The family head, who had been away for nearly a month due to the King's Birthday celebration, returned.
Baron Colon was originally a close friend of the previous Duke of Temnes. Since he was a child, he received education and grew up playing with them, so his knowledge and capabilities were considerable.
Among his vassals, he insisted on being a butler because he wanted to assist the previous head of the family as closely as possible due to his loyalty and overflowing affection for Temnes. He had many tasks in addition to those of archdeacons of other castles.
Then, when the Duke and Duchess who visited the royal castle suddenly died, Baron Colon assumed the role of guardian of the castle and became the castle's butler.
Fortunately, Kaian was eighteen years old when he became a Duke.
It was a pity that his father was absent early on to hold him up and teach him the skills of a lord, but on the other hand, it was fortunate that he was not a fledgling little boy.
While Kaian was away at war, Baron Colon ruled Rowen Castle and its territory.
The son of a close friend, who had shouldered the enormous responsibility of Temnes at a young age, desperately hoped that the master he was supposed to serve would return unscathed.
In this way, even while the head of the family fought on the battlefield for several years, the territory and castle were safely protected. Not only the butler, but the affection of the people of the territory for the Duke of Temnes was so great that he was only briefly away from the territory when called by the King. Everyone was anxiously waiting to see when the matriarch would return.
On the other hand, there was a lot of resentment towards the chronic King Oberon and Valquiterre.
“If you’re tired, should we ask our lord to come?”
"I know. If the war is that important, go directly to it. The King stays in the castle and makes noise.”
The Kingdom of Oberon as a whole was supportive of Valquiterre's rule, but if there was one place where one could not find the slightest respect for the young King, it was the Rowen region.
Maybe it was because Queen Silvia often visited the country.
The two children, who looked so similar in blood, grew up together, either ahead or behind.
Did you see that?
Kaian is a little taller than His Majesty Valquiterre?
He heard he weighs a bit more than the Crown Prince.
His Majesty Valquiterre was crunching on his breakfast. If you're a man, you should eat everything and have another bowl like Kaian.
There was no fuss when people compared them in all sorts of ways and thought Kaian was better or better.
He is a proud and great lord who was raised with such care, but he sends them a telegram every day, telling him to come and go.
He couldn't tell if it was because of Valquiterre, who suddenly took action without any way of guessing why his antipathy toward the King was like that, or if Kaian had a charm unique to a lord that he couldn't escape.
With the return of the lord, who was so respected by the people of the Rowen estate, the castle, which had been deserted for nearly a month, came back to life, and nearby villages and marketplaces held small festivals among themselves, saying, 'To welcome the lord who came a long way.' It was worth it.
The tasks that had been delayed during the lord's absence were resolved one by one, relieving the worries of those who were anxious. Fruit and grain to offer him were brought into the city one after another.
As the number of people coming and going increased, everyone in the castle became so busy that they had to work without even having time to sit down.
However, Baron Colon was feeling something strange.
“My lord. The stallion arrives in the afternoon.”
"I Know. The one who arrives this time should be healthy.”
The price of the stallion was difficult to put a price on.
For generations, Temnes believed that power comes from force, so Kaian's decision to quit territorial warfare and raise private soldiers were two different things.
The mobility of the cavalry, which carries knights wearing heavy armor, is determined by horses.
It is difficult to obtain a male horse with superior genes, but as soon as Kaian returned from the battlefield, the horse he had paid a high price for died after only living for about three years.
He thought perhaps the hay provided by Rowen was not to his taste because it was imported from a foreign country outside Oberon's kingdom. The ransom is the ransom, but he also has to take care of the horse's appetite. Lord Rowen had a very difficult job.
This time, it was a horse brought in from a fiefdom that was close to the previous Duke, so Kaian was determined to pass down the generation without failure.
“There won’t be any trouble. Doesn’t the Count boast that if the stallion is not produced within a year, he will return half the price?”
