“Let’s stop fox hunting.”
“Yes?”
“Before you were married.”
“No.”
Claudel shook her head.
“Because Vermont’s daughters never go outside the castle. This is the first time I’ve ever worn such a festive outfit.”
When she went to browse the shops outside the castle, she would wear a shawl or coat over a northern dress that went up to her neck.
It had not yet been two years since she had married Kaian.
In the space of a few years, marriage and childbirth had brought such great changes to a woman’s life that she had spent twenty of her twenty-two years as a girl or a virgin, and only two as a wife, yet she had never known how awkward and self-conscious the way young ladies dressed.
“I’m worried that I might make a mistake.”
The clothes weren’t the problem.
At Claudel’s sigh, Kaian lifted Julien, who was in her arms, up a little.
“Julien. This is the only day I can see your mother dressed like that.”
“Julien. Your father has bad taste. You shouldn’t learn such things.”
“There’s nothing you can’t say to a child.”
“You should reflect on yourself.”
Kaian laughed out loud at her outfit the moment he saw it, and he asked if it was okay to wear it in the bedroom. Only traditional clothes.
As the two were bickering over Julien, there was a knock on the carriage door.
Leonie smiled gently.
“I’ve come to get Julien.”
“Please.”
When Kaian held the baby in his arms, Leonie smiled back at Julien, who smiled without any shyness.
“We’ll take good care of the baby.”
“Thank you, Mom.”
As Evan led Leonie and Julien toward their seats, Kaian got out of the carriage and held out his hand.
“Let’s go too.”
Their seats were the closest to the stage.
Kaian, a tall man with black hair and red eyes, walked leisurely through the already seated crowd with Claudel, and murmurs could be heard here and there.
“Don’t be nervous. Today is a good day.”
As Kaian continued to pay attention to her, Claudel felt better.
"It must be a good day for Temnes too."
"You haven't forgotten that you're the Lady of Rowen."
The curtain rose on a meaningful day for both families.
The crowd became quiet as the workers who announced the start of the festival began to control the crowd.
Claudel accepted the torch and slowly walked on the ice around the platform.
As she turned as she was taught, a world of colorful jewels seemed to spin around her.
Finally, she slowly climbed up onto the platform and lit a large brazier, and cheers erupted from all directions.
Wow.
It seemed as if snow was falling everywhere as pollen was thrown here and there.
'But you did it without a mistake.'
Soon, it was Irena's turn to appear.
Claudel smiled and was about to come down from the platform.
Gyaaaaah!
Someone screamed and there was a commotion.
Claudel, who had been looking down at her feet because her shoes were uncomfortable to walk in, raised her head.
The Duke of Vermont, holding a blood-stained sword, glared at her from a short distance.
“You will be punished for disgracing the family, Claudel.”
‘Fox’ was a slang term for the Duke of Vermont.
The subordinate looked at Kaian, who suddenly withdrew his order, with a puzzled look on his face.
“I guess I was being sensitive. I can’t let something like that ruin Vermont’s slope because of my mood.”
The man immediately agreed with Kaian’s words.
“The place where the Duke of Vermont is imprisoned is located in the innermost part of the inner castle, which is the most heavily guarded area.”
He must have found out something in the meantime, and he immediately gave out the information.
“The Valmonde Castle is divided into an inner and outer castle, and only the vassals of the Vermont family and the knights of the guard with permission can enter the inner castle. The upper level is not surrounded by an outer castle, so it’s cold, but I heard that he’s imprisoned there.”
In short, it meant that no one could easily approach or contact him.
“I wondered if surveillance would be meaningful.”
“I see. Yes. Just do as I say.”
“Yes.”
As the subordinate withdrew, Kaipan sighed.
“Me too. I think I’ve become suspicious.”
It was a busy day as the head of the household.
The fate of Temnes depended on what he saw, heard, and judged.
He thought he couldn’t do the work assigned to him carelessly, but when he saw that Claudel seemed so sad, he felt a little sorry for her.
