When she was rescued from the water by Carson, and came out of his mansion eating, sleeping, and wearing completely new clothes after washing them, she could not have imagined that such a time would come.
Moreover, he also told her that they were in the same boat. It was like a buoy floating in the vast ocean meeting a constellation that showed her the way. So she can only say that she was walking in a dream...
"Was there... Sir Joseph?"
Ines's dream was shattered by the sudden terrifying name.
"Yes, he came as an escort for the daughter of Count Graham."
"Oh my... He must be a very capable person."
Ines smiled bitterly instead of answering. In a sense, he was a very capable person. Joseph was a man who would do anything to get what he wanted. The most terrible thing he wanted was the fact that he wanted to continue his marriage with her for more than six months.
When she was married and living with him, Joseph was always busy and couldn’t spend time with Ines, but he would touch her at night. At that time, she thought it was love. She didn’t think it was dirty and ugly lust.
The horrible memories of spending time with him came flooding back, and Ines shook her head to erase the thoughts.
“How did you end up dancing with the lord?”
“How come you seem more excited than me?”
“Then I am excited.”
Susan leaned closer to Ines as if she was telling her something more secret, even though there was no one in the carriage.
“I got it.”
“What?”
“His portrait.”
“Really?”
“I was afraid you would lie about that.”
Ines laughed happily at Susan’s imitation of her words.
“I got it with great difficulty. I said I drew it after seeing a portrait in a magazine that you could only find in the capital.”
“Really?”
“Even artists aren’t just novices.”
Ines’ heart pounded for the first time in a long time. Looking back, it was like that. From some point on, she had difficulty defining exactly what she was feeling right now. But Carson was an exception. Just thinking about him continued to make her feel good.
His portrait was to be kept in her Bible. Not long ago, her mother had made a beautiful cover for Ines’ Bible. It was soft goat leather, with the family crest and Ines’ name beautifully engraved on it.
The cover of the Bible she had received at Romfield was made of rough wood, thinly sliced. Every time Ines touched the Bible her mother had made, she felt anew that she had really returned to the past.
“But... Miss. I have a little question.”
“It’s okay. Talk to me.”
“You won’t see Lord Joseph anymore, will you?”
Ines thought about Joseph’s usefulness when Susan asked her. Should she continue to see him now that she knew what his intentions were?
Moreover, he also told her that they were in the same boat. It was like a buoy floating in the vast ocean meeting a constellation that showed her the way. So she can only say that she was walking in a dream...
"Was there... Sir Joseph?"
Ines's dream was shattered by the sudden terrifying name.
"Yes, he came as an escort for the daughter of Count Graham."
"Oh my... He must be a very capable person."
Ines smiled bitterly instead of answering. In a sense, he was a very capable person. Joseph was a man who would do anything to get what he wanted. The most terrible thing he wanted was the fact that he wanted to continue his marriage with her for more than six months.
When she was married and living with him, Joseph was always busy and couldn’t spend time with Ines, but he would touch her at night. At that time, she thought it was love. She didn’t think it was dirty and ugly lust.
The horrible memories of spending time with him came flooding back, and Ines shook her head to erase the thoughts.
“How did you end up dancing with the lord?”
“How come you seem more excited than me?”
“Then I am excited.”
Susan leaned closer to Ines as if she was telling her something more secret, even though there was no one in the carriage.
“I got it.”
“What?”
“His portrait.”
“Really?”
“I was afraid you would lie about that.”
Ines laughed happily at Susan’s imitation of her words.
“I got it with great difficulty. I said I drew it after seeing a portrait in a magazine that you could only find in the capital.”
“Really?”
“Even artists aren’t just novices.”
Ines’ heart pounded for the first time in a long time. Looking back, it was like that. From some point on, she had difficulty defining exactly what she was feeling right now. But Carson was an exception. Just thinking about him continued to make her feel good.
His portrait was to be kept in her Bible. Not long ago, her mother had made a beautiful cover for Ines’ Bible. It was soft goat leather, with the family crest and Ines’ name beautifully engraved on it.
