“Claudel’s return is the priority. After that, we’ll find another way.”
Kaian’s words were wrong.
As a lord and the head of the family, it was the same as abandoning the most important thing.
In return for receiving an oath of loyalty from everyone, the lord had a duty to protect his land and people.
However, he was being hit head-on with that.
Furthermore, he was going to find a way to deal with Pagos only after securing the Duchess’s safety.
It was the same as saying that he had no proper method in mind.
“Ah.”
When someone at a loss for words sighed, Kaian shut his mouth tightly and left the room.
Baron Colon slowly gathered his clothes and left the living room.
“Are you leaving now?”
The young butler of the mansion quickly took his clothes and put them on his shoulders, asking.
“Call a carriage for me. I’ll be back in a moment.”
“Where should I take you?”
“Salon Arvo.”
The master was not like before because he was caught up in personal feelings, so he had to come to his senses.
***
[I, Kaian, the Lord of Rowen and the head of Temnes, agree to return the Pagos region that King Hobert had entrusted to the previous Duchess to the kingdom.]
Valquiterre smiled happily as he looked at the document with the seal of the head of Temnes and Kaian’s signature.
“Your handwriting has become quite pretty. You used to have a strange hairstyle when you were young.”
Although Temnes had been strong in terms of military power, they had a somewhat lacking sense in writing.
So how could they get along well with Vermont, who would pick on every single line and word and slash them with his tongue?
“But thanks to that, I was able to gain these vested interests.”
So how could they get along well with Vermont, who would pick on every single line and word and slash them with his tongue?
“But thanks to that, I was able to gain these vested interests.”
The more the two opposing families fought, the more the royal family benefited.
“I hope this will make the other nobles quiet down a bit.”
The idea of liberating the serfs in the Pagos region was something only Temnes could do.
Kaian was confident that even if he freed those who lived on the land, they would not easily leave the land where they were born and raised, but that was arrogance beyond him.
The wheat produced in Pagos accounted for nearly half of the entire kingdom's production.
The previous King gave it to Lady Elise, who was already married to Temnes, the kingdom's granary.
When he was young, he didn't think much of it, but when he ascended to the throne and took charge of the country, Valquiterre often felt bewildered.
If there is a saying that "there are no beggars in Rowen," there was a proverb that said, "If you are hungry in Pagos, dig the ground." If you dig a little bit of the fertile land that is spread out in all directions, you will easily find large, ripe edible crops.
Since it was such land, there was no need to regret it, so he gave it freedom.
In other territories where it was difficult to make a living by making serfs work the land, there were many complaints about Kaian's behavior.
Since last year, whenever there was a gathering at the royal palace, everyone would gather and make a fuss to Valquiterre to not free the serfs in the Rowen territory.
“It was a headache. But now I’ve killed two birds with one stone.”
The work of getting the land back and freeing the serfs was also put on hold.
It was fortunate that the Rowen territory was located at the southernmost tip of the continent, but since the serfs in Pagos, located in the center of the capital and other territories, would become free citizens, the serfs in the neighboring territories would not stay still, so it was quite nerve-wracking.
“Then, shall we go and keep our promise?”
Valquiterre folded the documents neatly and put them in a drawer before leaving the office.
“Because I’m fair.”
He hummed as if he was intoxicated by his appearance of keeping his promises and headed to the bedroom where Claudel was staying.
The bedroom door that was closed to Kaian was wide open to him.
And yet Kaian didn’t try to break the door or force his way in.
“Doesn’t Claudel still seem very precious to you?”
Valquiterre swallowed the saliva that was building up in his mouth.
“So you don’t want to steal more?”
The bedroom was dark even though it was close to noon because the curtains were drawn.
At first glance, it was as cold as an empty room and there was no sign of anyone staying there.
Valquiterre slowly walked around the large bed and went to the opposite side of the entrance.
Then, he saw someone crouching in the narrow space under the small table next to the bed.
Valquiterre was originally sitting in the chair at the table, but Claudel took his place, so he sat down in the chair that was awkwardly placed in the awkward spot.
“Claudel.”
Startled.
When he called her name, Claudel, who had been blankly staring, lifted her head from her lap where her face was buried.
“What’s wrong? I heard you haven’t eaten or enjoyed tea these days.”
