Gaspard was so shocked by Blie's dramatic change in expression that he only smiled briefly before coming to his senses.
“What do you mean?”
“When the Grand Duke gives a gift to the Grand Duchess, you always choose it yourself?”
“How is that a sin!”
He cried out in a low voice as if he were speechless. It was something he had often boasted about to this woman.
“It was His Highness the Grand Duke’s instructions, and Her Highness the Grand Duchess was happy every time she received a gift!”
“I guess so. Like an idiot.”
A sneer spread across Blie's lips. It was strangely creepy.
“What do you want to do with me right now?”
Gaspard stuttered, not knowing why Blie was acting like this. Blie, who had been sitting down and glaring at him, slowly got up. Even as she was getting up, Blie’s expression changed dozens of times. When she finally stood up, not a single bit of her pitiful appearance from before was left. Blie raised her head, looking like a beautiful lady with an elegant face like a butterfly emerging from a chrysalis.
“Every time you gave a gift to the Grand Duchess, you wrote a note on his behalf.”
“Other mansions do the same! Besides, the Grand Duke was too busy to take care of the household, and even that was at the Grand Duke's order! What’s the problem?”
Gaspard quickly made an excuse, fearing that he would be caught up in Blie's stubbornness. He had seen this woman cause trouble to so many people in this way. He felt strongly that he had to make a passionate defense of himself.
“Didn’t you copy someone else’s handwriting and send it?”
“His Highness the Grand Duke was educated in the imperial court. The royal family learns the same letters from the time they first learn to read and write. I am the butler personally appointed by the Crown Prince and sent to the Grand Duke. Of course, I am also familiar with that level!”
“No matter how much you learn the same handwriting, it’s impossible for everyone to have exactly the same handwriting. Haven’t you noticed something strange? Why is the Grand Duke giving you instructions in two different handwriting styles?”
Gaspard was so surprised that he almost dropped the candle in his hand.
“How, how could Madam...?”
“Why didn’t the Grand Duke, who loved the Grand Duchess so much, write the letter himself?”
“Well. Well, he’s very busy... Since he’s already married, he’d send someone to write a letter...”
His voice trembled miserably. He was so busy obeying the Grand Duke’s orders that he never once thought anything was strange. He was so proud that he could also look into and participate in the affairs of the state that the Grand Duke didn’t even care.
“The countless notes and letters you’ve written to the Grand Duchess...The handwriting in them. Didn’t the Grand Duke show you a different handwriting and tell you to learn it?”
That's right. Even if it wasn't a woman's voice that was close to certainty, he knew best himself. Grand Duke Noevian Trovica, who had been granted a mansion at the same time as his marriage. The wedding of the Grand Duke was an important event that officially established the Trovica Grand Duchy in the capital, not as a fiefdom, and announced a new beginning for the family. And the Grand Duke gave him, who was in charge of the mansion in the capital, a crumpled letter as the first thing he did. He was ordered to make the handwriting in the letter his own. Gaspard, who had finally thought he was going to be assigned a secret mission and had diligently learned his writing, was dissatisfied with only being able to write love letters and gift notes with his newly learned writing, but he soon forgot about it because he had too much work to do.
“Prince Rhodnes.”
Gaspard eventually lost the candle. As the candle that had been shining brightly between them disappeared, the surroundings quickly became slightly darker.
“It belongs to His Highness the Second Prince of Rhodnes.”
Gaspard's stomach lurched at the mere mention of the name. He remembered clearly how the Grand Duke's adjutant, Lord Raylon, had been treated by the Prince and how he had come to him. Raylon had returned to the Grand Duke's mansion in a state of confusion, his trousers were filthy and he had been rambling and stammering just before he could report.
“What will happen to you if His Highness the Second Prince finds out about this?”
Gaspard took a step back without realizing it. If he goes against the Prince who was known to be a troublemaker...
“Madam? Are you upstairs? His Highness has arrived.”
Neil's voice, who was guarding the mansion from downstairs, reached out to them. Gaspard seemed to know who the 'Highness' Neil was talking about was. It was the mad Prince who had set up a tent in front of the ducal palace and ordered the servants to be investigated.
