Casey almost became an accomplice in this. However, it was easily accepted that Ines began to dig into this matter because of the suspicion that the seal was forged.
In addition, Casey sent a letter to Landhill that very day.
The letter, which had not yet left, returned to the imperial palace and provided some support for the fact that she had not been complicit in this matter.
However, neither of them could be released right away.
So Ines ended up unintentionally disobeying the Emperor's first order to come to Granzyme Castle that night.
Marcus and Ines sat across from each other in the treatment room inside the guardhouse.
"Ouch."
Ines groaned involuntarily as he poured disinfectant on her wound.
"Oh, I'm sorry."
"I'm sorry."
Marcus disinfected Ines' wound, which was heavily swollen, more carefully than before. His hands trembled slightly, but Ines was so absorbed in the new sensation that she didn't notice her condition.
Was this kind of minor wound originally this painful?
“Ouch.”
Ines was a little embarrassed because the sound kept coming out even though she tried to hold it in.
“Just hold on a little longer. A thin glass wound can easily leave a scar.”
“There’s nothing we can do about it.”
Marcus smiled slightly at those words.
“You’re still the same. It would be bad if a scar were to remain on such a pretty face.”
At that moment, Marcus lightly bit his lower lip. Seeing his embarrassed look, Ines couldn’t help but console him.
“You didn’t say anything bad, so don’t worry about it.”
“Yes, but it wasn’t something a person who would become a council member should say. I’m sorry.”
The man apologized earnestly, still with a straight face. Ines raised her tone a little to change the mood.
“When did you come to the palace?”
“Not long.”
The temple’s councilor course was four years. He had come to Edmont five months before Ines. So it must have been just as he said that he had come to the palace.
“I’m really surprised to see you here again.”
Marcus snickered. If she was surprised, he would have been even more surprised.
“Please don’t talk for a moment.”
He carefully examined the area from her ear to her cheek and treated it very carefully. Ines looked at Marcus’s face as he came closer. His once cheerful expression was filled with seriousness. The bright light that had once shone had changed into a soft, deep color.
His lines had become thicker, but he was definitely a person who made her feel good whenever she saw him.
“I found out about this a long time after Young Lady returned to Landhill.”
“It was decided so hastily that I couldn’t even say goodbye properly.”
“I stopped by Landhill for a moment before coming here. But you had already left there.”
“Is that so? You must have gone back to your hometown after a long time. But, fortunately, we’ve met again like this.”
He held Ines’ chin in silence for a moment and examined her here and there for any wounds he had missed.
“Yes. I’m truly grateful.”
The fact that he had become a disciple of the royal council meant that he had the best opportunity that a councilor could have. Ines smiled brightly, glad to see Marcus again. However, she tilted her head for a moment at the changed atmosphere.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Are you... okay now?”
Ines understood Marcus’ words right away. The look in his eyes, worried about her seizure symptoms, was that of an old friend. There was no need to hide it from him any longer.
“No, not yet. But there is nothing wrong now.”
“Is it because you came to His Majesty’s presence?”
“You knew... did you?”
“Didn’t I see you at the temple? When you left the training center, His Majesty held you in his arms, but you looked very stable. You’ve never gotten better so quickly.”
That wasn’t all. Whenever Ines had a seizure, the person who desperately sought out was none other than Carson.
“Yes, I find it really strange. How can I explain this phenomenon?”
“It must be psychological. Isn’t it because you believe that His Majesty will save you at any time?”
She nodded. There was no other way to explain it. Who would know that the countless coincidences and fates that existed between Carson and Ines were ultimately the beginning and the end of it all?
She had come back in time. Only to meet him and be saved.
“So you became a servant?”
“Yes. But my ultimate goal is to become a maid in the Emperor’s palace.”
“So you can be close to him?”
“Yes.”
The answer came without a moment’s pause. Marcus stared intently into Ines’ eyes. His heart thumped as if it had been hit by a storm, as he saw her eyes that were completely unwavering.
He averted his eyes and whispered,
“Let me take off your clothes. I need to see the wound on your arm.”
Ines unbuttoned her clothes without hesitation. He carefully lowered one shoulder. The wound was a little worse than on her face.
