Ah.
Tears that I didn't think would come out after crying for so long earlier flowed hotly down my cheeks.
What I was thankful for, and liked, about Jonah was the same for me.
When I become weak when I show weakness.
My anxiety that the Count's maids would insult and look down on me like the Grand Duchess' maids was shattered.
It was a great improvement over the time when I used to be afraid of the people outside the Grand Palace and would nag at Noevian, thinking that they would never be kind to me.
The feeling of being reciprocated with sincerity and warmth was more moving than I expected.
My self-esteem, which had collapsed during the time I was sick and miserable, was restored at a frightening rate, and as I thought about how I could connect with people not just as a healthy person but as a complete Adrienne, my heart swelled with emotion despite the situation, and I hugged Jonah.
“I suddenly miss Marge. If she saw us crying like this, she’d nag us about why we were crying in broad daylight.”
"...Me too."
Marge, who had tried to protect me against Sophie, the chief maid of the Grand Duke's residence, took charge of the household affairs of the Count's residence while I was down, even though she had been given leave.
I had heard that while I was struggling between life and death, I pushed Rhodnes on the back to get some sleep, and when he held on until the end, Jonah quickly stopped me from raising my hand to strike his back.
Jonah's giggle, which was actually curious as to how Rhodnes would react if she had slapped his back like she did to her son, rose and fell like a mist in my ears.
Jonah also cried for a long time as if she was remembering the day she told me. Then s
Rhodnes responded by looking down and raising his chin as if such a fool was not worth dealing with.
But that particular arrogant attitude did not go down well with Victor at all, because his close friend Ephero was a terrible mixture of arrogance and cowardice.
“I! am worried! You! Brothers! It’s scary!”
“Lower your voice, you idiot.”
Ephero lowered his voice as he forcibly sat down Victor, who had suddenly gotten up.
“It’s unfair! It’s unfair!”
No matter how much he complained about the injustice, Rhodnes's words were of no avail.
After dinner, I took a quick shower with the other female servants at a nearby lake and returned to the carriage.
If we moved the carriage seat a little, we could get a fairly wide space, so we could put a thick mattress on it and use it as a bed, though it was a bit disappointing.
Rhodes himself inspected my bed, leaving only the bare minimum of escort at a distance.
He didn't ask any questions as if he had already guessed what I had said to Bianca or Jonah.
“You must be tired, so go to sleep.”
"You?"
“I have to guard the carriage door.”
He answered with a slight smile as if it was a given.
"...Why?"
“There is no way that any group would dare to attack my procession, but sometimes there are those who are so desperate to die.”
He bent down to me as I sat at the entrance to the carriage.
I closed my eyes naturally, but his hand lingered on my ear and now he was finally tucking my dry hair behind it. The tip of my ear was so ticklish that I laughed softly.
When my hand dropped and my eyes opened wide, he was a step away from me.
It was only one step. I looked up at him blankly, feeling very regretful.
“Can’t we just sleep together?”
A deep wave came over his silent eyes.
“The other knights take turns standing guard, and you can guard me from inside the carriage.”
“...Rien.”
“Oh, I’m not saying I’m going to do anything special. If I move the chair you were sitting on just a little bit, it can become a bed. I just want you to sleep comfortably.”
Rhodnes' mouth was tightly shut.
It was after a long time that Rhodnes, who had been staring blankly at me as if time had stopped, firmly shook his head.
“Because I don’t have the confidence to do anything special.”
He whispered in a low voice that only I could hear.
Then he quickly covered his face, which had turned bright red, with one hand.
“In this place where there are so many dark men if you give me even a little bit of room to imagine you...”
“Roan!”
What kind of absurd imagination is this! My mouth fell open and I quickly covered my mouth with my hand.
“That time, it’s not an attack, but I might just cut off all their heads. I have no choice but to do it for the sake of everyone’s peace.”
A serious face without a hint of playfulness filled my vision.
“So don’t provoke me, Adrienne. Your lover is crazier than those who are desperate to die.”
He spoke softly, yet warningly.
“Roan, how could you think like that!”
“Then what should I do? It’s not just me who sees you so pretty.”
A slightly resentful gaze scanned my face as if tracing its lines.
A look of uneasiness crossed his face, evidently suppressed when he was with Ephero and his party.
Oh my God.
“It’s a sin that you’re pretty.”
This dangerous and beautiful beast was a terrible loser.
Tears that I didn't think would come out after crying for so long earlier flowed hotly down my cheeks.
