"I thought I'd see you in a few days, but what happened, Duke of Temnes?”
“It just happened to be there, Madame Cronach.”
I, who turned my head as Kaian turned around, was startled.
Madame Cronac was a petite woman with brown hair and brown eyes, common in the Kingdom of Oberon.
The woman was quite an alluring beauty, her well-maintained youthful fair skin seemed to defy her years.
But on her left side, from her ear to the underside of her chin, a hideous, distorted scar could be seen, as if the flesh had been crushed.
Her scar was so big that my hand couldn't cover it all, and it extended all the way to her neck.
It seemed like her skin was pale and soft, as if she had hidden her age as a secret from the women, and the reddish scars that appeared as if something had torn the flesh were contrasting, making it even more noticeable.
I, who suddenly and unprepared shuddered at the sight of the terrible scar marks, thought I had done a great disservice to Madame Cronach.
“Excuse me. You are...”
When I could not continue my words, Madame Cronac smiled and let her hair fall to her left side, covering her scar.
That alone covered up her scars so much that if you looked at her from the right, you wouldn't see them as if she had any scars left on her body.
“I was really rude, Duchess. If you had told me in advance that you were coming, I would have hidden my ugly appearance.”
"No."
While I was embarrassed, Kaian asked Madame Cronac, seemingly unimpressed by the encounter between the two.
“Please show me to a separate room and tell me if there is anything you can recommend during our stay in the capital.”
"Of course, Duke. It’s this way.”
Madame Cronac led the two people to a classically decorated drawing room.
"Please wait."
I looked around.
Unlike the entrance hall, which had been decorated with a bright and cheerful atmosphere earlier, the reception room we were guided to had a dignified atmosphere with sofas and couches made of dark wood and covered with dark purple velvet.
The tea the servant brought was warm and tasty.
As Kaian was putting a small snack in my mouth, Madame Cronac, who had changed her clothes and was wearing a hat with a veil, returned with three servants holding what looked like a thick bundle of documents in her arms.
After covering the scar with makeup and lowering her hair and veil diagonally over it, the scar was no longer visible as clearly as before.
Madame Cronach was a very intelligent and beautiful woman.
In fact, I, who was visiting the salon for the first time, had seen several paintings in the album depicting a woman drinking alcohol while sitting among gentlemen and thought that the salon's madam would give off a slightly decadent and shady atmosphere.
Perhaps it was my prejudice, or perhaps I had the same tastes as all the painters who painted the salon, but the atmosphere was completely different from what I had imagined.
Should I say that the image of Madame Cronac pouring her drink is not reminiscent of me?
When I attempt to enter the salon culture to which I am unfamiliar, Madame Cronac bows her head to me.
“I formally greet you. This is Cronac Delmore, the owner of Salon Arvo.”
“Nice to meet you.”
Kaian chuckled as he looked at me greeting her awkwardly.
“Are you unusually nervous?”
“You don’t have to do that, Duchess. Please rest comfortably.”
“It’s my first time coming to a place like this.”
“That’s right. There are no salons in the North?”
“The Duchess of Vermont is directing everything.”
Madame Cronac flashed her commercial smile and motioned to her servant to set down a thick catalog in front of where me and Kaian sat.
“The King’s Birthday event is very important and a big deal. So, when it comes to things to see in the capital during this period, the royal event that the Duke will attend is the main attraction.”
"Right. My wife is very curious, so I’d like to add a few sights to her to make the trip to the capital more rewarding than such a formal event.”
I watched as Kaian skillfully told Madame Kronach what he wanted.
The work at the salon focused on researching, recruiting, and making reservations for all kinds of jobs that nobles wanted.
Even if they wanted to go somewhere or get information, there was no way that nobles who had just arrived in the capital from a local fiefdom would know such valuable news from the capital.
However, it is not possible to have attendants residing in the capital all the time, not knowing how many times a year they will come or not.
So, if you pay a fee to the salon, they will take care of all the miscellaneous things you need during your stay in the capital - from providing suitable cooks, servants and maids who will not compromise the dignity of working in a temporarily rented mansion, to hiring skilled craftsmen to repair ladies' dresses or silk shoes. They took care of everything, from coming to work to reserving seats at the restaurant they wanted to go to.
As a result, nobles who brought money packed with money flocked to competent salons, and according to Kaian, this Salon Arvo is currently the most popular and famous salon in the capital.
“Does the Duchess enjoy the performance?”
"Show? What kind of performance are you talking about?”
I asked again, and Madame Cronac flipped through a thickly bound catalog, unfolding it to the middle.
