EIITAB - Chapter 69 < Why Did You Come So Late ? >
Even if it is Trampled and Broken
In fact, she thought it was quite surprising that Aslan introduced Hestia to Wharton, one of the three generals. Since she was not a proper Duchess, she vaguely assumed that Aslan would not care at all about how she was treated here.
"I don't know who he is, but I have something to ask you before we meet."
"What?"
"Aslan. Are you... Do you expect me to do my duty as a Duchess?"
"No."
As if there was no need for Aslan to think, he answered right away without leaving a moment.
"You stay in this room."
Hestia's eyes widened for a moment, but Aslan continued speaking without paying any attention.
"Don't even think about going around for no reason. There's nothing to see anyway."
It is a land with nothing but snow and ice. There were no useful items other than those in the Duchess' room, and there was nothing outside Hestia could see fit to capture. It was clearly true that she had nothing worth seeing.
'Of course, he brought me here with the intention of keeping me until I die.'
Even taking that into account, it was clear that Kalathi was a boring land for Hestia. So, she didn't want to wander around outside just to look around and say hello to people. Aslan had already confirmed during the time they had been together that she was weaker than ordinary people. No matter how thickly she dresses, her body doesn't look fat.
In Kalathi, there was no such thing as nutritious food to begin with. Moreover, since she was a Saintess, it was pointless to show her to the doctor, so they could not give her the medicine that would protect her body.
'There are no herbs to begin with.'
Aslan swallowed his bitter smile.
'Anyway, It's a waste, okay. It's all a waste.'
His strength, medicine, and time are devoted to a woman who may be sick. All of it. It was never something he was worried about. After completing his self-justification, Aslan looked at Hestia from afar again. She was curling and biting her lower lip.
"Why is there no answer?"
Aslan urged, Hestia slowly nodded her head. Soon, a small voice followed her like an ant crawling away.
"I understand what you mean."
At that moment, Aslan's eyebrows narrowed. He didn't know what it was, but his instincts were warning him. This is not it, he said. So Aslan did not just accept it and move on but asked one more time.
"Are you sure you understood correctly?"
He looked at Hestia with one eyebrow raised suspiciously. He thought it was unusual to see her lips curled and biting as if swallowing something that was being praised. But Hestia immediately released her lips. Then she rolled her eyes.
"Really. I understood everything. It's not that much."
Aslan's expression became more determined.
'Why?'
For some reason, he felt like her smile was fake.
'You're crazy.'
He wonders if she thinks about where the smile is real and where it's fake!
Aslan cursed her harshly in his mind and then clicked his tongue in his mouth. Hestia opened her mouth with the corners of her mouth still pulled up, but her head slightly lowered and avoided his gaze.
"I understand exactly what you meant when you said that. So don't worry. Because I won't be able to go out on my own."
Although she pretended to be bright, her voice was somehow weak. Aslan tried to urge her to tell him what she meant, but he could not continue.
Hestia turned her body slightly as if she wanted to stop talking, and she closed her side door, which had been open the whole time. As a result, the conversation between the two people was cut off. It was only a moment, but it was awkward to reconnect.
Aslan still felt complicated and reluctant, but he did not dare to open his mouth further.
'This rarely happens... No, is this the first time?'
Well, anyway. He was overwhelmed by the atmosphere. Hestia made it clear that she did not want to say more, and Aslan's reason was that she decided that this was not a very important issue. So Aslan. swallowed his urge to just ask along with his sigh.
'What... If you understand, you must have done it.'
She's not a child who needs to be taught everything from number one to ten, and she's a smart girl!
In that way, Aslan ignored the doubts within him.
Closing the door, Hestia walked towards a sofa in the middle of the Duchess's room. She passed by Aslan, but she did not pay him a glance. Then, despite his decision not to ask, he felt as if his emotions were boiling over in an instant.
When asked what she was dissatisfied with, she stopped him by holding her hand and eventually tried to raise her voice in her own way. A polite knock on the door was heard from outside the room. It arrived quickly as if they had been waiting the whole time for the line to ring. While
Aslan was momentarily distracted from her, Hestia sat down on the sofa. When there was no answer from inside, the visitor knocked once more as if urging her on.