“It won’t need stitches, but it will hurt more than before.”
He furrowed his brow and meticulously treated Ines’ wound. Watching him, Ines smiled like a breeze.
“You’ve become a good doctor. I knew you would. That’s fortunate.”
“Not yet.”
Marcus’s ears turned red, but he didn’t stop treating her wound.
“Ines.”
“Go ahead.”
“Do you... like that person?”
Ines snickered at the question. Unlike someone who had asked a serious question, Marcus couldn’t meet Ines’ eyes.
“Thank you for asking. I didn’t know until now, but I guess I wanted to tell someone.”
“...”
“It’s not something you can hide. That... love.”
Seeing Ines answering the question of whether she liked him with the word love, Marcus couldn’t help but laugh.
“That’s how it ended up. Just as water freezes when it’s cold and ice melts again when the weather gets warmer, I ended up loving him so naturally.”
Although it was something she was thinking back on in her mind, once she had burst out, her thoughts continued at length even without a specific person in front of her.
“It hasn’t been long since I realized it, but I probably had feelings for him from the beginning. How presumptuous.”
From the time she had not experienced, from the moment she opened her eyes at his house and first saw Carson’s face. No, maybe from the moment she was pulled out of the water and immediately met his sparkling golden eyes.
On that day, when Carson didn’t remember that event that ultimately didn’t happen in this world, Ines might have already fallen in love with him.
So she might have tried to stay by his side, rationalizing herself by saying that she would live for him.
She might have wanted to stay by his side, suffering from a shallow mental illness that would only make her breath return to normal when Carson touched her hand.
Yes, she might have.
At that time, Ines Swenden was so miserable, shabby, and always wanted to die.
On the contrary, Carson always shined, was great, and always saved her.
However, when there is light, there is a shadow, and just as a long winter must pass before a splendid spring comes,
Ines Swenden eventually fell in love with Carson von Raymond.
It was natural and beautiful, like the sun setting and rising, like waves coming in and going out again.
“That’s how it happened. In this ridiculous situation, on this ridiculous topic.”
Marcus looked at Ines for a moment. Even though she was talking about an impossible love, she was neither shabby nor unhappy. As if shining brightly wherever she was was her own privilege.
He licked his lips as he watched her. But he didn’t hesitate for long.
“Maybe...”
“...”
“If it doesn’t matter to me.”
“What... do you mean?”
“No matter what your current situation is, or who you love, if that doesn’t matter to me.”
Ines’ eyes narrowed. It would be a lie to say that she didn’t know his heart at all until now. Even when they were in Edmont, Marcus had always been close to her. But she had thought it was just a passing thought. To be honest, Ines at that time had no time to look at anyone else.
“Shouldn’t you also have a family someday, Young Lady?”
“...”
“It may sound sudden, but my heart has been with you for a very long time.”
“So, you know that I love His Majesty, and yet you propose to me?”
“Yes.”
“Even if I hold my breath and turn my eyes toward the sky at every opportunity?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“Even if I set up a terrible thing in the mountains to kill people?”
“That doesn’t matter to me at all.”
Ines looked at him clearly. Then she smiled.
“I really... am grateful.”
“I didn’t expect any thanks.”
“Thank you for being so specific. So I can be more specific.”
“...”
“I really appreciate it, but I have to decline. If you had asked me without any intention, it would have been harder to decline.”
Ines’s neat answer made him laugh instead. He judged that it would have been better to suggest a strategy as she said.
“I expected it, but it’s a bit stinging.”
Marcus, who had briefly furrowed his eyebrows and laughed bitterly, soon smiled lightly like he had at Edmont.
“I can’t even give you disinfectant, so it’s difficult.”
He stood up, shaking off his clothes.
“But I won’t give up. I won’t even say that I’ll be by your side as a cowardly friend.”
“Sir Marcus.”
“Yes, I know you want to stop me. But since you love His Majesty, you know how I feel. I also want to be by your side, even if it means becoming a servant.”
“...”
“So just wait and see. You don’t have to worry about it. I’ll just live my life diligently. Just remember that there are people around you who have such feelings. People’s hearts can change at any time.”
