IHMEB - Chapter 5 < Did You Wait for Me? >
Having An Enemy's Baby
“It was something quite meaningful to me. Did you not like the gift?”
Kaian’s question was unexpected and unexpected.“Or maybe I wasn’t that good?”
I couldn't believe my ears for a moment.
He asked as if he was talking to himself, still looking at the wagons moving away, raising dust in his eyes.
“Even if you grew up like a commoner and became an adoptive daughter, you wouldn’t have been able to learn that much.”
He slowly turned my body around with his back to me and looked down at me.
“It is polite to put on and show off a gift as soon as you receive it.”
It was the first time since the wedding that I stood facing him like this.
As for my feelings about the wedding, it felt like I had become human laundry.
I was taken, stripped of my will and personality, placed in my own bath, and washed by the maids.
After I got out of the water, I was taken by the other maids, dried, my hair polished, my face powdered and my lips smeared with rouge for the first time in my life.
Afterward, I had to wear an unfamiliar bridal gown and all kinds of jewelry, which were jewels that had been passed down in my family for generations.
Most of them were decorated with large jewels that could be as big as a finger, and each part of the jewels was made of large gold or platinum and was fastened to a thick leather belt.
The belt to support such a heavy chunk of precious metal couldn't have been thin, so with that thing hanging all over my body, I felt like a prisoner about to be executed.
As I was being dragged around by my hands, I eventually stood in front of Kaian, who would become my husband. As soon as my eyes met his cold red eyes filled with unpleasant emotions, I lowered my head.
That was the last I saw of Kaian on my wedding day.
Only his facial expression left a strong impression, and I couldn't remember anything about what he was wearing, how the ceremony hall was decorated, or anything like that.
Unlike on the wedding day, the contempt for Vermont had disappeared from Kaian's eyes.
The expression on his face was probably not one of dissatisfaction with Claudel. Because there's no way he can be dissatisfied with something he doesn't even know.
Even if a story about Temnes is mentioned, everyone living in all of Valmonde will immediately make the same expression. So I thought he must have glared at me so coldly.
So I unknowingly observed the man turning red in the setting sunset.
This is the first time I have met my husband properly.
Kaian was much taller than me, so to get a closer look at his face, I had to lift my chin and tilt my neck back to see his face.
Today, there was a banquet with his retainers, so he was dressed in formal attire, and although he was not wearing any weapons, his broad shoulders and thick arms full of muscles, hidden beneath his clothes, made him look strong as if he were wearing armor.
‘That person made me...'
Suddenly, as I was scanning his body, my thoughts turned to the first night of the night before.
The difference in body size between Kaian and me was such that it felt like we were completely different species, like a rabbit and a lion.
My cheeks flushed and my mind went blank as I remembered how that intimidatingly large man had curled up against me and pressed his body against me.
Kaian's eyebrows twitched as he looked at me.
“Can’t you hear me?”
“...Yes?"
“Did you not like the gift?”
"Ah. Well, that...”
I was shocked and made an excuse, embarrassed that I had thought of something else without realizing it while standing in front of him.
“I liked it... Yes.”
"Yes? But why didn’t you come to the cemetery?”
“Well, that means... I don’t think it suits me well.”
It felt like my mind had gone white.
In a panic, no words came out of my mouth.
“Hmm. I see. Then you didn’t protest because you were dissatisfied?”
“No, never. It’s so pretty and cool.”
"Okay."
Fortunately, the answer seemed to be acceptable, so Kaian nodded his head without saying anything and entered the castle first.
Thump, thump.
My heart was pounding hard and making strange noises.
I felt a tingling sensation and my body felt weak, perhaps because the blood had stopped flowing to my shoulders and back, which were hunched over because I was so nervous.
'Oh, what should I do? This isn't it.'
I didn't know what to do.
The sun hadn't even set yet, and I remembered sleeping with the man who would become my husband outside the castle and giving an absurd answer.
'How is it that nothing is done properly?'
The disease that was consuming my body must have finally reached my head.
Feeling self-destructive, I scurried back to my room.
That evening, Hannah was having a big fight with the maids again.
"You! Even if you're really crazy, you're still crazy? Doesn’t the head maid take care of the things below?”
Seeing Hannah raising her voice in a fever, the maids of Rowan Castle looked the other way, even picking their ears with an expression as if a dog was barking somewhere.
“How long has it been since it was time to eat? Can’t you quickly serve dinner to the Duchess?”
“Uh, I can’t.”
One of the maids sarcastically responded to Hannah's words.
“It’s not worth even a piece of bread to give to Vermont.”
“Even if your master starves to death, my Lord won’t even blink, right? He will soon marry a beautiful girl from Temnes.”
"What?"
A servant passing by also added his words.
“Well, even if you put a sumptuous meal on the table, did she even take a bite? She came out of the room without even showing that she had eaten.”
A neatly dressed man sarcastically quipped.
“I’ll bring it to you if you don’t mind just adding a grain of corn, a side of beans, a corner of bread, and two spoons of soup.”
“These.”
Her words were not working so Hannah strained her grip to communicate with her fists.
"Hannah... Stop!"
I came out of the door and pulled on the hem of Hannah's dress.
"Miss."
“I have no thoughts about dinner. You, too, don’t just stand here. Go back and rest.”
As soon as I spoke, the people standing in front of the door, arguing with Hannah, as if in a confrontation, and the people watching disappeared.