“It’s important to keep it going for a long time.”
A bowstring pulled tight to the limit would either snap or snap.
If the surroundings were stable, it was also necessary to relax at the right time.
Kaian left the bedroom and walked down the hallway.
The air was already different when he reached the door of the nursery where the nanny and wet nurse were assigned to stay together and take care of Julien.
Click.
As he opened the door and went in, Madame Repel, who was leaning against the rocking chair holding the baby, quickly got up.
“Your Highness. Don’t send anyone.”
“I’ll take Julien.”
“Yes. Please wait a moment.”
The old lady busily packed the small cloth dolls and bells she had been playing with in the baby basket and tried to lay Julien down.
“I’ll carry him.”
When Kaian said, Madame Repel nodded and placed the baby in his arms, laying him diagonally.
He left the room, holding the baby in one arm and the baby basket in the other.
“Julien.”
When he called Julien’s name and looked down at his face, the baby opened its mouth wide and laughed as if it had been waiting.
“Do you like your father’s face too?”
“Ppa!”
“You take after your mother.”
The old man’s face might have seemed ugly with his sparse teeth, but the drooling from his few teeth made Kaian think that it was cute because he was his child.
“I almost missed you.”
The night they rescued Julien was a race against time.
If Baron Colon hadn’t shown his intuition as a longtime family butler, he might have lived without even knowing about Julien’s existence.
“Julien.”
“Huh.”
Kaien carried the baby and headed to the bedroom where Claudel was resting.
'How could he poison someone so pretty?'
He thought about how the previous Temnes had assassinated the bloodline of Vermont and thought that it must have been possible because he had never actually seen the Golden Eye.
"I will only pass down good things to you."
The surveillance and spying were too much when trying to choose something to give to Julien.
Kaien collected his thoughts and hummed a lullaby that the baby liked.
Under the dim light, the Duke of Vermont played chess alone.
He took turns playing the white and black pieces by himself, then for a moment, as if lost in thought, he let go and stared blankly at the shadows of the chess pieces stretched out on the chessboard.
Whoosh.
A thin wind blew from somewhere, piercing the trapped air, and causing the candles to sway.
He opened his mouth as he watched the shadows on the chessboard he had been looking at dancing here and there.
"Report the situation."
“I confirmed that everyone is attending the Declaration of Independence.”
“Where are the seats?”
“Everyone is at the top.”
The center of the circular lake was where the event, whether it was a festival or a lord’s appointment ceremony, took place.
The seats closer to the center were occupied by families with the last name of Vermont, or relatives who had formed an alliance through marriage.
Outside of that, the Valmonde fiefdoms formed a circle like a crowd.
“I thought maybe they could arrange the seats differently this time.”
“Princess Irena is too busy to pay attention to such things. It’s also a tradition.”
“What’s up with that Kaian? Has he done anything suspicious?”
“He seems to be completely infatuated with his child.”
“What?”
An unbelievable voice came through the fine air current from outside.
“A baby with golden eyes? The affection of the young master in the castle of Valmonde is extremely high.”
“Does he think it’s pretty?”
“Yes. Since he openly said that he would make a pure-blooded Vermont the successor to Temnes, everyone was happy, saying that this time they would finally be able to put an end to their long-standing grudge.”
“It’s quite funny to see him go back.”
The Duke of Vermont’s mind was frozen as if he had been hit by a storm.
“He really means to make a Vermont bloodline the successor?”
How could it be so absurd that Kaian, the brat who had been determined to destroy Vermont, would love a child with half the blood of his enemy?
“That is also meaningless.”
When it came to affection for his child, the Duke of Vermont was not without reason. He also loved and cherished Irena so much.
Even the daughter of Vermont, who resembled him so much, bit and scratched her teeth because she was not satisfied with her father’s actions.
“I should teach her a lesson.”
The Duke of Vermont clenched his fists with an indignant expression and ground his teeth.
“Since there is such a grand opening, I should go myself. We should quickly arrive at the lake before it is known that I have escaped the castle, so make sure to prepare thoroughly.”
