“My lord. Princess Bianque has arrived.”
Kaian and Claudel looked at each other at the same time.
“The Princess is here?”
"Suddenly?"
He was impressed as soon as he heard it.
‘I can’t believe Bianque is coming. It's as if both Valquiterre and her had planned this.'
The atmosphere was going as if he could finally have a proper conversation with Claudel. Once he realized that she seemed to be very hurt inside, he felt sorry for her and he didn't want to leave it like this.
“My lord.”
Kaian felt a sense of déjà vu as he heard a call from outside the door. Since it was a position with a lot of official duties, he wondered if it was always like this.
“I guess I should go.”
Kaian sighed and rubbed Claudel's shoulder.
“It looks like we won’t be able to eat together. Please listen with Hannah.”
"Yes."
“Don’t leave your room and rest.”
“It’s polite for me to go out to greet the Princess, too. I want to go with you.”
“No way. If you had even the slightest sense of decency, you wouldn’t push in like this.”
When he spoke coldly, Claudel silenced him.
“After the dance the day after tomorrow, there will be a water banquet. When they get back, we’ll talk about what we left off again.”
Kaian spoke in a tone that calmed his anger.
"Yes. All right."
“I’ll come early later night.”
He lightly kissed his wife's forehead and disappeared out of the room.
***
Hannah returned hurriedly, a thick shawl wrapped around her arm.
"OMG. OMG. No, when did you come back to your room? I've been looking for you for a while, Lady."
"Sorry. But I didn’t come back voluntarily.”
"Yes?"
“By chance, Kaian saw me encounter Bark. He was so angry that he forced me into this room.”
"Ah..."
A frustrated moan flowed from her mouth.
“I guess I should be prepared to get scolded by the lord later.”
“I wish I had brought a shawl with me when I went for a walk.”
“Who knew it would turn out like this?”
Hannah quickly brought the shawl back to the dressing room and dusted her hands.
“I’ll prepare lunch.”
"No. I don’t really think about it.”
“Is this something you agreed to?”
Claudel, whose conscience was pricked by Hannah's words, ended her brief pondering and opened her mouth.
“Then I’ll just eat apples.”
“I’ll also bring soup and bread. If you just eat apples, you might get a stomach ache. You were looking for apples in the morning too.”
“I think the baby really likes apples.”
Hannah rolled her eyes at Claudel's words and immediately left the room with a bright smile on her face.
“I’ll go and get the reddest and prettiest one.”
"Thank you, Hannah."
When slightly was left alone in my room, I sighed.
“Whew. Why is it so complicated?”
Lately, my daily life has been so hectic and distracting. I lightly brushed my lower abdomen with my hand. It still seemed barely noticeable, but there was a noticeable difference in the past few days.
“If Bark hadn’t come, Kaian would have found out already.”
When I placed my hand on the underside of my slender stomach, I felt a distinctly round raised spot.
I couldn't tell him yet because Kaian, who was distracted by Valquiterre, usually came to bed after me but if we had talked to each other enough, he would have noticed it long ago.
“I don’t even care about prenatal education, what is this?”
It would be best for the baby not to see or hear anything like his father and mother fighting.
I went to bed and lay down.
'Why on earth is he doing that?'
Kaian has been very bad these days.
I often hated seeing my husband after he did not accept my confession. There were times when I said out loud that I hated him because it was so obnoxious.
I thought I couldn't hate him more than that.
For a while, Kaian was quick to get angry or scold me, which was both shocking and burdensome to the point where I wondered if he was really this kind of guy.
“You weren’t the type of person to get angry easily.”
There were times when Kaian spoke harshly, but it was just the man's tone.
When I look at his cold and indifferent face and his tone of voice, I might feel that he is very dissatisfied or that he is craving something, but he is a kinder and more attentive person than he appears.
When I hid that I had herzol.
It was only when he realized I might die that he couldn't hide hia anger and he became furious.
After that, even though he nagged me, he never got that emotionally angry at me.
“Maybe it was preferential treatment for patients because I was sick?”
So, he took care of me a little bit back then, and now I'm healthy, isn't it?
I was confused.
I got better because I thought he was strong, dependable, and trustworthy. As he embraced me, cared for me, and sometimes took care of me to the point of annoying me, my heart gradually opened up.