The cover of the Bible she had received at Romfield was made of rough wood, thinly sliced. Every time Ines touched the Bible her mother had made, she felt anew that she had really returned to the past.
“But... Miss. I have a little question.”
“It’s okay. Talk to me.”
“You won’t see Lord Joseph anymore, will you?”
Ines thought about Joseph’s usefulness when Susan asked her. Should she continue to see him now that she knew what his intentions were?
She knew his intentions, but she wasn’t sure how she would act. She also didn’t know why Count Graham had pretended Joseph was dead to take away thr title.
At this rate, Joseph would soon receive the title of Baron and would immediately send a marriage proposal to Ines. The family that received the marriage proposal had to reject the proposal within a month or get engaged or married within six months.
“Well, what should I do?”
But her worries didn’t last long. At that moment, an uninvited guest appeared blocking the carriage.
Ines stared blankly at Joseph, who was standing in front of her with an extremely agitated expression.
“Didn’t you promise me?”
“What promise?”
“The promise that you would never dance with another man.”
“Oh. Did I really promise that?”
If it were Ines back then, she might have made that promise as he said. It was such a vain and empty promise that she couldn’t remember now.
“But Joseph, how could I not dance with anyone while I'm out and about?”
“It was a promise you made just a year ago.”
Instead of scolding him, Ines chose to console him. There was no need to reveal Ines’s true feelings to him since everything was not yet certain. If she had expressed her intention not to marry, it would have been obvious that she would have shown her meanness.
“Of course, but I had no choice.”
“No choice?”
“The lord asked me to dance as a thank you for saving his younger sister. How could I refuse that, right?”
“But people didn’t think so.”
“What do people think?”
“I don’t want to say it myself. And is it true that the dress you're wearing today was sent by the lord?”
“That’s just a gift, too.”
“But! Everyone said that the lord’s gaze toward you was unusual today.”
Ines looked at him with incomprehensible eyes, blushing with genuine anger. If she hadn’t seen what he and Count Graham’s daughter had done, she could have easily fooled him into thinking that he was blinded by jealousy.
“Joseph, no matter how angry you are, you should call him the lord.”
“Does that matter in this situation?”
Ines suddenly felt tired. She slowly reached out and grabbed Joseph’s clenched fist to quickly get out of this place. His eyes shook as if they had been hit by waves.
“People just say that. Joseph knows how cruel people can be when it comes to other people. Nobles make up stories for their own amusement.”
“...”
“Oh, don’t you know much about the physiology of nobles yet?”
Joseph couldn’t answer the obvious sarcastic remarks that followed. Instead, he looked down at the hand that was being held.
“So don’t worry. What’s the point of worrying when your heart and mine haven’t changed?”
Ines felt as if she had touched a large bug and hurriedly pulled her hand away from him. Then he grabbed her hand urgently.
“If that’s true, please confirm it.”
“Confirmation?”
“Please give me a kiss of oath. So that the water goddess can watch over our love.”
Ines snickered at those words. A kiss of oath? She shook off his hand and glared at him.
“Joseph, I’m really disappointed in you.”
“What?”
“Is that how you confirm your love?”
“Oh, my lady...”
“Yes, if I’m still your lady, you should protect my honor. To suddenly show up in the middle of the night and ask for a kiss of oath in the middle of the street, I can’t believe it.”
He suddenly came to his senses and crouched down in front of her, bending one leg like a knight.
“I was so impatient that I made a slip of the tongue. Please forgive me.”
At this rate, Joseph would soon receive the title of Baron and would immediately send a marriage proposal to Ines. The family that received the marriage proposal had to reject the proposal within a month or get engaged or married within six months.
“Well, what should I do?”
But her worries didn’t last long. At that moment, an uninvited guest appeared blocking the carriage.
***
Ines stared blankly at Joseph, who was standing in front of her with an extremely agitated expression.
“Didn’t you promise me?”
“What promise?”
“The promise that you would never dance with another man.”
“Oh. Did I really promise that?”
