EIITAB - Chapter 67 < Do You Like It? >
Even if it is Trampled and Broken
Aslan was so dumbfounded that he tilted his head to one side. Then he hit his ear with his palm. He wondered if he had misheard Wharton's words because there was some strange foreign substance in his ear that he didn't know about.
Hestia was his flagship. Every time he swung his hand, he heard a popping sound. Even though it was his face, he thought he was hitting it with a lot of force.
"Stop it, Aslan. Then you will feel sorry for yourself."
Hestia frowned slightly as she grabbed his elbow.
"What are you going to do if your eardrums burst?"
"Stop nagging."
Aslan responded bluntly, but like a well-trained hunting dog, he followed Hestia's words and stopped his aggressive behavior. Wharton's face, which had been silently watching the actions of the two men and women, became even more wrinkled.
As Aslan's eyes and attention turned to him again, Wharton resumed the story he had paused for a moment. The look of confusion was bound to become more intense than before.
"Didn't you kidnap her? The kidnapping of a Saintess."
Aslan's golden eyes looked at his subordinate as if he were dumbfounded. He seemed quite speechless and looked at Wharton.
"Huh? Huh......!"
The only sound was coming out intermittently. After a while, Aslan managed to calm down and raised his voice slightly with a look of displeasure on his face.
"Why on earth are you saying such ignorant things?"
But to be shameless, there was no one in Kalathi who could follow Wharton. The adjutant continued calmly.
"If it weren't for kidnapping, there's absolutely no explanation for this situation with the Princess of Ellsworth here in Kalathi, right?"
Aslan pursed his lips. As expected, it was a round trip just like the dawn of the day when Dean and Martin were persuaded.
Dean and Marton, they saw Hestia save Jerome while they were traveling together, so they won't complain anymore, but, since Wharton didn't do that, it seemed like he wouldn't easily let go of his hostility toward Hestia.
Aslan's face froze, but Wharton showed no sign of stopping his words. Instead, he questioned Aslan with a more ferocious face.
"I ask again. Why is the Princess of Ellsworth right in front of me?"
"..."
"Your Excellency, have you truly forgotten? I wonder how your father, Prince Wayne, died."
"Wharton, stop. Just stop there."
"Our family members who could have survived were unfairly frozen to death! Because of that famous oracle! So, I thought that the reason you brought that woman here was to make them pay for their sins! But isn't it? Then, please speak frankly. I wonder what your Excellency is thinking!"
Although his partner, Hestia, was right in front of him, Wharton did not hold back in his words. Aslan also became increasingly angry at the adjutant's actions of digging up all the stories buried in his heart.
He muttered lowly in a sarcastic tone.
"If I even mention that I'm married, you'll be foaming at the mouth."
It was a bonus to make an expression of disgust. Wharton's pupils widened as he understood those words like a ghost. He rolled his face around and pursed his lips as if his voice was not coming out. After a while, he asked back, barely able to make his voice sound like it was scraping metal.
"What did you say just now? Marriage...? With whom? You're saying you're married to that woman now? Please say no."
He guessed he heard wrong. Aslan doesn't know how much Wharton hoped for in that brief moment. But the sky is also indifferent.
Aslan completely ignored his wishes without hiding his irritation.
"If your ear holes are really clogged, just retire. Your resignation will be processed quickly."
"Stop!"
Hestia, who was listening to the two men's fierce bickering, curled her lips and bit them, then released them.
"Everyone stop it."
Hestia said in a slightly displeased voice. Wharton's eyes narrowed at the sight of Hestia, who neither had tears welling up nor seemed scared despite the serious situation.
Does she have a lot of courage or is she crazy?
Either way, Wharton didn't like it. This was because Hestia's very existence was like a disaster to him.
"... What is it?"
"Sorry. I was rude during the conversation. I apologize for that."
Hestia naturally joined the conversation. Wharton's sharp, cold gaze met her, but she did not flinch.
"Duke Kalathi, as always, put Kalathi first. And he decided that marrying me would be helpful to the duchy, so he accepted the marriage."
"What good will marrying you do to our land?"
Wharton, who had an arrogant personality, no longer even called Hestia properly.
'It's not that important.'
