IHMEB - Chapter 46 < Newlyweds >
Having An Enemy's Baby
After dinner, Irena returned to the guest room where she was staying.
“Whoa.”
Irena, leaning against it as she closed the door, let out a long sigh and fanned her flushed cheeks with her hand.
“What on earth did I just see?”
During her meal, Irena left her seat for a moment to wash her hands.
She had no desire to dine with the arrogant man, who seemed to have no intention of treating her very well.
Moreover, after seeing Claudel struggling in the middle of Irena, who had no reason to tolerate her cold and scary husband and his rudeness, her appetite disappeared.
Unlike banquets or dances with a large number of people, 'leaving the seat' at a meal or tea party with not many people was a tacit way of expressing dissatisfaction.
More than anything else, she couldn't stand hjs remarks that seemed to dare to ignore Valmonde, who had become his in-laws through marriage.
Unlike Claudel, who grew up as Valmonde's child due to her parents' misfortune, Irena's pride in the Valmonde estate and Vermont was enormous.
Although her husband, who married her, would sit in the lordship's seat, in reality, the inheritance of the land was the same as that of Irena.
Even her wonderful father, the Duke of Vermont, who tried to show only the pretty and good things about his daughter, sometimes couldn't bear it and would vent his resentment towards Temnes in front of her as well.
‘My puppy. It is your father's intention to prevent Temnes from breathing on this land by the time you become the Lord's wife. How long will we have to watch such filthy and ignorant people go to Oberon even though they are nobles?'
Irena thought with a stern expression as she wiped her hands.
'If only we could solve the food problem, we could go to war with Temnes right away.'
Weapon? What comes out when you dig in the ground is iron ore, so you can start making it now, even if it means increasing production.
Soldier? Even if it is a famous mercenary group from the Sol Continent, you can buy it by stealing the treasure trove of the Lord's castle.
But as it turned out, it was as if Claudel had been taken hostage in Temnes.
When she returned to the restaurant with complicated feelings, the servants and maids who had been waiting inside were rushing out.
'Why...?'
When she turned her head inside the door, which was opened in confusion.
At the head table where she had been sitting eating together a little while ago, her eyes caught the sight of a man and woman entangled together and kissing.
Claudel's thin body was covered by the large man, leaving only the hem of her dress visible.
However, the man with his head down was devouring Claudel's lips with the fierceness of a hungry wolf tearing at meat.
Irena's immediate thought was that she had to save Claudel from the clutches of that evil guy.
But the next moment, she could see a small, white hand emerging from the man's shoulder, moving up his strong shoulder and neck, and combing through his black hair between her fingers.
Thud.
The restaurant door in front of Irena closed with a startled heart sound.
The butler spoke politely and delicately to her, who was frozen in place as if she were a stone statue.
'My lord and my Lord's wife are on very good terms.'
The butler asked kindly to Irena, who was standing dumbfounded with her mouth slightly open and unable to answer.
'If you don't have enough food, I'll bring you something to eat in your room.'
'Oh, no. Yes.'
'We have arranged for you to spend some time in the Lord's castle's library, or to meet the castle's gardener whenever you wish. There is also a place in the garden where flowers that bloom only at night are collected, so if you are interested, you can take a walk at night.'
The butler, as Irena continued to recite things that would pique her interest, seemed to have expected something like this to happen.
This refers to a situation where the Lord and the Lord's wife, who are supposed to entertain her, disappear, leaving her as a guest.
‘I’m going to my room. I've had enough to eat, so please leave me alone.'
After returning to the room she was staying in under the guidance of the butler, the image of Kaian and Claudel kissing, which remained like an afterimage in her eyes, appeared more clearly.
“Whew. It’s not the first time I’ve seen people kiss.”
But as Irena muttered like that, she knew that she was not like that.
It was the first time she had actually seen someone kiss so passionately.
“I thought things like that only appeared in books.”
Hannah borrowed a romance novel that the castle's maids occasionally circulated.
She went back and forth with what she had given Claudel to look at, and Irena read it with her, and the main character was a Lord who was handsome, well-mannered, and physically fit.
However, as far as Irena knew, such a Lord was a very unicorn-like being.