What I was thankful for, and liked, about Jonah was the same for me.
When I become weak when I show weakness.
My anxiety that the Count's maids would insult and look down on me like the Grand Duchess' maids was shattered.
It was a great improvement over the time when I used to be afraid of the people outside the Grand Palace and would nag at Noevian, thinking that they would never be kind to me.
The feeling of being reciprocated with sincerity and warmth was more moving than I expected.
My self-esteem, which had collapsed during the time I was sick and miserable, was restored at a frightening rate, and as I thought about how I could connect with people not just as a healthy person but as a complete Adrienne, my heart swelled with emotion despite the situation, and I hugged Jonah.
“I suddenly miss Marge. If she saw us crying like this, she’d nag us about why we were crying in broad daylight.”
"...Me too."
Marge, who had tried to protect me against Sophie, the chief maid of the Grand Duke's residence, took charge of the household affairs of the Count's residence while I was down, even though she had been given leave.
I had heard that while I was struggling between life and death, I pushed Rhodnes on the back to get some sleep, and when he held on until the end, Jonah quickly stopped me from raising my hand to strike his back.
Jonah's giggle, which was actually curious as to how Rhodnes would react if she had slapped his back like she did to her son, rose and fell like a mist in my ears.
Jonah also cried for a long time as if she was remembering the day she told me. Then s
he burst into laughter.
Crying, laughing.
We hugged each other and did this over and over again until we reached the first intermediate campsite.
Bianca found it hard to believe that my father was involved in this.
Of course, she also knew that my father wanted to enter central politics.
But she never guessed that it was a desire so strong that it would push me into the ignominious position of the Crown Prince's mistress.
“For the time being, keep it a secret even after you go back, Sister.”
“And to Gregory too?”
“The best for Gregory.”
If I had told Gregory, who has a choleric temperament, he might have done something impulsively.
“Yes, did you know that as soon as your brother returned to his territory after finding out that the Grand Duke had a woman, he started borrowing soldiers from the surrounding territories?”
If it was Gregory, it would be expected. So I secretly expected that he would come with troops from the East.
“When the Duke heard the news of your death, he left his bedroom for the first time and shouted loudly.”
Bianca, who had been narrowing her eyes as if recalling that day, suddenly dilated her pupils and looked at me.
“At that time, he said, ‘Don’t mess things up for no reason, be careful and bide your time.’”
“...”
“I interpreted the words ‘be cautious and bide your time’ as meaning to wait for the moment to take revenge on the Grand Duke, but why did you say ‘don’t’ mess things up for no reason?”
She added excitedly.
I vaguely thought I had an idea what that 'thing' was.
It probably means the link between the Crown Prince and my father.
They probably just threatened to withdraw their support for Noevian Trovica and waited for a response.
Since I died as the Grand Duchess, the East was already on the Crown Prince's side. Bianca, who had no idea that I was almost the Crown Prince's mistress, made a thoughtful face.
“...How is the nanny?”
“Nanny, since the news of your death, she has been lying down without eating or drinking, and she is just now starting to feel some energy.”
"...Yes."
“She's become so close to the Duke. The cold wind always blew, but maybe they’ve both grown old and lost the strength to hate each other... Maybe they’ve started to feel pity for each other after hearing the news of your death.”
Olivia, who was my mother's maid and then became my nanny, hated my father who was always busy, wandering outside the estate, and not being very affectionate.
I nodded because even as a child I could clearly feel her emotions.
Olivia Lucia, who was looking for Blie, was more likely not to be the nanny. She was quite old and didn't have the means to make such inquiries in Elacon.
“Just stay one more day and then go.”
“You’re crossing the Elacon border tomorrow, right? I’d like to stay with you a little longer, but since you're going to Elacon as an envoy if I join the list of people who aren’t even there, Ronta might suspect me of doing something. If it gets to the royal family, it’ll arouse unnecessary suspicion.”
Bianca glanced at the sunset streaming through the gap in the curtains, then hugged me again.
“Adrienne, my sister. I didn’t even know it was you and I slapped you like that. I’ll pay for that one day.”
As soon as she got out of the carriage, one of the guards approached her, leading her horse.
“We must go east before it gets too dark. We can cross the eastern border in just an hour’s ride, so don’t worry about me.”
“I’ll give you an escort.”
“Oh my. Did you think that the Duchess of Piretta would go out without an escort, Lien? How cute.”
She pinched my cheek and gave me another loving hug.
