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Our White Marriage Is in Its Third Year: In Other Words, There Are Only Seven Days Left Until I Can Legally Leave You, My Lord

Four days left until I can leave you, My Lord.

Translated by: ME

Treat me to a Ko-Fi to give me more motivation!!!

*****

Just as declared, Lord Dominic has been away from work since the day I first requested a divorce. It seems that only when a signature or confirmation is absolutely vital, a messenger comes and is made to wait in the drawing room.

Watching Lord Dominic handle his tasks so efficiently in his study is a treat; he looks dignified and handsome, and I’m reminded once again of how truly capable he is. I’m happy to be able to see this side of him. However, his sense of personal space is a bit... skewed. We are close—far too close. I wonder why he feels the need to have me sitting on his lap even while he works?

At first, I was simply sitting on the sofa, looking over business documents. But halfway through, he called me over, and when I approached... well, this happened. I was careless.

Still, feeling how much he cherishes me makes it hard to tell him to let go... mostly because I don't actually dislike it. And I suppose it's my own fault that his non-human form is exactly my type.

With his "iron mask" and those glasses, he looks so intellectual—yet he has horns, a tail, different colored eyes, and scaled skin!

He’s cool, but he has these adorable moments. I’ve been completely done in by the gap between the two, so I suppose it can't be helped. In a way, it should be a bizarre sight, yet Lotus and the other servants just offer us warm gazes, murmuring about how it’s "a feast for the eyes," which is honestly a bit embarrassing.

「Hmm? Lord Dominic?」

「What is it, my beloved?」

「(His repertoire of sweet nothings is growing!) ...Um, is it really alright for an outsider like me to see these documents?」

「It is no problem. I finished the important papers first. These aren't financial records; they are reports regarding the curse and procedures for my paid leave.」

When I speak to him, his face lights up with a smile—no, wait, it doesn't; his expression hardly moves at all. However, his tail is wagging furiously. He seems to be in a great mood, which is the most important thing.

For several days now, Lord Dominic has lived and worked in his true form. Mind you, he didn't even hide it when his subordinates were present earlier.

「Why did you hide your true form until now?」

I asked the question before I could stop myself. A throwback is an honor, something to be celebrated. The moment the words left my mouth, I remembered him saying that women had been frightened by him.

I immediately regretted bringing up something so unnecessary.

「Because I didn't want you to hate me, Franca. People's reactions to this appearance are polarized. Before I received the curse, my form was unstable; stress from work would cause my horns or tail to manifest.」

「...So that's why you couldn't see me for about six months after we first married.」

「Yes. ...My mind was unstable, and I would revert to this form unconsciously... Back then, I didn't have the courage to explain it to you. A Dragonoid only loves once; that is why I was so cautious—or rather, a coward...」

I find the way his voice trails off at the end quite cute. ...Wait, I’m being completely swayed!

Since Lord Dominic is working, I should also use this time to think of a compromise to avoid the divorce... Hmm. Ideally, I’d like to sit at a desk and write things out, but my husband hates being apart from me, and when the servants say with sparkling eyes, 「Please, stay by his side!」 it's hard to refuse.

Left with no choice, I throw myself into the sea of my own thoughts, letting my brain work at full capacity.

First, I want to be a pâtissière. That is my non-negotiable line. That said, everything else is starting to resolve itself. It really comes down to how much Lord Dominic is willing to tolerate.

I don't mind coming up with recipes for a chef to make, but I want to bake them myself.

Making sweets is a must.

My original plan was to be independent and become a pâtissière that way, but if I don't leave the Ducal house, it’s still possible to put the sweets I make into a shop.

The equipment in the Ducal kitchen is certainly up to the task.

Lord Dominic—my husband’s—point of 「I don't want total strangers eating my wife’s sweets」 is the tricky part. Knowing that Dragonoids have an overwhelming sense of possessiveness, I can feel that he is already trying to compromise.

Hmm. I don't want to think we're at a total dead end. He did say that total strangers are a no-go, but tea parties with acquaintances are fine, right?

