Jeremiah had never seen Karina like this.
Not when she had just woken up after a few days in the Tower. Not when he had heard from the Tower Master that her soul was not in perfect condition. Not even when he had heard the shocking news that her condition might worsen again and she might not wake up. Not even when he had heard that she might die if she stayed still.
Jeremiah had never been this scared or confused. But now, he was completely different. He could clearly see her wounded state as if her soul was in pieces.
'No.'
He was suddenly frightened by the feeling that she would break apart if he touched her even a little. Jeremiah held her carefully in his arms. It felt like she would disappear without a trace if he left her alone. If he didn't catch her right now, she would leave him. His mouth was dry from anxiety. However, he pushed down that fear deep inside and comforted her.
"There is no need to be afraid."
'I won't let the Marquis lay a finger on you. Absolutely not.'
Jeremiah repeated it strongly as if brainwashing himself. Then, he felt Karina's body, which had been trembling with fear, calming down little by little. Her eyes, which had been unfocused, were regaining their focus.
'Thank God.'
Jeremiah also gradually regained his composure when he saw her regain her composure. Of course, he did not stop pressuring and threatening the Marquis with a fearsome aura. He did not have time to choose his words appropriately.
"Don't you dare touch my wife? If you touch her even a little bit, I won't let you off easy."
He showed his hostility so aggressively that it was blatant. He truly intended to kill the Marquis so that he would never harm Karina again. And it wasn't just a warning. He really intended to kill anyone who showed even the slightest hint of approaching Karina without any consideration of consequences.
After he had driven the Marquis out of the Grand Duke's house.
"Karina."
Jeremiah gently comforted her in his arms.
In fact, he had a hard time figuring out what to do. He felt frustrated that there was nothing he could do right now other than hug her, who had been hurt and suffering for a long time.
'I hope you don't get sick anymore.'
All he could do was desperately hope that his feelings would be conveyed to her. At that time.
"Huh..."
Jeremiah heard a small sob from her in his arms.
"...!"
It was the kind of sob that would overflow and leak out in small tears even though you tried hard to hold it back.
"Karina?"
He was surprised and quickly tried to check Karina's condition. Even in this situation, he felt bad for her, who was trying to hold back as if it were her habit. When he pulled away to check on her condition, Karina grabbed his collar tightly and wouldn't let go.
"Okay... Wait a minute..."
She managed to spit it out in a trembling voice.
"Just stay like this for a moment... I'll stay."
He felt the hem of his clothes getting wet where her eyes touched.
'Ah...'
Jeremiah felt mixed emotions. She hated showing her weakness to him. Normally, Karina would have rejected him and pushed him away, telling him to get away. Of course, he didn't like her rejecting him, but apart from that, he didn't want to see her crying like this, trembling and holding onto the hem of his clothes as if they were a lifeline.
'All I wanted was for her to accept me wholeheartedly. I just wanted her to be open to me and not put up walls.'
And to get inside the line she had drawn, he had to break down that wall. That first step required hearing the truth about her situation.
"Do you have anything to say to me?"
Jeremiah wanted Karina to confess her pain to him, but Karina's response only served to solidify the line between them.
"It doesn't matter to me what my father thinks. My father's and my opinions are completely different."
So, she meant to say, don't be mistaken.
"That's not it. What I want to ask is."
'What I'm really curious about is...'
Questions he wanted to ask were rising to the top of his lungs.
'Wasn't the Marquis Milliner a good father to you?'
'How long has it been like this? How long have you been enduring such terrible circumstances?'
'Has the Marquis been abusing you like this all this time, out of sight?'
But the countless questions that came to mind could not be answered in perfect sentences. Jeremiah hesitated because he thought it would stir up her pain and make her wounds worse. Jeremiah's words were unusually sparse and uncharacteristic. It was clearly not a proper question, but Karina immediately understood what he was trying to ask. And she did not deny it.
"It is exactly as you see it."
"...!"
It was no different from affirmation. Karina just showed an expression that seemed as if she was already exhausted.
"I'm sorry to see you like this."
Her answer, with a look of resignation and indifferent tone, came as a great pain to him. When he heard the definite answer, he felt like a flame was boiling inside him. It felt like the acrid smoke was rising up his throat and suffocating him. The more he learned about her, the more it was different from what was known to the public. There were too many things that were different from what he knew. He couldn't think of the right words to say. Just...
'Why didn't I know this until now?'
He was angry at himself. Disillusionment rose and ate away at his entire body. On the other hand, Karina just stood there blankly, with cloudy eyes as if she was aware of reality. When he confirmed that empty appearance again, deep sadness and regret came rushing in at the same time.
