The maids hesitated at my words and exchanged glances.
"No. I should go and meet her. Get me ready to go out."
When I was about to jump out of my seat and rush about excitedly, the maids tried to stop me.
"Wait a minute, Lady Claudel."
"Calm down."
"You don't have to go out dressed up like that."
As I was about to leave the room, one of the maids unconsciously spread out her arms and blocked my path.
"What are you doing?"
"Now, wait a minute."
Another maid quickly followed and joined in, blocking my path.
"You're going out of the castle? You need His Majesty the King's permission..."
"Me?"
The women were flustered by my question.
"Yes. So please wait here for a moment."
"Why should I?"
The maids' attitude felt strange.
I had thought that I had been indebted to Valquiterre's favor in the palace.
I had been hiding to avoid Kaian, who could not recognize a child with Vermont’s blood as his successor until I gave birth.
I would have accepted the fact that I had to stay in one room, but I was grateful that I could go back and forth through the hallway.
Thanks to the hanging gardens, I could enjoy the sunlight and fresh air, and the smell of flowers and grass, which were tended by hand, comforted my melancholy heart. I had nowhere to go now, but I was not a person tied to the palace, and even the King had no right to interfere with or force me, so I strongly resisted the idea that the maids should ask Valquiterre for ‘permission’ to go out.
“But you will change your clothes, right? Anyway...”
One of the maids quickly continued.
“His Majesty the King is protecting Lady Claudel. That’s what it means. Isn’t that right?”
Only then did my hardened face relax a little.
“That’s right.”
I had never tried to go out like this before, and if anything, the only one who could officially order me to come and go was the Duke of Vermont.
I knew that the Duke of Vermont had met with Valquiterre several times about my divorce while going back and forth to the palace, but he had never come to see me.
"No. I should go and meet her. Get me ready to go out."
When I was about to jump out of my seat and rush about excitedly, the maids tried to stop me.
"Wait a minute, Lady Claudel."
"Calm down."
"You don't have to go out dressed up like that."
As I was about to leave the room, one of the maids unconsciously spread out her arms and blocked my path.
"What are you doing?"
"Now, wait a minute."
Another maid quickly followed and joined in, blocking my path.
"You're going out of the castle? You need His Majesty the King's permission..."
"Me?"
The women were flustered by my question.
"Yes. So please wait here for a moment."
"Why should I?"
The maids' attitude felt strange.
I had thought that I had been indebted to Valquiterre's favor in the palace.
I had been hiding to avoid Kaian, who could not recognize a child with Vermont’s blood as his successor until I gave birth.
I would have accepted the fact that I had to stay in one room, but I was grateful that I could go back and forth through the hallway.
Thanks to the hanging gardens, I could enjoy the sunlight and fresh air, and the smell of flowers and grass, which were tended by hand, comforted my melancholy heart. I had nowhere to go now, but I was not a person tied to the palace, and even the King had no right to interfere with or force me, so I strongly resisted the idea that the maids should ask Valquiterre for ‘permission’ to go out.
“But you will change your clothes, right? Anyway...”
One of the maids quickly continued.
“His Majesty the King is protecting Lady Claudel. That’s what it means. Isn’t that right?”
Only then did my hardened face relax a little.
“That’s right.”
I had never tried to go out like this before, and if anything, the only one who could officially order me to come and go was the Duke of Vermont.
I knew that the Duke of Vermont had met with Valquiterre several times about my divorce while going back and forth to the palace, but he had never come to see me.
“I don’t really want to meet him.”
He must have been figuring out something that would benefit the Valmonde estate or the Vermont family. I didn’t really want to know about that.
“Am I being sensitive?”
It occurred to me that my current stay at the palace was no different from the Duke of Vermont implicitly entrusting Valquiterre to protect me, but it felt strange because the maids were so flustered.
“Then go and get ready while preparing the carriage and change my clothes.”
“Yes, Lady Claudel.”
As one of the maids hurriedly ran out, I looked at a mirror that I couldn’t remember seeing. I sighed involuntarily when I saw the shabby face of a thin and haggard woman.
“I’ll wash up and change clothes. Please prepare some warm water.”
“Yes.”
When the maid who had been ordered disappeared, I was finally alone.
“The water heater at Rowen Castle is definitely convenient..."
Old memories came to mind from time to time. As soon as I thought of the boiler, the man who had taken me to the castle kitchen in the dark of the night and shown me such things as a new attraction suddenly entered my mind without me being able to stop it, and I bit my lower lip.
“I should wash up quickly.”
I poured water from the sink and washed my face with cold water, trying to push the memories that had been pushed back into a corner.
***
“Uh, what should I do?”
The maid muttered while watching Valquiterre's expression.
The maids who were currently serving Claudel were very good at their jobs. They were the ones who had helped him deceive her, pretending that they had not heard anything even though they had heard the baby cry.
“The owner of the Salon Arvo? Madame Cronach, you say? She found her?”
“Yes.”
They understood that Valquiterre would not have acted like this if he had no ulterior motives toward Claudel, his second cousin’s wife.
“What happened? Someone approached her?”
“No. That would be impossible.”
The maid quickly added.
“She still does not leave the royal lounge.”
“Hmm.”
Valquiterre rested his chin on his hand.
‘Salon Arvo? That woman is one of Kaian’s puppets.’
Valquiterre also knew that Kaian was running a salon in the capital and gathering all the information about social circles and politics.
Madame Cronach was a commoner by birth, but she was so resourceful that she was able to grow a salon that hadn't been run for very long into the best salon in the capital in just a few years.
'She was a coveted talent.'
The fact that she had managed to stay under Kaian for ten years without being fired was proof that she was very capable.
