"Really! I was prettier!”
Antjone was furious and did not know what to do.
She was not far away when Claudel was bitten by a crocodile.
At that time, she had no time to think about Claudel, the person the crocodile was attacking, and the sight was so cruel and terrible that her feet seemed stuck to the ground and she could not move, so she could only scream and run away.
Thanks to this, she clearly saw Claudel being dragged by the crocodile-like a broken deck, her maid chasing and kicking the crocodile and falling down, and Kaian desperately sticking a knife into the crocodile's head.
And when Kaian opened the crocodile's mouth.
The woman's leg, which had been pulled out from between its blood-filled teeth, had lost its shape and was shaking like a chicken that had been chewed and spat out.
It was terrible and scary at first, but soon the immature girl figured out in her head that there was no way Kaian would have such a broken woman by his side.
She believed that as time went by, he would either lock his lame wife in the back room without knowing whether she would die or not, or he would gradually send her to a monastery or something, as it was a matter of honor for the Duke of Temnes.
After all, that woman is the adopted daughter of a Duke who was married by royal order.
Externally, Kaian's immediate dismissal of his injured wife would not be viewed very well by others.
It had never occurred to Antjone that Kaian treated her poorly because of the mistress of Berang, who was as old as his Aunt.
The very cold and sword-like Lord was cold to everyone and thought that Antjone was treated very especially because she was a little different from her.
‘I saw it. She was so dry as a skeleton that she looked like she was going to die any moment.'
'Really? Is it that much?'
‘Herzole is such a scary disease. It's creepy. I'm sure you're not trying to harm the Duke, are you?'
For stealing the Lord's belongings, Antjone was tied with a rope and beaten twenty times with a club.
It was such an enormous disgrace that it prevented the marriage of the girl who had stolen the hearts of many men since she was a girl as a beautiful woman who was as fresh and striking as she was in the estate.
The stolen item was Lady Elise's beloved blue diamond ring.
The mistress of Berang, who could not accept her daughter's escapades, collapsed from the public judgment her daughter had suffered, and she has still not regained her health.
'She could barely breathe.'
‘Huh. Our Lord also has a generous heart. Why are you even putting a bounty on a girl from Vermont for getting her drugs?'
'That's right. Can a lame woman dance properly? She wouldn't even be able to walk.'
‘Antjone is much prettier. He will quickly kick out such a woman and don't hurry. I want you to become a Duchess.'
Her situation worsened that much, but the situation took a turn after Claudel contracted Herzol.
One by one, the young ladies who were curious about what was going on in the Lord's castle gathered around Antjone again.
It was unlikely that it was the true friendship that supported her, but it gave they brazen courage to speak out to Antjone, an immature eighteen-year-old Lady.
'You didn't really steal that ring?'
'Yes. How could I have done something like that?'
'Didn't the castle maid bring it to you?'
Several people tilted their heads as they saw her being handed her box, which she had taken out from under the maid's apron.
'It was said that Kaian would give it to me!'
Was everyone like that when they saw Antjone getting upset? That's right, she said.
‘Just wait and see during this festival. How ugly a lame woman is.'
'Yes. Antjone must have been really upset.'
‘Antjone, cheer up.'
In this way, she disparaged Claudel's appearance to her heart's content and tried to become the Queen Bee of the territory like before.
Antjone, who was pacing nervously on the street corner of the festival square today, couldn't believe her own eyes.
The moment she saw the woman who appeared as the Lord's wife, it felt as if a thunderbolt had struck the top of her head.
So, at that moment, the words and standards used to praise women, such as whether she was pretty or beautiful, disappeared.
Claudel was slowly escorted by the butler, revealing a glimpse of her cleavage, the sheer chiffon skirt rippling down the waist of her dress, which made her the legendary goddess of beauty at birth. It clumped together like sea foam and swayed.
She felt no sign of popularity from the woman who walked with light, short steps.
It was as if a Goddess had descended, or a fairy Queen had secretly come out to the human world to see a festival.
She felt like a different world as if only the woman's surroundings had been cut out in isolation.
She didn't even have a very decorated face.
A face so small that it could be held in the palm of an adult man's hand, golden eyes that shine even more mysteriously under the sunlight, a sharp nose, and red lips lightly coated with rouge.
The woman's hand placed on the butler's hand was also small, and even though she was wearing a festive skirt, it was impossible to hide her slim waist.
Every time Claudel passed by, those who saw her would bow to her and silence.
Even Antjone seemed to have been influenced on the spot and closed her mouth and lowered her head, but when she suddenly came to her senses, the eyes of the maidens who looked at her had changed.
Liar.
Antjone is like a thunderbolt.
It was Kaian's first time performing a festival dance.
It is usually a dance performed with the Lord's wife, but as soon as he became a Lord, he went to war and after returning, there was no Lord's wife yet, so for two years, the festival started with only the Lord's opening speech and no dance.
When Claudel finished her dance with all the splendor, was hugged by Kaian, and he kissed her lightly, the square burst with cheers.
Seeing that, Antjone shed tears alone.
“Kaian, you are being deceived.”
Otherwise, you wouldn't do this to me.
