“Wouldn’t that not happen if there was a successor?”
“What...?”
Irena doubted her ears.
“A successor?”
“You’re just pretending to be stupid. You should have understood."
The sword-wielding its power in the hands of the Duke of Vermont was an heirloom that had been passed down through the Vermont family for generations.
When he inherited the title, Vermont held a grand ceremony that would have been like a coronation for a King of a country to widely display the power of the family head.
To clearly show everyone who was the owner of the mines that produced precious metals and jewels, he rode a fine horse covered in gold and rode a lap around the village near the castle of Valmonde with the sword on his waist.
Irena doubted her ears.
“A successor?”
“You’re just pretending to be stupid. You should have understood."
The sword-wielding its power in the hands of the Duke of Vermont was an heirloom that had been passed down through the Vermont family for generations.
When he inherited the title, Vermont held a grand ceremony that would have been like a coronation for a King of a country to widely display the power of the family head.
To clearly show everyone who was the owner of the mines that produced precious metals and jewels, he rode a fine horse covered in gold and rode a lap around the village near the castle of Valmonde with the sword on his waist.
The Duke of Vermont slowly placed the sword, which had been polished to a smooth finish without a speck of dust, on the red velvet spread on the desk.
Finally, he raised his head and met Irena’s eyes.
“There’s no need to take a pure-blooded Vermont as a son-in-law.”
Pure-blooded Vermont.
Since marriages between red-haired and golden-eyed people were unprecedented, the term pure-blooded Vermont was somewhat misleading.
Usually, one of the couples who got married would not have the family color.
However, the heir of the family with red hair and golden eyes was called a ‘pure-blooded Vermont.’
Irena had never been called a pure-blooded Vermont.
That’s because that nickname was only used for heirs who were born as sons.
“Father. I am your daughter.”
Her mind went blank for a moment, then gradually turned red with anger.
“You’re sending me to King Valquiterre. You were always saying you couldn’t do that.”
“Don’t make me say that again.”
The warmth in the eyes of the Duke of Vermont, who was looking at her, for his beloved daughter had cooled.
The sight of her father shocked Irena once again.
“Each person has his or her own place.”
He said solemnly.
“There are things that you have to do with all your might. That’s called fate.”
The Duke of Vermont scolded.
“Sometimes you don’t know which side to take until it happens. King Valquiterre has many flaws, but so do you.”
Irena clenched her fists.
“Flaws?”
Why?
In her opinion, she had never lived a life that could be found fault with. She had obediently followed her father’s orders and considered it her mission.
“Become Oberon’s Queen. I have the energy to take a child who is still a lump of flesh and raise him until he becomes an adult.”
A faint smile appeared on his face, which had been cold all along.
“This time, I will see Vermont’s rise to power in a biased way.”
“What are you planning on doing with Claudel?”
The Duke of Vermont tilted his head at Irena’s words.
“What am I going to do with her?”
“Do you think you can take the baby away from Claudel?”
The Duke of Vermont snorted.
“When did I say I would steal the dwarf from Claudel?”
“Of course?”
“We’ll just get back Vermont, who was taken by Temnes.”
Irena was furious.
“The Duke of Temnes is interested in Claudel.”
“Do you believe that he gave his heart to his enemy?”
“Are you out of your mind to think of separating people who are raising children and living happily?”
Irena, unable to bear it any longer, said something she had never thought to say to the Duke of Vermont, despite her respect for him.
“You’re the one who’s out of your mind. How dare you say something like that to me!”
“Father.”
Irena was genuinely confused.
“If this goes wrong, Claudel might die.”
“What’s so great about that?”
“...”
“She went to find her grave. Do you know what Claudel said when I went to Rowen to get food?”
He said proudly.
“She said she was well prepared to die.”
It was nonsense.
“There’s no way Claudel would die so easily.”
A child who had lost her mother to a fire and her father to unfathomable sorrow could not have easily spoken so calmly.
Everything the Duke of Vermont said seemed like a lie.
“So accept your share.”
Irena felt her emotions dry up in real-time.
Just a moment ago, she had been so angry that she almost burst into tears, but now she was like a balloon that had just burst.
It was as if she could hear a rumbling sound in her chest.
“I won’t go to the palace.”
She finally said.
“Tell King Valquiterre that I will become Queen only after the war with Temnes is over.”
