“She likes me.”
Kaian felt crazy joy.
"Ha."
Every time his heart beat, he was so frustrated that he wanted to scream out loud and jump up and down.
He roughly pulled on his tie and roughly tore off the buttons on his shirt.
Tuk. Tootuk.
The sound of a button falling helplessly on the carpet sounded unrealistically far away.
Thud. Thud.
The loudest sound he could hear was his own heartbeat.
What was supposed to be inside his body was making a loud noise as if it was jumping out uncontrollably.
He never thought he liked Claudel.
Until she suddenly confessed to him.
'I like you.'
The naturally bright eyes of the woman looking at him captured the colors of the fireworks coloring the sky.
The sound of his heart beating became louder and louder than the loud sound of fireworks exploding in the night sky.
It was as if his voice was etched into his mind like some kind of spell.
He likes Claudel.
“I can’t believe I didn’t know that before.”
Kaian looked back on what he had done.
It became a routine for him to do things he didn't do almost every day, leaving Claudel behind.
He had never taken care of or cared for anyone in his life.
No, he had taken care of soldiers and looked after the territory, but the subject had never been a living person.
Because she is his own wife.
Every time he saw Claudel getting healthier after saving the life of someone who was dying, he felt happy and thought, 'I even did something crazy like charging into a herd of buffalo, but I don't feel this much reward?' There was a time when hr said to himself.
He had taken it for granted that he would provide everything to her because she was the Duchess of Temnes.
It wasn't something that was taken for granted.
He did it because he liked Claudel.
She doesn't find it difficult to deal with him anymore, and it's nice to see her becoming more comfortable.
Because she was happy to welcome him or talk to him warmly during the awkward and uncomfortable relationship between them.
No matter how much work he had, he made sure to eat a proper meal for lunch.
He often worked late into the morning, and he somehow ended up finishing work early.
Claudel's place was created as she gradually engraved it into every corner of his daily life.
Even without looking at his watch, he automatically knew it was time to go to her.
He thought it was just because he was perfect.
He was the type of person who never missed or neglected anything that needed attention.
Why didn't he know that it had only made one exception so far?
It was because the woman he saw every day was too close.
Since she was in a place where he would grab her and pull her when he stretched out his hand, and where he would obediently embrace her when he hugged her, he didn't have time to look into her deepening feelings.
'How about you? Do you like me too?'
What surprised him the most was that the moment Claudel asked him that, he was so happy.
Kaian was so purely happy that he had no choice but to accept without a doubt that he had fallen in love with Claudel.
However, he was the head of the Temnes family.
Cleverly, as soon as he found out that Claudel liked him, Kaian calculated the attitude he should take in an instant.
'There's no way a damn old fox can have a weakness.'
This is for the Duke of Vermont, who seems to know everything about his bedroom.
When Claudel confessed earlier, Kaian had a lot in his head.
Claudel said she wanted to rest because her legs were sore, so he guided her to the lounge provided for royals.
The space was part of the room that her mother, who was a Princess, used until she got married.
It had a small dedicated study, performance room, bedroom and bathroom, and a spacious reception room and lounge.
During his stay in the castle this time, Kaian had stayed in the best guest bedroom that had been prepared for the Duke and Duchess, but before that, he had always stayed in Madame Elise's room.
He took Claudel there with the intention of taking a look around.
As he chatted with other nobles, quite a bit of time passed and he became curious about her physical condition, as she said she wanted to rest.
The attendant, who had been standing a little lazily, straightened up when he saw Kaian.
'I will report it.'
'Done. Go and see.'
Kaian answered the servant and opened the door to the lounge himself.
A familiar voice was heard through the crack in the door.
'I've been away for too long. I have to go back.'
'You must not forget why you went there.'
Kaian heard a conversation between Claudel and the Duke of Vermont. The hand that was trying to open the door stopped with a narrow gap.
'Behave like a daughter of Vermont.'
He was threatening Claudel.
'If you have someone, you have to be ready to kill him at any time. Do you understand?'
When Kaian heard those words, he felt like he couldn't breathe.
Hearing Claudel's footsteps approaching the door, he quickly hid next to a pillar in the hallway.
Claudel didn't see him and hurriedly ran to the other side.
'I thought you were a spy in my house, but you turned out to be an assassin.'
Kaian muttered self-deprecatingly.
He knew that Claudel was periodically sending telegrams to the Duke of Vermont through Hannah.
Not only that, he knew a lot of things she wasn't telling him.
When the Duke of Vermont gave her in marriage, he did so even though he knew she had Herzol.
And almost as soon as she arrived at Rowen Castle, she was married in such a deteriorated condition that she died shortly afterward.
So, after her death, she did not see the valuables, which were enough to be given to the daughter who was getting married in Vermont, reverted to the assets of Temnes, so she did not take care of the expensive dresses or jewelry and sent her bare body.
When Kaian found out, he didn't get angry with Claudel or argue with her about it.
This marriage took place by order of Valquiterre.
Regardless of the reason, trying to break up the marriage itself would mean breaking the King's command, so he dismissed it as absurd.
Moreover, Claudel was so weak that he was worried that she would faint if she even saw him get angry. In fact, some people fainted while wearing iron armor when they saw him screaming in rage on the battlefield.
Even if he scolded and scolded Claudel, nothing would change.
He hated wasting time on useless things.
He filled the Duchess's empty jewelry box and made her a dress, using the cold northern and hot southern weather as an excuse.
He did not stop Hannah from sending a telegram to the North.
Even with the favor he gave her, she
still continue to act as spies.
Thinking about it like that didn't make him feel good, but telegrams from the people planted in the castle of Valmonde were posted almost every day on the desk in Kaian's office.
While watching Flowers with Claudel at Rowen Castle, Kaian was even able to find out that the Duke of Vermont had been having trouble sleeping for several nights due to cavities.
