IDMH - Chapter 9
I Decided My Husband
The knights placed the stunned Ghellan and my terrified aunt in a carriage and took them out of the estate.
I asked Sarah to remove the maid who put an unidentified scented candle in my room at Ghellan's request, and then took Sir Aldor to my father's grave.
As it was late, I asked to go tomorrow, but Sir Aldor said he wanted to go right away.
'It was like that back then too."
Even in my second life, Sir Aldor headed to my father's graveyard at dawn.
I guided the tour back then too, but we didn't exchange much conversation.
Sir Aldor was grieving over the sudden loss of his lord, and I was in no mood to talk, struggling with the shock of my first life.
And in my third life, I felt guilty that Sir Aldor had died because of me, so I avoided meeting him as much as possible.
I still felt guilty about him in my heart.
If you hadn't married me, you wouldn't have died so cruelly.
"Why do you look at me like that?"
Oops, was I staring too much?
"Sorry. Did you feel bad?"
"No. It's not like that, but I think you have something to say to me."
Yes, I have. First of all, I want to say I'm sorry. And I also wanted to say thank you.
Since my marriage to Chernosor had been a mess in my first life, I was secretly worried about marrying Sir Aldor.
I was so scared that he would turn out like Chernosor. But Sir Aldor was the same as before, to the point where my worries were for naught.
He treated me like a Young Lady, not a wife, and never laid a finger on my body throughout our marriage.
"Thank you."
It was something that never happened to him in my lifetime, but I really wanted to say thank you.
"Thank you so much, Sir Aldor."
"Why did you suddenly say that..."
"It's nothing. Ah, we have arrived."
As we talked, we arrived at the cemetery.
Sir Aldor's expression became solemn when he saw my father's grave.
"Miss, if you don't mind, may I stay alone?"
The reason Sir Aldor made such a request was so that he could cry in peace without worrying about me.
"Sure. Then I'll go back first."
The reason I stopped instead of going straight back to the mansion was because a question suddenly occurred to me. Is it really okay to be left alone?
The crying figure of Sir Aldor that I saw in my second life looked very sad and pitiful. But I didn't come forward because I thought he wanted to be alone.
I peeked for a moment and then returned to the mansion.
This time I tried not to peek at it at all, but it bothered me. I stopped. thought for a moment, and then went back to the cemetery
"..."
As expected, he was crying. His shoulders, which always seemed sturdy, trembled slightly.
That's how blindly he followed my father.
I was curious about the reason, so I asked in my second life, but he didn't tell me anything. Still, I knew for sure. That he truly likes and follows my father. That's why I felt very sorry for him mourning my father's death.
I approached quietly, making as little noise as possible. However, Sir Aldor, who felt like a ghost, looked back. Soon he saw me and his tearful eyes widened to the limit.
"Miss?"
"I just think I should come."
Since there was no reason to worry about getting caught. I walked up to his side.
"Were you crying?"
Sir Aldor quickly wiped away his tears with the back of his hand.
"I'm sorry, My Lady."
"What does Sir Aldor have to apologize for?"
When I saw him up close, the rims of his eyes were red. It looks like he cried more than I thought. That means he's so sad.
Since ancient times, the more grief is shared, the less it diminishes.
"Are you okay?"
"Miss."
"I won't spread rumors, so you can cry in peace."
He widened his eyes slightly, then frowned and shook his head.
"I can't do that in front of the Lady."
"Even though I said I would allow it?"
"My chivalry does not allow it."
I always felt this, but he was truly stubborn. So I liked him even more. This was also the reason why I chose him over other retainers in my second life.
I smiled slightly and hugged his broad back tightly.
Because Sir Aldor was much taller than me, I ended up hugging him around the waist instead of the back. But it didn't matter.
"Can't you see it like this?"
The important thing was that his face was not visible. Sir Aldor's body stiffened, perhaps because he was nervous.
"Are you okay?"
I patted his lower back to relieve the tension.
"You can cry as much as you want. Who can say anything when you cry over sad things?"
"..."
"Father would also like Sir Aldor to cry freely rather than bear his sorrow like this. So, cry quietly."
His body gradually softened as if the hard encouragement had had an effect.
"Ha."
And soon after, his body began to tremble slightly. A deep sigh spread like a haze. I continued patting his back until he calmed down and looked up at the night sky, illuminated by the full moon.
***
It was around dawn that Sir Aldor stopped crying.