“What?”
“Right? I lost a husband who was sent to war. Who knows?”
Irena said with obvious sarcasm.
“My second husband might die and come back, too. Isn’t that right?”
“Where did you learn that habit?”
“Why? What’s so different about what my father has told me?”
Her gaze fell on the blade of the sword that was coldly placed on the desk.
Irena couldn’t take her eyes off the sword of the head of the family that would hang on the waist of the man who would become her husband, who was the most authentic and direct descendant of Vermonters but could not be hers.
“You keep talking differently from what I’ve learned. You say that because of a habit.”
“Irena.”
The Duke of Vermont said with an angry face.
“How can you put your personal feelings before the glory of your family?”
"You always considered me precious, didn’t you?”
She looked at the Duke of Vermont as if she was criticizing him.
“You were proud of me, saying that I was a masterpiece sent by God.”
“I am someone who should put Vermont and Valmond3’s honors first.”
The affection that had always filled the Duke of Vermont’s eyes to the point where he felt a temperature difference just by looking at Irena had disappeared without a trace.
“Would there be a father who doesn’t have any denial about his child? But that’s how I was raised. I said that the family should be put above all else.”
“I don’t want to say this about the baby Claudel gave birth to, but what if?”
Irena took a deep breath.
“That baby might grow up and not have enough discretion to take over the lineage.”
The Duke of Vermont frowned at her words.
“The child might not want it. Even if he is a Vermonter, it might be unreasonable to raise a successor who is hostile to the father who gave birth to him.”
“You are making an ominous assumption. It is completely useless.”
“The character is a desire to devote yourself to the family. An attachment to Valmonde. None of it is certain. Is it really that important that you were born a boy?”
Irena hoped to hear from the Duke of Vermont that it was a slip of the tongue, that he was briefly tempted.
If not, she felt uneasy as if all the time she had lived and all the hardships she had endured would be denied.
“This was not my decision.”
The Duke of Vermont’s answer was unexpected.
“It is an opportunity that God, the heavens, has given our family.”
“...Father?”
Irena looked at the Duke of Vermont, who was spouting off sophistry, in bewilderment.
“Do you think it is a coincidence that Claudel gave birth to a child now, that a pure-blooded Vermonter was born?”
He said with force as if possessed.
“No. There is a time and a meaning to everything.”
He was completely denied.
Irena slowly lowered her head.
“I will go to the capital. But please make it clear that I will not enter the palace before the end of the war.”
“I am not putting you in a tight spot.”
He once said that Valquiterre was a madman who would never give up his daughter. When the Duke of Vermont said that he would, he finally said soothingly.
“The position of Queen of Oberon is dignified and noble. I believe that you will be a good choice.”
Irena turned away without greeting the Duke of Vermont.
He did not scold her for being rude there either.
One step. One step.
With every step she took, Irena’s fate was heading toward a storm she had not expected.
Finally, he raised his head and met Irena’s eyes.
“There’s no need to take a pure-blooded Vermont as a son-in-law.”
Pure-blooded Vermont.
Since marriages between red-haired and golden-eyed people were unprecedented, the term pure-blooded Vermont was somewhat misleading.
Usually, one of the couples who got married would not have the family color.
However, the heir of the family with red hair and golden eyes was called a ‘pure-blooded Vermont.’
Irena had never been called a pure-blooded Vermont.
That’s because that nickname was only used for heirs who were born as sons.
“Father. I am your daughter.”
Her mind went blank for a moment, then gradually turned red with anger.
“You’re sending me to King Valquiterre. You were always saying you couldn’t do that.”
“Don’t make me say that again.”
The warmth in the eyes of the Duke of Vermont, who was looking at her, for his beloved daughter had cooled.
The sight of her father shocked Irena once again.
“Each person has his or her own place.”
He said solemnly.
“There are things that you have to do with all your might. That’s called fate.”
The Duke of Vermont scolded.
“Sometimes you don’t know which side to take until it happens. King Valquiterre has many flaws, but so do you.”
Irena clenched her fists.
“Flaws?”
Why?
In her opinion, she had never lived a life that could be found fault with. She had obediently followed her father’s orders and considered it her mission.
“Become Oberon’s Queen. I have the energy to take a child who is still a lump of flesh and raise him until he becomes an adult.”