“That shouldn’t happen. Time is precious.”
Kaian, leaning on a chair in his office, was wearing a shirt with a stiff starched collar.
Two buttons below his neck were undone, but he was wearing a tight-fitting vest and sitting with his legs crossed, already wearing riding boots. He looked even more dignified today.
'I can't believe you already have that much experience.'
The butler was a little impressed.
Even after hearing the news that the previous Duke and Duchess had suddenly died, Kaian did not shed tears and said 'I see' with a slightly tired face, and ascended to the position of head of the family as if he had been a lord from birth. Anyway, he was a young lord.
Isn’t it true that fame and fortune fall from the sky overnight? It took time to gain authority.
It seemed as if a halo was literally shining from Kaian's face, who seemed relaxed today.
'No matter what happens, you feel more stable because you have Madam.'
But he was worried about the lady’s condition.
Even when I opened my eyes in the morning, I could not get out of bed.
"Lady. You should get up and eat something.”
“I don’t feel good.”
"Ugh. You only ate a bowl of portage yesterday, right?”
“Anyway, it will be time for lunch in a little while.”
The bowl of rich soup I ate yesterday was what Kaian fed me for lunch.
“What if you get sick like this?”
Hannah anxiously massaged my hand.
“Your hands are so cold.”
Hannah, who was shaking her feet, soon gave up on inviting me to eat with her.
“I need to at least take a steam bath. I don’t understand why my hands and feet are cold.”
Although it was cold in Valmonde, it was strange that my body was cold in such hot weather.
She massaged my hand, then put my hand under the blanket and massaged my cold foot, and then Hannah, who was shaking, lowered her head.
"I'm sorry, Lady. Because of me."
“What are you sorry about?”
After returning from the Royal Ball, Hannah, and Madame Marcel were in an uproar with excitement.
Didn't Hannah win the bet with me and use her other wish ticket to 'confess to the lord'?
He heard he weighs a bit more than the Crown Prince.
His Majesty Valquiterre was crunching on his breakfast. If you're a man, you should eat everything and have another bowl like Kaian.
There was no fuss when people compared them in all sorts of ways and thought Kaian was better or better.
He is a proud and great lord who was raised with such care, but he sends them a telegram every day, telling him to come and go.
He couldn't tell if it was because of Valquiterre, who suddenly took action without any way of guessing why his antipathy toward the King was like that, or if Kaian had a charm unique to a lord that he couldn't escape.
With the return of the lord, who was so respected by the people of the Rowen estate, the castle, which had been deserted for nearly a month, came back to life, and nearby villages and marketplaces held small festivals among themselves, saying, 'To welcome the lord who came a long way.' It was worth it.
The tasks that had been delayed during the lord's absence were resolved one by one, relieving the worries of those who were anxious. Fruit and grain to offer him were brought into the city one after another.
As the number of people coming and going increased, everyone in the castle became so busy that they had to work without even having time to sit down.
However, Baron Colon was feeling something strange.
“My lord. The stallion arrives in the afternoon.”
"I Know. The one who arrives this time should be healthy.”
The price of the stallion was difficult to put a price on.
For generations, Temnes believed that power comes from force, so Kaian's decision to quit territorial warfare and raise private soldiers were two different things.
The mobility of the cavalry, which carries knights wearing heavy armor, is determined by horses.
It is difficult to obtain a male horse with superior genes, but as soon as Kaian returned from the battlefield, the horse he had paid a high price for died after only living for about three years.
He thought perhaps the hay provided by Rowen was not to his taste because it was imported from a foreign country outside Oberon's kingdom. The ransom is the ransom, but he also has to take care of the horse's appetite. Lord Rowen had a very difficult job.
This time, it was a horse brought in from a fiefdom that was close to the previous Duke, so Kaian was determined to pass down the generation without failure.
“There won’t be any trouble. Doesn’t the Count boast that if the stallion is not produced within a year, he will return half the price?”