“I will follow your orders.”
As the thin voice disappeared, the cold air that had been faintly flowing in from outside ceased and the flickering candles became neatly arranged.
The wide ice sheet transformed into a completely different appearance with a little decoration.
Claudel and Kaian arrived on time by carriage. Kaian was amazed as he looked out of the carriage at the natural space transformed into a festival ground in one day.
“I didn’t think of this.”
The original lake had a wooden deck floating in the center and ropes spread out like spider webs in all directions, frozen.
A platform was erected in the center, covered with dark-colored cloth, and decorated with ice sculptures, and it was quite a sight in itself.
The frozen ropes stretched out toward the lakeside, dividing the round lake into areas like slices of pie. In the meantime, workers had thinly applied pigmented water to the surface and frozen it, so that each section of the opaque ice floor along the perimeter was filled with water in various colors.
“I would believe it if you said it was a palace made of jewels.”
“Haha. It’s good to see.”
Claudel laughed happily along with Kaian.
Kaian lifted the corners of his lips at her.
“There is something else that is the most worth seeing.”
The man who had threatened to tear up and throw the clothes she wore in Valmonde into the moat of the castle of Rowen had no chance to see his wife’s northern attire.
Claudel, who played the role of the fairy of the festival, was going to run a few laps on the ice wearing shoes with iron straps on the soles of her boots.
Claudel was wearing the traditional costume of Valmonde. To protect against the cold, she wore thick cotton pants and a long shirt that reached down to her knees.
On top of that, she wore a dark blue wool coat that was almost like a one-piece dress with fluffy white fur around her neck, wrists, and the hem of her skirt.
Her long hair, like that of a maiden, was braided thinly on both sides, and she wore a bonnet made of the same wool material with fur decorations on her head. Kaian burst out laughing as soon as he saw the ribbon tied under her chin.
“Don’t laugh.”
“No. I didn’t mean to make fun of you.”
Since women usually didn’t wear hats like this, Claudel felt embarrassed for no reason.
“Was that what you were like?”
The subordinate looked at Kaian, who suddenly withdrew his order, with a puzzled look on his face.
“I guess I was being sensitive. I can’t let something like that ruin Vermont’s slope because of my mood.”
The man immediately agreed with Kaian’s words.
“The place where the Duke of Vermont is imprisoned is located in the innermost part of the inner castle, which is the most heavily guarded area.”
He must have found out something in the meantime, and he immediately gave out the information.
“The Valmonde Castle is divided into an inner and outer castle, and only the vassals of the Vermont family and the knights of the guard with permission can enter the inner castle. The upper level is not surrounded by an outer castle, so it’s cold, but I heard that he’s imprisoned there.”
In short, it meant that no one could easily approach or contact him.
“I wondered if surveillance would be meaningful.”
“I see. Yes. Just do as I say.”
“Yes.”
As the subordinate withdrew, Kaipan sighed.
“Me too. I think I’ve become suspicious.”
It was a busy day as the head of the household.
The fate of Temnes depended on what he saw, heard, and judged.
He thought he couldn’t do the work assigned to him carelessly, but when he saw that Claudel seemed so sad, he felt a little sorry for her.
“It’s important to keep it going for a long time.”
A bowstring pulled tight to the limit would either snap or snap.
If the surroundings were stable, it was also necessary to relax at the right time.
Kaian left the bedroom and walked down the hallway.
The air was already different when he reached the door of the nursery where the nanny and wet nurse were assigned to stay together and take care of Julien.
Click.
As he opened the door and went in, Madame Repel, who was leaning against the rocking chair holding the baby, quickly got up.
“Your Highness. Don’t send anyone.”
“I’ll take Julien.”
“Yes. Please wait a moment.”
The old lady busily packed the small cloth dolls and bells she had been playing with in the baby basket and tried to lay Julien down.
“I’ll carry him.”
When Kaian said, Madame Repel nodded and placed the baby in his arms, laying him diagonally.