“You should eat dinner.”
"Really. It’s because I have no appetite.”
I went to the chair by the window and sat down. Sitting down in her candle-lit seat, Hannah let out a long sigh.
"Miss. Why are you doing this? Are you feeling unwell? Do you feel like your cold is getting worse?”
Hannah brought me some tea that was said to be good for my cold. She wanted to call a doctor to give her medicine, but the servants in the castle lied to her and prevented her from calling a doctor.
"No. No."
But Claudel's face was filled with worry.
“Why are you doing that? Please speak quickly. It seems like everyone in this castle has their head messed up. There are so many crazy things that even the people who are supposed to serve you don't recognize you. The only person who can help you is me. Yes?"
“... Actually."
Hannah, who made me open my mouth, pricked up her ears.
“It’s the first gift. I guess he gave me something.”
"Yes?"
"He asked me earlier if I didn’t like the gift.”
"No. You have to like something and then show it.”
“He said I didn’t show it because I didn’t like it.”
I couldn't bring myself to tell Hannah that he had even said, 'Because I'm not that good?'
“I heard he gave it to me because it was something meaningful to him.”
“You should have said you didn’t receive anything.”
"Right. However...”
My expression darkened.
“Without realizing it, I answered that it was a good thing. I said I couldn't do it because I didn't feel like I fit in. It was pretty and cool.”
When I confided in Hannah and thought about it, I couldn't have been this stupid.
“What did the Duke say?”
“He just thought it was okay.”
I clasped my hands together and looked embarrassed.
"What do we do, Hannah?"
“Why don’t you be honest now? When I woke up in the morning, there was nothing. I came when you woke up and there was nothing there.”
"Yes. There really was nothing. If I told him that I said that because I was embarrassed when I didn't receive anything, wouldn't he think I'm a fool? It would be pathetic.”
If he had put away the flower basket, even a single petal could have fallen, but the hallway was really clean without a speck of dust.
After hearing my words, Hannah was silent for a moment. As if she had gathered her thoughts, she opened her mouth and her expression was serious.
“Could it be a trap?”
"Trap?"
“I heard you said it was a meaningful item to the Duke. Isn’t he trying to blame you for losing something precious?”
"Ah."
The color drained from my face.
“But even those who came to help the manager in the morning saw that there was nothing.”
“There is no one on our side in this castle. If something like that were to happen, would you honestly say it was like that? I’m still anxious because I can’t bother the Young Lady.”
Hannah ran her hand through my bright red hair with a sad look on her face.
“My lady. You are so pretty and beautiful, but when they see red, they rush at you like a drunk bull on a village festival.”
Hannah sighed.
“I wish I had red hair. It would be better if I were to be bullied instead of you.”
"Hannah."
Hannah was a friend from the village where I lived when I was young.
The village on the outskirts of Valmonde's territory, deep in the mountains, was relatively far south.
Plonne village.
The hometown where I and Hannah were born and raised was a very beautiful place.
Even in Valmonde, where half of the territory and the Lord's castle were frozen, there was a relatively warm spring and fall season.
Food grown in the mountains changed with the seasons and filled the table abundantly, and flowers bloomed in abundance, changing places as time went by. As the name suggests, it was a flower-blooming village.
I and Hannah, who were the same age, clung to each other like real sisters.
That day was the day when the merchants entered the small castle at the bottom of the mountain and a big market was held.
My father, Evan, took his daughter's friend, Hannah, on a long-awaited outing.
While my father was selling the precious medicinal herbs he had collected at the store, I was sucking on the large candy he had bought at the market and laughing as I watched Hannah and the talented little bear brought by the medicine seller.
That moment was the last moment of peace in our lives.
While they were out of the village, a fire swept through the village of Plonne.
Since water was scarce and scarce, I grew up being careful and paying close attention to avoid starting a fire.
There was no way to know who started the fire in such a village and how.
The only ones who survived the village that was reduced to ashes were my father, me, and Hannah.
Soon after, my father passed away, leaving me and Hannah alone.
Hannah, with her brown hair brown eyes, and average appearance, was sincere when she said she would rather be bullied instead.
“I won’t forgive them for giving you a hard time.”
"Thank you."
For Hannah, Claudel was the only thing she took from the village.
The only thing Hannah was able to take care of after surviving with her parents, younger brother, neighbors, and memories buried in ashes.
After Claudel attained noble status at Valmonde Castle, Hannah herself became her servant.
To become her friend's maid, she went as far as enrolling as a foster daughter in the Pebble family, a ducal vassal, but Hannah was satisfied that she could stay by Claudel's side closer than anyone else.
“I will look into the missing gift.”
“Will you do that?”
"Sure."
Hanna comforted Claudel.
"Do not worry too much, Miss. Of all the maids in this castle, except for the Duke, I am the strongest.”
“Hehehe.”
Her words were comforting.
That night, I could hardly sleep.
I was so busy yesterday that I didn't realize it, but the bedroom was so spacious that it felt empty.
At the Valmonde Castle, I was not used to sleeping alone, as I slept in the same bed with Hannah every day.
Moreover, worry about the missing gift disturbed my mind.
So when Kaian suddenly opened the bedroom door, I wandered around the room and almost ran into the door he had opened.
Kaian asked, seeing me standing in front of the door.
“Were you waiting for me?”
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