“I love you, Lady."
The hand holding my wrist was very rough. There were times when my husband's skin irritated my skin and passed more slowly on purpose as the calluses that formed on my husband's hands, who never neglected to hold a sword, did not mean that his entire hands were rough.
He is an orchard manager, so he works in the open field under the sun and the wind and waves.
When a ripe apple was handed to me by a hand with cracks in various places after touching the soil, I accepted it with a grateful heart, thinking that it was a hand with a mission to convey the blessings of the land.
“...”
My head, which had been cut off by my complicated thoughts, was lost in my thoughts as to what the hand holding me meant.
“Put this down..”
I barely made a squeezing sound and tried to shake off his hand, but his grip was so tight that my body was dragged away by the recoil.
Come on.
Burbrook, who held me in hia arms, could not control his overwhelming emotions and breathed hotly into my ear.
“Aaaah!”
I gasped as Burbrook covered my mouth with his hand as I screamed.
“Don’t be surprised. This is what the Lord promised.”
The man's eyes were shiny and veiny, like a crazy person.
“He promised to give you to me. He says that if the marriage period lasts even one year, he will kick you out.”
I stiffened with my eyes wide in shock, and Burbrook, thinking I had calmed down, slowly removed his hand from my mouth, which he had blocked.
“W-What are you saying? Ah, that’s nonsense...”
As my voice shook, so did my body.
“He can’t keep a woman from his enemy’s family as the hostess for that long. If he throws it away, you won’t have anywhere to go anyway.”
“Me, he's throwing me out?”
“If the Lord kicks you out, there’s no way he can let you return to your family in Vermont. I will take you.”
"Nonsense."
Burbrook applied the spit to his lips as if he were crying.
“There are less than four months left. I’ve been waiting for that day for so long.”
“Ahh!”
I struggled like crazy.
“I tried to hold back. I can’t take it anymore.”
“Go away!”
“Give me permission just a little bit...”
Burbrook, in his uplifted voice, poured out the words that had been pressing so urgently within him.
“I am responsible for one-third of the profits from the land of Rowen.”
“Let go of this!”
I was neither curious nor interested in knowing about the man, who continued to introduce himself, but he seemed to be proud of himself.
“The mansion is quite big and two or two maids are working there.”
“Ahh!”
“Butler. The butler is also not a Baron. I think it would be worth bringing you here and asking the Lord to make you a Baronet.”
The man, holding my face as he wanted to kiss me, met my eyes.
“You have to be affectionate for them to be nice to you. Be quiet....”
Bang!
With a loud noise, my eyes darkened.
***
The prom, held for the first time in a long time, was noisy.
Many people will not participate in periodic events that are held when the time comes, saying they are too complicated and bothersome.
There were definitely some people who were not moved by things like proms, as they spent all their energy drinking and dancing late into the night.
However, as this was the first ball held in nine years by a castle that had suddenly lost its Lord's wife, the atmosphere was even more chaotic as so many people crowded together that it was difficult to find anyone who was missing, perhaps because it had special meaning.
Those who attended the dance for the first time in a long time could feel from their sagging stamina that ten years had already passed, and the wives and children who played at the estate festival and danced around because there was no hope of holding a dance in their lifetime at the age of their debut had no interest in elegance. It wasn't worth it.
They were so excited that they were crowding around with their arms around each other, giggling, no different than when they were talking and having fun at the night market.
“It’s a mess.”
Valquiterre spoke as he elegantly raised his glass alone in a chaotic and noisy atmosphere.
“The butler put a lot of effort into it, but it must be on a different level from the royal ball.”
Kaian took his words self-deprecatingly. He wanted to provide a good place for Valquiterre that would not be embarrassing, but there was no way Rowen could suddenly match the dignity that he naturally acquired in the capital, where balls were often held.
Moreover, there was so much interest and admiration for Valquiterre that all nobles with daughters, not only in the Rowen domain but also in neighboring domains, attended even if it was unreasonable to do so. This was the first time that Rowen Castle was so crowded after the capital was built and the capital was transferred.
Fortunately, Rowen Castle was originally Oberon's first royal castle, so an event of this magnitude was able to be held.
“This drink is enough for Rowen. Don't mind it, Kaian.”
Valquiterre slowly sipped his drink and smiled softly at him.
A group of women who were peeping at the scene passed by as if riding a wave, all at once here and there, sighing, fanning themselves, putting their hands on their chests, and making a fuss.
Kaian closed his mouth and stared at the sight of his heterogeneous cousin for a moment.
Valquiterre.
King of Oberon.
His honor that Kaian risked his life to protect.
However, Kaian could not ask Valquiterre about putting a flower in Claudel's head without formality.
Why did you do that? What did you mean by doing that?