There was a time when I imagined the harsh things I would experience if I got married to this castle, among the things I had heard through the grapevine.
Some women died during the first night's wedding, even if they were not from the enemy's family. It was a sadistic act, such as strangling someone, that went wrong, and rumors of such things were easily spread here and there through the maids.
There was a 100% chance that I would die.
I had prepared myself to die from the herzol disease or to be killed at the hands of my enemies.
If Kaian had launched a territorial war and attacked Valmonde with prepared soldiers, how many lives would have ended under his sword?
It may not have been the long-awaited rain that wetted the dry land after ten years of drought, but the blood of the people of the territory.
At that time, I could really have sacrificed my life on behalf of the people of Valmonde's territory.
Because my happiness seemed to not exist in this world.
My state of mind was completely different now than then.
Crossing the line of fire, I survived and now had a baby.
I wanted to feel comfortable with the man who embraced me warmly, but he would not allow me to do so.
Even though I resented such a man, I always felt creepy when I thought of ny uncle who wanted to kill Kain.
The subject of most curse-like words that I grew up hearing for a very long time was Temnes.
So it was not entirely outlandish that the man who was Duke of Temnes said he could not believe the Vermont. The strange thing was that I was pregnant with my enemy's baby.
Perhaps none of the ancestral heads of the two families could have imagined that in the two hundred years of hostilities between them and their inability to kill each other, a child would be born with the blood of both families mixed together.
It was natural for a woman carrying her child to want to be protected because of her reproductive instincts.
But when Kaian did not protect me, my heart was broken.
When I made it known to him, he became displeased and he scolded me even more, and I became more and more offended.
'I'm going to have to cut this off somewhere.'
If there is a chain of bad habits or a beginning that brings misfortune, it would be better to stay away from it.
My life seemed to have been tied to Kaian from the moment he brought me back to life.
Rather than independently pursuing satisfaction with my life, the scale of ny happiness changed from day to day depending on whether my relationship with my husband was smooth or not.
“But I can’t say it’s very bad.”
What always comes to mind at moments like this is the mindset I had when I first came to Rowen Castle.
I was ready to lie down in the castle catacombs for as long as I wanted.
How full this sounds compared to back then.
I scolded myself and tried to control my mind.
Bianque, who had come to Rowen Castle, burst into Claudel's bedroom as if Kaian had spared her the hassle of going out and greeting the Princess with his manners.
“I heard you’re not feeling well?”
"Yes, Your Highness."
“Well, it’s not even our first meeting anymore. Just call me Bianque.”
“How dare I do that?”
“I’m just saying this. Glad you know the topic. Ho ho ho.”
Claudel sat across from Bianque and felt dispirited.
Fortunately, Madame Marcel entered the drawing room at a hurried pace.
“A seamstress with a humble talent comes to see Her Highness.”
"Long time no see, Madame Marcel.”
Princess Bianque smiled her eyes beneath her lush lemon-blonde hair.
“I went to the Duchy of Luxen with my father right after the King’s Birthday celebration.”
“By the way, did you come all the way to Rowen?”
“It’s been a while since a ball was held in Rowen, right?”
Bianque retorted with a pointed look on her face.
“What a big secret that is. You said you could stay in Luxen as you please without telling me, and then you went to Rowen?”
“Didn’t His Highness tell the Princess in advance?”
When Madame Marcel asked everyone's questions, Bianque answered calmly.
"Is it so. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have gone to the principality, which takes 20 days for a round trip, and then come down to Rowen right away.”
Valquiterre said he would attend the 'Water Banquet' held in mid-February and then return to the capital by taking the Shen River.
However, the King's ship came down from the capital, and it was surprising to see that in addition to Makie, who had originally said he would come, Princess Bianque was also on board.
“Madame Elise passed away and has never been here. I was planning to go someday, but my brother is so fickle.”
This was when Madame Marcel, Hannah, and Claudel, who had been listening to Bianque's words, realized at the same time that it had been a plan that had been thrown away on a whim.
“Show me Madame Marcel’s dress. I’ll borrow a few pairs and get a few more ready to wear before I return to the capital.”
Claudel was in a daze as she watched the Princess, who seemed to be sincere in her dress, holding on to Madame Marcel.
'I want to close my eyes for a moment.'
