public carriage from the town like a normal person.”

I was just explaining how people usually travel.

But Yuri gave me a completely blank stare.

“A public carriage? I’m not quite sure I understand. Are you saying you had a carriage waiting in town?”

“No, not exactly, I just… Ah. I get it now.”

So she really didn’t know—

How people usually travel when going long distance.

Most nobles own a carriage or two, and my family back home has one as well.

But it’s not like I could afford to keep a personal carriage at the academy.

Carriages and horses are ridiculously expensive.

Even among nobles, there are times when you just take a public carriage.

But for her to not even know they exist…

That’s saying something.

“You really are a sheltered noble lady, huh, Yuri.”

“Excuse me? What’s that supposed to mean?”

Yuri puffed out her cheeks slightly and pouted.

She was easy to read in moments like this.

She might be used to dishing it out, but maybe she didn’t have much experience taking it.

Then again, who would dare joke around with a duke’s daughter like this?

Her annoyed expression made me chuckle without thinking,

Which only made her pout harder—

And then bam, she kicked me in the leg.

“Watch it. That’s a bad habit.”

“I’m a sheltered noble lady, remember?”

“Yeah, well, most ‘sheltered’ noble ladies don’t go around kicking people.”

With a sharp hmph, Yuri turned away, her nose in the air.

Just like last time, she clearly didn’t like being called sheltered.

Which, honestly, only made me want to tease her more.

But when I realized how much I was acting like a kid trying to get attention from someone they liked,

I decided to let it go.

Instead, I turned to look out the window and muttered quietly to myself.

“If there’s a next time, you can try riding one with me.”

“…Next time, huh.”

I fixed my gaze on the passing scenery outside the capital.

If I didn’t focus on something else, I’d probably start cringing at what I’d just said.

A quiet giggle drifted through the carriage, and I felt my face stiffen.

“Are you saying… you want to go on another date with me?”

“I’m saying I’ll kindly teach a clueless noble lady the ways of common folk—from a very superior position, of course.”

“That sounds fun. I’m looking forward to it.”

Yuri’s laugh echoed through the carriage, light and cheerful like a bell.

Her mood had clearly bounced back, which was nice…

But somehow, I was still the one getting teased.

And sure, I’d set myself up for it,

But that didn’t mean I had to feel good about it.

It felt like we were tossing a ball of sarcasm and irritation back and forth between us.

I thought about keeping quiet for a while, just to cool my face down,

But once Yuri was in a good mood, her mouth moved smoother than a greased wheel.

“So, what kind of place is your territory, dear husband?”

“You’re about to see it for yourself. Do you really need to ask?”

“The most exciting part of any trip is the planning stage, you know?”

“…Maybe for you, Yuri.”

For me, this wasn’t a trip or a vacation.

I was going back to check on the gold mine, and the current state of my family.

Nothing about this felt like fun.

But seeing Yuri smile so brightly,

I didn’t have the heart to ruin it.

So instead, I let out a half-sigh to show how little I was looking forward to it,

And with a tired “It’s really nothing special,” I began telling her about the Ryule Viscount territory.

“Our territory used to thrive thanks to the gold mine. Back in the day, even the town was known for its gold craftsmanship. But by the time it reached my generation, most of the gold had already been mined out. Now, we’re barely holding things together. Honestly, calling it a rundown mining town is probably the most accurate description.”

“I think that’s true for a lot of territories these days.”

“Well… this whole country grew through mining, so I guess it was bound to happen eventually. You dig and dig for short-term profit, without thinking about the future—Of course it’s going to run dry someday.”

Everyone had chased after easy gain without any real long-term plans.

And now, one by one, those bubbles were bursting.

Since it was happening in so many places at once,

It had grown into a nationwide issue.

I had nothing but respect for Prince Lionel, who was doing everything he could to turn the country around.

“Still, your territory’s different, dear husband. You’ve found a new gold vein. Isn’t that a sign things will be stable again?”