He left the room, holding the baby in one arm and the baby basket in the other.
“Julien.”
When he called Julien’s name and looked down at his face, the baby opened its mouth wide and laughed as if it had been waiting.
“Do you like your father’s face too?”
“Ppa!”
“You take after your mother.”
The old man’s face might have seemed ugly with his sparse teeth, but the drooling from his few teeth made Kaian think that it was cute because he was his child.
“I almost missed you.”
The night they rescued Julien was a race against time.
If Baron Colon hadn’t shown his intuition as a longtime family butler, he might have lived without even knowing about Julien’s existence.
“Julien.”
“Huh.”
Kaien carried the baby and headed to the bedroom where Claudel was resting.
'How could he poison someone so pretty?'
He thought about how the previous Temnes had assassinated the bloodline of Vermont and thought that it must have been possible because he had never actually seen the Golden Eye.
"I will only pass down good things to you."
The surveillance and spying were too much when trying to choose something to give to Julien.
Kaien collected his thoughts and hummed a lullaby that the baby liked.
***
Under the dim light, the Duke of Vermont played chess alone.
He took turns playing the white and black pieces by himself, then for a moment, as if lost in thought, he let go and stared blankly at the shadows of the chess pieces stretched out on the chessboard.
Whoosh.
A thin wind blew from somewhere, piercing the trapped air, and causing the candles to sway.
He opened his mouth as he watched the shadows on the chessboard he had been looking at dancing here and there.
"Report the situation."
“I confirmed that everyone is attending the Declaration of Independence.”
“Where are the seats?”
“Everyone is at the top.”
The center of the circular lake was where the event, whether it was a festival or a lord’s appointment ceremony, took place.
The seats closer to the center were occupied by families with the last name of Vermont, or relatives who had formed an alliance through marriage.
Outside of that, the Valmonde fiefdoms formed a circle like a crowd.
“I thought maybe they could arrange the seats differently this time.”
“Princess Irena is too busy to pay attention to such things. It’s also a tradition.”
“What’s up with that Kaian? Has he done anything suspicious?”
“He seems to be completely infatuated with his child.”
“What?”
An unbelievable voice came through the fine air current from outside.
“A baby with golden eyes? The affection of the young master in the castle of Valmonde is extremely high.”
“Does he think it’s pretty?”
“Yes. Since he openly said that he would make a pure-blooded Vermont the successor to Temnes, everyone was happy, saying that this time they would finally be able to put an end to their long-standing grudge.”
“It’s quite funny to see him go back.”
The Duke of Vermont’s mind was frozen as if he had been hit by a storm.
“He really means to make a Vermont bloodline the successor?”
How could it be so absurd that Kaian, the brat who had been determined to destroy Vermont, would love a child with half the blood of his enemy?
“That is also meaningless.”
When it came to affection for his child, the Duke of Vermont was not without reason. He also loved and cherished Irena so much.
Even the daughter of Vermont, who resembled him so much, bit and scratched her teeth because she was not satisfied with her father’s actions.
“I should teach her a lesson.”
The Duke of Vermont clenched his fists with an indignant expression and ground his teeth.
“Since there is such a grand opening, I should go myself. We should quickly arrive at the lake before it is known that I have escaped the castle, so make sure to prepare thoroughly.”
“I will follow your orders.”
As the thin voice disappeared, the cold air that had been faintly flowing in from outside ceased and the flickering candles became neatly arranged.
***
The wide ice sheet transformed into a completely different appearance with a little decoration.
Claudel and Kaian arrived on time by carriage. Kaian was amazed as he looked out of the carriage at the natural space transformed into a festival ground in one day.
“I didn’t think of this.”
The original lake had a wooden deck floating in the center and ropes spread out like spider webs in all directions, frozen.
A platform was erected in the center, covered with dark-colored cloth, and decorated with ice sculptures, and it was quite a sight in itself.
The frozen ropes stretched out toward the lakeside, dividing the round lake into areas like slices of pie. In the meantime, workers had thinly applied pigmented water to the surface and frozen it, so that each section of the opaque ice floor along the perimeter was filled with water in various colors.