"Yes. Opera is popular in the capital these days. We have secured the best seats for tomorrow evening’s performance.”
What Madame Cronach showed me had the title and the name of the troupe written in large letters and the roles played by the actors along with their portraits.
“Carl Hamlain’s revenge?”
"Yes. It is the story of an angry husband punishing his wife for having an affair with her mistress while he was away in the five-year war.”
Would I really find that fun?
I, who turned my head as Kaian turned around, was startled.
Madame Cronac was a petite woman with brown hair and brown eyes, common in the Kingdom of Oberon.
The woman was quite an alluring beauty, her well-maintained youthful fair skin seemed to defy her years.
But on her left side, from her ear to the underside of her chin, a hideous, distorted scar could be seen, as if the flesh had been crushed.
Her scar was so big that my hand couldn't cover it all, and it extended all the way to her neck.
It seemed like her skin was pale and soft, as if she had hidden her age as a secret from the women, and the reddish scars that appeared as if something had torn the flesh were contrasting, making it even more noticeable.
I, who suddenly and unprepared shuddered at the sight of the terrible scar marks, thought I had done a great disservice to Madame Cronach.
“Excuse me. You are...”
When I could not continue my words, Madame Cronac smiled and let her hair fall to her left side, covering her scar.
That alone covered up her scars so much that if you looked at her from the right, you wouldn't see them as if she had any scars left on her body.
“I was really rude, Duchess. If you had told me in advance that you were coming, I would have hidden my ugly appearance.”
"No."
While I was embarrassed, Kaian asked Madame Cronac, seemingly unimpressed by the encounter between the two.
“Please show me to a separate room and tell me if there is anything you can recommend during our stay in the capital.”
"Of course, Duke. It’s this way.”
Madame Cronac led the two people to a classically decorated drawing room.
"Please wait."
I looked around.
Unlike the entrance hall, which had been decorated with a bright and cheerful atmosphere earlier, the reception room we were guided to had a dignified atmosphere with sofas and couches made of dark wood and covered with dark purple velvet.
The tea the servant brought was warm and tasty.
As Kaian was putting a small snack in my mouth, Madame Cronac, who had changed her clothes and was wearing a hat with a veil, returned with three servants holding what looked like a thick bundle of documents in her arms.
After covering the scar with makeup and lowering her hair and veil diagonally over it, the scar was no longer visible as clearly as before.
Madame Cronach was a very intelligent and beautiful woman.
In fact, I, who was visiting the salon for the first time, had seen several paintings in the album depicting a woman drinking alcohol while sitting among gentlemen and thought that the salon's madam would give off a slightly decadent and shady atmosphere.
Perhaps it was my prejudice, or perhaps I had the same tastes as all the painters who painted the salon, but the atmosphere was completely different from what I had imagined.
Should I say that the image of Madame Cronac pouring her drink is not reminiscent of me?
When I attempt to enter the salon culture to which I am unfamiliar, Madame Cronac bows her head to me.
“I formally greet you. This is Cronac Delmore, the owner of Salon Arvo.”
“Nice to meet you.”
Kaian chuckled as he looked at me greeting her awkwardly.
“Are you unusually nervous?”
“You don’t have to do that, Duchess. Please rest comfortably.”
“It’s my first time coming to a place like this.”
“That’s right. There are no salons in the North?”
“The Duchess of Vermont is directing everything.”
Madame Cronac flashed her commercial smile and motioned to her servant to set down a thick catalog in front of where me and Kaian sat.
“The King’s Birthday event is very important and a big deal. So, when it comes to things to see in the capital during this period, the royal event that the Duke will attend is the main attraction.”
"Right. My wife is very curious, so I’d like to add a few sights to her to make the trip to the capital more rewarding than such a formal event.”
I watched as Kaian skillfully told Madame Kronach what he wanted.
The work at the salon focused on researching, recruiting, and making reservations for all kinds of jobs that nobles wanted.
Even if they wanted to go somewhere or get information, there was no way that nobles who had just arrived in the capital from a local fiefdom would know such valuable news from the capital.
However, it is not possible to have attendants residing in the capital all the time, not knowing how many times a year they will come or not.
So, if you pay a fee to the salon, they will take care of all the miscellaneous things you need during your stay in the capital - from providing suitable cooks, servants and maids who will not compromise the dignity of working in a temporarily rented mansion, to hiring skilled craftsmen to repair ladies' dresses or silk shoes. They took care of everything, from coming to work to reserving seats at the restaurant they wanted to go to.
As a result, nobles who brought money packed with money flocked to competent salons, and according to Kaian, this Salon Arvo is currently the most popular and famous salon in the capital.
