While he was rolling through the battlefield, he never let go of his sword in his hand.
Even when he shovels a meal mixed with sand into his mouth without even tasting it to fuel his body.
It was the kingdom of Oberon that Kaian devoted his life to protecting.
Valquiterre's hands were white and soft as if he had never done anything difficult in his life.
Unlike Kaian, whose calluses are so thick that when he holds the inside of his palm, it feels like it is covered with thick leather, the tips of his long fingers, which seem better suited to holding a pen than holding a sword, or even playing a stringed instrument, let go of the flower and withdrew. He smoothed Claudel's bright red hair as if it were regretful.
Her silken hair wrapped around his beautiful fingertips, which he had preserved through a glorious period of his life.
“If you call me Bark instead of Your Majesty, I will be your faithful friend at any time.”
Claudel nodded without saying anything as if she was troubled.
“Bark.”
As if he really liked the answer, Valquiterre lightly kissed the back of her hand.
At that time, Kaian noticed Claudel looking shy with an awkward look in her eyes.
Although Valquiterre's voice could not be heard, his wife laughed at his mischievous joke.
As his world seemed to blink white, the woman with eyelashes as red and neat as her hair carefully withdrew her hand, and the scene of her going in and out fell on Kaian like a thunderbolt.
Claudel is laughing.
It had been a while since he had seen her smiling face.
He didn't know why.
From the moment he put the confessing woman on her counter as if she was clinging to him in the capital city, she couldn't help but smile at him.
When she first came to Rowen, she had been taken to the firing line because she was suffering from herzol, so instead of laughing, she never showed any human emotions and was as helpless as a doll.
As she recovered from her illness, she sometimes smiled when she saw him.
It's as if just looking at him makes her happy, as if just meeting his eyes makes her excited.
When he plunged her emotions into the abyss of Vermont, he had no idea that her smiling face, which had become a part of his daily life, was part of his savings.
Instead, what took the place were her sad, sorrowful, dark eyes.
There was a time when looking at it, he felt glad that the woman's soul had been completely placed in his hands. He thought so, but then he realized once again that he was a fool.
When he saw her smiling face, he began to wonder if he was missing something very important.
However, such subtle self-reflection disappeared in an instant as he was caught up in the feelings of jealousy that immediately exploded.
“Claudel!”
As soon as she heard her name called out with force without her knowing because he was upset, he saw Claudel shrug her shoulders as if she was scared. When Kaian saw Claudel's stiff appearance, it burned brightly, as if he had thrown a straw bale and poured a pot of oil on a fire.
“Kaian.”
As he got closer to her, she was overcome by momentum and instinctively took a few steps back, as if she would avoid him. Kaian pulled Claudel into his arms as if by snatching her.
“You’re walking too long.”
"Yes?"
“I waited in the room for a long time, but you didn’t come.”
“No, I just came out...”
“Where did Hannah go?”
Claudel couldn't hide her embarrassment and glanced at Valquiterre.
“The shade of the tree was cooler than I expected, so she went to get something to wear.”
Kaian suppressed his anger and tried to get her to stop within common sense.
“Has the busy work passed?”
Valquiterre asked curiously.
“It’s almost lunchtime, so let’s have a meal together.”
Kaian tensed his eyebrows without realizing it.
'If I say I'm busy, you'll say you'll eat with Claudel, right?'
He was so irritated that he wanted to drag her back to the bedroom right away, but there seemed to be no other way.
“Sure.”
"Ohh. For some reason, you can answer so easily. You were so busy the whole time.”
Every word Valquiterre said did not sound good.
“I think this is our first time coming to Rowen and having lunch together.”
Well, lunch was one of the rare opportunities to spend time alone with Claudel.
If he missed the lunch, it was hard to see her until he got to her bedroom at night. This was even more so now that work had increased due to Valquiterre's surprise visit.
Valquiterre grinned calmly.
“I ate a light breakfast and I feel hungry. Let’s go now.”
Kaian hurried her steps, not wanting to see Valquiterre in the bubbling mess.
“Kaian, Kaian. Go a little slower. Ahh!”
However, Claudel, who was being held by him and walking as if being dragged, stumbled in her steps. In the first place, she didn't fall down as she was in Kai'an's arms, but she frowned as she took a step with her right foot and felt pain.
"This. I sprained my ankle.”
“I don’t think it’s that bad.”
Kaian ignored Claudel's words and looked at Valquiterre.
“My wife hurt her leg, so she won’t be able to eat with us. I need to call a doctor.”
