“You’re ruining my castle.”
Rowen Castle, which Valquiterre always missed, was an elegant and noble castle. At the back of the castle, there is a lake connected to the river, and the castle with a rising moat in the background has the dignity of the first royal castle of the Kingdom of Oberon.
What kind of hideous thing is this in the royal capital?
“Did you abandon your aesthetic sense on the battlefield?”
While he was sitting on his high horse looking at the baby buffalo over the crowd and feeling displeased, Kaian came out to meet him. Only then did the crowd look behind them and spot the King and his party, and the commotion died down.
Woooooo-
A long horn sounded and at the castle entrance, Kaian began leading his soldiers across the drawbridge.
Those who had been quiet for a moment after seeing Valquiterre saw the Lord they were worshiping and started whispering excitedly.
Kaian, who came through the middle of the chaos, truly had the dignity of a renowned Lord of Rowen. Looking down at him clearly from his horse, Valquiterre felt his heart freeze.
This was the first time Kaian had greeted him as the owner of Rowen Castle.
“Your Majesty the King. Welcome to Rowen.”
When the Lord, dressed in full robes, approached in accordance with the etiquette and bowed his head, Valquiterre finally got off his horse.
“Thank you for your hospitality.”
“Please eat inside.”
Valquiterre looked back and made his escorts and attendants take a few steps back.
As he walked on the drawbridge, he could see even more clearly the people surrounding the moat having fun throwing food at the monster below. There was no way a beast lacking in intelligence would completely eat what was given to it, so there were chewed fruits and things strewn about, which made him frown.
Unable to bear it any longer, Valquiterre asked Kaian softly.
“What the hell is that?”
“I couldn’t help it. Because we caught them alive, they broke the cage and scared the other livestock.”
“Why did you catch such a hideous thing in the first place?”
“Emergency medicine.”
Kaian said casually.
Except for the fact that the elegance of the moat was missing and the heavy breathing of howling animals could be heard occasionally, the closer he got to the castle walls, the more he remembered Rowen Castle as it was in his memories.
'The Lord of the castle has changed.'
When he came before, Valquiterre was also with Queen Silvia, and the person who welcomed them at the castle Lord's seat was the ancestral Duke of Temnes.
Although he knew that Kaian was ruling the territory well, Valquiterre was offended when he saw him greeting him as the head of the family without any flaws.
Expecting to be in a hurry, they had the advance party arrive by the time they entered the Rowen territory and only allowed about three days to spare.
'I came suddenly on purpose.'
Valquiterre also did not like Kaian's attitude, who greeted him too calmly. However, those feelings subsided in an instant when he saw a woman standing at the end of the drawbridge, inside the castle gate, with her hands in front of her navel and greeting him.
“It’s an honor for you to visit Rowen Castle, Your Majesty the King.”
The woman, with her red, luscious hair neatly pulled up and a hairpin in her hair, still looked fresh and innocent.
Claudel, who had not yet acquired the sophistication typical of an older noblewoman, may have wanted to look like the wife of a castle Lord, but the fact that she wore a neat, classic dress that capital women would not wear at that age, and with her hair up, made her even more eye-catching.
He felt as if he were seeing a Princess playfully lifting the Queen's crown, or a Prince reaching out for his father's sword. Somehow, compared to her solemn outfit, he felt that her immaturity was cuter.
‘I am indeed. This is what I thought as soon as I saw her. There's no answer.'
Only when Valquiterre greeted Claudel was he able to shake off the uncomfortable feeling inside and truly smile.
“Seeing the beautiful Duchess again makes the long journey worthwhile.”
As he responded, Claudel was seen giving strength to the hands he was holding.
“Oberon, the greatest pillar of the kingdom and God’s most beloved King. I hope you can take a rest from your heavy steps in Rowen, a blessed land surrounded by the heat of the sun.”
Claudel's eyes glanced at Kaian, who was standing next to Valquiterre, as she wrote a series of awkward phrases.
“Heh.”
Valquiterre heard a small laughter sound like the wind passing by next to him. And at that moment, surprisingly, Claudel's golden eyes grew slightly larger, as if flowers were blooming.
Soon she too was seen relaxing and smiling with a relieved look on her face. Valquiterre's judgment was distorted when he saw the two people exchanging glances for a moment even after leaving him standing.
“I’m tired. Hurry and lead the way.”
"Yes. Your Majesty the King.”
Valquiterre walked inside with long strides. The castle was so clean that he didn't really need any guidance, but since it was his first visit to Rowen after ascending to the throne of the King, he went out of his way to be polite.
When Valquiterre was ushered into the parlor, tea was immediately served by the butler who had been preparing it in advance.
“Your Majesty the King. I send greetings.”
“Baron Colon. It’s been a while since I’ve seen you.”
The last time the butler and Valquiterre had seen each other before that was when the butler had gone to the capital from the Rowen estate to transport the Duke and Duchess of Temnes from the royal castle.
“You’ve worked hard. It would be rare to find a host as difficult to serve as Kaian. What is it like? If only you would give me a place in the royal castle.”