“Does the Duchess enjoy the performance?”
"Show? What kind of performance are you talking about?”
I asked again, and Madame Cronac flipped through a thickly bound catalog, unfolding it to the middle.
"Yes. Opera is popular in the capital these days. We have secured the best seats for tomorrow evening’s performance.”
What Madame Cronach showed me had the title and the name of the troupe written in large letters and the roles played by the actors along with their portraits.
“Carl Hamlain’s revenge?”
"Yes. It is the story of an angry husband punishing his wife for having an affair with her mistress while he was away in the five-year war.”
Would I really find that fun?
While I was puzzled, the servant came inside and whispered softly to Madame Cronac. Opening her eyes slightly, Madame Cronac said politely to Kaian.
“Duke. People are waiting to see the Duke. What should we do?”
“I don’t think I’ve been in the salon for less than thirty minutes, but it’s already crazy.”
Kaian stood up.
“I’m coming to the club to show up for a while. You are taking your time with Madame Cronac to see if there is anything of interest. If there’s a place you want to go, you don’t need to ask my permission, so make a reservation right away.”
"Yes."
As he disappeared under the guidance of an attendant, I sighed a little.
“Are you tired?”
“Any unfamiliar experience is like that at first. It’s not an inconvenience, so don’t worry about it.”
I hesitated and then said what was on my mind.
“Umm. I’m sorry I was so surprised when I first saw you.”
Madame Cronac's eyes widened as if she had heard something unexpected.
“I didn’t mean to hurt or offend. If you are upset because of my actions, please understand that I did not do it on purpose.”
“The Duchess is a really kind person.”
Madame Cronac smiled at my words.
“I got this scar in exchange for everything in my life.”
“How did that happen? Can I ask?”
“There was a big fire in the house. The home I had built all my life, the home I had with my family, was reduced to ashes.”
“...I see.”
“Due to the robbery, I was stabbed and lost consciousness. There was a fire and we couldn’t escape quickly.”
Madame Cronac said calmly.
“Still, I guess I somehow crawled out of that house because I had the intention to live. Even though I got burned.”
"Yes. You’re so lucky to be alive.”
I smiled faintly.
“The person who saved me was Kaian.”
“My Lord?”
"Yes. The Duke, who was passing nearby, found me and took me to the doctor.”
Madame Cronac, who did not often reveal her feelings and maintained her courtesy with her polite, businesslike demeanor, briefly flashed a look of sadness in her eyes.
“It was a burn that left such a big scar. How bad could it have been? I was seriously injured because I was stabbed with a knife. I suffered from death for half a year.”
I unconsciously reached out and grabbed Madame Cronac's hand.
“But didn’t you still live like this? You have truly done a great job.”
“...Duchess.”
“I guess someone desperately wanted you to live.”
What if, if I could save my mother from dying in the fire that threatened to burn the village where I was born and raised, the forest that embraced the laughter of young girls, and the mountain that promised them abundance, it would turn red.
I was willing to give up my body and soul to the demons to save my mother's life.
'My dad wouldn't have made that choice if my mom hadn't died.'
Even if they had left the village of Plogne, the family of three would have established a new home somewhere and lived well.
To shake off my gloomy mood, I smiled deliberately and pointed to the opera she recommended.
“Aren’t there usually more cases of aristocratic husbands having fun than noble ladies?”
The wife's life was at the mercy of her husband.
Her husband's rights were so absolute that no one could help the woman even when she was being abused.
But this is a story about her husband taking revenge on his cheating wife.
If he just gotten divorced, the woman who had become a symbol of his misfortune could have ended her life as a vagabond and wanderer. Even if he doesn't necessarily seek grandiose revenge.
Madame Cronac shrugged her shoulders when I pointed out that the story was not realistic.
“It is important to understand your husband’s feelings about paying for tickets to see an opera. If it’s a story about a wife taking revenge on her husband, the Duke won’t go out of his way to buy you a ticket.”
I became even more confused by those words.
“Then do other noble ladies like this story of a woman being scolded for having an affair?”
“Ho ho ho. As for other noble ladies..."
“Duke. People are waiting to see the Duke. What should we do?”
“I don’t think I’ve been in the salon for less than thirty minutes, but it’s already crazy.”
Kaian stood up.
“I’m coming to the club to show up for a while. You are taking your time with Madame Cronac to see if there is anything of interest. If there’s a place you want to go, you don’t need to ask my permission, so make a reservation right away.”
"Yes."
As he disappeared under the guidance of an attendant, I sighed a little.
“Are you tired?”
“Any unfamiliar experience is like that at first. It’s not an inconvenience, so don’t worry about it.”