How did she endure it alone until now? Why was she still suffering endlessly in that pain and suffering?
Instead of her indifferent attitude, he felt the miserable feeling of his heart being torn to pieces.
At that moment.
Knock knock.
"...!"
A knock on the office door woke Jeremiah from his thoughts.
"Your Highness. Here you go."
It was Ron's voice.
"Come in."
Jeremiah asked, pressing his temple with one hand.
"What about Karina?"
Instead of giving up on accompanying them, he secretly sent a separate knight to Karina and the Crown Prince to check where they went and what they were doing. Ron entered the office, straightened his back, and relayed the report that had just come in.
"They say that both of them went to the black market run by His Highness the Crown Prince."
"In the black market?"
Jeremiah knew that the Crown Prince was running a black market. He also knew that Karina had asked the Crown Prince to procure a fertility drug, so Jeremiah wasn't all that surprised when he heard the report.
'Did you go to get some medicine?'
But.
'I don't like it.'
In particular, the situation where the Crown Prince showed excessive and inappropriate interest in Karina was extremely irritating.
'I told you last time. I'm interested in the Grand Duchess.'
'This is a secret between the two of us.'
'There seems to be no trust or faith between you and the Grand Duchess.'
He felt even more uncomfortable as he recalled all that David had said so far.
Jeremiah gritted his teeth. His jaw clenched tightly.
"So, is Karina still with the Crown Prince in the dark world?"
"Well, for now, the two of them are together..."
Ron watched Jeremiah for a moment, then cautiously continued his report.
"They said they were going to the city square. They said they were going to see the circus there."
"Downtown? Circus...?"
Jeremiah sat up from his chair at the news that the two had gone out into the city as if they were on a date. The chair he was sitting on fell backward violently. He couldn't just leave Karina dating David. Jeremiah picked up his coat and left the office.
"Your Highness?"
Ron, startled by his sudden actions, hurriedly followed him and said.
"Where are you going? Didn't you say that someone from the palace will be coming soon?"
Jeremiah furrowed his eyebrows, expressing his displeasure.
"So?"
"So that's why? You should wait until he comes and receives the imperial order..."
"You really are annoying."
Jeremiah snorted as if it didn't matter and continued walking.
"When you get here, I'll take care of it for you."
"Yes...? You don't know what other complaints they might find, so why are you just leaving like this?"
Ron looked quite embarrassed, but Jeremiah paid no attention.
"It doesn't matter."
He heard that Karina is on a date with the Crown Prince in the city right now.
'Fuck!'
In fact, the reason he didn't accompany Karina and David on their outing wasn't because he wanted to wait for someone to come out of the palace. He simply chose to back off after seeing Karina's strong refusal.
'Because she wanted to avoid talking to me.'
He judged that she needed some time to collect her feelings. He had an intuition that if he forced himself to go along with her, it would only make her more rebellious. He held back because he didn't want that kind of situation.
'There is no other reason.'
He had no intention of leaving Karina alone.
'Karina is my wife.
His eyes sank deeply. Even if he was the Crown Prince, he had no intention of being taken away by him. Jeremiah quickly put on his coat and headed to the circus performance hall where Karina was.
'I think your emotions have calmed down a bit by now.'
It was his wish.
***
Shortly after Jeremiah left.
"Hello."
The imperial courtier from the palace arrived at the Grand Duke's residence.
"I am a palace doctor."
He was a tall man, but of small build and had a relatively thin voice compared to his size.
"I have come here today to examine the Grand Duchess by order of His Majesty the Emperor."
He already had a vague impression, but the round, thick glasses he was wearing made his impression even blurrier.
"Welcome."
'Wow... You came really quickly.'
Ron, who had hidden his awkward feelings, greeted him with a strange smile. The butler also assisted Ron by greeting the palace doctor with the utmost politeness.
Because he heard Jeremiah's order to 'handle it as you see fit.'
'What should I say to waste time?'
Ron is trying hard to find an excuse.
"Where is the Grand Duchess?"
The palace doctor asked about Karina's whereabouts without hesitation.
"Uh, um..."
Ron quickly racked his brain in response to his question.
"I'm sorry, but the Grand Duchess and His Highness the Grand Duke are currently out of the office."
First of all, it was true that both Karina and Jeremiah were not in the Grand Duke's household. So he decided to tell the truth about this part. Since they both went to the city anyway, there was a good chance that there would be a sighting report someday.
"They left their seat?"
"Yes, they have some business to attend to in the city..."
"Where in the city?"
"That is..."
"Did you two go out together?"
The palace doctor asked more directly. A strange sense of incongruity momentarily lingered in his expression and eyes as he asked that question.
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