Even after seeing Valquiterre's eyes widen in bewilderment, Kaian called the butler without any hesitation.
"Butler. I heard His Majesty the King is hungry, so hurry up and prepare lunch. And call the doctor.”
"Yes. My Lord.”
Baron Colon bowed his head towards Valquiterre.
“I’ll take you to the restaurant.”
“...”
Valquiterre's blue eyes looked at him intently, as if trying to see what he was thinking. Kaian pretended not to notice his gaze and picked up Claudel and headed toward her room.
For a short time, a fleeting emotion passed by, and his heart was pounding.
'Did I make a mistake?'
All the time, he was worried about what would happen if Valquiterre treated Claudel the way he once did when he destroyed the things Kaian cared about.
He knows it doesn't make sense, but there were so many things that Kaian lost or gave up to Valquiterre that it made him think that way.
However, as Valquiterre looked closely at the relationship between him and Claudel, despite all the attention he had paid so far, an unpleasant feeling crept up on him.
'I shouldn't have treated Claudel like this in front of Valquiterre.'
Valquiterre was not interested in Kaian's indifferent treatment. Claudel was his wife, and it was her fate that he met through the marriage that Valquiterre gave him.
Valquiterre couldn't covet or steal Claudel.
Like the knight doll that the Grand Duke of Luxen had given him or the dagger that his father had given him as a birthday present, it was not something he could give away as he pleased.
Nevertheless, the sight he saw with his eyes was so powerful that Valquiterre seemed to be very fond of Claudel.
Things that didn't make sense were spinning around in his head.
“Why on earth are you doing that?”
As soon as they reached Claudel's room and closed the door, he jumped out.
“Are you really a person with thoughts?”
"I beg your pardon?"
Without even leaving her ear, he tore off the jacaranda flower that was protecting her and threw it on the floor.
“I told you to be careful so that nothing unpleasant happens.”
“I went with Hannah.”
“But there were two of you together with Valquiterre. Are you the mistress of the castle but without self-awareness?”
Kaiann sarcastically took offense at his feelings.
“A woman who pushed away even me, your husband, saying you didn’t know who would see what you would receive from my support at some point.”
“That’s because you’re being too harsh.”
“Is it rude for your husband to show affection and is it social for another man to put flowers in your hair?”
“An expression of affection? Don't be funny. You just wanted to play with me as you please.”
Claudel was furious.
“Isn’t the expression of affection only valid if there is affection?”
“Is now the time to ask such questions? Why did you stay still when Valquiterre touched you?”
"He touched me? You speak really strangely. Bark just gave me some flowers. Wouldn’t it be even weirder if I turned away with a straight face?”
“Would you like to hear a rumor about which one is weirder?”
Claudel bit her lower lip inside her mouth and staggered as if in some kind of pain, pressing her fisted hand to the center of her chest.
'Also...'
A woman who does not cry sometimes appears to cry without tears. Claudel made Kaian feel remorse for making the woman cry without shedding a single tear.
On the other hand, this situation was pathetic.
When she realized that it had been a long time since he had seen her smile, he suddenly felt as if she were starving, and she was starving for his affection.
Kaian suddenly developed a murderous desire for the Duke of Vermont.
'If only I hadn't heard the old foxy Duke tell Claudel to put a knife to my throat.'
There would have been no such double treatment of her.
The position of head of the Temnes family moved to Kaian. After hearing Vermont's words, Kaian's check was almost a reflexive action.
At the time, he thought it was the most reasonable option for him to come.
In hindsight, he felt sorry for Claudel.
He was so confident that he would pour out harsh words to a woman who had pure feelings for him.
Kaian offered his hand to Claudel. But the woman who had expected him to come into her arms took his hand, brought it to her cheek, and closed her eyes.
“Kaian. Don’t do that to me.”
Claudel's voice became quiet as if it were going to die out.
“Now don’t act like you hate me so much. It's scary."
When she opened her eyes, there was sadness in her gold eyes.
“You cared for me a lot. It’s okay if you don’t treat me as warmly as before.”
Only then did he understand why she didn't come to him as if the fairy would fly away.
He wondered if she had grown to dislike him because he had drawn a line with the Duke of Vermont.
Kaian opened his mouth intending to correct her by saying that was not true.
“Claudel. I didn’t mean that.”
However, a disturbing commotion was heard outside the door.
“...What happened?"
"Well."
While they were puzzled, the butler who was supposed to be waiting for Valquiterre's meal knocked on the door.
“My lord. Princess Bianque has arrived.”
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