It was difficult for him to become a Lord at such a young age.
Most of them were nobles, like the Duke of Vermont, and the Lord of Valmonde, who had wives and children and were experienced, educated, and renowned.
She did!
“Weren’t they on bad terms?”
Irena was embarrassed.
What bothered her more was that the butler, as if reading her thoughts, said, 'The two get along well.'
That night, Irena tossed and turned late into the night, unable to sleep.
The next day, Irena had to spend time alone, thanks to the Lord and Lord Madam who came as the guests in the castle and who were not even in sight.
If she visited in a leisurely manner with a long schedule, it was common sense that the Lord, or the Lord's wife, could not deal with the guests all the time.
Regardless of a guest's visit, the Lord or Lord Madam will have a lot of work to do.
“Today, we plan to have lunch at the lakeside while admiring the wildflowers.”
“Me alone?”
"Yes. My lord and my lord’s wife are still resting.”
The noon sun was high up and shining brightly. Irena didn't want to know what the two people who didn't come out of the bedroom at this hour were doing.
"Ha. Then let’s go to the picnic next time with Claudel.”
Irena spent time alone walking in the garden and reading books.
It was only in the evening that she could see her sister's face again.
"Sister. Sorry. I overslept because I wasn't feeling well. It would have been nice if you had sent an attendant to wake me up.”
Five times Irena called the maid who served the guest room to ask if Claudel was awake, but she only answered that she was resting.
"It's okay. I also had a hard time walking around, so I took a rest for a day.”
Claudel smiled as if relieved to hear that she was okay.
After a while, Kaian came into the restaurant.
The man, who was still cold and had an unpleasant expression on his face, sat down, looked at Irena, and raised his eyebrows.
“That dress...”
Irena had just borrowed Madame Marcel's dress from among Claudel's clothes.
Madame Marcel's dress was very unique and pretty, but even if she waited a year in the capital, she couldn't get it no matter how much she asked the Duke of Vermont.
Is it Juvertou? Luchamp? No matter how expensive a dress is, even if it is not tailored, you can buy it if you pay money.
Her dress, made of white chiffon with red edges, was a one-of-a-kind dress that went well with Irena's red hair and she loved it.
'What. Do you know your wife's clothes?'
Irena was a little surprised, as most male nobles did not know what was in their wives' wardrobe.
“Kaian. I lent it to her sister.”
Claudel said, placing her hand on his arm.
“It’s hot here. My sister doesn’t have a Rowalen dress.”
"Hmm. Yes."
As she watched his eyebrows, which had been rising towards the sky, lower, Irena felt like she had to say something.
“The dress is really pretty. Madame Marcel's work is a dress that is difficult to buy even in the capital. This is my first time seeing a Rowen-style dress made.”
"Is it?"
“Madame Marcel is so famous that her catalog circulates all the way up North.”
“Is it that famous?”
"Sure."
At that time, surprisingly, Kaian's cold, hard face cracked slightly and a slightly smug expression appeared.
“A new seamstress is supposed to come to the castle next week.”
“A new seamstress?”
“It seems like the original seamstress lacks the talent to make a dress that suits you.”
Why do you say this in front of guests?
It was time for Irena to question.
“From now on, Madame Marcel will make your dress.”
Irena couldn't believe her ears. So she ended up asking Kaian, who had promised not to get into trouble.
"Wait, Duke. Madame Marcel is the new seamstress at Rowen Castle?”
"Yes. My wife deserves the best of everything. The dress the Princess is wearing was brought by Madame Marcel to prove herself worthy of being my wife’s seamstress.”
Irena's eyes widened.
“Princess Irena seems to know the trends and fashions well. When Madame Marcel comes next week, make sure you and Claudel get a new dress. I will send it to you when it is completed after you return to Valmonde.”
“... Yes."
Madame Marcel was a woman who swept the capital's money.
She worked so infrequently that her dresses were more expensive. Even if she wore it once and sold it back, she could resell it for the price she bought it for.
But did he hire such a woman as the personal seamstress for Claudel?
When Irena thought about the expenses she must have paid, it was an enormous amount that was almost unbelievable to think of as the cost of maintaining the dignity of a noble lady.
