“It’s what you used to eat well when you were a baby.”
“It’s made by cooking well-cooked carrots and then finely grating them. It tastes really good.”
“It looks delicious.”
When Evan mixed the roasted carrot puree with soft crumbled bread and put it on the corner of Julien's mouth, the little guy who opened his mouth in a daze swallowed it down.
“Ammam.”
Julien, who seemed to be excited, looked at Evan, shaking his butt.
“Oh. Right. Does it taste good?”
“Mmmamam.”
While Evan and Madame Cronach diligently fed the baby the cooled food in a small bowl, Kaian sighed in disappointment.
I looked at Julien who was happily trying the new baby food, and when I heard a sigh, I turned my head to my husband in wonder.
“What’s wrong?”
“I gave him so many better things, and I was defeated by a mere carrot.”
“Well, you gave him something inedible.”
A small wooden sword with jewels, or a wooden horse that was still a long way from Julien’s.
“That’s right. I hadn’t thought of that. A carrot.”
The piece of bread, ignored by the roasted carrot, disappeared into his mouth.
“Claudel. Look at this.”
Madame Cronach held up a small pot the size of her palm.
“Julien has already eaten half of it.”
“It must be really delicious.”
“My skills are not going anywhere. Ahem.”
As I watched the scene with a smile, my heart strangely fluttered and my eyes stung. A complex emotion that was neither moved nor touched suddenly surged over me.
“Excuse me for a moment.”
The moment the tears that had filled my eyes could not overcome gravity and flowed down my cheeks, Kaian made an excuse, covered me, and got up from his seat.
Kaian took me from the nursery to the bedroom, sat me down on the sofa, and looked at my face worriedly.
“What’s wrong? What’s wrong?”
“No. Nothing..."
However, tears kept flowing as if a spring had sprung up in my chest to push them out.
“Why are you crying when it’s nothing?”
Kaian took out a handkerchief and carefully wiped my tears.
“I'm so happy... So happy.”
Evan spoon-fed food to the baby with red hair and golden eyes.
And I sat and watched.
When I felt that an unbelievably miraculous moment had actually entered my life, I felt really sorry for myself in the past compared to my current happiness.
It was because I had been so lonely when I lived at the Castle de Valmonde.
Even though I had lived among them under the name of Vermont, I always felt like a stranger.
The empty space left by my deceased parents had been filled like an unexpected surprise gift, but could I, who had grown up so poorly, not even be able to properly embrace such happiness?
At times like this, Irena’s smiling face kept coming to mind.
There might never be a day when I could smile so brightly and carefree.
Even in the best moments, joy was closer to tears.
When the moisture from my cheeks dried, Kaian hugged me tightly and comforted me.
“Anyway, it’s a win-win.”
When had I heard that?
It was the day I first went to his room with my leg injured when the ceiling opened miraculously and I could see the night sky. They say that the souls of dead people become stars. Are Mom and Dad among those stars?
Then, when I died soon, would my place also be in that gap?
My eyes grew cold as of thought such pointless thoughts.
Hearing the same thing on days when I was sad and on days when I was excited.
‘I guess it’s true that it’s a win-win.’
I should have shown a better side.
It was when my emotions were fluctuating after crying.
“I envy you.”
Kaian suddenly said.
“What are you jealous of?”
“I wish my parents could come back to life.”
The death of the former Duke and Duchess of Temnes was an unquestionable peace.
The Duke and Duchess, who had died suddenly in the capital city, were personally escorted back to their estate by the Baron of Colon and held a funeral.
“Ah. I’m sorry.”
I quickly rubbed my eyes and tried to get away from him, but Kaian put strength into his arms and put my head back on his chest with his large hands.
“What do you have to be sorry for?”
Kaian smiled slightly as if it was okay.
“I think that way because I see your parents.”
“What do you think?”
“I think my father and mother would have liked you if they had seen you.”
“I don’t think so.”
“Why do you think so?”
I took a deep breath and exhaled.
“I’m a Vermont. And a Vermont that’s too much of a red flag.”
“But they would have liked you sooner than I did. They valued manners and dignity.”
“Is that so?”
Watching Kaian brag made me feel a little tempted.
“I don’t think so. Because your father and the Duke of Vermont were on such bad terms.”
“But they would have loved you anyway.”
Was that so?
As I listened to Kaian, I began to imagine the portraits of the former Dukes of Temnes and his wife standing next to Julien in the central hall of the castle.