“What do you mean?”
“When the Grand Duke gives a gift to the Grand Duchess, you always choose it yourself?”
“How is that a sin!”
He cried out in a low voice as if he were speechless. It was something he had often boasted about to this woman.
“It was His Highness the Grand Duke’s instructions, and Her Highness the Grand Duchess was happy every time she received a gift!”
“I guess so. Like an idiot.”
A sneer spread across Blie's lips. It was strangely creepy.
“What do you want to do with me right now?”
Gaspard stuttered, not knowing why Blie was acting like this. Blie, who had been sitting down and glaring at him, slowly got up. Even as she was getting up, Blie’s expression changed dozens of times. When she finally stood up, not a single bit of her pitiful appearance from before was left. Blie raised her head, looking like a beautiful lady with an elegant face like a butterfly emerging from a chrysalis.
“Every time you gave a gift to the Grand Duchess, you wrote a note on his behalf.”
“Other mansions do the same! Besides, the Grand Duke was too busy to take care of the household, and even that was at the Grand Duke's order! What’s the problem?”
Gaspard quickly made an excuse, fearing that he would be caught up in Blie's stubbornness. He had seen this woman cause trouble to so many people in this way. He felt strongly that he had to make a passionate defense of himself.
“Didn’t you copy someone else’s handwriting and send it?”
“His Highness the Grand Duke was educated in the imperial court. The royal family learns the same letters from the time they first learn to read and write. I am the butler personally appointed by the Crown Prince and sent to the Grand Duke. Of course, I am also familiar with that level!”
“No matter how much you learn the same handwriting, it’s impossible for everyone to have exactly the same handwriting. Haven’t you noticed something strange? Why is the Grand Duke giving you instructions in two different handwriting styles?”
Gaspard was so surprised that he almost dropped the candle in his hand.
“How, how could Madam...?”
“Why didn’t the Grand Duke, who loved the Grand Duchess so much, write the letter himself?”
“Well. Well, he’s very busy... Since he’s already married, he’d send someone to write a letter...”
His voice trembled miserably. He was so busy obeying the Grand Duke’s orders that he never once thought anything was strange. He was so proud that he could also look into and participate in the affairs of the state that the Grand Duke didn’t even care.
“The countless notes and letters you’ve written to the Grand Duchess...The handwriting in them. Didn’t the Grand Duke show you a different handwriting and tell you to learn it?”
That's right. Even if it wasn't a woman's voice that was close to certainty, he knew best himself. Grand Duke Noevian Trovica, who had been granted a mansion at the same time as his marriage. The wedding of the Grand Duke was an important event that officially established the Trovica Grand Duchy in the capital, not as a fiefdom, and announced a new beginning for the family. And the Grand Duke gave him, who was in charge of the mansion in the capital, a crumpled letter as the first thing he did. He was ordered to make the handwriting in the letter his own. Gaspard, who had finally thought he was going to be assigned a secret mission and had diligently learned his writing, was dissatisfied with only being able to write love letters and gift notes with his newly learned writing, but he soon forgot about it because he had too much work to do.
“That... that... that... what does that have to do with anything? I handle a lot more things related to the Grand Duke’s family than you might think, Madam. It’s just one of them.”
“Idiot.”
Blie Acacia's red lips stretched out. Gaspard felt uneasy at the sight of her face clearly showing a mocking expression.
“Do you know whose handwriting that is?”
“Your, Your Highness the Grand Duke...”
“Idiot.”
Blie Acacia's red lips stretched out. Gaspard felt uneasy at the sight of her face clearly showing a mocking expression.
“Do you know whose handwriting that is?”
“Your, Your Highness the Grand Duke...”
“Prince Rhodnes.”
Gaspard eventually lost the candle. As the candle that had been shining brightly between them disappeared, the surroundings quickly became slightly darker.
“It belongs to His Highness the Second Prince of Rhodnes.”
Gaspard's stomach lurched at the mere mention of the name. He remembered clearly how the Grand Duke's adjutant, Lord Raylon, had been treated by the Prince and how he had come to him. Raylon had returned to the Grand Duke's mansion in a state of confusion, his trousers were filthy and he had been rambling and stammering just before he could report.
