“Did you like my wife?”
The question was sudden.
The red eyes shining brightly in the darkness stared at Valquiterre as if they would not miss even a single reaction.
“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
Valquiterre's answer was a beat, no, two beats slower.
That fact increased the doubt that had settled in a corner of Kaian’s heart.
“Just answer the question. Don’t change the subject.”
Watching Kaian speak with a cold gaze, Valquiterre sharpened his blade.
“Shouldn’t you be the one who should be asking the question so that I understand? Asking me out of the blue if I liked the Duchess?”
“Have you gotten stupid? Do you really need me to explain it to you in detail?”
“Then have you gone crazy? Don’t you know that excessive delusion is a disease?”
The red eyes shining brightly in the darkness stared at Valquiterre as if they would not miss even a single reaction.
“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
Valquiterre's answer was a beat, no, two beats slower.
That fact increased the doubt that had settled in a corner of Kaian’s heart.
“Just answer the question. Don’t change the subject.”
Watching Kaian speak with a cold gaze, Valquiterre sharpened his blade.
“Shouldn’t you be the one who should be asking the question so that I understand? Asking me out of the blue if I liked the Duchess?”
“Have you gotten stupid? Do you really need me to explain it to you in detail?”
“Then have you gone crazy? Don’t you know that excessive delusion is a disease?”
When Valquiterre spoke accusingly, Kaian asked again as if it was absurd.
“Why did you hide the fact that you met my wife?”
“What?”
“She says you met at the lakeside of Rowen Castle.”
“Ha.”
Valquiterre said as if he was shocked.
“If I called you to Promhunt and then said I went to Rowen Castle, you wouldn’t have understood and said, ‘Okay.’”
“Were you going to spy on my wife from the beginning?”
Valquiterre jumped when Kaian questioned her.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. A skinny, sickly woman. I think you should do something about your taste.”
“You asked her to keep it a secret from seeing you, didn’t you?”
Kaian said as if he was questioning him, then added more forcefully.
“Bark.”
Valquiterre frowned in annoyance for a moment.
“You told Claudel to call you that. I didn’t know you had a nickname like that.”
“What are you trying to say?”
“Exactly.”
“That’s ridiculous.”
Valquiterre raised his chin arrogantly and sat up straight.
He lowered his eyes slightly and looked at Kaian, acting as if he was looking down on him from above.
“You’re calling me a filthy person.”
“Didn’t you even propose to my wife to be Queen Oberon?”
“Everything you had should have been mine.”
Kaian tried to say something but then closed his mouth.
“Temnes, the castle of Rowen. Maybe even that woman.”
Valquiterre chuckled softly.
“You’re the same. You don’t even love that woman that much, and yet you’re going wild because you think yours has been violated.”
“You speak so carelessly about other people’s relationships.”
“You just didn’t like being taken away by me. I knew that from a very young age.”
He seemed relieved, even scratching Kaian’s insides.
“I found it quite interesting to see you being taken away because I was King’s material, or not being able to say anything and holding back your anger when I broke you.”
“I won’t listen.”
Kaian stood up.
“Is that all you wanted to ask me?”
Valquiterre grumbled.
“A foolish woman who doesn’t even trust her husband and is easily shaken.”
“I didn’t trust you either.”
Kaian’s eyebrows rose in displeasure.
“Not now.”
However, his cold face soon furrowed as if he was feeling even worse.
“There’s no need to explain or make you understand.”
Kaian didn’t even knock and disappeared out of the room without making a sound as he had when he came in.
Bang.
At the sound of the door closing, Valquiterre's shoulders, who had been staring at his back with pride until the end, lost their strength.
“If I were to get married again, I want to do it with someone I love.”
The fact that there were still some things that weren’t so bad, even though so many things had been irreparably ruined, was a small consolation to him.
When Kaian said he’d been to the palace, I felt vaguely uneasy.
The capital palace was a fortress.
The experience of falling into the river flowing down the cliff, relying on a few extreme ropes to escape from there, made my feet feel empty even though I was still on the ground.
I quietly swept my arm, which kept giving me goosebumps, without showing it.
'There's the issue of Valquiterre's whereabouts. I think I should talk to the Grand Duke of Luxen.'
Queen Bianque's reign had begun, but it was turbulent in many ways.
I understood that Kaian had no choice but to go, but I didn't want him to go to the palace or be separated from me.
“I don’t want to be away from you.”
Kaian asked, hearing my soft, grumbling voice as if I was complaining.
“Will you come with me?”
But I hated that even more, so I shook my head in disgust.
And then I couldn’t rest easy.
Even though I knew it wouldn’t happen, I had ridiculous thoughts like what if Kaian went to the palace and was locked up next to Valquiterre.
In the baby’s room in the mansion, I and Hanna sat on a soft chair that was comfortable to lean on and took care of the baby.
Julien ate his fill of milk and fell asleep with his cheek resting on my chest.
Pat pat.
When I stroked his back, he burped a little and seemed ready to fall back asleep.
However, even after staring at the baby’s peaceful face for a long time, my heart didn’t calm down.
