EIITAB - Chapter 73 < The Stone That Rolled In >
Even if it is Trampled and Broken
Aslan missed the time to get angry.
Madame Philippa was scolding Dulcinea on his behalf, so much so that she didn't even bother to mention the same thing twice.
'Whew. That guy is real.'
And in the first place, he couldn't be very angry with Dulcinea.
'I don't even want to do that.'
When he acknowledged that feeling, the energy surrounding Aslan became even weaker. Aslan was still frowning, but his voice relaxed and he tried to dissuade Lady Philippa.
"Stop it, Lady Philippa."
Lady Philippa also noticed that Aslan's anger had subsided, but she acted a little harder for Dulcinea.
"But master, I have to give the Lady a harsh word at least once. Now that you have a new hostess, she should be more polite."
"Leave it alone. Dulcinea doesn't do this for a day or two."
"Still.... "
She opened her mouth again as if she wanted to persuade Lady Philippa, but Aslan shook his head and cut her off.
"It's okay."
He glanced at Hestia and then quickly looked away.
A cold voice escaped from his lips, unlike when he tried to stop Dulcinea.
"She's not a woman who would care about such things anyway."
Purple eyes turned to Aslan. Her glaring eyes were full of questions that she couldn't bear to put into her mouth.
'I don't care?'
Why on earth do he think that? How can he be so assertive?
To be honest, Hestia felt a little embarrassed. Until this time, she was only concerned about Aslan. She is so much more than she is, and so much more than she expected himself to be. So she couldn't accept what he said just now. Hestia immediately wanted to ask Aslan why he thought that way.
But the reason she couldn't do that was because of a sentence he spoke softly just moments ago.
"She's not the type of woman to worry about such things."
Hestia bit down on the delicate flesh in her mouth.
'I knew, but you really don't know much about me.'
A bitterness lingered in her mouth. Aslan did not know Hestia. Because he doesn't even notice the secrets she has hidden deep inside, no...
Because he doesn't even try to figure that out. A slight resentment toward him rose in Hestia's heart, but it quickly subsided before it could solidify into a horn.
The time she missed him was much longer than that for her to hate him, and she felt more sorry than that.
Just... She just realized. In that short word, he talked about how he would conduct himself and live in the Duchy of Kalati from now on.
'If that's what Aslan wants, it's okay.'
Hestia could live like that. Before she left, she was confident of that.
'Whoa.'
She swallowed her sigh.
'You speak so well.'
Hestia's gaze briefly fell on Dulcinea. She can't believe she was so agitated just by seeing her.
'You don't know anything until you face it.'
Dulcinea.
Luckily for her, Hestia was already aware of her existence before arriving at Kalathi Castle and made her own arrangements. She also thought that since she was the one who rolled over her anyway if she didn't have to face it, she could pretend not to see Dulcinea and live the rest of her life quietly.
But why is it that her heart aches and her breathing keeps getting tangled?
'It's not as easy as I expected. Was my resolve not enough?'
Hestia pursed her lips to resist her urge to sigh. Dulcinea's presence touched her more than she thought. This was something she had never expected. Aslan refused, but Hestia had told him twice that he could have other women as his lover because Hestia was confident that she would endure it.
'I feel stupid. Why were I so confident?'
She felt so foolish. But she didn't want Aslan to know about her feelings more than anyone else. It was because she did not want to make herself look worse than she already was.
Hestia controlled her distraught stomach.
'What a great man.'
He not only silenced all of her words with a single word but also broke her heart to such an extent. When she saw the two people standing side by side, they looked quite fit.
Hestia inadvertently thought that for Aslan, who had to endure countless pains and had many responsibilities, a woman who was bright, healthy, and didn't know how to hide it might be a better fit than him.
'It's hard to watch.'
Hestia took her eyes off the two and let out a laugh. As her gaze moved away from him, Aslan's frown narrowed even further, but Hestia had no way of knowing that.
While Hestia closed her lips, Dulcinea, who was watching her, opened her mouth again.
"Hmm."
From her intrigued snort, Hestia read Dulcinea's personality into hers. She seemed to be the type of person who gets hot and cold easily. She was so angry that she felt like she was about to explode, but Hestia saw that she quickly calmed down because Aslan had just taken her side from Lady Philippa.