Suddenly Kaian looked different.
Until yesterday, Irena thought he was an arrogant, unlucky, and rude man.
He seemed like a person who was dying to get a compliment from Claudel, who was currently not interested in dresses or jewelry.
Only then did he understand why Kaian had deliberately brought this up in front of her, who seemed to be looking into dresses and trends.
“Claudel is more than a dress...”
For a moment, Irena felt bad for that kind of man and opened her mouth without realizing it.
'... I would prefer Mar Miller's Kingdom Theory or Gredol Mann's new book. The Hindenburg Continental Explorer published in a quarterly magazine.'
However, she thought that she could not pass up such valuable information to her enemy, so she put back what she was about to say.
“More than a dress?”
“Ah, the jewelry you gave her matches very well.”
Irena hesitated and moved on. And her spectacle continued throughout the meal.
During dinner that night, Irena saw Kaian smile only once, and that was when Claudel was eating the sweet stewed carrots that he held out with his fork.
On the first day, during a meal, she frowned when she saw a plate of food that Kaian had chopped up that he wasn't even going to eat, and it occurred to her that her dining etiquette was messed up.
He was busy chopping up the food to fit Claudel's small mouth, looking like he was full even though the handsome man wasn't eating.
‘This... Do you think we're on good terms?'
Irena was confused.
She had a good relationship with her parents, the Duke and Duchess of Vermont, but this was the first time in her life that this had happened.
Unable to bear them, Irena said to the newlyweds the next evening.
“I’m planning to go back tomorrow.”
“You’re leaving already? How long has it been since you came?”
Claudel's eyes widened at Irena's sudden words.
“I heard my sister’s favorite seamstress is coming next week. There will be more.”
"No. I should spend the fall festival at Valmonde.”
"Ah...”
“That’s a good attitude.”
Out of courtesy, Kaian didn't ask her to stay any longer. She expected it, but how important are those polite words to the relationship between nobles?
Now he was like Irena, and it seemed like he could tell what was going through her enemy's head just by looking into his eyes.
'I'm a newlywed, so don't bother me and get out.'
Irena, leaning against it as she closed the door, let out a long sigh and fanned her flushed cheeks with her hand.
“What on earth did I just see?”
During her meal, Irena left her seat for a moment to wash her hands.
She had no desire to dine with the arrogant man, who seemed to have no intention of treating her very well.
Moreover, after seeing Claudel struggling in the middle of Irena, who had no reason to tolerate her cold and scary husband and his rudeness, her appetite disappeared.
Unlike banquets or dances with a large number of people, 'leaving the seat' at a meal or tea party with not many people was a tacit way of expressing dissatisfaction.
More than anything else, she couldn't stand hjs remarks that seemed to dare to ignore Valmonde, who had become his in-laws through marriage.
Unlike Claudel, who grew up as Valmonde's child due to her parents' misfortune, Irena's pride in the Valmonde estate and Vermont was enormous.
Although her husband, who married her, would sit in the lordship's seat, in reality, the inheritance of the land was the same as that of Irena.
Even her wonderful father, the Duke of Vermont, who tried to show only the pretty and good things about his daughter, sometimes couldn't bear it and would vent his resentment towards Temnes in front of her as well.
‘My puppy. It is your father's intention to prevent Temnes from breathing on this land by the time you become the Lord's wife. How long will we have to watch such filthy and ignorant people go to Oberon even though they are nobles?'
Irena thought with a stern expression as she wiped her hands.
'If only we could solve the food problem, we could go to war with Temnes right away.'
Weapon? What comes out when you dig in the ground is iron ore, so you can start making it now, even if it means increasing production.
Soldier? Even if it is a famous mercenary group from the Sol Continent, you can buy it by stealing the treasure trove of the Lord's castle.
But as it turned out, it was as if Claudel had been taken hostage in Temnes.
When she returned to the restaurant with complicated feelings, the servants and maids who had been waiting inside were rushing out.
'Why...?'
When she turned her head inside the door, which was opened in confusion.
At the head table where she had been sitting eating together a little while ago, her eyes caught the sight of a man and woman entangled together and kissing.