For some reason, he knew for sure that he had a feeling that something more troublesome and bad would happen once he made it a fait accompli.
'I have a bad feeling. That's funny. Are you saying Valquiterre is going to take Claudel away?'
However, the question kept coming up as to whether the master who was making him suffer like this was right. If Valquiterre had not crossed the line in the first place, there would have been no reason to suspect or even be aware of it.
This time, since Valquiterre came to Eowen, he had not once spoken of his deceased mother and Queen Sylvia.
Having shared memories and experienced great grief at the same time, they each had a responsibility to send the deceased off in their own place.
While Valquiterre sent Queen Sylvia to the royal castle, Kaian also buried the previous Duke and his wife at Rowen Castle.
They couldn't even express consolation to each other about what happened so suddenly.
The time of remembrance has been lost in the war, and now all that remains are true memories. Isn’t that something that can only be shared with those who have experienced it, know it, and remember it?
So, when Valquiterre comes to Rowen, Kaian thinks he might go and say hello to his parents who are buried in the catacombs at least once.
Or, as if time had stopped, he went to the study in the back garden and wondered if the place where the two of them used to lie down while eating snacks and juice as children would now be the time to have a drink and share the man's aspirations.
He was secretly concerned that Valquiterre said he was leisurely but did not make time with Kaian.
Like a hunter who sets out a fishing rod and waits for a big fish to come, or like a hunter who sends out small animals such as rabbits or foxes from a hunting ground and expects a big one like a wolf to come.
The silence of Valquiterre seemed like a harbinger before something big would happen, which made Kaian worry.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“How about going to Promhunt before the Water Banquet and going fox hunting together?”
“Promhunt?”
Valquiterre suddenly looked like he was saying something.
“Didn’t you say you wanted to go fox hunting? When I went to Promhunt, you were gone. You probably couldn’t catch the fox.”
"Ah..."
Valquiter laughed bitterly at Kaian’s words.
“No more foxes.”
“What if I want to do it?”
“Are three not enough?”
Valquiterre asked curiously.
“I heard you caught different types of foxes by yourself.”
“Hunting together is fun. Does it have any meaning no matter how much you catch?”
"No. Let’s stay at Rowen and rest until the banquet.”
Valquiterre, who suddenly gave strength to his words that he would stay in Rowen, looked as if he had sensed that Kaian wanted to keep him away from Rowen Castle for a while.
"Yes."
There was no way to stop Valquiterre's will.
In the end, after he told him to do whatever he wanted, he felt a little empty.
'I have a plan.'
What is it? No matter how I wanted to find out, create a space, or seize an opportunity, Valquiterre always avoided him and looked the other way.
Although Kaian didn't realize it, he felt the same frustration from Valquiterre that Claudel felt from her conversation with him.
Bianquebcame over and placed both hands on Kaian's shoulders, which were on the armrests of the chair, and leaned in.
“Kaian. Dance with me.”
Bianque, who acted rudely in front of many people, was also a problem.
Kaian stood up with a straight face.
“The Duchess has been away from her post too long. I have to go and take a look.”
Bianque frowned and clung to his arm.
“Can’t we just send an attendant?”
“My wife says she is not feeling well, so her husband has to check on her.”
When Kaiqn pointed out the words 'husband' and 'wife', Bianque let go of her arm with a dissatisfied look on her face.
“I’ve been decorating for a long time. Is one dance that difficult?”
Kaian turned around without responding.
As he was drinking next to Valquiterre, he got drunk, probably because he drank a lot.
However, as he walked away from the noisy hall and down a dark, quiet hallway, he felt like the alcohol was gradually fading away and his mind was becoming refreshed.
'What should I do about Claudel's work?'
As he was going through the scheduled event, a problem that had been pushed aside without an answer began to sneak up on him.
The matter that the Queen had ordered to be kept secret was mired in a very complex and secret causal relationship. Even if he explained it understandably, other connected matters were bound to come out one after another.
How much can I say?
How much can I say?
Kaian was at a loss as to what to do with the things that would no longer be a secret the moment he said that.
But the closer he got to Claudel's bedroom, the more he heard a sound that seemed to pierce his ears.
The butler, who was running hurriedly to the bedroom with the guards in tow, spotted him and quickly approached and bowed his head.
“There was a big problem. He was attacked by Madam.”
“...What?"
Kaian, who hurriedly entered the bedroom at the sound of nonsense, was speechless at the sight that unfolded before his eyes.
A dark red circle spread across the carpet on the bedroom floor, a person had collapsed, and Hannah was trying to comfort Claudel, who was crying while sitting next to her.
“Claudel.”
When he called her name, the woman, crying out of focus, looked at him.
"You. Did you say that you would abandon me once the marriage period was completed?”
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