“Didn't he say 'no'? Oh, my God, to have such a handsome man as that for a lover. I'm all excited. Noeovian, no, no. Prince Rhodnes... He's younger, taller, thicker, and more beautiful than that bastard. Actually, Noevian, when he said no, I was a little upset.”
“Sister, I will listen.”
“Listen. It’s a compliment. I wish that dark-skinned Noevian was a little younger. What good does a six or seven-year age gap have to do with looking a little younger? As you live, there comes a day when you come to understand the meaning of the saying that being young is the best...”
“Sister!”
Bianca finally wiped her tears away and laughed heartily.
“I like the fact that his thighs are thick and strong. His neck is thick and long, so it looks manly and elegant.”
“Stop it, sis.”
“Listen carefully, Rien. A man is a thigh.”
“Okay, then go now.”
Rhodnes, who had been standing with his arms crossed as if to bid farewell from afar, raised his eyebrows and stood there frowning when Bianca winked at him.
“If I show courtesy to His Highness, you will explode with anger, so you should speak properly. Rien, then I will wait for your letter. I will go back now, but if you need help, I will help you at any time.”
"...Huh."
Bianca gave me a quick kiss on the cheek, wrapped the cloak I had given her tightly around her, and quickly mounted her horse. I watched her walk away for a long time, along with Jonah.
Bianca is a tight-lipped person, so I was sure she wouldn't even tell her husband, Gregory, what we had talked about on our way here.
Ephero and Victor continued to nag at each other, asking if they were too busy doing something all day to even see each other's faces.
The campsite where we arrived and pitched our tents was the small Freya domain, bordered by the Trovica and Acacia domains to the west, Elacon to the north, and the Eastern Domain to the east.
It was also the home of Empress Grace, who was once Grace Freya.
Although it was a small territory, it was mountainous and it took a long time to get to the mansion, so we planned to camp here and cross the Elacon border straight away.
It was because we might miss the great sorcerer who had just recently been following his whereabouts, only to be treated with great hospitality at the mansion, which he had crossed over a mountain too.
Among the knights, we sat around the campfire. I looked at Jonah eating among the other servants, then turned my gaze to Ephero, who had received the messenger.
“Fortunately, the King still has the Grand Sorcerer in his grasp.”
Ephero said something to the messenger and sent it flying again, then said while chewing on a baked potato.
“But what do you plan on asking the great sorcerer when you meet him? He’s not the type of person to answer questions a noble lady would ask.”
“That sorcerer. He lived. 1000 years. He’ll answer. Anything.”
“Oh, there’s a legend like that. In fact, that one is said to have been greatly shortened. There’s also a legend that it lived for about 5,000 years.”
“Be careful. More than the sorcerer. Sisters.”
“I agree with that!”
I looked at them one after another, rubbing my eyes that were swollen from crying so much.
"Why?"
“I like it. Sisters. Shiny things. You right now. You’re so shiny.”
“?”
“It’s pretty. Very pretty.”
Push.
The bonfire went out in an instant.
It was because Rhodnes, who had volunteered to go get firewood, roughly poured the pile of firewood into the bonfire.
"Older brother!"
“Eat lots.”
What are you telling me to eat when the fire is off? Rhodnes sat down on the log post where I was sitting with a hardened expression on his face and clung to it.
“One. Jealousy?”
“Ephero. That bald guy is your responsibility.”
As Rhodnes spoke coldly, Ephero stabbed Victor with the scabbard at his side.
The stab was so deep that Victor frowned.
"Hurt!"
“Hey, Bear. Be careful.”
“What’s the crime in calling something pretty pretty? She's pretty, Prince. You too!”
Victor shouted innocently as if he truly thought that the reason Rhodnes was jealous was because he was the only one who thought I was pretty.
Crying, laughing.
We hugged each other and did this over and over again until we reached the first intermediate campsite.
***
Bianca found it hard to believe that my father was involved in this.
Of course, she also knew that my father wanted to enter central politics.
But she never guessed that it was a desire so strong that it would push me into the ignominious position of the Crown Prince's mistress.
“For the time being, keep it a secret even after you go back, Sister.”
“And to Gregory too?”
“The best for Gregory.”
If I had told Gregory, who has a choleric temperament, he might have done something impulsively.
“Yes, did you know that as soon as your brother returned to his territory after finding out that the Grand Duke had a woman, he started borrowing soldiers from the surrounding territories?”
If it was Gregory, it would be expected. So I secretly expected that he would come with troops from the East.
“When the Duke heard the news of your death, he left his bedroom for the first time and shouted loudly.”