A faint smile appeared on his face, which had been cold all along.
“This time, I will see Vermont’s rise to power in a biased way.”
“What are you planning on doing with Claudel?”
The Duke of Vermont tilted his head at Irena’s words.
“What am I going to do with her?”
“Do you think you can take the baby away from Claudel?”
The Duke of Vermont snorted.
“When did I say I would steal the dwarf from Claudel?”
“Of course?”
“We’ll just get back Vermont, who was taken by Temnes.”
Irena was furious.
“The Duke of Temnes is interested in Claudel.”
“Do you believe that he gave his heart to his enemy?”
“Are you out of your mind to think of separating people who are raising children and living happily?”
Irena, unable to bear it any longer, said something she had never thought to say to the Duke of Vermont, despite her respect for him.
“You’re the one who’s out of your mind. How dare you say something like that to me!”
“Father.”
Irena was genuinely confused.
“If this goes wrong, Claudel might die.”
“What’s so great about that?”
“...”
“She went to find her grave. Do you know what Claudel said when I went to Rowen to get food?”
He said proudly.
“She said she was well prepared to die.”
It was nonsense.
“There’s no way Claudel would die so easily.”
A child who had lost her mother to a fire and her father to unfathomable sorrow could not have easily spoken so calmly.
Everything the Duke of Vermont said seemed like a lie.
“So accept your share.”
Irena felt her emotions dry up in real-time.
Just a moment ago, she had been so angry that she almost burst into tears, but now she was like a balloon that had just burst.
It was as if she could hear a rumbling sound in her chest.
“I won’t go to the palace.”
She finally said.
“Tell King Valquiterre that I will become Queen only after the war with Temnes is over.”
“What?”
“Right? I lost a husband who was sent to war. Who knows?”
Irena said with obvious sarcasm.
“My second husband might die and come back, too. Isn’t that right?”
“Where did you learn that habit?”
“Why? What’s so different about what my father has told me?”
Her gaze fell on the blade of the sword that was coldly placed on the desk.
Irena couldn’t take her eyes off the sword of the head of the family that would hang on the waist of the man who would become her husband, who was the most authentic and direct descendant of Vermonters but could not be hers.
“You keep talking differently from what I’ve learned. You say that because of a habit.”
“Irena.”
The Duke of Vermont said with an angry face.
“How can you put your personal feelings before the glory of your family?”
"You always considered me precious, didn’t you?”
She looked at the Duke of Vermont as if she was criticizing him.
“You were proud of me, saying that I was a masterpiece sent by God.”
“I am someone who should put Vermont and Valmond3’s honors first.”
The affection that had always filled the Duke of Vermont’s eyes to the point where he felt a temperature difference just by looking at Irena had disappeared without a trace.
“Would there be a father who doesn’t have any denial about his child? But that’s how I was raised. I said that the family should be put above all else.”
“I don’t want to say this about the baby Claudel gave birth to, but what if?”
Irena took a deep breath.
“That baby might grow up and not have enough discretion to take over the lineage.”
The Duke of Vermont frowned at her words.
“The child might not want it. Even if he is a Vermonter, it might be unreasonable to raise a successor who is hostile to the father who gave birth to him.”
“You are making an ominous assumption. It is completely useless.”
“The character is a desire to devote yourself to the family. An attachment to Valmonde. None of it is certain. Is it really that important that you were born a boy?”
Irena hoped to hear from the Duke of Vermont that it was a slip of the tongue, that he was briefly tempted.
If not, she felt uneasy as if all the time she had lived and all the hardships she had endured would be denied.
“This was not my decision.”
The Duke of Vermont’s answer was unexpected.
“It is an opportunity that God, the heavens, has given our family.”
“...Father?”
Irena looked at the Duke of Vermont, who was spouting off sophistry, in bewilderment.
“Do you think it is a coincidence that Claudel gave birth to a child now, that a pure-blooded Vermonter was born?”
He said with force as if possessed.
“No. There is a time and a meaning to everything.”
He was completely denied.
Irena slowly lowered her head.
“I will go to the capital. But please make it clear that I will not enter the palace before the end of the war.”
“I am not putting you in a tight spot.”
He once said that Valquiterre was a madman who would never give up his daughter. When the Duke of Vermont said that he would, he finally said soothingly.