“What will happen to you if His Highness the Second Prince finds out about this?”
Gaspard took a step back without realizing it. If he goes against the Prince who was known to be a troublemaker...
“Madam? Are you upstairs? His Highness has arrived.”
Neil's voice, who was guarding the mansion from downstairs, reached out to them. Gaspard seemed to know who the 'Highness' Neil was talking about was. It was the mad Prince who had set up a tent in front of the ducal palace and ordered the servants to be investigated.
***
I answered Neil, staring intently into Gaspard's pale eyes.
“...Please come.”
“Ma, Ma’am!”
“Remember clearly that your life depends not only on His Highness the Crown Prince but also on mine.”
Gaspard's face lit up for a moment. He shook his head passionately as if it was a relief to not have to tell Rhodnes about it right away.
“Yes, yes-!”
“What is the butler doing at this hour of the night without even welcoming any guests?”
At that fleeting moment, Rhodnes's voice cut through the space between us. Rhodnes, who had come up to the second-floor hallway without a sound, turned his gaze to Gaspard, who was fidgeting suspiciously.
"Answer."
“Oh, oh, no. I just...”
“I’ve never seen an honest person who muddles the story behind others.”
As Rhodnes' hand reached for the scabbard, Gaspard's already wide eyes grew as if they were going to pop out.
“Well, if you’re staying, I’ll tell you to clean up the guest room!”
Rhodnes's movements were faster than Gaspard's, who was trying to escape by backstepping. Rhodnes, who didn't seem to be in a hurry, kicked Gaspard's shin with his combat boot. Gaspard couldn't even scream and had to kneel on the floor.
“I will fix that unkempt hair that disappears without even saying hello to its owner.”
Rhodnes pushed the kneeling Gaspard towards me, lightly with one foot.
“Uh, may I step aside, Ma’am?”
“Yes.”
Gaspard staggered and disappeared at a rapid pace. In the process, he bent his waist at a 90-degree angle toward Rhodnes. The two of us were left alone in the silent hallway, and we were silent.
“...Please come.”
“Ma, Ma’am!”
“Remember clearly that your life depends not only on His Highness the Crown Prince but also on mine.”
Gaspard's face lit up for a moment. He shook his head passionately as if it was a relief to not have to tell Rhodnes about it right away.
“Yes, yes-!”
“What is the butler doing at this hour of the night without even welcoming any guests?”
At that fleeting moment, Rhodnes's voice cut through the space between us. Rhodnes, who had come up to the second-floor hallway without a sound, turned his gaze to Gaspard, who was fidgeting suspiciously.
"Answer."
“Oh, oh, no. I just...”
“I’ve never seen an honest person who muddles the story behind others.”
As Rhodnes' hand reached for the scabbard, Gaspard's already wide eyes grew as if they were going to pop out.
“Well, if you’re staying, I’ll tell you to clean up the guest room!”
Rhodnes's movements were faster than Gaspard's, who was trying to escape by backstepping. Rhodnes, who didn't seem to be in a hurry, kicked Gaspard's shin with his combat boot. Gaspard couldn't even scream and had to kneel on the floor.
“I will fix that unkempt hair that disappears without even saying hello to its owner.”
Rhodnes pushed the kneeling Gaspard towards me, lightly with one foot.
“Uh, may I step aside, Ma’am?”
“Yes.”
Gaspard staggered and disappeared at a rapid pace. In the process, he bent his waist at a 90-degree angle toward Rhodnes. The two of us were left alone in the silent hallway, and we were silent.
Woof. Woof.
At that moment, a familiar sound cut through the silence.
“...Cowan?”
Cowan, who seemed to have been brought by Rhodnes, was whining and giving me pitiful looks, tied to the railing.
“...Cowan?”
Cowan, who seemed to have been brought by Rhodnes, was whining and giving me pitiful looks, tied to the railing.