It’s not a flat "no," and I can compromise on acquaintances. It’s almost like... a "referrals only" kind of place—

「Ah!」

「Franca?」

(A "members only" shop!)

Or perhaps a boutique exclusively for royalty and nobility, operating on a complete reservation-only basis?!

This way, I would only be serving those whom my husband has approved, and it would establish a powerful brand. But if I do that, I won't be serving the common people. Hmm, I want to make sweets that the servants can enjoy too... In that case, couldn't I just create two tiers of membership: general and royal?

As long as the premise is that the "entryway" is approved by Lord Dominic, I can differentiate the lineup, material costs, and types of sweets between general members and VIPs!

If I do that, I’ll need to rework my recipes from scratch, but yes, this is good. It’s not bad at all!

All that's left is to give Lord Dominic a proper presentation!

「Franca? You've been silent with a troubled look for a while now. Do you feel unwell? Or... do you truly dislike being by my side?」

「Lord Dominic! Would it be alright if we spent a little time apart?」

「...I see. I don't mind.」

I wasn't really looking at Lord Dominic as he swallowed his words; my head was too full of the wonderful idea that had dropped into it. I hopped off his lap and scurried back to my room.

(Franca has left. As I thought, she must have grown to hate being tied down.)

「—!?」

Just as I reached the hallway, Lord Dominic’s inner voice reached my ears, making me spin around on my heel.

What?!

Now that I think about it, he was saying something while I was deep in thought... Even though I decided to meet him halfway, I went and acted just like I always used to. Besides, if I'm going to reach out, it would be more "couply" to call him "Husband" like before.

「Domi—Husband!」

When I returned to the office, my husband had a dagger drawn. Wait, what is the situation here?!

「Franca.」

「...Um, did an intruder break in?」

「See now, Master? The Mistress has returned! It seems the Master misunderstood and thought the Mistress had grown to hate him! And so he suddenly took up the dagger...」

「Wh-why would you think that?! I only left because I wanted to prepare a proposal so we could discuss things, Husband!」

「Eh?」

「I-I’m sorry. I was in a rush because I thought it would be a disaster if I forgot the idea.」

「Then... it isn't that you’ve come to hate me?」

「Of course not.」

「Forgive me. Even now, I find it hard to believe this isn't a dream... I lack confidence.」

(I see, his trauma won't be wiped away so easily.) Having his throwback happen as an adult, he must have had a hard enough time just figuring out how to protect himself.

「I want to believe... but...」

「I understand now.」

「Franca, I'm sorr—」

「No need for apologies. It was my fault for rushing out before finishing the conversation. Husband, even if it's not possible right away, I will spend as much time as possible with you so you can learn to believe in us, little by little.」

「...!?」

「Tomorrow, won't you help me with my baking?」

「Eh?」

「You've taken a leave of absence for a while, haven't you? Since I went along with your wishes today, please go along with mine tomorrow.」

「Franca...」

I hugged my husband, truly wanting this man to feel at peace. Since my feelings still haven't fully reached him, I need to tell him I love him more often.

(!? A hug from Franca...)

「I like you, Lord Dominic... Husband. So if there's ever anything that makes you uneasy, call me and let's talk about it. No more hesitating, and no more swallowing your words.」

As I squeezed him tight and rubbed his back, I could somehow tell that his tail was wagging energetically.

「Franca. ...What a wonderful person you are. To even be considerate of someone like me.」

「A husband and wife can't work if they don't think of each other, can they? So I will stand by you, and I would be happy if you did the same for me, Husband.」

「Thank you. ...In that case, since today is apparently 'my turn,' even if you aren't on my lap, would you stay in the same room with me?」

「Of course.」

As I said that, I stood on my tiptoe and kissed my husband's cheek. He gave a little shiver, and his ears turned bright red. His expression is still stiff, but it’s a relief to be able to tell that he’s happy.

I spent the rest of that day in a very productive manner, drafting my presentation and coming up with new dessert recipes.

*****

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