If it were Ines back then, she might have made that promise as he said. It was such a vain and empty promise that she couldn’t remember now.
“But Joseph, how could I not dance with anyone while I'm out and about?”
“It was a promise you made just a year ago.”
Instead of scolding him, Ines chose to console him. There was no need to reveal Ines’s true feelings to him since everything was not yet certain. If she had expressed her intention not to marry, it would have been obvious that she would have shown her meanness.
“Of course, but I had no choice.”
“No choice?”
“The lord asked me to dance as a thank you for saving his younger sister. How could I refuse that, right?”
“But people didn’t think so.”
“What do people think?”
“I don’t want to say it myself. And is it true that the dress you're wearing today was sent by the lord?”
“That’s just a gift, too.”
“But! Everyone said that the lord’s gaze toward you was unusual today.”
Ines looked at him with incomprehensible eyes, blushing with genuine anger. If she hadn’t seen what he and Count Graham’s daughter had done, she could have easily fooled him into thinking that he was blinded by jealousy.
“Joseph, no matter how angry you are, you should call him the lord.”
“Does that matter in this situation?”
Ines suddenly felt tired. She slowly reached out and grabbed Joseph’s clenched fist to quickly get out of this place. His eyes shook as if they had been hit by waves.
“People just say that. Joseph knows how cruel people can be when it comes to other people. Nobles make up stories for their own amusement.”
“...”
“Oh, don’t you know much about the physiology of nobles yet?”
Joseph couldn’t answer the obvious sarcastic remarks that followed. Instead, he looked down at the hand that was being held.
“So don’t worry. What’s the point of worrying when your heart and mine haven’t changed?”
Ines felt as if she had touched a large bug and hurriedly pulled her hand away from him. Then he grabbed her hand urgently.
“If that’s true, please confirm it.”
“Confirmation?”
“Please give me a kiss of oath. So that the water goddess can watch over our love.”
Ines snickered at those words. A kiss of oath? She shook off his hand and glared at him.
“Joseph, I’m really disappointed in you.”
“What?”
“Is that how you confirm your love?”
“Oh, my lady...”
“Yes, if I’m still your lady, you should protect my honor. To suddenly show up in the middle of the night and ask for a kiss of oath in the middle of the street, I can’t believe it.”
He suddenly came to his senses and crouched down in front of her, bending one leg like a knight.
“I was so impatient that I made a slip of the tongue. Please forgive me.”
Ines looked down at his head with cold eyes and slowly returned to the carriage. With Susan’s help, Ines got into the carriage and slightly opened the window on the carriage wall.
“You can get up now.”
When Ines gave permission, Joseph straightened his crumpled body. Ines laughed even harder because his eyes showed he had repented his mistake.
“I’ll forgive you this time. I hope you won’t disappoint me next time.”
“Yes, I will keep that in mind.”
“But Joseph, you... really like me?”
“Are you still asking that?”
Ines nodded her head as she listened to his answer, indicating that he should go.
“Why?”
“Well...”
As the carriage moved with a dull sound, he followed her, clinging to the window. He tried to say something, but his voice was lost in the noise of the carriage.
Ines took Susan's handkerchief and wiped her hand, which had been caught. It was a piece that had been ruined by the wrong number of petals.
“If I’m that good, you’d die for me.”
“Of course.”
“Yes, then.”
Ines held the towel she had used to wipe her hands out the window and let it go. The sight of him catching it and throwing himself down was so funny. It was a farce.
Carson quickly adapted to the work of his new territory.
Landhill was a small territory, but it had endless possibilities. The reason he had come to Landhill was, of course, because it was adjacent to Lesonia, where his younger sister was, but there were two other adjacent territories besides Landhill.
Nevertheless, Carson chose this territory.
The capital of the Keynes Empire was slightly to the left of the center. Landhill was five days ride from the palace by fast horse. It was quite a distance that took more than a week to ten days by carriage.
Of course, his father had said that it was quite close, but Carson had no intention of going to the palace often.
With its vast granary and the largest port in the empire, Lesonia is located further south of Landhill, and the shortest route from the Imperial City to Lesonia was through Landhill.