“That shouldn’t happen. Time is precious.”
Kaian, leaning on a chair in his office, was wearing a shirt with a stiff starched collar.
Two buttons below his neck were undone, but he was wearing a tight-fitting vest and sitting with his legs crossed, already wearing riding boots. He looked even more dignified today.
'I can't believe you already have that much experience.'
The butler was a little impressed.
Even after hearing the news that the previous Duke and Duchess had suddenly died, Kaian did not shed tears and said 'I see' with a slightly tired face, and ascended to the position of head of the family as if he had been a lord from birth. Anyway, he was a young lord.
Isn’t it true that fame and fortune fall from the sky overnight? It took time to gain authority.
It seemed as if a halo was literally shining from Kaian's face, who seemed relaxed today.
'No matter what happens, you feel more stable because you have Madam.'
But he was worried about the lady’s condition.
***
Even when I opened my eyes in the morning, I could not get out of bed.
"Lady. You should get up and eat something.”
“I don’t feel good.”
"Ugh. You only ate a bowl of portage yesterday, right?”
“Anyway, it will be time for lunch in a little while.”
The bowl of rich soup I ate yesterday was what Kaian fed me for lunch.
“What if you get sick like this?”
Hannah anxiously massaged my hand.
“Your hands are so cold.”
Hannah, who was shaking her feet, soon gave up on inviting me to eat with her.
“I need to at least take a steam bath. I don’t understand why my hands and feet are cold.”
Although it was cold in Valmonde, it was strange that my body was cold in such hot weather.
She massaged my hand, then put my hand under the blanket and massaged my cold foot, and then Hannah, who was shaking, lowered her head.
"I'm sorry, Lady. Because of me."
“What are you sorry about?”
After returning from the Royal Ball, Hannah, and Madame Marcel were in an uproar with excitement.
Didn't Hannah win the bet with me and use her other wish ticket to 'confess to the lord'?
They knew by feeling that it was D-Day.
With her hands, she diligently removed my make-up, removed the ornament from my hair, and urged me to speak quickly.
‘Did you say something? What does the lord say?'
'I'm so curious that I'm all nervous.'
Claudel smiled awkwardly at them as their eyes lit up in anticipation.
'I don't think he likes me.'
In response to my words, the two women made the same sound at the same time.
'...Yes?'
'Anyway, I said it. I don't think I will feel any regrets anymore.'
My eyes were full of regret as I spoke as if it was no big deal.
When they were unable to comfort me or say anything, the bedroom door opened without knocking and Kaian appeared.
Hannah and Madame Marcel appeared as if they were being kicked out of the bedroom and looked at each other with wide eyes.
But then there was a bigger problem.
When seen by the doctor, I said that I was nervous because it was my first time participating in a big ball, so I felt sick and vomited while in the palace.
Then, even though I used medicine, applied compresses, and tried hard, my condition did not improve and I continued to suffer.
'You're sick inside.'
The servant of Temnes, who had sacrificed her soul, gritted her teeth as she looked at her master.
Kaian was clearly in love with Claudel.
To treat someone like that without a doubt and then draw a line saying you don't like them, that's not right!
She wanted to argue, but it was not an opportunity to do so since Claudel was sick the whole time.
Claudel's condition did not improve and he was unable to depart for Rowen as scheduled the next day. However, she could not postpone her departure forever, so she returned a day late.
It was a leisurely, enjoyable trip that took ten days when we left, but when they came back, Claudel was sick and lay resting or sleeping in the carriage the whole time, so they sped up the trip and came back after six days.
However, even after returning to Rowen Castle, Claudel was unable to regain her strength.
Hannah's self-blame grew.
Claudel's happiness is her happiness.
They were probably the ones who knew best what was going on between Kaian and Claudel.
She regretted that it was foolish to see it from the side and encourage it.
"Hannah. Do not be sorry. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
"Still...”
Her always cheerful maid was depressed.