As I continued to console him, my arms became numb and my legs hurt. However, if I revealed it, that stubborn man would not know what to do, so I held back as much as I could.
"It looks like your arm hurts."
"... Is it noticeable?"
"It felt a little unnatural."
Is that so? Still, I was glad he didn't notice that my leg was hurting.
"I'm sorry, Miss."
I did it because I wanted to do it. Let's go back faster than that.
"The morning sun has already risen."
I had to go back to the mansion quickly because I had some work to finish, but he didn't budge. He was just staring at the floor with a thoughtful face.
"Why are you doing that, Sir Aldor?"
When I called out in curiosity, Sir Aldor raised his head and looked at me. The pitch-black eyes were so serious that it was scary.
"Why?"
I was about to ask him again why he was doing that, but he suddenly pulled out the sword from his waist, stuck it in the ground, and got down on one knee.
I have known Sir Aldor for a long time, but he has never once kneeled before me. Because when a knight kneels, it means he is loyal to that target.
In all his life, the only person he bowed to was my father. But I was embarrassed when he suddenly behaved like this.
No way. Are you trying to swear loyalty to me?
"Aldor Shanktys, I pledge allegiance to Adele Leopold, daughter of Duke Leopold."
What was expected actually happened?
Why does Sir Aldor swear loyalty to me?
I've never had anything like this in my past life.
"I will forever serve you as my master, swing my sword for you, and sacrifice my life for you."
A voice filled with firm conviction rang out quietly. The sharp blade reflected the sunlight and sparkled.
"Please give me a chance to protect you."
Although I was a bit taken aback by the sudden incident, my answer was decided from the moment he put his sword on the ground.
"I'm sorry, Sir Aldor."
I don't want to lead you down the road to death again. So his oath could not be accepted.
***
The story that Ghellan was kicked out for doing something outrageous spread widely within the mansion.
Even the people who never wanted to woo me hurriedly packed their bags and left. Thanks to this, the residents who had less work to do as the annex became empty liked it, but I found it annoying.
"Wow, you can't believe you did such a shameless thing."
It was because of Chernosor. Once the obstructionist disappeared, Chernosor started working on me without hesitation. If I continued to refuse Chernosor's work, I felt like it would be a second life, so I couldn't do that and accepted it in moderation, but even that had its limits.
How long do I have to do this?
I swallowed my frustration and as ked Chernosor.
"When will His Majesty the Prince return to the capital?"
"Do you want me to return to the capital?"
"It's more that the memorial service is over now."
After the memorial service, everyone left, so Chernosor was the only guest left.
"Your Highness probably has a lot to do, but I'm worried that you're wasting too much time because of me."
What are you worried about? I wasn't worried at all. And Chernosor had nothing to do in the imperial palace. This was because the Crown Prince did not share work among the Princes for fear that power would pass over.
Among them was his half-brother Chernosor. Maybe that's why Chernosor also hated the Crown Prince.
He hated it so much that later when the Crown Prince eventually died in an accident, he applauded him for a good death.
'And he took his anger out on me.'
The reason was that he married me and became Duke Leopold. His right to succeed to the throne was pushed back.
If the right of succession had not been pushed back, the next Crown Prince would have been the second Prince.
As Chernosor's right of succession was pushed out, the position of Crown Prince naturally went to the 3rd Prince. Chernosor, who heard the news, was very indignant and took out his anger on me.
"It's because of you! If it weren't for those four years. I would have become the Crown Prince!"
It was bullshit that wasn't even funny. He seduced me, told me he wanted to marry me and become Duke Leopold, and now he blames me.
But at that time, I was too afraid of Chernosor to say anything. I was treated like a fool until the day I was killed by his hands.
"Young Lady?"
I was awakened from my thoughts by the terrible feeling of my hand being gently grabbed, and I looked at Chernosor. He looked a little upset.
"Are you ignoring me now?"
"It can't be. I just felt a little depressed thinking about his father. I hope you will view it with generosity."
"Hmm, well. Then I have to understand."
Chernoser nodded as if he was generous.
"Then I'll say it again."
Either say it or not.
"I am planning to leave for the capital tomorrow, and the Lady must go with me."
I tried to respond appropriately to whatever he said, listening in with one ear and letting it out through the other, but I couldn't.
"The capital? Why is the capital suddenly..."
"This."
When I asked in surprise, Chernosor held out an envelope with a gold border. The Emperor's seal was clearly visible on the sealing wax.
"His Majesty the Emperor has called Lady Leopold."
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