“The position of Queen of Oberon is dignified and noble. I believe that you will be a good choice.”
Irena turned away without greeting the Duke of Vermont.
He did not scold her for being rude there either.
One step. One step.
With every step she took, Irena’s fate was heading toward a storm she had not expected.
***
The number of guests increased at Rowen Castle.
When the Duchess who had gone missing returned with her baby, it was natural that a nanny and a wet nurse came running. It was common for a noble baby to be taken care of by several people as their status increased.
However, it was unexpected that the owner of the capital salon left the palace and came to Rowen with her.
“It’s a salon run by Temnes. It couldn’t be helped, right?”
“Oh my. It’s such a great place, what a shame. The royal army barged in and made a mess of it.”
Some even heard Claudel, who had taken the real power in the castle without objection, call Madame Cronach “Mom.”
When the Duchess who had gone missing returned with her baby, it was natural that a nanny and a wet nurse came running. It was common for a noble baby to be taken care of by several people as their status increased.
However, it was unexpected that the owner of the capital salon left the palace and came to Rowen with her.
“It’s a salon run by Temnes. It couldn’t be helped, right?”
“Oh my. It’s such a great place, what a shame. The royal army barged in and made a mess of it.”
Some even heard Claudel, who had taken the real power in the castle without objection, call Madame Cronach “Mom.”
“If the Duchess’ mother were alive, she would be around the same age?”
“The atmosphere somehow seems similar.”
“What could the lady regret? She keeps them by her side because she thinks of her deceased parents.”
Everyone vaguely understood the relationship that had not been properly explained.
Because the current peace was so sweet, considering the hardships Kaian had endured while he was running wild.
Madame Cronach exclaimed as she accepted the basket Kaian had brought back from his inspection of the territory.
“Oh my. This is the first time I’ve seen blueberries this big and thick.”
“Is that so?”
“The ones that grow in the mountains are much smaller. I thought they were grapes.”
Nevertheless, what everyone in Rowan Castle could not bring themselves to ask or question was the fact that Madame Cronach dared to be rude to their lord.
“Thank you, Kaian.”
“Don’t mention it.”
Madame Cronach had not worn makeup since she began living in Rowan Castle.
The reason was that she wanted to hold thr baby. The dye that was ground into her skin to give her skin color could not have been good for the baby’s skin.
The reddish scars on her skin were clearly visible, but with her long bangs growing on one side, her ugly cheeks were naturally less noticeable.
Madame Cronach smiled as she looked at the delicious blueberries.
“Blueberry pie has been Claudel’s favorite since she was little. Shall we make it?”
“Can you make it yourself?”
“Of course. Do you think a pie would fall from the sky in the mountains? Can I go to the castle kitchen?”
Kaian asked quietly at Madame Cronach’s words.
“Can I make it?”
“The atmosphere somehow seems similar.”
“What could the lady regret? She keeps them by her side because she thinks of her deceased parents.”
Everyone vaguely understood the relationship that had not been properly explained.
Because the current peace was so sweet, considering the hardships Kaian had endured while he was running wild.
Madame Cronach exclaimed as she accepted the basket Kaian had brought back from his inspection of the territory.
“Oh my. This is the first time I’ve seen blueberries this big and thick.”
“Is that so?”
“The ones that grow in the mountains are much smaller. I thought they were grapes.”
Nevertheless, what everyone in Rowan Castle could not bring themselves to ask or question was the fact that Madame Cronach dared to be rude to their lord.
“Thank you, Kaian.”
“Don’t mention it.”
Madame Cronach had not worn makeup since she began living in Rowan Castle.
The reason was that she wanted to hold thr baby. The dye that was ground into her skin to give her skin color could not have been good for the baby’s skin.
The reddish scars on her skin were clearly visible, but with her long bangs growing on one side, her ugly cheeks were naturally less noticeable.
Madame Cronach smiled as she looked at the delicious blueberries.
“Blueberry pie has been Claudel’s favorite since she was little. Shall we make it?”
“Can you make it yourself?”
“Of course. Do you think a pie would fall from the sky in the mountains? Can I go to the castle kitchen?”
Kaian asked quietly at Madame Cronach’s words.
“Can I make it?”
The New Series, Reincarnating As My Husband's Mistress is out now!
You can check it HERE!
Support Novellate!
Comments
Post a Comment