“I have no regrets. There are some things that only become clear when you try them.”
At Claudel's words, Hannah let go of her hand and stood up.
“I’ll quickly go to the kitchen and make a hot water bag.”
"Please, Hannah."
As she spoke weakly, Hannah suddenly disappeared.
“Whoa.”
Once Hannah got out, I was finally alone.
With her hands, she diligently removed my make-up, removed the ornament from my hair, and urged me to speak quickly.
‘Did you say something? What does the lord say?'
'I'm so curious that I'm all nervous.'
Claudel smiled awkwardly at them as their eyes lit up in anticipation.
'I don't think he likes me.'
In response to my words, the two women made the same sound at the same time.
'...Yes?'
'Anyway, I said it. I don't think I will feel any regrets anymore.'
My eyes were full of regret as I spoke as if it was no big deal.
When they were unable to comfort me or say anything, the bedroom door opened without knocking and Kaian appeared.
Hannah and Madame Marcel appeared as if they were being kicked out of the bedroom and looked at each other with wide eyes.
But then there was a bigger problem.
When seen by the doctor, I said that I was nervous because it was my first time participating in a big ball, so I felt sick and vomited while in the palace.
Then, even though I used medicine, applied compresses, and tried hard, my condition did not improve and I continued to suffer.
'You're sick inside.'
The servant of Temnes, who had sacrificed her soul, gritted her teeth as she looked at her master.
Kaian was clearly in love with Claudel.
To treat someone like that without a doubt and then draw a line saying you don't like them, that's not right!
She wanted to argue, but it was not an opportunity to do so since Claudel was sick the whole time.
Claudel's condition did not improve and he was unable to depart for Rowen as scheduled the next day. However, she could not postpone her departure forever, so she returned a day late.
It was a leisurely, enjoyable trip that took ten days when we left, but when they came back, Claudel was sick and lay resting or sleeping in the carriage the whole time, so they sped up the trip and came back after six days.
However, even after returning to Rowen Castle, Claudel was unable to regain her strength.
Hannah's self-blame grew.
Claudel's happiness is her happiness.
They were probably the ones who knew best what was going on between Kaian and Claudel.
She regretted that it was foolish to see it from the side and encourage it.
"Hannah. Do not be sorry. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
"Still...”
Her always cheerful maid was depressed.
“I have no regrets. There are some things that only become clear when you try them.”
At Claudel's words, Hannah let go of her hand and stood up.
“I’ll quickly go to the kitchen and make a hot water bag.”
"Please, Hannah."
As she spoke weakly, Hannah suddenly disappeared.
“Whoa.”
Once Hannah got out, I was finally alone.
I wanted to be quietly alone.
It seemed like only then would I be able to put my mind and thoughts in order.
The Duchess of Temnes rarely had time to be alone, which made it more troubled and difficult.
Although my confession was rejected, I was not without a harvest.
“I can’t give up on Kaian.”
It would have been perfect if he had told me he liked me.
Otherwise, Kaian is my husband, so would he really have anything to like or dislike?
I didn't think this situation was bad or disappointing.
It wasn't like Kaian treated me any differently after that.
The problem is...
Knock knock.
There was a knock on the door and Kaian came into the bedroom.
“You came early?”
“I have work to do in the afternoon, so I need to hurry up and eat. How are you feeling?”
His eyes were full of concern for me.
“I feel a little better today.”
"Yes? Thank goodness.”
I got out of bed and Kaian put the robe over my nightgown.
As he opened my clothes, he looked at my collarbone, which was smoothly exposed due to my loose pajamas.
"Come on."
He sat down on the bed and held out his hand.
"No. The meal will be brought soon.”
“Claudel.”
I hesitated and sat on his legs.
The excited man kissed me softly and deeply on the nape of my neck and collarbone.
... My problem was that I had become his weakling.
No matter what Kaian wants, I am the weak one who can never refuse.
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