“Just that.”
Claudel said weakly.
“The baby.”
As soon as she heard the word “baby,” Claudel’s shoulders seemed to slump by half.
“It’s not your fault.”
Valquiterre slowly got up and approached Claudel, forcibly grabbing her arm and lifting her up.
He sat her down on the chair on the other side of the table and sighed as he returned to his seat.
“Don’t punish yourself.”
“...”
Claudel didn’t answer. The old-fashioned, conservative woman blamed herself for not being able to protect her baby.
She seemed to have a hard time enduring it without punishing and tormenting herself.
It was a bit unfortunate, but it couldn’t be helped.
The child was like a bridge that connected the couple.
‘If Kaian had seen the child, he would have taken Claudel and the child and returned to the estate right away, right?’
All the hard work he had put in would have gone down the drain.
But on the other hand, he wondered if Kaian would have declared that the child born as the successor of Temnes, as written in the note hidden in the secret space of his office, was actually Vermont’s child.
‘I won’t be the only one to identify the successor.’
Then, does that mean that all the previous heads of the clans who had devoted themselves to cruelty up until now were all idiots? Everything was done for a reason.
Anyway, let’s put that aside for later and talk about something important now.
“Kaian requested a meeting.”
“No.”
Valquiterre almost burst into laughter when he saw the woman gritting her teeth without even thinking.
“I don’t want to see him.”
“I understand how you feel.”
“Just withdraw the royal order. That’ll do.”
Her face, which had been numb like a soulless doll, turned red from the anger that was welling up.
“I don’t want to talk to him.”
“But my position as the one who helped you is difficult.”
“Ah...”
Claudel was really an easy woman to deal with.
“Just once. Then Kaian will know his situation for sure.”
Valquiterre reached into his bosom, took out a small object, and placed it on the table.
“This...”
Claudel, who had been looking at it without realizing it, flinched.
It was a small dagger that she could easily hold in her hand.
Her body began to tremble with endless fear.
“I will respect your wishes.”
“It’s a sword. Why did you give it to me?”
“Revenge invites blood.”
Claudel was deeply shaken by his words.
“Haven’t you been harboring resentment in your heart all along?”
At such times, Valquiterre used his holy tone to stimulate her dark desire for revenge.
“Choose whether to use this or not and what you will talk about with Kaian.”
His appearance felt strangely like absolute goodness.
“Only then can we move on to the next thing.”
While listening, Claudel wondered.
‘What’s next?’
What awaits her next?
At that moment, she remembered the Duke of Vermont urging her to bear Temnes’s child.
To return to Kaian.
To think about having his child again.
“No...”
Just the thought was too horrible, so Claudel turned away.
“Ugh. Haa. Haa.”
Claudel, gasping for breath, reached out and grabbed the dagger that Valquiterre had given her.
There was someone else who had to pay the price before she went completely mad.
***
“Huh.”
Kaian let out a short sigh in front of Claudel’s bedroom door.
“What is this?”
In a way, it wasn’t a big deal.
When Claudel first came to Rowen Castle, he had been at a loss as to how to treat her.
However, they soon became comfortable together.
Now, he wanted a chance to apologize and explain himself to the person who was avoiding him and only wanted a divorce.
Even that wasn’t easy, so the Duke of Vermont had a condition that he would only have one chance to meet her even after handing over the land rights.
However, Kaian was confident.
'Because Claudel loves me.'
The corner he believed in was his heart.
But at this moment, his confidence suddenly dropped.
The effect of a single document he handed over to Valquiterre would have enormous ripple effects.
What if he risked such a great thing to have a word with his wife despite the opposition of his retainers and butlers, and he couldn’t change her mind? He tried not to think such negative thoughts, but he couldn’t help it because of the situation.
“Claudel.”
When he entered the living room, she was standing by the window with her back to him.
Kaian tried to get closer to her, but when the distance between them narrowed, Claudel flinched and moved away from him.
“...Don’t come.”
Her voice was so weak and small that it hurt his heart.
“You didn’t come here to talk, did you?”
However, he noticed an incongruous object under the long lace sleeves of the woman who was stepping back in embarrassment.
Kaian smiled bitterly as he looked at the knife awkwardly held in Claudel’s hand.