That woman must have done something to Kaian.
Or maybe Kaian's head is wrong because she also moved the evil Herzol.
Antjone wiped away the tears gathering in her eyes with the back of her hand.
At that time, he heard the sound of drunk men talking.
“No matter how pretty she is, there is no way our Lord would leave a woman from Vermont behind!”
"This person. Did you hear that sound when you saw the two of you dancing earlier?”
“You don’t know what. The Lord clearly said that at the banquet after the first night's vigil? Once the marriage period is completed, that Vermont woman will be kicked out.”
“Is that really true?”
“Of course!”
The drunken man talking was Burbrook.
“You’re just saying nonsense. If the Lord treats his wife so poorly, shouldn’t she still be sitting next to the barrel in the festival square?”
Since the general trend was leaning towards Madam, who had even forgotten that she was from Vermont, no one agreed with Burbrook's words.
Rather, they looked at each other, worried that if they added to this gossip, they might displease the Lord later on.
“Let’s just get up. Huh.”
“Let’s go to the square and eat another plate of cake.”
"Let's go!"
Everyone quietly stood up, leaving behind the drunk Burbrook.
“I said I was right! I heard the Lord made a promise to me!”
"Hey."
Antjone sat across from the empty Burbrook, his eyes shining.
“Can I hear that now?”
“Huh. A young lady?”
“The Lord, you’re not the type of person to make promises that he doesn’t keep in vain, is he?”
"Yes! That’s exactly what I said!”
Burbrook laughed heartily.
“I finally met someone I can communicate with!”
“Please tell me that story too. I’m curious.”
Burbrook opened his mouth with pleasure as Antjone smiled and filled his glass.
“Actually, on the second day of the banquet...”
***
Kaian got out of bed while seeing Claudel sleeping deeply.
After roughly putting on his clothes and half-buttoning them, he headed to the castle's kitchen.
The castle at midnight was so quiet that not a single ant could be seen.
Right now, the castle was empty, with only a single servant or maid to attend to it.
The only people staying in the castle are Kaian and Claudel.
The fall festival held once a year in the estate was the biggest event of the year.
The fall festival was a day when all the residents of the territory attended, regardless of whether they were noble or not, and enjoyed the abundance of Rowen.
As a result, it was common for all the castle's residents to attend the festival. It was customary to draw lots to determine the minimum number of people to guard the gates and guard the drawbridge.
Originally, Kaian would also return to the castle when the sky was bright at dawn, among his vassals and blood relatives who drank heavily all night.
It was nice that he dragged Claudel to the empty castle.
It bothered him that there was no one to attend to them, but when he thought of it as taking care of his wife, it made him feel better.
Kaian went to the castle's kitchen, passed through the spacious galley, and headed to the machine room next to it.
For several generations, there was one Temnes, a geek who was obsessed with science and all kinds of machines, and he had remodeled his castle with all sorts of strange devices.
Kaian's bedroom ceiling is retractable so he can see the stars at night, or if he boils water in the kitchen, he can use the water intake device to use hot water right in the bedroom's bathroom.
Although it was usually very comfortable.
“I have to go all the way to the kitchen to check things like that.”
Kaian muttered to himself and looked at the wood stove that was boiling water under the water tank filled with the castle's underground water.
As expected, the light was off.
He cleverly lit the wood on fire with the flint he had lying nearby. After stuffing so much wood into the wood stove that he would never have to come down to the kitchen again tonight, he stood up, shaking his hands.
After looking around the kitchen, he took three large apples, bread, cheese, and a lump of ham from the storage room where food ingredients were piled up in a basket that caught his eye and returned to the bedroom.
Shoot!
After confirming that hot water was pouring into the bathtub, Kaian returned to bed.
“Claudel.”
"Yes?"
“Wake up.”
Kaian deliberately shook the sleeping woman to wake her up.
“...I can’t get up.”
“You’re hungry. What should you eat?”
“...I can not eat."
He kissed the woman who could not even open her eyes and responded to what he said as if she was talking in her sleep.
"No. You act like you’ll collapse if you starve.”
Claudel was the type of person who made sure to eat on time instead of eating little.
One time, when she was a little late for lunch, he saw Claudel looking sullen, probably because she was really hungry, so Kaian started eating lunch ten minutes early.
"Wake up."
Claudel, with messy hair from under the blanket, barely holding herself up in her arms, looked up and smiled.
“I want to eat an apple.”
"Yes?"
Kaian brought it with him on purpose because she already enjoys eating freshly harvested apples at the village square.
Even though it must have been quite sour since it had not been ripened, it was nice to see it tasting delicious.
Kaian took his knife and started peeling the apple.
Claudel looked awake as she watched the shell stretch out in a long line with a crunching sound.
"Cool."
“It’s nothing.”
“I want to try it.”
When Claudel stretched out his hand, Kaian moved his hand away.
"Dangerous."
Claudel, who was trying to take his hand, opened the flowing blanket and grabbed it.
“I’ll try it after I get dressed.”
“Don’t do it without getting dressed.”
His wife was still too clueless to understand her husband's deep intention of waking her up and feeding her.
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