Claudel's thin body was covered by the large man, leaving only the hem of her dress visible.
However, the man with his head down was devouring Claudel's lips with the fierceness of a hungry wolf tearing at meat.
Irena's immediate thought was that she had to save Claudel from the clutches of that evil guy.
But the next moment, she could see a small, white hand emerging from the man's shoulder, moving up his strong shoulder and neck, and combing through his black hair between her fingers.
Thud.
The restaurant door in front of Irena closed with a startled heart sound.
The butler spoke politely and delicately to her, who was frozen in place as if she were a stone statue.
'My lord and my Lord's wife are on very good terms.'
The butler asked kindly to Irena, who was standing dumbfounded with her mouth slightly open and unable to answer.
'If you don't have enough food, I'll bring you something to eat in your room.'
'Oh, no. Yes.'
'We have arranged for you to spend some time in the Lord's castle's library, or to meet the castle's gardener whenever you wish. There is also a place in the garden where flowers that bloom only at night are collected, so if you are interested, you can take a walk at night.'
The butler, as Irena continued to recite things that would pique her interest, seemed to have expected something like this to happen.
This refers to a situation where the Lord and the Lord's wife, who are supposed to entertain her, disappear, leaving her as a guest.
‘I’m going to my room. I've had enough to eat, so please leave me alone.'
After returning to the room she was staying in under the guidance of the butler, the image of Kaian and Claudel kissing, which remained like an afterimage in her eyes, appeared more clearly.
“Whew. It’s not the first time I’ve seen people kiss.”
But as Irena muttered like that, she knew that she was not like that.
It was the first time she had actually seen someone kiss so passionately.
“I thought things like that only appeared in books.”
Hannah borrowed a romance novel that the castle's maids occasionally circulated.
She went back and forth with what she had given Claudel to look at, and Irena read it with her, and the main character was a Lord who was handsome, well-mannered, and physically fit.
However, as far as Irena knew, such a Lord was a very unicorn-like being.
It was difficult for him to become a Lord at such a young age.
Most of them were nobles, like the Duke of Vermont, and the Lord of Valmonde, who had wives and children and were experienced, educated, and renowned.
She did!
“Weren’t they on bad terms?”
Irena was embarrassed.
What bothered her more was that the butler, as if reading her thoughts, said, 'The two get along well.'
That night, Irena tossed and turned late into the night, unable to sleep.
***
The next day, Irena had to spend time alone, thanks to the Lord and Lord Madam who came as the guests in the castle and who were not even in sight.
If she visited in a leisurely manner with a long schedule, it was common sense that the Lord, or the Lord's wife, could not deal with the guests all the time.
Regardless of a guest's visit, the Lord or Lord Madam will have a lot of work to do.
“Today, we plan to have lunch at the lakeside while admiring the wildflowers.”
“Me alone?”
"Yes. My lord and my lord’s wife are still resting.”
The noon sun was high up and shining brightly. Irena didn't want to know what the two people who didn't come out of the bedroom at this hour were doing.
"Ha. Then let’s go to the picnic next time with Claudel.”
Irena spent time alone walking in the garden and reading books.
It was only in the evening that she could see her sister's face again.
"Sister. Sorry. I overslept because I wasn't feeling well. It would have been nice if you had sent an attendant to wake me up.”
Five times Irena called the maid who served the guest room to ask if Claudel was awake, but she only answered that she was resting.
"It's okay. I also had a hard time walking around, so I took a rest for a day.”
Claudel smiled as if relieved to hear that she was okay.
After a while, Kaian came into the restaurant.
The man, who was still cold and had an unpleasant expression on his face, sat down, looked at Irena, and raised his eyebrows.
“That dress...”
Irena had just borrowed Madame Marcel's dress from among Claudel's clothes.
Madame Marcel's dress was very unique and pretty, but even if she waited a year in the capital, she couldn't get it no matter how much she asked the Duke of Vermont.
Is it Juvertou? Luchamp? No matter how expensive a dress is, even if it is not tailored, you can buy it if you pay money.