“Are you going to stab me with that?”
At his words, she opened her eyes wide with a very surprised expression.
In an instant, he closed the distance between them and before she could dodge, he reached out and grabbed Claudel’s hand that was holding the sword.
“If you’re going to kill me, you should have held it much shorter. Like this.”
Kaian lightly wrapped his entire hand around the handle of the sword and stabbed himself with it.
“Kyaaaaak!”
Claudel screamed in surprise and struggled. At that chill, the sword that Kaian had aimed at his heart grazed his arm and fell to the floor.
“Ka, Kaian. The blood...”
“Is it okay now? What you wished for has come true.”
He spoke his wish while looking at the woman’s pale golden eyes.
“Stay like this, even for a moment.”
Kaian hugged Claudel.
“...I missed you.”
“I hope this will make the other nobles quiet down a bit.”
The idea of liberating the serfs in the Pagos region was something only Temnes could do.
Kaian was confident that even if he freed those who lived on the land, they would not easily leave the land where they were born and raised, but that was arrogance beyond him.
The wheat produced in Pagos accounted for nearly half of the entire kingdom's production.
The previous King gave it to Lady Elise, who was already married to Temnes, the kingdom's granary.
When he was young, he didn't think much of it, but when he ascended to the throne and took charge of the country, Valquiterre often felt bewildered.
If there is a saying that "there are no beggars in Rowen," there was a proverb that said, "If you are hungry in Pagos, dig the ground." If you dig a little bit of the fertile land that is spread out in all directions, you will easily find large, ripe edible crops.
Since it was such land, there was no need to regret it, so he gave it freedom.
In other territories where it was difficult to make a living by making serfs work the land, there were many complaints about Kaian's behavior.
Since last year, whenever there was a gathering at the royal palace, everyone would gather and make a fuss to Valquiterre to not free the serfs in the Rowen territory.
“It was a headache. But now I’ve killed two birds with one stone.”
The work of getting the land back and freeing the serfs was also put on hold.
It was fortunate that the Rowen territory was located at the southernmost tip of the continent, but since the serfs in Pagos, located in the center of the capital and other territories, would become free citizens, the serfs in the neighboring territories would not stay still, so it was quite nerve-wracking.
“Then, shall we go and keep our promise?”
Valquiterre folded the documents neatly and put them in a drawer before leaving the office.
“Because I’m fair.”
He hummed as if he was intoxicated by his appearance of keeping his promises and headed to the bedroom where Claudel was staying.
The bedroom door that was closed to Kaian was wide open to him.
And yet Kaian didn’t try to break the door or force his way in.
“Doesn’t Claudel still seem very precious to you?”
Valquiterre swallowed the saliva that was building up in his mouth.
“So you don’t want to steal more?”
The bedroom was dark even though it was close to noon because the curtains were drawn.
At first glance, it was as cold as an empty room and there was no sign of anyone staying there.
Valquiterre slowly walked around the large bed and went to the opposite side of the entrance.
Then, he saw someone crouching in the narrow space under the small table next to the bed.
Valquiterre was originally sitting in the chair at the table, but Claudel took his place, so he sat down in the chair that was awkwardly placed in the awkward spot.
“Claudel.”
Startled.
When he called her name, Claudel, who had been blankly staring, lifted her head from her lap where her face was buried.
“What’s wrong? I heard you haven’t eaten or enjoyed tea these days.”
“Just that.”
Claudel said weakly.
“The baby.”
As soon as she heard the word “baby,” Claudel’s shoulders seemed to slump by half.
“It’s not your fault.”
Valquiterre slowly got up and approached Claudel, forcibly grabbing her arm and lifting her up.
He sat her down on the chair on the other side of the table and sighed as he returned to his seat.
“Don’t punish yourself.”
“...”
Claudel didn’t answer. The old-fashioned, conservative woman blamed herself for not being able to protect her baby.
She seemed to have a hard time enduring it without punishing and tormenting herself.
It was a bit unfortunate, but it couldn’t be helped.
The child was like a bridge that connected the couple.
‘If Kaian had seen the child, he would have taken Claudel and the child and returned to the estate right away, right?’
All the hard work he had put in would have gone down the drain.