Bianca, who had been narrowing her eyes as if recalling that day, suddenly dilated her pupils and looked at me.
“At that time, he said, ‘Don’t mess things up for no reason, be careful and bide your time.’”
“...”
“I interpreted the words ‘be cautious and bide your time’ as meaning to wait for the moment to take revenge on the Grand Duke, but why did you say ‘don’t’ mess things up for no reason?”
She added excitedly.
I vaguely thought I had an idea what that 'thing' was.
It probably means the link between the Crown Prince and my father.
They probably just threatened to withdraw their support for Noevian Trovica and waited for a response.
Since I died as the Grand Duchess, the East was already on the Crown Prince's side. Bianca, who had no idea that I was almost the Crown Prince's mistress, made a thoughtful face.
“...How is the nanny?”
“Nanny, since the news of your death, she has been lying down without eating or drinking, and she is just now starting to feel some energy.”
"...Yes."
“She's become so close to the Duke. The cold wind always blew, but maybe they’ve both grown old and lost the strength to hate each other... Maybe they’ve started to feel pity for each other after hearing the news of your death.”
Olivia, who was my mother's maid and then became my nanny, hated my father who was always busy, wandering outside the estate, and not being very affectionate.
I nodded because even as a child I could clearly feel her emotions.
Olivia Lucia, who was looking for Blie, was more likely not to be the nanny. She was quite old and didn't have the means to make such inquiries in Elacon.
“Just stay one more day and then go.”
“You’re crossing the Elacon border tomorrow, right? I’d like to stay with you a little longer, but since you're going to Elacon as an envoy if I join the list of people who aren’t even there, Ronta might suspect me of doing something. If it gets to the royal family, it’ll arouse unnecessary suspicion.”
Bianca glanced at the sunset streaming through the gap in the curtains, then hugged me again.
“Adrienne, my sister. I didn’t even know it was you and I slapped you like that. I’ll pay for that one day.”
As soon as she got out of the carriage, one of the guards approached her, leading her horse.
“We must go east before it gets too dark. We can cross the eastern border in just an hour’s ride, so don’t worry about me.”
“I’ll give you an escort.”
“Oh my. Did you think that the Duchess of Piretta would go out without an escort, Lien? How cute.”
She pinched my cheek and gave me another loving hug.
“Didn't he say 'no'? Oh, my God, to have such a handsome man as that for a lover. I'm all excited. Noeovian, no, no. Prince Rhodnes... He's younger, taller, thicker, and more beautiful than that bastard. Actually, Noevian, when he said no, I was a little upset.”
“Sister, I will listen.”
“Listen. It’s a compliment. I wish that dark-skinned Noevian was a little younger. What good does a six or seven-year age gap have to do with looking a little younger? As you live, there comes a day when you come to understand the meaning of the saying that being young is the best...”
“Sister!”
Bianca finally wiped her tears away and laughed heartily.
“I like the fact that his thighs are thick and strong. His neck is thick and long, so it looks manly and elegant.”
“Stop it, sis.”
“Listen carefully, Rien. A man is a thigh.”
“Okay, then go now.”
Rhodnes, who had been standing with his arms crossed as if to bid farewell from afar, raised his eyebrows and stood there frowning when Bianca winked at him.
“If I show courtesy to His Highness, you will explode with anger, so you should speak properly. Rien, then I will wait for your letter. I will go back now, but if you need help, I will help you at any time.”
"...Huh."
Bianca gave me a quick kiss on the cheek, wrapped the cloak I had given her tightly around her, and quickly mounted her horse. I watched her walk away for a long time, along with Jonah.
Bianca is a tight-lipped person, so I was sure she wouldn't even tell her husband, Gregory, what we had talked about on our way here.
***
Ephero and Victor continued to nag at each other, asking if they were too busy doing something all day to even see each other's faces.
The campsite where we arrived and pitched our tents was the small Freya domain, bordered by the Trovica and Acacia domains to the west, Elacon to the north, and the Eastern Domain to the east.
It was also the home of Empress Grace, who was once Grace Freya.
Although it was a small territory, it was mountainous and it took a long time to get to the mansion, so we planned to camp here and cross the Elacon border straight away.
It was because we might miss the great sorcerer who had just recently been following his whereabouts, only to be treated with great hospitality at the mansion, which he had crossed over a mountain too.
Among the knights, we sat around the campfire. I looked at Jonah eating among the other servants, then turned my gaze to Ephero, who had received the messenger.
“Fortunately, the King still has the Grand Sorcerer in his grasp.”