Kaian raised his eyebrows at the battle for talent taking place right before his eyes.
“I think it would be best to talk about that in a place where my eyes can’t reach.”
“If it is done in a place where the Duke’s eyes cannot reach, I think I will sincerely want to take you to the royal castle.”
The butler's eyes were slightly red as if he was thrilled to see Kaian and Valquiterre, who were once as tall as his waist, sitting facing each other.
“I am serving the next master in honor of the legacy left behind by the deceased Duke. Please stop talking.”
“I still see that the joke doesn’t work. The taste of the tea is the same.”
As Valquiterre grinned and raised his teacup, the atmosphere of subtle competition subsided.
When the butler left, Kaian took off the heavily decorated outerwear he had been forced to wear despite the heat.
“What happened all of a sudden?”
Kaian's tone of voice as he asked was filled with irritation that could not be hidden.
Valquiterre casually leaned back on the sofa.
“Nothing.”
“You’ve never been there before.”
“I didn’t have any peace of mind at that time.”
Kaian's red eyes shined even more vividly in the living room, where the curtains were half-drawn to block the bright Rowen sun.
“Speak properly instead of talking back. Is something happening?”
Valquiterre looked at the red eyes that seemed to have drawn in Rowen's heat with his cold blue eyes.
Valquiterre set a constant as he watched Kaian, who was instinctively wary that he might have some kind of plot in mind due to his dislike of unclear or unknown variables.
“I said I would take a break, but I can’t come to my house as I please.”
When he called Rowen Castle 'my home', Kaian's eyebrows relaxed and his eyes softened. Kaian was weak at the fact that they were of the same bloodline because they had twin mothers.
“It’s been just over three years since you returned from the battlefield. I have no interest in visiting castles when the owner is away.”
However, when he spoke as if he knew full well that the owner of this castle was Kaian, he sighed.
“I never thought I’d see you this often.”
“Are you dissatisfied?”
"No way. Welcome, Valquiterre.”
The man, who seemed to have appeared under the sun's protection, smiled as he looked at Kaian, who had completely lost his guard.
“Thank you for welcoming me.”
Actually.
'I came to see your wife.'
Kaian would never have known that fact.
Valquiterre had a dark expression on his face beneath his dazzlingly bright face.
***
Because of the young King of Oberon, who sent an advance party at the end of only three days, Rowen Castle was so lively that it seemed like it was about to explode.
"Ugh. Rowen’s strength is so bad, I’m going to die from exhaustion.”
“How long has it been since the castle was decorated like this?”
The maids who had worked at the castle for a long time said they were having a hard time and stuck out their tongues.
The royal family's journey was never decided suddenly. As this was a visit of the highest dignity in the kingdom, it was usual to prepare in advance to ensure that sufficient protocol and courtesy were provided with care.
This is something that should have been prepared with at least three months to spare.
At least in the Rowen territory, it seemed like everyone had gotten used to this sudden big event.
After the funeral of the previous Duke and his wife, the head of the family leaves for the battlefield, a sudden marriage by royal order, taking a hostess, and even a sudden visit from the King.
When something happens, don’t you somehow handle it?
Everyone in Rowen Castle was of one mind like a wheel turning and turning.
In the midst of it all, I was also busy walking back and forth and ordering the maids to do their work.
“Take out everything that’s old.”
For a while, the carefully maintained hostess's place was empty, leaving stained old curtains and bedding scattered throughout the castle. I planned to throw away what I had to throw away this time and buy something new. Seeing sweat beading on my round forehead, the butler approached me and tried to stop me.
"Lady. Just take a break.”
“I am the hostess. Your Majesty is here, so how can I rest alone?”
I could not forget the look on Kaian's face after hearing the King's command recited by the messenger sent by Valquiterre.
'Did you look like that when you were told to marry me?'
Because I was on the point of having such thoughts.
I wasn't the type of person who was shameless enough to relax alone while there was a lot of commotion inside and outside the castle.
'I guess it's stabilized now and my morning sickness has disappeared.'
What the doctor said was true.
I have been feeling better and my physical condition has been improving for the past few days, since the day after Kaian and I got into a screaming argument in the middle of the night in the bathroom. When my headaches and nausea disappeared, I felt light, as if I had been reborn.
“I’m fine, so just go.”
At that moment, an arm suddenly stretched out from behind me and wrapped around my waist.
“If you tell me, they won’t listen.”
Because I was on the point of having such thoughts.
I wasn't the type of person who was shameless enough to relax alone while there was a lot of commotion inside and outside the castle.
'I guess it's stabilized now and my morning sickness has disappeared.'
What the doctor said was true.
I have been feeling better and my physical condition has been improving for the past few days, since the day after Kaian and I got into a screaming argument in the middle of the night in the bathroom. When my headaches and nausea disappeared, I felt light, as if I had been reborn.
“I’m fine, so just go.”
At that moment, an arm suddenly stretched out from behind me and wrapped around my waist.
“If you tell me, they won’t listen.”
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