“I’m sure you’ll like her.”
The Grand Duke of Luxen held Valquiterre with regret until he departed the next day.
There was a smooth road between the principality and the kingdom, making it a good road for horse-drawn carriages, but the round trip took twenty days, so it was not easy for the Grand Duke to move even once.
“It would be nice if we could at least say hello at this point.”
When Valquiterre didn't budge even though he continued to complain, he gave up and returned to the principality with Bianque as planned.
There was only one royal carriage following behind the carriage with the Grand Duke and Princess.
“And how much are you going to buy there?”
Bianque liked flashy and pretty things and wanted to stand out from others and receive attention.
All of the jewelry she chose was expensive and rare, and the dresses she wore were not only worthy of being a royal seamstress, but she was also a top customer at most of the capital's prestigious dress shops.
Just yesterday, she left while drinking tea, saying she needed to pack her luggage, and it was obvious why there was only one carriage loaded with luggage.
She must be planning to pester the Grand Duke in the principality and go on a shopping spree.
They say there will probably be three carriages loaded with jewels and dresses on the way back, and Valquiterre could at least wear a crown.
“I’m going to get Bianque married.”
It was one of the most common thoughts he had these days when he pondered his past choices.
Why did he think that he would have a hellish married life by ruining the territory war that Kaian had carefully prepared and marrying him off to a family of enemies that he hated?
Unfortunately, there was a lack of understanding about marriage.
How can Valquiterre know about a marriage he has never tried?
In a marital relationship, the personality and values of the two people who are husband and wife have a great influence.
This was a failure because he did not know much about Claudel's existence due to lack of information.
He knew that Kaian wasn't an ordinary person either, but he didn't know he would take marriage so seriously.
Claudel is beautiful and attractive, and she looks honest and upright.
“I would have enjoyed it more if Bianque had emptied Kaian’s pockets.”
Kaian was free to reject as he pleased, but he was a reasonable person. Baron Colon, the butler of the lord's castle and a powerful figure in Rowen is no slouch.
If Bianque had gotten married and been extravagant and wasted, she would have been fighting bloody fights and dragging each other to hell a long time ago.
Even thinking about it again, it would be grievous that if Valquiterre was alive and well, he was so concerned about useless things like the right to succession to the throne that he did not know that he had given Kaian a fortune.
Valquiterre headed to the Hanging Gardens.
In a sunny spot, he buried the acorn that Claudel had given him.
'You'd think it's just an ordinary acorn.'
Saying that he had something to be thankful for was something he said on impulse.
'But, contrary to what it looks like, there is wood inside. It's very rare.'
It was not that he wanted anything in return, but only the best in the country was offered to Valquiterre.
However, while it felt good just to walk with her and exchange a few words with her, he felt sorry for the fact that such a woman was already married and had a husband and that he was the one who ordered the marriage, so he tried to sound like a pity.
He didn't know she was really going to give him something.
'I don't think it would be a good idea to spend her husband's money to show my gratitude. If I have the chance later, I will prepare a gift with my own hands.'
Besides, she's saying that something bought with Kaian's money can't be a gift.
That was truly correct.
He didn't think he would be happy at all if she bought something with the money she received from Kaian to repay him.
He hoped to see at least a sprouted Claudel tree next year.
Valquiterre said while looking at the spot where the acorns were planted.
“I heard there was a tree. I guess I’ll have to take it out.”
***
The main occupation of the Rowen estate was farming.
Everything that was lying around was useful if picked.
Gathering grains, fruits, and vegetables was food, gathering trees that grew thickly was wood, and picking up grass growing everywhere was medicine.
There was a lake in the back garden, and a tributary of the Shen River, which flowed below the capital city, reached the moat surrounding the castle.
Rowen Port, located at the mouth of the river, was very close, about ten minutes away by horse or carriage from the lord's castle.
The produce from Rowen was loaded onto ships and transported to the capital.
Otherwise, it would have to be sent by wagon. Although it may be grains such as beans, barley, and wheat, fruits, and vegetables whose freshness is important cannot be sent that slowly, so if they were sent by ship to the capital, they could be sent in three days, whereas it would have taken a week by wagon.
From there to Valmonde, it had to be transported by cart instead of a waterway that was once again cut off from the capital, so even freshly picked fruits from Rowen would be at least ten days old when they arrived at Valmonde.
There was a basis for disparaging Kaian as a ‘Vermonter who eats dried food’.
Anyway, Hannah hung around near the port for a while.
A ship could be seen on the wide water stretching out far out to sea. Hannah smiled and stomped her feet.
"Oh. I guess they’re about to arrive now.”
The ship, which seemed like a small dot, gradually grew larger and eventually moved leisurely, befitting its enormous size, and swiftly anchored in the port. The sailing ship captained by Rohan Hindenburg completed its voyage and returned safely.
Swish.