Her dress, made of white chiffon with red edges, was a one-of-a-kind dress that went well with Irena's red hair and she loved it.
'What. Do you know your wife's clothes?'
Irena was a little surprised, as most male nobles did not know what was in their wives' wardrobe.
“Kaian. I lent it to her sister.”
Claudel said, placing her hand on his arm.
“It’s hot here. My sister doesn’t have a Rowalen dress.”
"Hmm. Yes."
As she watched his eyebrows, which had been rising towards the sky, lower, Irena felt like she had to say something.
“The dress is really pretty. Madame Marcel's work is a dress that is difficult to buy even in the capital. This is my first time seeing a Rowen-style dress made.”
"Is it?"
“Madame Marcel is so famous that her catalog circulates all the way up North.”
“Is it that famous?”
"Sure."
At that time, surprisingly, Kaian's cold, hard face cracked slightly and a slightly smug expression appeared.
“A new seamstress is supposed to come to the castle next week.”
“A new seamstress?”
“It seems like the original seamstress lacks the talent to make a dress that suits you.”
Why do you say this in front of guests?
It was time for Irena to question.
“From now on, Madame Marcel will make your dress.”
Irena couldn't believe her ears. So she ended up asking Kaian, who had promised not to get into trouble.
"Wait, Duke. Madame Marcel is the new seamstress at Rowen Castle?”
"Yes. My wife deserves the best of everything. The dress the Princess is wearing was brought by Madame Marcel to prove herself worthy of being my wife’s seamstress.”
Irena's eyes widened.
“Princess Irena seems to know the trends and fashions well. When Madame Marcel comes next week, make sure you and Claudel get a new dress. I will send it to you when it is completed after you return to Valmonde.”
“... Yes."
Madame Marcel was a woman who swept the capital's money.
She worked so infrequently that her dresses were more expensive. Even if she wore it once and sold it back, she could resell it for the price she bought it for.
But did he hire such a woman as the personal seamstress for Claudel?
When Irena thought about the expenses she must have paid, it was an enormous amount that was almost unbelievable to think of as the cost of maintaining the dignity of a noble lady.
Suddenly Kaian looked different.
Until yesterday, Irena thought he was an arrogant, unlucky, and rude man.
He seemed like a person who was dying to get a compliment from Claudel, who was currently not interested in dresses or jewelry.
Only then did he understand why Kaian had deliberately brought this up in front of her, who seemed to be looking into dresses and trends.
“Claudel is more than a dress...”
For a moment, Irena felt bad for that kind of man and opened her mouth without realizing it.
'... I would prefer Mar Miller's Kingdom Theory or Gredol Mann's new book. The Hindenburg Continental Explorer published in a quarterly magazine.'
However, she thought that she could not pass up such valuable information to her enemy, so she put back what she was about to say.
“More than a dress?”
“Ah, the jewelry you gave her matches very well.”
Irena hesitated and moved on. And her spectacle continued throughout the meal.
During dinner that night, Irena saw Kaian smile only once, and that was when Claudel was eating the sweet stewed carrots that he held out with his fork.
On the first day, during a meal, she frowned when she saw a plate of food that Kaian had chopped up that he wasn't even going to eat, and it occurred to her that her dining etiquette was messed up.
He was busy chopping up the food to fit Claudel's small mouth, looking like he was full even though the handsome man wasn't eating.
‘This... Do you think we're on good terms?'
Irena was confused.
She had a good relationship with her parents, the Duke and Duchess of Vermont, but this was the first time in her life that this had happened.
Unable to bear them, Irena said to the newlyweds the next evening.
“I’m planning to go back tomorrow.”
“You’re leaving already? How long has it been since you came?”
Claudel's eyes widened at Irena's sudden words.
“I heard my sister’s favorite seamstress is coming next week. There will be more.”
"No. I should spend the fall festival at Valmonde.”
"Ah...”
“That’s a good attitude.”
Out of courtesy, Kaian didn't ask her to stay any longer. She expected it, but how important are those polite words to the relationship between nobles?
Now he was like Irena, and it seemed like he could tell what was going through her enemy's head just by looking into his eyes.
'I'm a newlywed, so don't bother me and get out.'
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