***
With a strange silence, Adrienne guided Rhodnes to the Grand Duchess's bedroom. It seemed as if she was guiding him to the Grand Duchess's residence because she couldn’t stand the silence. Rhodnes knew why she was silent, and that made him even more anxious. The Grand Duchess’s bedroom, which he entered with a snowballing sense of anxiety, was filled with green. A huge bed with a hanging canopy. Antique side tables and consoles. Rhodnes’ gaze, wandering between the barely-touched, new-looking objects, lingered particularly long on the bed.
“...In this large mansion, the only place I actually stayed was that one bed.”
Even without pointing with her fingertips, Rhodnes could tell where Adrienne was talking. The bed, which he had thought was quite large, felt small and stuffy when he thought of it as the place Adrienne had not been able to leave for nearly two years. At the same time, a sense of anxiety that seemed to burst his heart rose to the tip of his neck and choked his breath.
“...In this large mansion, the only place I actually stayed was that one bed.”
Even without pointing with her fingertips, Rhodnes could tell where Adrienne was talking. The bed, which he had thought was quite large, felt small and stuffy when he thought of it as the place Adrienne had not been able to leave for nearly two years. At the same time, a sense of anxiety that seemed to burst his heart rose to the tip of his neck and choked his breath.
Rhodnes, who had been feeling the bed as if he was going to engrave it in his eyes for a long time, slowly moved his gaze to Adrienne. She was leaning against the window frame, looking at Rhodnes.
Whining-! Whining-!
The leash Cowan held in his hand repeatedly pulled taut and then relaxed. Cowan flapped his arms like a mad dog, wanting to run to Adrienne, whom he had not seen in a long time, and hug her. Rhodnes held the leash of the raging dog tightly and mocked his own cowardice. He left the palace, mounted his horse, and ran. However, as the Grand Duke's mansion came into view, his hands began to sweat and he couldn’t bear it. Even in the face of a monster, his heart had been indifferent and beat like crazy.
He turned around and brought Cowan, whom he had left at Countess Acacia's mansion, to the Grand Duke's mansion. It was because he remembered Adrienne smiling and caressing Cowan affectionately. Rather than wanting to see Adrienne's happy face, he brought him because he could only think of Adrienne's cold gaze. Thinking that this dog was no different from himself, wanting to hug Adrienne right away, Rhodnes eventually tied the leash to the bedpost. Then, he turned his back on her for a while, repeatedly inhaling and exhaling deeply, and then quietly drew his sword.
“...Adrienne.”
She did not answer. Rhodnes slowly turned around. Adrienne was watching him. He held up his drawn sword to the moonlight pouring down behind her. Noevian Trovica’s blood still remained. The light that bounced off the sword met Adrienne’s eyes.
“The Grand Duke's blood.”
...Did you kill him?”
Finally, Rhodnes, who couldn't take his eyes off Adrienne's open lips, lowered his eyes.
"Sorry."
“...Did you kill him?”
Rhodnes thrust his sword with the intent to kill Noevian Trovica.
“Brother... His Highness the Crown Prince came and stopped us.”
“...”
“The Grand Duke... deceived you, but he said that it was my brother who persuaded him.”
“...”
“And my brother didn’t deny it.”
Rhodnes spoke as if in confession. The words flowed out before he could even think about what he was talking about.
“When are you going to kill him again?”
The resolution was sincere. Although it failed because the Crown Prince threw himself, he had planned to kill Noevian Trovica at some point. Despite his words that continued as an excuse, Adrienne’s eyes, who had asked if he had killed Noevian Trovica, remained calm.
“The Grand Duke said that to you too.”
Adrienne stared at the blood on Rhodnes’ sword for a long time. Rhodnes was even more anxious because he didn’t know what it meant.
“...Adrienne.”
She did not answer. Rhodnes slowly turned around. Adrienne was watching him. He held up his drawn sword to the moonlight pouring down behind her. Noevian Trovica’s blood still remained. The light that bounced off the sword met Adrienne’s eyes.
“The Grand Duke's blood.”
...Did you kill him?”
Finally, Rhodnes, who couldn't take his eyes off Adrienne's open lips, lowered his eyes.
"Sorry."