"Damn it."
Aslan cursed lowly, clicked his tongue, and walked towards the door.
'You could just tell me to come in.'
Thinking that it was surprising that he went to open the door herself, Hestia followed Aslan's back with her eyes without saying a word. He immediately opened the door without even asking the visitor who it was.
"what? Why did you come alone?"
"..."
She heard a voice answering something from outside. However, the person he was talking to was speaking in a much quieter voice and hushed tone compared to Aslan, so it was difficult for Hestia, who was sitting inside, to guess the content. So she quietly watched the glimpse of Aslan's side face.
His straight eyebrows narrowed, and his thick, straight eyebrows frowned with disapproval.
"Whoa, really. That guy is never on time."
He grumbled, carelessly stroking the back of his head. Hestia tilted her head. From the time Aslan used the plural expression 'people to introduce', he had already guessed that there would be at least two people. Since there was no one higher than Aslan here anyway, he must have been one of the subordinates, but she was slightly curious as to what kind of position he held and why Aslan was trying to introduce him to Hestia.
As Hestia was imagining the person who did not come alone, Aslan sighed.
"Okay. Come in first."
After exchanging a few more words with the person standing outside, Aslan soon bit back as if there was nothing he could do. He made room for the person outside the door to come in. Soon the door opened a little further, and a woman entered the bedroom.
Hestia's violet eyes scanned her quickly.
'She's about middle-aged.'
Her hair was tied up so tightly that it made her scalp hurt, not even allowing a single strand of hair to fall out and become disheveled. The fabric itself looked old, but it seemed to have been very well maintained and ironed, so it was still stiff. And her buttons buttoned all the way to her neck, and her hands folded slightly above her navel. Her personality was clearly visible in her upright back and neck.
The middle-aged woman's eyes met several times, but Aslan was preoccupied with other things and did not introduce her properly. Aslan must have been embarrassed because he didn't know she would come alone, and Aslan was frowning at her and sticking his head out of the door to look down the hallway.
'Is the person who hasn't arrived yet more important?'
Hestia was curious.
"Anyway, it won't come when I'm looking for it."
Aslan clicked his tongue roughly and closed the door slightly. He brought the middle-aged woman who was standing quietly next to him and approached Hestia.
"Just stay here."
The moment Hestia tried to stand up from her seat to greet her, he lightly pressed her shoulder to keep her in a sitting position.
"Originally, I was planning to introduce two people at the same time, but let's introduce this one first."
He cleared his throat with a short cough and opened his mouth.
"It's Lady Philippa. Responsible for managing immunity. Lady Philippa. This is... Huh. She is the new Duchess of Kalathi. Princess of the Ellsworth Royal Family."
When Aslan gave her a glance, the middle-aged woman politely bent her waist towards Hestia, as if she had been waiting.
"Nice to meet you, Ma'am. My name is Georgina Philippa."
Hestia was slightly surprised. There was no sign of embarrassment on her part, and it was surprising that she called herself 'ma'am' without hesitation. However, she soon composed herself and returned the greeting she had received.
'Nice to meet you. Hestia L... Hmm, this is Hestia Kalathi."
Hestia greeted her with her own sincerity. She said she was an introverted manager, so she didn't necessarily want to show off, but that didn't mean she didn't want to put on a show on purpose either.
Judging from the fact that she called herself Madame without hesitation, Hestia thought that she could maintain a decent relationship if they kept a reasonable distance between them.
"I have a maid brought from the capital. I'll introduce you to her later."
"I understand, Ma'am."
Aslan suddenly intervened.
"There's no need for you to come out, so if you need anything. just tell Madame Philippa."
Hestia pursed her lips and nodded her head slightly instead of answering. But then.
Ta-ta-ta-ta-tat!
The sound of the floor shaking was heard from outside. It seemed like it was because Aslan left the door slightly open instead of closing it properly.
Hestia's gaze naturally turned towards her door. A look of disappointment spread slightly across Madame Philippa's face.
Crack, crack!
The sound of running got closer and closer.
"Is there a child living in my castle?"
It was then that Hestia put her question into her mouth. The Duchess' door burst open without knocking, and someone from outside rushed inside.
"Aslan! Why did you come so late!"
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