"You’re not doing anything right. What on earth are you doing?”
I was trying to act appropriately for my assigned position.
I suddenly took the position of the Duchess of Temnes, as if I had fallen from grace.
When I responded slightly pointedly, the Duke of Vermont wiggled his eyebrows in anger.
“I'm not doing anything right? Don’t you know that I tried hard to send more food to Valmonde?”
"Ha. Do you dare talk back to me now?”
The Duke of Vermont approached me with long strides.
Then, the trauma engraved in my head was stimulated, and I wanted to scream without even realizing it.
“How funny. Do you really think that wearing a necklace makes you the Duchess of Temnes?”
“...”
“Isn’t this why they say people don’t reap? There is no use raising you as a child after losing your parents.”
I pursed my lips.
The Duke of Vermont's anger passed quickly when I simply said 'yes'.
If I go against his will in this way, I will end up having to apologize earnestly for everything that came out of his mouth.
'I really hate it.'
I know that, but I didn't want it anymore.
Why should I be so easy on the Duke of Vermont?
“We are sending food. If I had died immediately because of Herzol, the Duke of Temnes would have started a territorial war right away.”
Avoid war and receive food.
They truly have no conscience.
“What are you saying that I’m not good at?”
It would be better to just say out loud what you want...
“Shouldn’t we at least find out his weaknesses?”
“... Yes?"
“Tell me. The Duke goes into your bedroom every night, right?”
The Duke of Vermont's eyes trembled like snakes.
“Even slugs have a knack for rolling. Even a guy who pretends to be noble is a man who can’t be helped.”
I felt my stomach twist.
I wore underwear that was tight around my waist to make my dress fit, and I had trouble going to the bathroom, so I had nothing to eat or drink.
However, I felt like bitter water was rising inside me and I felt like I was going to get nauseous at any moment.
“It’s not like we just held hands and slept in the same bed. Still, tell me in detail what he said to you about your affectionate feelings.”
“I just held hands and slept.”
“... What?"
I was indignant.
“Do you think the Duke of Temnes would look kindly on me, an orphan born in heaven, uneducated, skinny, and unsightly?”
The Duke of Vermont frowned at my words.
“Didn’t you send me a telegram saying that if I need more food, you can provide it as much as you want?”
"Is it so. I prepared it. I asked the Duke to help me because I felt sorry for the starving children. Like a dog.”
After hearing my words, the Duke of Vermont seemed to have calmed down in his anger.
"Yes. It was something like that. Should I have been so honest from the beginning? Even he has his own tastes. Okay then.”
Even though he never really asked.
Suddenly, he started yelling and scolding me!
I was shocked, but I didn't want to deal with him anymore.
On the one hand, when I was at Valmonde, he wondered why I did not know that I could deal with the Duke of Vermont like this.
The answer to bullshit is bullshit.
By adjusting the rhythm of his misbehavior, I was able to sort things out and understand so quickly.
“I have been away for too long. I have to go back.”
I tried to pass by the Duke of Vermont and out of the common room.
Yank!
The Duke of Vermont, holding my arm, spoke darkly.
“You must not forget why you went there.”
When I did not answer, he spoke as if driving a wedge.
“Behave like a daughter of Vermont.”
He urged me to answer.
“If you have someone, you have to be ready to kill him at any time. Do you understand?”
I shook off the arm holding me and ran out, covering my mouth.
I quickly ran to the bathroom, bowed my head in the hand-washing basin, and relieved myself of all the pent-up pain I had been holding in.
“Uweek.”
I was sore as if my stomach had completely turned upside down.
There was nothing to raise in my empty stomach even after violent vomiting, so I spit out a handful of sour gastric juice and there was nothing more to come out.
“Wook. Ugh.”
However, I continued to gag for a while longer and was finally able to calm down.
It's terrible.
It's so terrible.
He actually knew.
That the Duke of Vermont would not let me go to his mercy.
Even if it's an organ that I throw away, if I live without dying, I can use it as much as I want.
I didn't want to admit it.
I didn't want to accept that my life was so miserable.
The brief conversation with the Duke of Vermont drained energy from my body. I, feeling helpless, just wanted to go somewhere and hide from everything, as if curled up in a cave.
'No. I am the Duchess of Temnes.'
No matter what shining thing I brought, the man who dazzled me more was my husband. When I realized that I should not be a blemish on its splendor, I was finally able to regain my composure.
After adjusting my appearance and coming out, thr servant came up and told me that Kaian was looking for me.
I followed the servant and I was led to the terrace.
As I opened the door and stepped out, the cool air outside seemed to take my breath away.
Sreuk.
At the same time, a cozy cloak fell over my shoulders.
“Did you have a good conversation with your family?”
"How about you? What did you talk about with the other nobles?”
I asked him back instead of giving an answer.
“What did you say? I said something insignificant.”