“Whew.”
When I sighed, Hanna asked.
“Is there anything you need?”
“No. It’s okay.”
“It reminds me of the past.”
Hannah spoke first.
“When the lady was held captive in the castle. It was so frustrating.”
“I said I wanted to go somewhere with my mother. My opinion was not accepted.”
“Yes. You did. However, when we looked from the outside, you were held hostage by His Majesty Valquiterre.”
Since no one really talked about that time, I kept it quiet the whole time.
It was refreshing to hear this story from Hannah.
“Hostage?”
“On the surface, he said something ridiculous like he would make you Oberon’s Queen. But from the lord’s perspective, he thought the King could harm the lady he was holding if the lord didn’t do as he said.”
“I guess I could have thought that way.”
Thinking back, it seems like I was able to endure it because I really didn’t know.
“I’m worried because I think Queen Bianque can’t be trusted that much.”
“There’s nothing wrong with Grand Duke Luxen.”
Hannah laid the baby she was holding on the bed and straightened her back.
“Shall I bring you some tea?”
“Will you?”
“Please wait a moment.”
When Hannah disappeared, I sighed deeply.
Was it because my dark history was so ingrained in me that I felt so uncomfortable visiting the capital?
“Why did you hide the fact that you met my wife?”
“What?”
“She says you met at the lakeside of Rowen Castle.”
“Ha.”
Valquiterre said as if he was shocked.
“If I called you to Promhunt and then said I went to Rowen Castle, you wouldn’t have understood and said, ‘Okay.’”
“Were you going to spy on my wife from the beginning?”
Valquiterre jumped when Kaian questioned her.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. A skinny, sickly woman. I think you should do something about your taste.”
“You asked her to keep it a secret from seeing you, didn’t you?”
Kaian said as if he was questioning him, then added more forcefully.
“Bark.”
Valquiterre frowned in annoyance for a moment.
“You told Claudel to call you that. I didn’t know you had a nickname like that.”
“What are you trying to say?”
“Exactly.”
“That’s ridiculous.”
Valquiterre raised his chin arrogantly and sat up straight.
He lowered his eyes slightly and looked at Kaian, acting as if he was looking down on him from above.
“You’re calling me a filthy person.”
“Didn’t you even propose to my wife to be Queen Oberon?”
“Everything you had should have been mine.”
Kaian tried to say something but then closed his mouth.
“Temnes, the castle of Rowen. Maybe even that woman.”
Valquiterre chuckled softly.
“You’re the same. You don’t even love that woman that much, and yet you’re going wild because you think yours has been violated.”
“You speak so carelessly about other people’s relationships.”
“You just didn’t like being taken away by me. I knew that from a very young age.”
He seemed relieved, even scratching Kaian’s insides.
“I found it quite interesting to see you being taken away because I was King’s material, or not being able to say anything and holding back your anger when I broke you.”
“I won’t listen.”
Kaian stood up.
“Is that all you wanted to ask me?”
Valquiterre grumbled.
“A foolish woman who doesn’t even trust her husband and is easily shaken.”
“I didn’t trust you either.”
Kaian’s eyebrows rose in displeasure.
“Not now.”
However, his cold face soon furrowed as if he was feeling even worse.
“There’s no need to explain or make you understand.”
Kaian didn’t even knock and disappeared out of the room without making a sound as he had when he came in.
Bang.
At the sound of the door closing, Valquiterre's shoulders, who had been staring at his back with pride until the end, lost their strength.
“If I were to get married again, I want to do it with someone I love.”
The fact that there were still some things that weren’t so bad, even though so many things had been irreparably ruined, was a small consolation to him.
***
When Kaian said he’d been to the palace, I felt vaguely uneasy.
The capital palace was a fortress.
The experience of falling into the river flowing down the cliff, relying on a few extreme ropes to escape from there, made my feet feel empty even though I was still on the ground.
I quietly swept my arm, which kept giving me goosebumps, without showing it.
'There's the issue of Valquiterre's whereabouts. I think I should talk to the Grand Duke of Luxen.'
Queen Bianque's reign had begun, but it was turbulent in many ways.
I understood that Kaian had no choice but to go, but I didn't want him to go to the palace or be separated from me.
“I don’t want to be away from you.”
Kaian asked, hearing my soft, grumbling voice as if I was complaining.
“Will you come with me?”
But I hated that even more, so I shook my head in disgust.
And then I couldn’t rest easy.
Even though I knew it wouldn’t happen, I had ridiculous thoughts like what if Kaian went to the palace and was locked up next to Valquiterre.
In the baby’s room in the mansion, I and Hanna sat on a soft chair that was comfortable to lean on and took care of the baby.
Julien ate his fill of milk and fell asleep with his cheek resting on my chest.
Pat pat.
When I stroked his back, he burped a little and seemed ready to fall back asleep.
However, even after staring at the baby’s peaceful face for a long time, my heart didn’t calm down.
“Whew.”
When I sighed, Hanna asked.
“Is there anything you need?”
“No. It’s okay.”
“It reminds me of the past.”
Hannah spoke first.