“Stable? I wouldn’t go that far. We don’t even know how much is actually down there. The letter didn’t say if they’ve confirmed it’s real gold or how deep it goes. For all we know, this could be nothing but false hope.”

“You’re such a worrier, dear husband.”

“Let’s go with careful, not worrier.”

Honestly, it was because my grandfather and father had been too optimistic

That my sister and I were the ones cleaning up after them now.

Learning from those who came before doesn’t mean blindly copying them.

Sometimes the real lesson… is in their mistakes.

“You’re the careful one, dear husband, and I’m the bold one. Together, we balance each other out like a proper couple.”

“If you’re aware of that, then stop acting on random whims already… Also, can we finally drop the married couple joke? You’re clearly trying to bait me into saying, ‘It’s a fake engagement,’ again.”

“Oh? I would never do something like that.”

Yuri narrowed her eyes with a sly, sidelong glance.

I had no idea what her “never” was supposed to imply,

But it was obvious that if I poked at it, she’d just start teasing me again.

And I wasn’t about to bite at bait that obvious.

“But it is strange, isn’t it?”

“You mean because I didn’t take the bait?”

“No, not that. I actually think it’s cute—The way you sit there in silence, making that grumpy face because you’re afraid I’ll tease you again.”

“…Then what is it?”

How does she always know that stuff…?

I sighed internally as I nudged her to continue.

“I was just wondering how they managed to afford a proper mining survey in the first place, Considering your family supposedly doesn’t have any money.”

“…Yeah, that is odd.”

Even a basic survey costs money.

My grandfather once tried something similar, chasing the dream of regaining the family’s former glory—

But that was back when we still had some funds left.

And then he blew through all of them.

Which meant… there shouldn’t be any money left for a survey like this.

“So why now?”

No matter how I thought about it, I couldn’t figure out where the funding came from.

Did they suddenly find some hidden stash of gold?

No… if that were the case, they would’ve used it to stabilize the territory first.

As I frowned, feeling the crease form between my eyebrows,

Yuri finally spoke up, her voice calm.

“There’s no need to worry that much, is there?”

I looked up at her.

“We’ll understand everything once we get there. Right?”

“…Yeah, I guess.”

I gave Yuri a long, unimpressed stare.

When she asked about my territory earlier, I said something similar.

And now she’s the one throwing that same line back at me?

She’s got no right to say that.

Seriously.

I wanted to complain… but the way she smiled and tilted her head with a sweet “Right?”

It completely defused me.

She’s so unfair sometimes.

I let out a quiet breath I hadn’t realized I was holding and relaxed my shoulders.

“More importantly, I should start thinking about how to greet your parents. How about, ‘Thank you for always taking care of my dear husband’?”

“Don’t. Say. That. No calling me ‘dear husband’ or ‘fiancé’ in front of my parents, got it? Absolutely not.”

I tried to make it clear—this was not up for negotiation.

But that didn’t stop Yuri from gleefully throwing out more greeting suggestions like she was rehearsing a script.

At the very least, I made extra sure she wouldn’t say,

‘We’ve already spent a night together.’

Still, I had no idea if that warning would actually stick.

With a sigh, I turned my eyes to the window.

It’d been about half a year since I enrolled here,

And the streets around the academy were finally starting to feel familiar.

They looked nothing like my hometown—

But I could still remember the scenery of my territory, burned into my mind so clearly I didn’t even have to close my eyes.

My heart wavered a little.

Is this what people call nostalgia?

…Though honestly, what was bubbling up inside me now wasn’t anything close to homesickness.

It was worry.

While I tried to lose myself in the passing scenery,

Yuri sat across from me, still bubbling with excitement, tossing out one outrageous greeting after another.

I already felt exhausted.

What was waiting for me once we arrived at the estate…?

Watching the scenery shift, drawing closer to my hometown with every turn of the wheels,

I quietly closed my eyes—like I was trying to hide from the unease ahead.