It seemed like Dulcinea had read the uncomfortable atmosphere hovering between Aslan and Hestia. And as Hestia expected, Dulcinea's head began to move quickly as her excitement subsided.
Blue eyes were busy scanning the faces of Aslan and Hestia alternately. A husband's attitude of casually disparaging his new bride. And she is a Duchess who is unable to protest even after receiving such disdain.
Even though they were newlyweds, they were quite different from the typical married couple. If there was no love between them, she would at least have respect in its place, but she did not show that at all.
'Isn't this a sign that I still have room to dig in?'
Finally, Dulcinea began to think as she pleased.
'Marriage is just...'
The King may have ordered it, right?
'That's just a form. The most special person to Aslan is still me.'
Dulcinea was the same age as Hestia, but she thought much younger. This was because after her parents died, no one properly scolded her.
If Aslan was the master of the North, Dulcinea was the Princess of the North. If she worked hard a little, she could always have what she wanted, even if she wasn't rich. Of course, it was natural for her to do whatever she wanted to do.
'Look. Aslan still secretly takes my side, right?'
Once her thoughts began to drift in the wrong direction, Dulcinea gradually gained confidence. Rather, she even thought that it would be a good idea to solidify her position here so that that woman named Hestia could not even dream of her life.
'It's a shame and upset that I didn't become the first wife, but...'
What can she do about what has already happened?
'I need to kick her out as soon as possible, divorce her, and find my original place.'
Dulcinea was confident. After all, introverted people are always on their side. They always had the thought that if Aslan took her as his wife, 'of course he would marry Lady Dulcinea', and they actually said that in front of her, so they would definitely help her.
That could have been an immature thought on the part of Dulcinea because she did not yet know exactly what her status was as Hestia.
After completing her calculations, Dulcinea stood closer to Aslan's side and raised her head. She then looked down slightly at Lady Philippa and Hestia, and she smugly said,
"Look at this, Lady Philippa! Even Aslan says she doesn't care!"
Lady Philippa quickly looked at Hestia. At least in her mind, if there was anyone who could say 'It's okay, she doesn't care right now, it shouldn't have been Aslan, it should have been Hestia, now that she was the new Duchess.
'I knew it...'
Lady Philippa saw Hestia's expression from the corner of her eye and swallowed her sigh. She tried to pretend to be calm, but she didn't like the look on her face. But Lady Philippa did not open her mouth again.
If she points out Dulcinea here, the argument will only prolong anyway. Then she would only pile up more blood from Hestia, who had just arrived, so she thought it would be much better for her to come by herself later and add an explanation like an excuse.
Meanwhile, Dulcinea became even more elated when Lady Philippa said nothing more. However, the gaze looking at Aslan could not help but be very cautious. She pretended to be friendly with Aslan, but she still wasn't sure if he was angry or not.
An angry Aslan is really scary!
Dulcinea, who was observing him while swallowing her dry saliva, paused for a moment and continued her sentence in a pampering voice toward Aslan.
"Aslan, I'm sorry for yelling at you earlier."
"..."
"Suddenly getting married...... When I heard that you did it, I was so surprised. That's right, it was really sudden. I think Aslan should also understand this."
Aslan pursed his lips without saying a word, then covered his eyes with one of his hands and let out a sigh.
"Whoa..."
His deep breath seemed to relieve her worries, and there was a hint of resignation that she couldn't stop it.
Dulcinea read the atmosphere. She has lived here ever since her parents died. Although she seemed to have a bright personality, it was not easy for her to live in someone else's house, so Dulcinea read the mood and observed her partner's feelings well. Because then she could decide how to conduct herself.
It was a completely different ability from her quick insight. Anyway, it was a very useful talent for Dulcinea that she acquired naturally. And it was especially specialized for Aslan, who had no facial expressions and spoke little.
Although he made no reply, Dulcinea, realizing that he had been silently forgiven, smiled, her cheeks brightening like a girl.
"Hehe, thank you for understanding."
At first, she was as informal and cheerful as when she entered the room. But Aslan did not relax his stern expression.
"But, Dulcinea."
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