'That kind of pain would be even worse in the cold north. I guess I'll just retire now and recuperate outside the frozen ground.'
While watching the telegrams coming from the North, Kaian always waited for the right time to come.
Just because he gave up the battle for territory, the confrontation with Vermont was not over.
Claudel never set foot in his office or study.
The guards who guarded his space were chosen only from among the blood relatives of Temnes.
There was no way that the brave men selected from among the blood relatives would fall for Vermont's trick. He doesn't know if it comes from Vermont's neck.
Compared to the information he received, the information Claudel sent to the Duke of Vermont was very trivial.
So he didn't even feel the need to do it.
Still, he felt offended when the Duke of Vermont mentioned things like 'preparing to take his life'.
'Even if you treat me this well, it's no use.'
Without realizing it, Kaian felt discouraged.
However, his heart softened when he saw Claudel, whose face had suddenly become half-faced and whose lips looked a little tired, despite all the bright decorations.
All he could think about was to quickly wrap her in a soft, warm cloak to keep her from getting cold.
He just thought he'd cover her with a blanket to keep her from catching a cold, as her dress was made of thin lace and silk that showed off her body and didn't do much to keep her warm.
'It would not have been her wish for Claudel to become the adopted daughter of the Duke of Vermont.'
He knows he has a crush on her.
It was Claudel who approached him first, asking if she could kiss him.
According to her, he often wrinkled her eyebrows and made an angry face.
As he got used to living with Claudel, Kaian was sometimes able to laugh naturally in front of her without restraint.
At first, he laughed, he was a little surprised himself.
Then she looked intently at his face.
As if completely possessed.
Still, he never imagined that she would confess to him like this.
She's Vermont, he's Temnes.
Even if they were doing well, the fundamentals did not change.
The man trained with the forged sword of Temnes believed that Claudel would do the same.
She could put a knife to her enemy's throat at any moment.
'How can I make you trust me?'
Kaian couldn't bear it as he remembered the woman clinging to him with her helpless face, his heart burning.
He quickly walked over and opened the bedroom door, and the woman who had cleaned up Claudel's makeup and hair and changed her clothes looked at him with surprised faces.
“Are we finished?”
"Yes, yes."
“Then go away.”
Hannah and Madame Marcel quickly disappeared with bewildered looks on their faces.
“Claudel.”
“...Yes?"
She looked up at him helplessly.
The hurt woman's eyes were full of sadness.
But if her heart was broken, the more it hurt her, the more likely it was that she was sincere towards him.
Kaian hugged Claudel so tightly that she was crushed and kissed her.
He held her all night and let the joy pour out through his movements.
'There will never come a day when I change my mind.'
It was an unspeakable pledge of love to the daughter of an enemy.
Thinking about it like that didn't make him feel good, but telegrams from the people planted in the castle of Valmonde were posted almost every day on the desk in Kaian's office.
While watching Flowers with Claudel at Rowen Castle, Kaian was even able to find out that the Duke of Vermont had been having trouble sleeping for several nights due to cavities.
'That kind of pain would be even worse in the cold north. I guess I'll just retire now and recuperate outside the frozen ground.'
While watching the telegrams coming from the North, Kaian always waited for the right time to come.
Just because he gave up the battle for territory, the confrontation with Vermont was not over.
Claudel never set foot in his office or study.
The guards who guarded his space were chosen only from among the blood relatives of Temnes.
There was no way that the brave men selected from among the blood relatives would fall for Vermont's trick. He doesn't know if it comes from Vermont's neck.
Compared to the information he received, the information Claudel sent to the Duke of Vermont was very trivial.
So he didn't even feel the need to do it.
Still, he felt offended when the Duke of Vermont mentioned things like 'preparing to take his life'.
'Even if you treat me this well, it's no use.'
Without realizing it, Kaian felt discouraged.
However, his heart softened when he saw Claudel, whose face had suddenly become half-faced and whose lips looked a little tired, despite all the bright decorations.
All he could think about was to quickly wrap her in a soft, warm cloak to keep her from getting cold.
He just thought he'd cover her with a blanket to keep her from catching a cold, as her dress was made of thin lace and silk that showed off her body and didn't do much to keep her warm.
'It would not have been her wish for Claudel to become the adopted daughter of the Duke of Vermont.'
He knows he has a crush on her.
It was Claudel who approached him first, asking if she could kiss him.
According to her, he often wrinkled her eyebrows and made an angry face.
As he got used to living with Claudel, Kaian was sometimes able to laugh naturally in front of her without restraint.
At first, he laughed, he was a little surprised himself.
Then she looked intently at his face.
As if completely possessed.
Still, he never imagined that she would confess to him like this.
She's Vermont, he's Temnes.
Even if they were doing well, the fundamentals did not change.
The man trained with the forged sword of Temnes believed that Claudel would do the same.
She could put a knife to her enemy's throat at any moment.
'How can I make you trust me?'
Kaian couldn't bear it as he remembered the woman clinging to him with her helpless face, his heart burning.
He quickly walked over and opened the bedroom door, and the woman who had cleaned up Claudel's makeup and hair and changed her clothes looked at him with surprised faces.
“Are we finished?”
"Yes, yes."
“Then go away.”
Hannah and Madame Marcel quickly disappeared with bewildered looks on their faces.
“Claudel.”
“...Yes?"
She looked up at him helplessly.
The hurt woman's eyes were full of sadness.
But if her heart was broken, the more it hurt her, the more likely it was that she was sincere towards him.
Kaian hugged Claudel so tightly that she was crushed and kissed her.
He held her all night and let the joy pour out through his movements.
'There will never come a day when I change my mind.'
It was an unspeakable pledge of love to the daughter of an enemy.
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