I hesitated and then said what was on my mind.
“Umm. I’m sorry I was so surprised when I first saw you.”
Madame Cronac's eyes widened as if she had heard something unexpected.
“I didn’t mean to hurt or offend. If you are upset because of my actions, please understand that I did not do it on purpose.”
“The Duchess is a really kind person.”
Madame Cronac smiled at my words.
“I got this scar in exchange for everything in my life.”
“How did that happen? Can I ask?”
“There was a big fire in the house. The home I had built all my life, the home I had with my family, was reduced to ashes.”
“...I see.”
“Due to the robbery, I was stabbed and lost consciousness. There was a fire and we couldn’t escape quickly.”
Madame Cronac said calmly.
“Still, I guess I somehow crawled out of that house because I had the intention to live. Even though I got burned.”
"Yes. You’re so lucky to be alive.”
I smiled faintly.
“The person who saved me was Kaian.”
“My Lord?”
"Yes. The Duke, who was passing nearby, found me and took me to the doctor.”
Madame Cronac, who did not often reveal her feelings and maintained her courtesy with her polite, businesslike demeanor, briefly flashed a look of sadness in her eyes.
“It was a burn that left such a big scar. How bad could it have been? I was seriously injured because I was stabbed with a knife. I suffered from death for half a year.”
I unconsciously reached out and grabbed Madame Cronac's hand.
“But didn’t you still live like this? You have truly done a great job.”
“...Duchess.”
“I guess someone desperately wanted you to live.”
What if, if I could save my mother from dying in the fire that threatened to burn the village where I was born and raised, the forest that embraced the laughter of young girls, and the mountain that promised them abundance, it would turn red.
I was willing to give up my body and soul to the demons to save my mother's life.
'My dad wouldn't have made that choice if my mom hadn't died.'
Even if they had left the village of Plogne, the family of three would have established a new home somewhere and lived well.
To shake off my gloomy mood, I smiled deliberately and pointed to the opera she recommended.
“Aren’t there usually more cases of aristocratic husbands having fun than noble ladies?”
The wife's life was at the mercy of her husband.
Her husband's rights were so absolute that no one could help the woman even when she was being abused.
But this is a story about her husband taking revenge on his cheating wife.
If he just gotten divorced, the woman who had become a symbol of his misfortune could have ended her life as a vagabond and wanderer. Even if he doesn't necessarily seek grandiose revenge.
Madame Cronac shrugged her shoulders when I pointed out that the story was not realistic.
“It is important to understand your husband’s feelings about paying for tickets to see an opera. If it’s a story about a wife taking revenge on her husband, the Duke won’t go out of his way to buy you a ticket.”
I became even more confused by those words.
“Then do other noble ladies like this story of a woman being scolded for having an affair?”
“Ho ho ho. As for other noble ladies..."
Madame Cronac lowered her voice meaningfully.
“They like the male singer who appears in this show.”
“...Huh?"
“In the middle, when the mistress seduces the noble lady and the husband expresses his anger towards his wife, both singers tear their clothes.”
“What on earth is that...?"
Madame Cronac smiled brightly.
“Not all noble ladies have a husband as great as Kaian.”
I, who had not yet been married, blushed with embarrassment.
“Well, I don’t think I can watch a performance like this with My Lord. Please recommend something else.”
“Among the performances in the capital, this is the more polite one, Duchess.”
I grew hot and fanned my flushed face with my hand.
***
I ended up falling for Madame Cronac's sales pitch and booked th performance.
'If I attend the royal ball, I will be chatting with other ladies of the capital's society and I will have something to talk about.'
As I listened to Madame Cronac's words, I thought that it was worth going to the theater at least once for the experience.
Afterward, I had a meal with Kaian at a restaurant on a downtown street recommended by the salon while looking at the night view of the capital.
As I sat three stories up and ate surrounded by the liveliness and lights of the street, it was so noisy that I couldn't hear what Kaian, who was sitting across from me, said, but it was a very enjoyable experience.
However, after returning to the royal castle, I was tired from the unplanned outing, and had a nightmare.
Gooooooo. Oooh.
Looking up from a child's eye level, the huge flame was burning the whole world around me.
I was running away from the burning town in Evan's arms.
Over my father's shoulder, I cried and stretched out my hands toward the fire.
'Mom! Mom!'
Then, out of the fluttering ball of fire, a hand suddenly reached out and it grabbed the small child's hand.
The woman's face melted like candle wax as her body caught fire.
'Do you really want me to live?'
Kyaaaah!
When I let out my screams, Kaian shook me awake.
“Claudel, Claudel... Wake up."
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