But on the other hand, he wondered if Kaian would have declared that the child born as the successor of Temnes, as written in the note hidden in the secret space of his office, was actually Vermont’s child.
‘I won’t be the only one to identify the successor.’
Then, does that mean that all the previous heads of the clans who had devoted themselves to cruelty up until now were all idiots? Everything was done for a reason.
Anyway, let’s put that aside for later and talk about something important now.
“Kaian requested a meeting.”
“No.”
Valquiterre almost burst into laughter when he saw the woman gritting her teeth without even thinking.
“I don’t want to see him.”
“I understand how you feel.”
“Just withdraw the royal order. That’ll do.”
Her face, which had been numb like a soulless doll, turned red from the anger that was welling up.
“I don’t want to talk to him.”
“But my position as the one who helped you is difficult.”
“Ah...”
Claudel was really an easy woman to deal with.
“Just once. Then Kaian will know his situation for sure.”
Valquiterre reached into his bosom, took out a small object, and placed it on the table.
“This...”
Claudel, who had been looking at it without realizing it, flinched.
It was a small dagger that she could easily hold in her hand.
Her body began to tremble with endless fear.
“I will respect your wishes.”
“It’s a sword. Why did you give it to me?”
“Revenge invites blood.”
Claudel was deeply shaken by his words.
“Haven’t you been harboring resentment in your heart all along?”
At such times, Valquiterre used his holy tone to stimulate her dark desire for revenge.
“Choose whether to use this or not and what you will talk about with Kaian.”
His appearance felt strangely like absolute goodness.
“Only then can we move on to the next thing.”
While listening, Claudel wondered.
‘What’s next?’
What awaits her next?
At that moment, she remembered the Duke of Vermont urging her to bear Temnes’s child.
To return to Kaian.
To think about having his child again.
“No...”
Just the thought was too horrible, so Claudel turned away.
“Ugh. Haa. Haa.”
Claudel, gasping for breath, reached out and grabbed the dagger that Valquiterre had given her.
There was someone else who had to pay the price before she went completely mad.
***
“Huh.”
Kaian let out a short sigh in front of Claudel’s bedroom door.
“What is this?”
In a way, it wasn’t a big deal.
When Claudel first came to Rowen Castle, he had been at a loss as to how to treat her.
However, they soon became comfortable together.
Now, he wanted a chance to apologize and explain himself to the person who was avoiding him and only wanted a divorce.
Even that wasn’t easy, so the Duke of Vermont had a condition that he would only have one chance to meet her even after handing over the land rights.
However, Kaian was confident.
'Because Claudel loves me.'
The corner he believed in was his heart.
But at this moment, his confidence suddenly dropped.
The effect of a single document he handed over to Valquiterre would have enormous ripple effects.
What if he risked such a great thing to have a word with his wife despite the opposition of his retainers and butlers, and he couldn’t change her mind? He tried not to think such negative thoughts, but he couldn’t help it because of the situation.
“Claudel.”
When he entered the living room, she was standing by the window with her back to him.
Kaian tried to get closer to her, but when the distance between them narrowed, Claudel flinched and moved away from him.
“...Don’t come.”
Her voice was so weak and small that it hurt his heart.
“You didn’t come here to talk, did you?”
However, he noticed an incongruous object under the long lace sleeves of the woman who was stepping back in embarrassment.
Kaian smiled bitterly as he looked at the knife awkwardly held in Claudel’s hand.
“Are you going to stab me with that?”
At his words, she opened her eyes wide with a very surprised expression.
In an instant, he closed the distance between them and before she could dodge, he reached out and grabbed Claudel’s hand that was holding the sword.
“If you’re going to kill me, you should have held it much shorter. Like this.”
Kaian lightly wrapped his entire hand around the handle of the sword and stabbed himself with it.
“Kyaaaaak!”
Claudel screamed in surprise and struggled. At that chill, the sword that Kaian had aimed at his heart grazed his arm and fell to the floor.
“Ka, Kaian. The blood...”
“Is it okay now? What you wished for has come true.”
He spoke his wish while looking at the woman’s pale golden eyes.
“Stay like this, even for a moment.”
Kaian hugged Claudel.
“...I missed you.”
Support Novellate!
Comments
Post a Comment