Ephero said something to the messenger and sent it flying again, then said while chewing on a baked potato.
“But what do you plan on asking the great sorcerer when you meet him? He’s not the type of person to answer questions a noble lady would ask.”
“That sorcerer. He lived. 1000 years. He’ll answer. Anything.”
“Oh, there’s a legend like that. In fact, that one is said to have been greatly shortened. There’s also a legend that it lived for about 5,000 years.”
“Be careful. More than the sorcerer. Sisters.”
“I agree with that!”
I looked at them one after another, rubbing my eyes that were swollen from crying so much.
"Why?"
“I like it. Sisters. Shiny things. You right now. You’re so shiny.”
“?”
“It’s pretty. Very pretty.”
Push.
The bonfire went out in an instant.
It was because Rhodnes, who had volunteered to go get firewood, roughly poured the pile of firewood into the bonfire.
"Older brother!"
“Eat lots.”
What are you telling me to eat when the fire is off? Rhodnes sat down on the log post where I was sitting with a hardened expression on his face and clung to it.
“One. Jealousy?”
“Ephero. That bald guy is your responsibility.”
As Rhodnes spoke coldly, Ephero stabbed Victor with the scabbard at his side.
The stab was so deep that Victor frowned.
"Hurt!"
“Hey, Bear. Be careful.”
“What’s the crime in calling something pretty pretty? She's pretty, Prince. You too!”
Victor shouted innocently as if he truly thought that the reason Rhodnes was jealous was because he was the only one who thought I was pretty.
Rhodnes responded by looking down and raising his chin as if such a fool was not worth dealing with.
But that particular arrogant attitude did not go down well with Victor at all, because his close friend Ephero was a terrible mixture of arrogance and cowardice.
“I! am worried! You! Brothers! It’s scary!”
“Lower your voice, you idiot.”
Ephero lowered his voice as he forcibly sat down Victor, who had suddenly gotten up.
“It’s unfair! It’s unfair!”
No matter how much he complained about the injustice, Rhodnes's words were of no avail.
***
After dinner, I took a quick shower with the other female servants at a nearby lake and returned to the carriage.
If we moved the carriage seat a little, we could get a fairly wide space, so we could put a thick mattress on it and use it as a bed, though it was a bit disappointing.
Rhodes himself inspected my bed, leaving only the bare minimum of escort at a distance.
He didn't ask any questions as if he had already guessed what I had said to Bianca or Jonah.
“You must be tired, so go to sleep.”
"You?"
“I have to guard the carriage door.”
He answered with a slight smile as if it was a given.
"...Why?"
“There is no way that any group would dare to attack my procession, but sometimes there are those who are so desperate to die.”
He bent down to me as I sat at the entrance to the carriage.
I closed my eyes naturally, but his hand lingered on my ear and now he was finally tucking my dry hair behind it. The tip of my ear was so ticklish that I laughed softly.
When my hand dropped and my eyes opened wide, he was a step away from me.
It was only one step. I looked up at him blankly, feeling very regretful.
“Can’t we just sleep together?”
A deep wave came over his silent eyes.
“The other knights take turns standing guard, and you can guard me from inside the carriage.”
“...Rien.”
“Oh, I’m not saying I’m going to do anything special. If I move the chair you were sitting on just a little bit, it can become a bed. I just want you to sleep comfortably.”
Rhodnes' mouth was tightly shut.
It was after a long time that Rhodnes, who had been staring blankly at me as if time had stopped, firmly shook his head.
“Because I don’t have the confidence to do anything special.”
He whispered in a low voice that only I could hear.
Then he quickly covered his face, which had turned bright red, with one hand.
“In this place where there are so many dark men if you give me even a little bit of room to imagine you...”
“Roan!”
What kind of absurd imagination is this! My mouth fell open and I quickly covered my mouth with my hand.
“That time, it’s not an attack, but I might just cut off all their heads. I have no choice but to do it for the sake of everyone’s peace.”
A serious face without a hint of playfulness filled my vision.
“So don’t provoke me, Adrienne. Your lover is crazier than those who are desperate to die.”
He spoke softly, yet warningly.
“Roan, how could you think like that!”
“Then what should I do? It’s not just me who sees you so pretty.”
A slightly resentful gaze scanned my face as if tracing its lines.
A look of uneasiness crossed his face, evidently suppressed when he was with Ephero and his party.
Oh my God.
“It’s a sin that you’re pretty.”
This dangerous and beautiful beast was a terrible loser.
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