Hestia didn't bother to criticize the rudeness.
"As a condition of marrying me, I transferred my ownership of the Southern Plains to the Duke of Kalathi."
Hestia cleverly changed her order before and after her. Aslan was the only one who noticed that fact, but he only slightly raised his eyebrows and did not bother to correct Hestia's words. It seemed like the intention was to wait and see.
Meanwhile, Wharton asked back in disbelief. Her voice was trembling.
"That is... Are you serious?"
"Of course. If you are in doubt, ask Sir Martin or Sir Dean."
As Wharton looked back at Aslan in disbelief, his Lord crossed his arms and nodded.
"If you still can't accept me, think of it like this."
She spoke in a low, fast voice as Hestia held her breath. There is no need to get attached to her anyway. Because she is the one who will leave soon. Hestia tried to look cool and opened her mouth again.
"You've trapped me in this Kalathi."
"... Yes? What does that mean?"
"What can I do and where can I go in this frozen land? Isn't that right?"
Wharton's face hardened at her words. The moment he was about to unleash another attack, Aslan intervened.
"Just stop there. What are you explaining in detail? Stop now and follow me."
Aslan grabbed Hestia's arm, still crumpling his face. And he almost clicked his tongue without realizing it.
'Damn it.'
What's the point of dressing her in thick clothes? Even after wrapping around her forearm, Aslan's hand still had some free time left.
"Tsk."
He clicked his tongue in displeasure and spoke to Wharton without even looking back.
“I'll find some time later so we can talk again."
"...... Okay, sir. Please come in."
"Please finish the finishing touches."
Aslan grabbed Hestia and led her. She obediently followed him. In any case, the priority was Aslan. She spoke quickly, half-turning her body with only her head facing Wharton.
"See you later, Lord Wharton. Of course, if there is a chance."
She deliberately didn't say, 'Please take care of me.' Hestia then followed Aslan in her steps. She walked away with the same facile steps she took when she first approached him.
As she watched her back as she entered the castle with Aslan, Wharton, who had been holding his breath without realizing it, let out a long sigh.
***
Aslan entered the castle with Hestia.
Angela belatedly followed along to accompany Hestia instead of unloading her luggage, but Aslan waved her hand away as if chasing away a bug.
"You finish what you're doing. Come when I call you later."
At Aslan's words, Angela had no choice but to stop her steps. Hestia later encountered a few servants in the castle, but she walked so fast that she didn't have time to say hello to them.
'It's dark.'
It was a dark place overall. Compared to the capital, the windows were generally small, and most of them had curtains or wooden planks to block the wind from entering.
The two went straight up to the second floor.
"This is your room."
Aslan personally opened the door and let Hestia in first. As she entered cautiously, her eyes immediately widened,
"And..."
An exclamation of exclamation suddenly burst out. Neither the room she used in the temple nor the room she used when staying in the royal palace was like this. The golden fabric, ivory wallpaper, and furniture reminiscent of Aslan's eyes were truly luxurious.
To be honest, Hestia didn't have high expectations since she had seen it firsthand as she walked through the hallways and stairs.
'I can't believe we're in the same space.'
Moreover, it was in very good condition even though it was given away in a hurry. It was difficult to find even a single speck of dust. Unlike the hallway, the window was also large.
While Hestia was busy spinning around and looking around her room, Aslan asked a question.
"Do you like it?"
"Yes, very much."
Hestia nodded her head without realizing it.
"Thank goodness."
Only then did Aslan enter together, closing the door behind him. In fact, he had already tried to give away all the luxury items in this room. It is a luxurious carpet woven with silk, and the curtains are made of the territory's residents' clothes or blankets. Use firewood for expensive furniture.
The reason they couldn't do that was because of the users. In particular, there was strong opposition from those who had managed this castle since the previous Duke and Duchess were alive.
'Couldn't winter end? When that time comes, you too will have to get married... !'
'No! Winter is over.'
Even though Aslan complained and got angry at them for saying something that didn't seem right, they didn't give up hope. In the end, it was Aslan who gave up and went in. He was unable to dispose of the items in this room.
'Well, it's not bad to see that you like it that much. It's a good thing I didn't sell it out.'
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