The moment he was about to say that that wouldn’t happen, the door to the treatment room opened.
“Ines!”
The one who made a grand appearance was none other than the Emperor.
So Ines ended up unintentionally disobeying the Emperor's first order to come to Granzyme Castle that night.
Marcus and Ines sat across from each other in the treatment room inside the guardhouse.
"Ouch."
Ines groaned involuntarily as he poured disinfectant on her wound.
"Oh, I'm sorry."
"I'm sorry."
Marcus disinfected Ines' wound, which was heavily swollen, more carefully than before. His hands trembled slightly, but Ines was so absorbed in the new sensation that she didn't notice her condition.
Was this kind of minor wound originally this painful?
“Ouch.”
Ines was a little embarrassed because the sound kept coming out even though she tried to hold it in.
“Just hold on a little longer. A thin glass wound can easily leave a scar.”
“There’s nothing we can do about it.”
Marcus smiled slightly at those words.
“You’re still the same. It would be bad if a scar were to remain on such a pretty face.”
At that moment, Marcus lightly bit his lower lip. Seeing his embarrassed look, Ines couldn’t help but console him.
“You didn’t say anything bad, so don’t worry about it.”
“Yes, but it wasn’t something a person who would become a council member should say. I’m sorry.”
The man apologized earnestly, still with a straight face. Ines raised her tone a little to change the mood.
“When did you come to the palace?”
“Not long.”
The temple’s councilor course was four years. He had come to Edmont five months before Ines. So it must have been just as he said that he had come to the palace.
“I’m really surprised to see you here again.”
Marcus snickered. If she was surprised, he would have been even more surprised.
“Please don’t talk for a moment.”
He carefully examined the area from her ear to her cheek and treated it very carefully. Ines looked at Marcus’s face as he came closer. His once cheerful expression was filled with seriousness. The bright light that had once shone had changed into a soft, deep color.
His lines had become thicker, but he was definitely a person who made her feel good whenever she saw him.
“I found out about this a long time after Young Lady returned to Landhill.”
“It was decided so hastily that I couldn’t even say goodbye properly.”
“I stopped by Landhill for a moment before coming here. But you had already left there.”
“Is that so? You must have gone back to your hometown after a long time. But, fortunately, we’ve met again like this.”
He held Ines’ chin in silence for a moment and examined her here and there for any wounds he had missed.
“Yes. I’m truly grateful.”
The fact that he had become a disciple of the royal council meant that he had the best opportunity that a councilor could have. Ines smiled brightly, glad to see Marcus again. However, she tilted her head for a moment at the changed atmosphere.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Are you... okay now?”
Ines understood Marcus’ words right away. The look in his eyes, worried about her seizure symptoms, was that of an old friend. There was no need to hide it from him any longer.
“No, not yet. But there is nothing wrong now.”
“Is it because you came to His Majesty’s presence?”
“You knew... did you?”
“Didn’t I see you at the temple? When you left the training center, His Majesty held you in his arms, but you looked very stable. You’ve never gotten better so quickly.”
That wasn’t all. Whenever Ines had a seizure, the person who desperately sought out was none other than Carson.
“Yes, I find it really strange. How can I explain this phenomenon?”
“It must be psychological. Isn’t it because you believe that His Majesty will save you at any time?”
She nodded. There was no other way to explain it. Who would know that the countless coincidences and fates that existed between Carson and Ines were ultimately the beginning and the end of it all?
She had come back in time. Only to meet him and be saved.
“So you became a servant?”
“Yes. But my ultimate goal is to become a maid in the Emperor’s palace.”
“So you can be close to him?”
“Yes.”
The answer came without a moment’s pause. Marcus stared intently into Ines’ eyes. His heart thumped as if it had been hit by a storm, as he saw her eyes that were completely unwavering.
He averted his eyes and whispered,
“Let me take off your clothes. I need to see the wound on your arm.”
Ines unbuttoned her clothes without hesitation. He carefully lowered one shoulder. The wound was a little worse than on her face.
“It won’t need stitches, but it will hurt more than before.”
He furrowed his brow and meticulously treated Ines’ wound. Watching him, Ines smiled like a breeze.