“What are you talking about?”
When I asked again, Kaian hugged my shoulders and sat me down on a soft chair, covering me with a blanket.
“Please do not liberate the serfs on the Pagos Plain.”
“I’ve heard it before. I heard you are liberating the serfs in your territory as free people.”
What I can't forget was the story I heard from the butler in the hallway in front of Kaian's bedroom the day before his birthday.
"Yes. The Pagos Plain is adjacent to the capital city. They say that liberating the serfs there will stimulate the serfs in the surrounding estates.”
"Yes. Wouldn’t it be okay if we all liberate ourselves together?”
“Rowen is mainly based on agriculture, so there are a lot of serfs. Even if they become free people right away, not many people will stop farming.”
“But it would be difficult if it were another territory. Unless the number of serfs is as large as in Rowen.”
“Because of the liberation of the serfs of the Rowen estate, the serfs of their own estate are said to be rioting or deserting.”
“What you think is the right thing to do is the right thing to do.”
Kaian asked, placing a glass bottle of hot water inside the blanket.
“Why do you think that?”
“The desire for freedom cannot be forced.”
I knew that better than anyone else. Even though I want to hide myself under my husband's shadow, I am dragged out by the back of my neck on a board made by the Duke of Vermont.
“It is cruel to force a certain life on those who are entangled and cannot escape on their own.”
Kaian nodded at my words.
“The speed at which the world changes is slow. But that will change someday.”
We sat side by side for a moment and looked up at the dark starry sky.
Kaian said after taking out his pocket watch and looking at it.
“It’ll start soon.”
"What?"
As soon as I asked, a red fireball crawled up into the night sky like a worm.
Pop.
Red flames made a large flower bloom in the black sky.
Boom, boom.
One after another, yellow fireworks, and then red fireworks, climbed up the night sky, diligently finding their place.
“Wow. So pretty."
“It’s fun to watch because it has a high level of vigor.”
As the fireworks shined on the wide river below the castle, the colors of the whole world became brighter and darker repeatedly.
We watched the scene, sitting side by side, holding hands under the blanket.
I silently gazed at the flower of light burning like hope in the pitch-black darkness for a long time.
Little by little, I cut out the memories of hearing the verbal abuse from the Duke of Vermont from today's events.
‘Because there were so many more good things today. It was a good day.'
I felt good when I looked in the mirror in my new dress, listening to Hannah and Madame Marcel's praise and fuss.
My heart pounded as I saw Kaian, dressed in the best outfit I had ever seen.
I was able to see the Duchess of Vermont and Irena for the first time in a long time, and I was grateful for the sincere look in my mother's eyes when she was happy to see that I was alive and healthy, even though she had thought I would die from Herzol.
And I was happy to dance at the ball with Kaian.
I blushed when I saw the man who would become my husband, but even if it weren't for him, I wanted to dance even more.
It's a pity, but Kaian was the kind of person who would do anything if I said I wanted to hold a ball at Rowen Castle.
'Because it was a good day.'
I silently gazed at the flower of light burning like hope in the pitch-black darkness for a long time.
Little by little, I cut out the memories of hearing the verbal abuse from the Duke of Vermont from today's events.
‘Because there were so many more good things today. It was a good day.'
I felt good when I looked in the mirror in my new dress, listening to Hannah and Madame Marcel's praise and fuss.
My heart pounded as I saw Kaian, dressed in the best outfit I had ever seen.
I was able to see the Duchess of Vermont and Irena for the first time in a long time, and I was grateful for the sincere look in my mother's eyes when she was happy to see that I was alive and healthy, even though she had thought I would die from Herzol.
And I was happy to dance at the ball with Kaian.
I blushed when I saw the man who would become my husband, but even if it weren't for him, I wanted to dance even more.
It's a pity, but Kaian was the kind of person who would do anything if I said I wanted to hold a ball at Rowen Castle.
'Because it was a good day.'
I put into practice what I had been regretting doing since I danced earlier.
Kaian looked at me curiously as I took my hands out of the blanket and took off my gloves.
“It’s on. It must be cold.”
I took the gloves off his hands and, holding his bare hands, put them back under the blanket.
Kaian, who was watching what I was doing, wrapped his large hand around my hand.
'I like this person.'
It's nice not to force anything on Claudel.
He liked that she was the one who couldn't die without his permission.
He was grateful that no matter what she did, she gave him a warm hand as she did it without asking any questions.
There was clearly nothing in her palms.
But as time passed, something felt warm in his hand, along with his pounding heart.
“Kaian.”
I wanted to pass it on to Kaian.
"I like you."
She knows that she is grateful and happy to have him by his side.
"How about you? Do you like me too?”
Now I hoped to confirm his feelings.
I wanted to stop loving him unrequitedly.
However, the answer I received was beyond expectations.
"No."
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