“When the lady was held captive in the castle. It was so frustrating.”
“I said I wanted to go somewhere with my mother. My opinion was not accepted.”
“Yes. You did. However, when we looked from the outside, you were held hostage by His Majesty Valquiterre.”
Since no one really talked about that time, I kept it quiet the whole time.
It was refreshing to hear this story from Hannah.
“Hostage?”
“On the surface, he said something ridiculous like he would make you Oberon’s Queen. But from the lord’s perspective, he thought the King could harm the lady he was holding if the lord didn’t do as he said.”
“I guess I could have thought that way.”
Thinking back, it seems like I was able to endure it because I really didn’t know.
“I’m worried because I think Queen Bianque can’t be trusted that much.”
“There’s nothing wrong with Grand Duke Luxen.”
Hannah laid the baby she was holding on the bed and straightened her back.
“Shall I bring you some tea?”
“Will you?”
“Please wait a moment.”
When Hannah disappeared, I sighed deeply.
Was it because my dark history was so ingrained in me that I felt so uncomfortable visiting the capital?
When I went to Valmonde, I only stopped by for a moment on my way up, so I didn’t think much of it, but when Kaian said he had to visit the palace, it was hard to express my complicated feelings in words.
At that moment, there was a little commotion outside the mansion, so I unconsciously pricked up my ears.
The place where the baby stayed was quiet, so it was easy to quickly find out if something happened outside, whether at Rowen Castle or the mansion.
The chaotic atmosphere from outside the mansion was transmitted through the hallway, and then I heard the sound of several people approaching the door of the baby’s room where I was staying.
‘Has Kaian returned?’
I tilted my head because I didn’t hear the familiar footsteps.
Knock.
There was a small, deliberate knock on the door, and the mansion’s butler spoke to me from outside.
“Duchess. Madame Marcel would like to see you.”
Madame Marcel? My eyes widened.
I carefully placed Julien in the crib so that he wouldn’t wake up.
Julien flinched and squirmed as I gently patted him, but he soon fell back asleep with a relaxed expression.
I quietly went out into the hallway.
“Madam.”
Madame Marcel bowed her head politely when she saw me.
At that moment, there was a little commotion outside the mansion, so I unconsciously pricked up my ears.
The place where the baby stayed was quiet, so it was easy to quickly find out if something happened outside, whether at Rowen Castle or the mansion.
The chaotic atmosphere from outside the mansion was transmitted through the hallway, and then I heard the sound of several people approaching the door of the baby’s room where I was staying.
‘Has Kaian returned?’
I tilted my head because I didn’t hear the familiar footsteps.
Knock.
There was a small, deliberate knock on the door, and the mansion’s butler spoke to me from outside.
“Duchess. Madame Marcel would like to see you.”
Madame Marcel? My eyes widened.
I carefully placed Julien in the crib so that he wouldn’t wake up.
Julien flinched and squirmed as I gently patted him, but he soon fell back asleep with a relaxed expression.
I quietly went out into the hallway.
“Madam.”
Madame Marcel bowed her head politely when she saw me.
“It’s been a long time.”
I asked the butler to bring tea to the reception room. Sitting across from her in the bright and airy reception room, I examined Madame Marcel. She was still dressed up in the style popular in the capital, but she had lost weight and her face was sallow compared to before.
“How have you been?”
“How have you been?”
“Yes. I stayed at the palace for a while by order of Her Majesty Bianque.”
“You’ve become successful.”
My light greeting softened the mood.
“I didn’t think you would come to see me like this.”
“There was a rumor going around that the Duke and Duchess of Temnes would be staying in the capital for a while to hold a ceremony to declare independence.”
“Really? I was just passing through quietly.”
I took a moment to think about her words. There was something I wanted to apologize to Madame Marcel for. It’s not justifiable to take out your anger on someone you’ve hurt. Even though I knew that, I, who was holding my child in my arms and trembling alone, misunderstood Madame Marcel.
“I have something to apologize to you for.”
“Huh? What do you mean, an apology?”
“I misunderstood that the lord was not calling you a tailor but something else in private.”
Madame Marcel’s eyes widened.
“It was a misunderstanding. There was a rumor going around the castle, and I saw you spending time with him in the office at Rowen Castle late at night.”
“Ah...”
Madame Marcel said with a bewildered look.
“I have never done anything to be sorry to you.”
“I hope you don’t think that I am insulting you by telling you this.”
I continued my apology calmly.
“Still, it was a misunderstanding. I am truly sorry.”
“I knew that such rumors were going around the castle. I thought the lord wouldn’t care because they were ridiculous rumors. I was also naive.”
If it were now, I would have openly asked Kaian or Madame Marcel to find out the truth.
But at that time, I felt that I was not qualified to do so.
If Kaian wanted to expel me, he could easily do so, and since I was in an unstable position, I couldn’t interfere with the work he liked.
Madame Marcel smiled bitterly.
“Actually, I came here to ask you a favor.”
“What favor?”
Madame Marcel’s eyes sparkled as she looked at me.
“Please hire me as a seamstress at Rowen Castle again.”
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