At that time, a man with a rope attached to his arm jumped off the boat and landed on the dock.
“Rohan!”
As Hannah greeted him, Rohan let go of the rope and approached her, rubbing his hands on his clothes.
"Miss!"
“Don’t call me that.”
She frowned. Strictly speaking, both were servants of Temnes, but Hannah was adopted into a vassal family by the Duke of Vermont while she was staying at the Castle of Valmonde, so she was of noble status.
Because of his commoner status, Rohan called her 'Miss' the first time he greeted Hannah, and using Pebble's family name was simply a means of being by Claudel's side. It's just a rite of passage.
He was meaningless and Hannah asked him not to call her a noble lady like that.
However, Rohan sometimes took pleasure in deliberately teasing her as if it were some kind of nickname for her.
Every time, she tried to tell him not to do that, but for some reason, he was so anxious to play around and pick on her lover when men were just in a relationship. Rohan was also an ordinary man at times like that.
“It meant my lady.”
In the end, Hannah laughed at Rohan's sly attitude. Isn't the beauty of her love life that she is both cringy and funny?
“Did you have a good time?”
"As you see."
“Are you in any pain or injured?”
“I need your attention. It would have been nice if there had been just a little injury.”
As Hannah narrowed her eyes and glared in confusion, Rohan lifted her arm and gave her strength.
“I’m very cool.”
“Don’t say that even if it’s a joke.”
Rohan looked pleased at the tone of concern for him. One way or another, he was just happy that someone who welcomed him had come to meet him.
“You should have waited at the castle. I would have taken a quick shower, changed clothes, and gone.”
“I did it because I wanted to see you quickly. I happened to have some business to do outside the castle.”
They were dating.
But people around them were not aware of that fact.
That's because no one asked Rohan and Hannah if they were like that.
The masters they served had noses as long as three feet.
An incredible marriage that may put an end to the rivalry between hostile families that will last a long time in the history of the kingdom.
What a storm the protagonist must be living through his married life. Anyway, unlike the lord and the lord's wife, Rohan and Hannah were calmly dating.
“It’s been a while since I’ve seen you, but I can’t even hold your hand.”
"It does not matter."
Rohan seemed to think it was rude to meet her on thr boat without washing properly.
However, she thought that the smell of salty sweat coming from the sailor was the man's passion for life.
Rohan Hindenburg was a very handsome man of the sea - especially to the extent that Claudel meticulously collected his books as a favorite edition - and even though he wore dirty clothes and a hat that had not been washed in a while, and his hair smelled musty from not having been washed, he had something to listen to. It was nothing compared to a mysterious adventure story.
"Hold hands.”
When Hannah held out her hand, Rohan seemed conflicted and then took a handkerchief out of his pocket. When he wrapped his handkerchief around his hand and held his hand over it, Hannah was dumbfounded but she was happy and she laughed again.
“Not by your side. What happened today?”
"Ah. I have a telegram to send. Let’s stop by the telegraph office and then go.”
They entered the small building of the telegraph office in front of the harbor dock. Here, if you show your ID card and pay for the message and money to be delivered, a telegram is sent to the place where it was written that it should be sent after sunset.
Hannah looked confused as she rummaged through her small bag hanging on her arm.
"This."
"What's wrong?"
“I guess I left my ID card behind by mistake.”
At her words, Rohan took out a crumpled piece of paper the size of his palm from the inside pocket of the jacket he was wearing.
“I’ll send it in my name. If that’s okay.”
"Really?"
“It would be a waste of time to come back. If you don’t mind sending it under my name.”
"It's okay. If you read the contents, he’ll think I sent it.”
Hannah quickly filled out the telegram application and paid.
"Thank you very much."
"What. It’s nothing special.”
Rohan smiled brightly.
The handsome man with wheat-colored hair was attractive even if he hadn't washed it for a few days.
“Go to the castle and wash up.”
“I’ll stop by the inn. I used to go to the castle just like this, but now that my lover is here, it feels rude.”
“In that case, even if it’s just empty words, I have to say that I feel like it would be rude to me.”
After leaving the telegraph office, they didn't walk very far until they arrived at an inn where Rohan was renting a room like his own.
“I’ll take a shower, change clothes, and then go.”
"Yes."
However, Hannah hesitated with a somewhat regretful attitude.
Seeing that, Rohan seduced her with his coy voice.
“Would you like to come in and have some tea?”
“Is that okay?”
"However much."
The room Rohan stayed in was the best room in the inn.
The living room and bedroom were separate, with a bathroom, and it was located on the third floor, so there was a view of the sea and river estuary from the window.
No sooner had she sat down at the table than the waiter from the inn brought her a silver tray with cakes, cookies, and tea.
“Drink slowly. I’ll take a shower and come back soon.”
Once Rohan was gone, Hannah let out a long sigh of her own.
‘Rohan. I'm sorry for lying.'
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