Then I saw my parents with Julien and felt as if I had shown Kaian something unworthy of him, missing his deceased parents.
“You’re being childish.”
“I can do whatever I want.”
“You’ve been too kind to me lately.”
“What’s the complaint?”
Kaian frowned at my sullen voice and flicked the tip of my nose with his index finger.
Every time Kaian did this, my heart grew a little more anxious. Since I couldn’t let it out on him, I was on the verge of developing a condition close to a tantrum.
Something began to form in the middle of my chest as if it were a lump. There’s a joke that says,
'People who don’t do things they shouldn’t do die...'
Isn’t that a word I don’t want to say?
I was so sensitive to Kaian’s well-being that I felt uncomfortable saying that.
“You. Aren’t you busy?”
I decided to change the subject completely.
“I’m busy, but it’s okay. Thanks to your father firing the cannon, many things went down the drain.”
“...”
“Since it’s come to this, why don’t we use it for something good?”
Kaian gently cupped my cheek as if he was regretting it. It was the first time that Rowen Castle, located at the southernmost point of the Ita Continent, had been attacked like this. Since ships couldn’t sail through the southern seas, the only way to attack the castle was by land from the continent to Rowen.
Since it was the southernmost castle in the territory, it was very far away. Even before reaching Rowen Castle, the decision would be made in the defensive lines surrounding it. On top of that, the deep moat was known to be difficult to attack, so the enemies would be defeated before even reaching the castle. In the midst of all this, artillery fire was coming near the castle. During all this panic and an emergency standoff, Kaian seemed determined to slack off.
‘Oh, no.’
Thinking that, I became even more anxious. He had to make perfect preparations for the expedition. I was worried that he might be missing something by spending time with me like this.
“Let’s go to the office quickly.”
“Why? Do it in the office?”
“What?”
When I tell you to go to work, what are you doing in the office?
As I looked bewildered, Kaian leisurely played with the red hair flowing down my ear, wrapping his fingers around it.
“Didn’t you say you were going to do something good for me?”
“What on earth are you talking about? When did I...?”
I was soon caught by Kaian and had to give my lips. Time passed quickly between trivial conversations and bickering. Perhaps it seemed to pass even faster because it was filled with trivial things.
Evan and Madame Cronach, who had just finished feeding Julien baby food and knocked on the door leading from the nursery to the bedroom, happened to see them.
Knock.
As soon as the door closed, Madame Cronach shrugged.
“They’re getting along well.”
“It seems so.”
Evan raised his eyebrows.
“It wouldn’t have been easy for families that were enemies to do that.”
“Kaian is a really nice man.”
Madame Cronach’s face sank.
“Your brother pushed Claudel to the brink of death.”
“I know.”
Evan answered with a cold, hard face.
“I will never forgive him.”
“Are you okay? You?”
“The knife you brought back from hell has found its destination.”
There was not a shred of sympathy left in his face as he spoke. It was impossible to imagine this person, who had just been smiling with a honey-dripping face and speaking childishly while feeding a baby.
“We all have to pay for our misfortune.”
Madame Cronach looked down at his anger.
“I was the one who started the misfortune.”
She decided to put aside the deep-rooted self-reproach that remained deep in her heart for now.
***
The night deepened in the castle.
Because it was built along a high hill and a cliff, the preparations for the royal army’s departure were made not in the narrow front of the castle, but in the wide plains outside the capital city limits.
Valquiterre was in the process of explaining a few things to Bianque.
“Basically, you don’t have to worry about it.”
“Yeah.”
“Unless I lose, the army won’t push its way up to the capital. Even if I lose, Kaian won’t advance to the capital.”
“How can you be so sure?”
Valquiterre snickered at Bianque’s words.
“Don’t I know him? He must find everything annoying.”
It was obvious that he just wanted to roll around in his wife's skirt and watch his children’s tricks.
“This guy was fighting a defensive war in the first place. Since we started a war that he didn’t want to start, he probably wouldn’t be thinking of occupying the capital.”
“Anyway, I’m not in danger, right?”
“Of course. Besides, if the castle gates are closed, there’s nothing we can do from the outside.”
After climbing up the narrow, steep path, they arrived at the castle gate, which wasn’t that wide.
They had to break down the tightly closed gate, but there wasn’t even enough space to properly place a siege weapon. There was no other way than to break down the gate, and the other side was a cliff with a river below, so there was no way to climb up.
Bianque asked him playfully.
“What if I don’t open the gate? Do you trust me?”
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