However, it was always difficult to coax such a person to his side, so he just watched, and since he had weeded out all the informants who had been watching over Kaian to prevent information from leaking to him, he thought that it would eventually be known that Claudel was staying here.
'She gave birth prematurely, so it was all covered up.'
If she had given birth during the full month, Kaian would have rushed to him, asking if he had hidden his wife, but time and timing were everything when it came to information.
Since the baby was born early, Kaian ended up not knowing about Valquiterre's tricks in time.
“What should we do, Your Majesty?”
“Let them meet.”
“Really?”
Valquiterre nodded as the maid widened her eyes.
“But she can’t go outside the castle.”
There were too many variables outside the castle.
‘That crazy Kaian might kidnap her.’
Although he was the one who had imprisoned another man’s wife, he was always generous to himself.
“I will invite the owner of the salon to the castle.”
“Yes. I understand.”
“Report carefully what is being said.”
Why on earth was Claudel looking for the owner of the salon whom she had only seen a few times?
‘Maybe she has fallen in love with Kaian?’
That was something that should not happen.
***
A heavy silence fell over the drawing room of the mansion.
Kaian, Madame Cronach, and Baron Colon, all three of them sitting there, kept their mouths shut.
Kaian, furious at receiving a letter from Valquiterre demanding that he marry Claudel as compensation for damages to Vermont, tore it up in an instant.
A few pieces of the letter, dyed in yellow to indicate that they belonged to the Oberon royal family, were still lying under the table.
The servants were busy cleaning them up quickly to avoid the unpleasant feelings of their master, so they had not been able to see them all.
“We must bring Claudel out of the castle.”
Madame Cronach broke the silence.
“Valquiterr, he is a cruel man.”
She was certain that she was the only one who had seen the hidden side of Valquiterre and survived. The two men sitting in the same place were silent, even after seeing Madame Cronach, who dared not speak to the stern King. Baron Colon sighed at his listless master.
“There is no other way.”
“We must hurry. With that kind of personality, he might change at any time.”
Baron Colon looked at Kaian.
“If this continues, it will only get worse as time goes by. The Lord has already returned Pagos to the kingdom.”
The first time is difficult. Valquiterre had already learned all too well that Claudel was Kaian’s weakness. It seemed impossible that he would be able to subdue the Duke of Temnes, who had great honor, and get what he wanted in one go.
“What will he demand next?”
“That’s right. If he openly threatens Claudel’s life, you will be helpless.”
Madame Cronach watched Kaian, who had kept his mouth shut, without saying a word the whole time. She felt resentful but understood him. She knew well that the heart and reality, the reality that clashes with what one intended, could be different.
There was a time when she loved a man too much but could not protect him.
‘Evan.’
Madame Cronach felt sorry for her daughter’s man because that experience had prevented her from blindly hating Kaian. It wasn’t just because they happened to be in the same boat.
“The only way to leave the castle is through the castle gate.”
Kai’an said.
“If Valquiterre doesn’t allow it and Claudel doesn’t want it, there’s no way to leave.”
“But I have to think about it. I can’t leave Claudel like that.”
Madame Cronach looked at Kaian.
“Do you still trust Valquiterre?”
Kaian lowered his head with a pained expression as she asked again, something she had not heard the answer to before. She looked at Kaian and said.
“Let’s go back to Rowen first.”
“That can’t be done.”
“Staying here won’t help. Valquiterre will see you as a threat and will make more and more unreasonable demands.”
Kaian seemed to want to refute Madame Cronach’s words but soon closed his mouth again.
The depth of his heartbreak was palpable in his relaxed shoulders, and it was heartbreaking to see him.
Time passed without him being able to come up with a sharp plan.
“Madam.”
The young butler of the mansion called her.
“What’s going on?”
After a while, he had become accustomed to the fact that the salon’s mistress was the head of the household.
“A messenger has come from the palace to look for Madame.”
“Looking for me?”
Madame Cronach jumped up in surprise.
“That’s...”
The young butler looked at Kaian.
“Uh, I heard that Lady Claudel sent a carriage from the castle to see Madame.”
“What?”
Baron Colon asked the butler at the sudden remark.
“Is that true?”
“Yes. Yes. Baron. He went to the salon and said she wasn’t there, so he came to fetch me.”
The eyes of Kaian, Baron Colon, and Madame Cronach busily went back and forth.
'Claudel, me?'
It was so sudden that they were all just bewildered.
"I'll go right away."
"Couldn't it be a trap?"
Baron Colon asked with a worried face.
"How could I be reluctant to enter the tiger's den when my child is in the tiger's mouth?"
Madame Cronach looked at Kaian.
"I'll cancel the request to return to Rowen."
The depth of his heartbreak was palpable in his relaxed shoulders, and it was heartbreaking to see him.
Time passed without him being able to come up with a sharp plan.
“Madam.”
The young butler of the mansion called her.
“What’s going on?”
After a while, he had become accustomed to the fact that the salon’s mistress was the head of the household.
“A messenger has come from the palace to look for Madame.”
“Looking for me?”
Madame Cronach jumped up in surprise.
“That’s...”
The young butler looked at Kaian.
“Uh, I heard that Lady Claudel sent a carriage from the castle to see Madame.”
“What?”
Baron Colon asked the butler at the sudden remark.
“Is that true?”
“Yes. Yes. Baron. He went to the salon and said she wasn’t there, so he came to fetch me.”
The eyes of Kaian, Baron Colon, and Madame Cronach busily went back and forth.
'Claudel, me?'
It was so sudden that they were all just bewildered.
"I'll go right away."
"Couldn't it be a trap?"
Baron Colon asked with a worried face.
"How could I be reluctant to enter the tiger's den when my child is in the tiger's mouth?"
Madame Cronach looked at Kaian.
"I'll cancel the request to return to Rowen."
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