Even now, when the road is not properly maintained, many goods are transported between Lesonia and the capital via Landhill, but what if there is a faster way?
The money that can be earned from it would be beyond imagination.
“What did I ask you to find out?”
“I will report back as soon as you finish breakfast.”
“You sit down too.”
Noah's work usually started at Carson's breakfast time. While eating, Carson received various reports from Noah and gave instructions. But today was different from other days. It had been a long time since his younger sister had expressed her desire to be with him.
"What about Louis?"
This time, Carson asked the butler instead of Noah. The Lord of Landhill wanted to keep the servants he had, and Carson, who did not particularly care for people, accepted him.
"She will come down soon."
He wanted to ask what had happened during the past four years that he could not take care of, but Louis did not give him a chance.
It was not that she avoided him or resented him, but she did not smile or talk much.
Louis had been a tearful child since she was little. In Carson's eyes, the child did not seem to have grown at all. Was it because she was left alone at a time when she needed warmth the most?
In the meantime, Louis had simply changed from a tearful child to a quiet child.
"You're here."
Louis moved her small body and sat up neatly on the chair.
"Did you sleep well?"
"Yes, brother."
Carson felt a little relieved at the firm voice.
“You can get up now.”
When Ines gave permission, Joseph straightened his crumpled body. Ines laughed even harder because his eyes showed he had repented his mistake.
“I’ll forgive you this time. I hope you won’t disappoint me next time.”
“Yes, I will keep that in mind.”
“But Joseph, you... really like me?”
“Are you still asking that?”
Ines nodded her head as she listened to his answer, indicating that he should go.
“Why?”
“Well...”
As the carriage moved with a dull sound, he followed her, clinging to the window. He tried to say something, but his voice was lost in the noise of the carriage.
Ines took Susan's handkerchief and wiped her hand, which had been caught. It was a piece that had been ruined by the wrong number of petals.
“If I’m that good, you’d die for me.”
“Of course.”
“Yes, then.”
Ines held the towel she had used to wipe her hands out the window and let it go. The sight of him catching it and throwing himself down was so funny. It was a farce.
***
Carson quickly adapted to the work of his new territory.
Landhill was a small territory, but it had endless possibilities. The reason he had come to Landhill was, of course, because it was adjacent to Lesonia, where his younger sister was, but there were two other adjacent territories besides Landhill.
Nevertheless, Carson chose this territory.
The capital of the Keynes Empire was slightly to the left of the center. Landhill was five days ride from the palace by fast horse. It was quite a distance that took more than a week to ten days by carriage.
Of course, his father had said that it was quite close, but Carson had no intention of going to the palace often.
With its vast granary and the largest port in the empire, Lesonia is located further south of Landhill, and the shortest route from the Imperial City to Lesonia was through Landhill.
Even now, when the road is not properly maintained, many goods are transported between Lesonia and the capital via Landhill, but what if there is a faster way?
The money that can be earned from it would be beyond imagination.
“What did I ask you to find out?”
“I will report back as soon as you finish breakfast.”
“You sit down too.”
Noah's work usually started at Carson's breakfast time. While eating, Carson received various reports from Noah and gave instructions. But today was different from other days. It had been a long time since his younger sister had expressed her desire to be with him.
"What about Louis?"
This time, Carson asked the butler instead of Noah. The Lord of Landhill wanted to keep the servants he had, and Carson, who did not particularly care for people, accepted him.
"She will come down soon."
He wanted to ask what had happened during the past four years that he could not take care of, but Louis did not give him a chance.
It was not that she avoided him or resented him, but she did not smile or talk much.
Louis had been a tearful child since she was little. In Carson's eyes, the child did not seem to have grown at all. Was it because she was left alone at a time when she needed warmth the most?
In the meantime, Louis had simply changed from a tearful child to a quiet child.
"You're here."
Louis moved her small body and sat up neatly on the chair.
"Did you sleep well?"
"Yes, brother."
Carson felt a little relieved at the firm voice.
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