“You’ve become a good doctor. I knew you would. That’s fortunate.”
“Not yet.”
Marcus’s ears turned red, but he didn’t stop treating her wound.
“Ines.”
“Go ahead.”
“Do you... like that person?”
Ines snickered at the question. Unlike someone who had asked a serious question, Marcus couldn’t meet Ines’ eyes.
“Thank you for asking. I didn’t know until now, but I guess I wanted to tell someone.”
“...”
“It’s not something you can hide. That... love.”
Seeing Ines answering the question of whether she liked him with the word love, Marcus couldn’t help but laugh.
“That’s how it ended up. Just as water freezes when it’s cold and ice melts again when the weather gets warmer, I ended up loving him so naturally.”
Although it was something she was thinking back on in her mind, once she had burst out, her thoughts continued at length even without a specific person in front of her.
“It hasn’t been long since I realized it, but I probably had feelings for him from the beginning. How presumptuous.”
From the time she had not experienced, from the moment she opened her eyes at his house and first saw Carson’s face. No, maybe from the moment she was pulled out of the water and immediately met his sparkling golden eyes.
On that day, when Carson didn’t remember that event that ultimately didn’t happen in this world, Ines might have already fallen in love with him.
So she might have tried to stay by his side, rationalizing herself by saying that she would live for him.
She might have wanted to stay by his side, suffering from a shallow mental illness that would only make her breath return to normal when Carson touched her hand.
Yes, she might have.
At that time, Ines Swenden was so miserable, shabby, and always wanted to die.
On the contrary, Carson always shined, was great, and always saved her.
However, when there is light, there is a shadow, and just as a long winter must pass before a splendid spring comes,
Ines Swenden eventually fell in love with Carson von Raymond.
It was natural and beautiful, like the sun setting and rising, like waves coming in and going out again.
“That’s how it happened. In this ridiculous situation, on this ridiculous topic.”
Marcus looked at Ines for a moment. Even though she was talking about an impossible love, she was neither shabby nor unhappy. As if shining brightly wherever she was was her own privilege.
He licked his lips as he watched her. But he didn’t hesitate for long.
“Maybe...”
“...”
“If it doesn’t matter to me.”
“What... do you mean?”
“No matter what your current situation is, or who you love, if that doesn’t matter to me.”
Ines’ eyes narrowed. It would be a lie to say that she didn’t know his heart at all until now. Even when they were in Edmont, Marcus had always been close to her. But she had thought it was just a passing thought. To be honest, Ines at that time had no time to look at anyone else.
“Shouldn’t you also have a family someday, Young Lady?”
“...”
“It may sound sudden, but my heart has been with you for a very long time.”
“So, you know that I love His Majesty, and yet you propose to me?”
“Yes.”
“Even if I hold my breath and turn my eyes toward the sky at every opportunity?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“Even if I set up a terrible thing in the mountains to kill people?”
“That doesn’t matter to me at all.”
Ines looked at him clearly. Then she smiled.
“I really... am grateful.”
“I didn’t expect any thanks.”
“Thank you for being so specific. So I can be more specific.”
“...”
“I really appreciate it, but I have to decline. If you had asked me without any intention, it would have been harder to decline.”
Ines’s neat answer made him laugh instead. He judged that it would have been better to suggest a strategy as she said.
“I expected it, but it’s a bit stinging.”
Marcus, who had briefly furrowed his eyebrows and laughed bitterly, soon smiled lightly like he had at Edmont.
“I can’t even give you disinfectant, so it’s difficult.”
He stood up, shaking off his clothes.
“But I won’t give up. I won’t even say that I’ll be by your side as a cowardly friend.”
“Sir Marcus.”
“Yes, I know you want to stop me. But since you love His Majesty, you know how I feel. I also want to be by your side, even if it means becoming a servant.”
“...”
“So just wait and see. You don’t have to worry about it. I’ll just live my life diligently. Just remember that there are people around you who have such feelings. People’s hearts can change at any time.”
The moment he was about to say that that wouldn’t happen, the door to the treatment room opened.
“Ines!”
The one who made a grand appearance was none other than the Emperor.
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