“I would believe it if you said it was a palace made of jewels.”
“Haha. It’s good to see.”
Claudel laughed happily along with Kaian.
Kaian lifted the corners of his lips at her.
“There is something else that is the most worth seeing.”
The man who had threatened to tear up and throw the clothes she wore in Valmonde into the moat of the castle of Rowen had no chance to see his wife’s northern attire.
Claudel, who played the role of the fairy of the festival, was going to run a few laps on the ice wearing shoes with iron straps on the soles of her boots.
Claudel was wearing the traditional costume of Valmonde. To protect against the cold, she wore thick cotton pants and a long shirt that reached down to her knees.
On top of that, she wore a dark blue wool coat that was almost like a one-piece dress with fluffy white fur around her neck, wrists, and the hem of her skirt.
Her long hair, like that of a maiden, was braided thinly on both sides, and she wore a bonnet made of the same wool material with fur decorations on her head. Kaian burst out laughing as soon as he saw the ribbon tied under her chin.
“Don’t laugh.”
“No. I didn’t mean to make fun of you.”
Since women usually didn’t wear hats like this, Claudel felt embarrassed for no reason.
“Was that what you were like?”
“Yes?”
“Before you were married.”
“No.”
Claudel shook her head.
“Because Vermont’s daughters never go outside the castle. This is the first time I’ve ever worn such a festive outfit.”
When she went to browse the shops outside the castle, she would wear a shawl or coat over a northern dress that went up to her neck.
It had not yet been two years since she had married Kaian.
In the space of a few years, marriage and childbirth had brought such great changes to a woman’s life that she had spent twenty of her twenty-two years as a girl or a virgin, and only two as a wife, yet she had never known how awkward and self-conscious the way young ladies dressed.
“I’m worried that I might make a mistake.”
The clothes weren’t the problem.
At Claudel’s sigh, Kaian lifted Julien, who was in her arms, up a little.
“Julien. This is the only day I can see your mother dressed like that.”
“Julien. Your father has bad taste. You shouldn’t learn such things.”
“There’s nothing you can’t say to a child.”
“You should reflect on yourself.”
Kaian laughed out loud at her outfit the moment he saw it, and he asked if it was okay to wear it in the bedroom. Only traditional clothes.
As the two were bickering over Julien, there was a knock on the carriage door.
Leonie smiled gently.
“I’ve come to get Julien.”
“Please.”
When Kaian held the baby in his arms, Leonie smiled back at Julien, who smiled without any shyness.
“We’ll take good care of the baby.”
“Thank you, Mom.”
As Evan led Leonie and Julien toward their seats, Kaian got out of the carriage and held out his hand.
“Let’s go too.”
Their seats were the closest to the stage.
Kaian, a tall man with black hair and red eyes, walked leisurely through the already seated crowd with Claudel, and murmurs could be heard here and there.
“Don’t be nervous. Today is a good day.”
As Kaian continued to pay attention to her, Claudel felt better.
"It must be a good day for Temnes too."
"You haven't forgotten that you're the Lady of Rowen."
The curtain rose on a meaningful day for both families.
The crowd became quiet as the workers who announced the start of the festival began to control the crowd.
Claudel accepted the torch and slowly walked on the ice around the platform.
As she turned as she was taught, a world of colorful jewels seemed to spin around her.
Finally, she slowly climbed up onto the platform and lit a large brazier, and cheers erupted from all directions.
Wow.
It seemed as if snow was falling everywhere as pollen was thrown here and there.
'But you did it without a mistake.'
Soon, it was Irena's turn to appear.
Claudel smiled and was about to come down from the platform.
Gyaaaaah!
Someone screamed and there was a commotion.
Claudel, who had been looking down at her feet because her shoes were uncomfortable to walk in, raised her head.
The Duke of Vermont, holding a blood-stained sword, glared at her from a short distance.
“You will be punished for disgracing the family, Claudel.”
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