“...Did you kill him?”
Rhodnes thrust his sword with the intent to kill Noevian Trovica.
“Brother... His Highness the Crown Prince came and stopped us.”
“...”
“The Grand Duke... deceived you, but he said that it was my brother who persuaded him.”
“...”
“And my brother didn’t deny it.”
Rhodnes spoke as if in confession. The words flowed out before he could even think about what he was talking about.
“When are you going to kill him again?”
The resolution was sincere. Although it failed because the Crown Prince threw himself, he had planned to kill Noevian Trovica at some point. Despite his words that continued as an excuse, Adrienne’s eyes, who had asked if he had killed Noevian Trovica, remained calm.
“The Grand Duke said that to you too.”
Adrienne stared at the blood on Rhodnes’ sword for a long time. Rhodnes was even more anxious because he didn’t know what it meant.
I see. You said you wanted to kill him. But you didn’t.
In the end, everyone was in on it. Would you be like that? Wouldn’t he choke if those words came out of Adrienne’s mouth?
He really thought so. If Adrienne said she wanted to stab him with this sword, he would gladly give it to him. However, Adrienne’s eyes, which were too quiet, took on a miserable light for a moment before fading away. The only sound that could be heard in the suffocating silence was Cowan’s whimpering, still wanting to run towards Adrienne. It was a long time before Adrienne’s gaze, which had been wandering through the air, turned completely to him.
“I am now going to investigate His Highness the Crown Prince.”
The answer he had been pondering for a long time suddenly came to him.
“Even if you don’t help me... I don’t care. He is your family, and he is the people you love and want to protect, so I respect it.”
The face that had been momentarily confused was pale but calm. Rhodnes quietly gritted his teeth and stared at her as if glaring.
“But now that I’ve come this far, I can’t stop.”
It meant that the 'work' wasn't over. Rhodnes understood everything she said in his head. But more than the other important words, he despaired at the words 'It doesn't matter if you don't help'.
“I am now going to investigate His Highness the Crown Prince.”
The answer he had been pondering for a long time suddenly came to him.
“Even if you don’t help me... I don’t care. He is your family, and he is the people you love and want to protect, so I respect it.”
The face that had been momentarily confused was pale but calm. Rhodnes quietly gritted his teeth and stared at her as if glaring.
“But now that I’ve come this far, I can’t stop.”
It meant that the 'work' wasn't over. Rhodnes understood everything she said in his head. But more than the other important words, he despaired at the words 'It doesn't matter if you don't help'.
Before Adrienne could continue, Rhodnes took a stride toward her, stretching out his legs.
***
My breath caught in my throat as the large man approached me.
“...Let me help you.”
As he approached, Rhodnes' face slowly fell apart at the sight of me flinching.
“As you said, my brother is the only full brother that my mother asked me to take care of, and he is the person I must protect.”
One step, another step. As Rhodnes approached, I had to inhale deeply. My heart felt like it was going to burst.
“So I need to know more.”
Rhodnes's voice trembled miserably. I quietly raised my head and looked up at him who had come within a stone's throw of me. The dark shadows beneath his face trembled. I was the one who was going to touch the person he loved most, but he was trembling more. I wished he would blame me and tell me to stop. He deserved it.
“Friend... I don’t mind if we’re friends, please.”
But what came out of his mouth was completely different from what I expected.
“Please, don’t leave me.”
“...Let me help you.”
As he approached, Rhodnes' face slowly fell apart at the sight of me flinching.
“As you said, my brother is the only full brother that my mother asked me to take care of, and he is the person I must protect.”
One step, another step. As Rhodnes approached, I had to inhale deeply. My heart felt like it was going to burst.
“So I need to know more.”
Rhodnes's voice trembled miserably. I quietly raised my head and looked up at him who had come within a stone's throw of me. The dark shadows beneath his face trembled. I was the one who was going to touch the person he loved most, but he was trembling more. I wished he would blame me and tell me to stop. He deserved it.
“Friend... I don’t mind if we’re friends, please.”
But what came out of his mouth was completely different from what I expected.
“Please, don’t leave me.”
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