Watching the Princess roast and boil Madame Marcel, Claudel caught her sense of growing tired.
Then something suddenly occurred to me.
'If Queen Silvia has issued an order to keep quiet about the village of Plogne, perhaps Princess Bianque also knows something?'
When Madame Marcel, who had completely ruined what she had brought, left the room with Hannah, saying that she would go to her studio to pick up samples of other costumes, I asked cautiously:
“Hey. Can I ask you something?”
“What is it?”
“Do you know a place called Plogne Village?”
“Plogne?”
“Kaiqn said the Queen forbade him to mention it and told him to keep it a secret.”
Bianque, who had been mulling over what I said a few times, clapped his hands.
"Ah. I remembered. I also followed him a few times.”
"Really?"
“A magical town with a talking tree.”
I nodded my head. Unbelievable words flowed from Bianque's mouth as if something had occurred to me.
“Kaian set fire to that village, right?”
Rather than independently pursuing satisfaction with my life, the scale of ny happiness changed from day to day depending on whether my relationship with my husband was smooth or not.
“But I can’t say it’s very bad.”
What always comes to mind at moments like this is the mindset I had when I first came to Rowen Castle.
I was ready to lie down in the castle catacombs for as long as I wanted.
How full this sounds compared to back then.
I scolded myself and tried to control my mind.
***
Bianque, who had come to Rowen Castle, burst into Claudel's bedroom as if Kaian had spared her the hassle of going out and greeting the Princess with his manners.
“I heard you’re not feeling well?”
"Yes, Your Highness."
“Well, it’s not even our first meeting anymore. Just call me Bianque.”
“How dare I do that?”
“I’m just saying this. Glad you know the topic. Ho ho ho.”
Claudel sat across from Bianque and felt dispirited.
Fortunately, Madame Marcel entered the drawing room at a hurried pace.
“A seamstress with a humble talent comes to see Her Highness.”
"Long time no see, Madame Marcel.”
Princess Bianque smiled her eyes beneath her lush lemon-blonde hair.
“I went to the Duchy of Luxen with my father right after the King’s Birthday celebration.”
“By the way, did you come all the way to Rowen?”
“It’s been a while since a ball was held in Rowen, right?”
Bianque retorted with a pointed look on her face.
“What a big secret that is. You said you could stay in Luxen as you please without telling me, and then you went to Rowen?”
“Didn’t His Highness tell the Princess in advance?”
When Madame Marcel asked everyone's questions, Bianque answered calmly.
"Is it so. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have gone to the principality, which takes 20 days for a round trip, and then come down to Rowen right away.”
Valquiterre said he would attend the 'Water Banquet' held in mid-February and then return to the capital by taking the Shen River.
However, the King's ship came down from the capital, and it was surprising to see that in addition to Makie, who had originally said he would come, Princess Bianque was also on board.
“Madame Elise passed away and has never been here. I was planning to go someday, but my brother is so fickle.”
This was when Madame Marcel, Hannah, and Claudel, who had been listening to Bianque's words, realized at the same time that it had been a plan that had been thrown away on a whim.
“Show me Madame Marcel’s dress. I’ll borrow a few pairs and get a few more ready to wear before I return to the capital.”
Claudel was in a daze as she watched the Princess, who seemed to be sincere in her dress, holding on to Madame Marcel.
'I want to close my eyes for a moment.'
Watching the Princess roast and boil Madame Marcel, Claudel caught her sense of growing tired.
Then something suddenly occurred to me.
'If Queen Silvia has issued an order to keep quiet about the village of Plogne, perhaps Princess Bianque also knows something?'
When Madame Marcel, who had completely ruined what she had brought, left the room with Hannah, saying that she would go to her studio to pick up samples of other costumes, I asked cautiously:
“Hey. Can I ask you something?”
“What is it?”
“Do you know a place called Plogne Village?”
“Plogne?”
“Kaiqn said the Queen forbade him to mention it and told him to keep it a secret.”
Bianque, who had been mulling over what I said a few times, clapped his hands.
"Ah. I remembered. I also followed him a few times.”
"Really?"
“A magical town with a talking tree.”
I nodded my head. Unbelievable words flowed from Bianque's mouth as if something had occurred to me.
“Kaian set fire to that village, right?”
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