After hearing what I said, Kishian didn't say anything for a while.
Still, he seemed to want to say something, so I waited for him to gather his thoughts.
His words, heard after a long wait, were somewhat unexpected.
"It wasn't my intention."
"What?"
"The maid's work. That's not what I intended."
A feeling of slight embarrassment came over me.
'Is this an apology of sorts?'
That vicious woman didn't mean to harass you, so please understand... That's what he said.
He seemed very awkward as if he was not used to apologizing to someone, but he was speaking to me as if he was repenting his sins.
"I really didn't know that she wouId act like that. I didn't know that it would hurt you that much. This is clearly my fault."
"..."
"But there's no need to be wary of Walter. He's different from the head maid. I know this because I've been watching him for a long time."
I later regretted bringing up the maid's story.
I just brought up that woman's story to explain why I was being mean to Walter.
To Kishian, I seemed like a pitiful human who had not yet recovered from the wounds I had received at that time.
His clumsy apology was a bit unexpected, but I still felt bad.
I felt like I had just won his sympathy by talking nonsense.
"...I never got hurt or anything. I just did it because I was worried something similar would happen."
"Would it be better to punish Walter severely?"
"Don't be like that. You don't have to worry about it. As his superior, I will try to persuade him well."
I couldn't tell him to give me a free lunch.
If I say that, wouldn't it be like I'm admitting that I was hurt?
Kishian looked at me with a slightly unfavorable expression, which further hurt my pride.
Thanks to this, my determination became stronger.
'I have to somehow make Walter my man. I can't let him suffer like before because I can't even handle one of his subordinates properly.'
The incidents that happened before could be considered accidents that occurred before I had yet to adapt to being a Grand Duchess.
But enough time has passed that I've already adapted...
I didn't want to continue showing my clumsy side to Kishian.
"If that's what you want, Madam, then I understand. This time, I will let him go without punishment. But If he goes too far..."
Kishian paused for a moment, then came towards me and met my eyes from a close distance.
At the same time, I felt his arms wrap around my waist.
While I was staring at his golden eyes, he held me in his arms.
"I will give him the punishment he deserves. Just like I did to the head maid."
"Are you going to lock him up like a maid? But he is your..."
"He is a subordinate I cherish. But I cannot stand by and watch him behave rudely toward the Arch Duchess."
Rather than saying it out of concern for me, it was probably said because he couldn't stand to see his authority as the Archduke being tarnished.
Even though I knew everything, as always, my heart swelled with vain hope.
A vain hope filled my heart that maybe he really cared about me and said that.
Deep down, I wanted to believe it.
I was secretly hoping that the detailed words and actions he conveyed were sincere.
"..."
It was when I was feeling disillusioned with my own foolishness in hoping for affection that I shouldn't have.
Kishian's large, warm hand caressed my cheek.
It wasn't hard to figure out what he was trying to do now.
I closed my eyes and let him do as he pleased.
As I blocked his view, his breathing became closer than expected.
Our lips met right away.
In its heat, the complicated thoughts that had filled my head eventually melted away.
***
From that day on, Walter became noticeably more docile.
There was no such thing as the first day when he looked at me with contempt.
It seemed as if he had heard a sharp remark from Kishian.
I thought that even though he still resented me on the inside, he had become gentle on the outside.
If he had continued to follow me around with that arrogant attitude and nagging, every day would have been difficult.
Thanks to him being quiet, I was able to focus solely on preparing for the hunting competition, and before I knew it, the morning of the competition was dawning.
I woke up early in the morning and quickly washed up.
After that, with the help of the maids, I put on the dress I had prepared and finished putting on my makeup.
It was then that I was about to leave the room.
"I'll go in."
Letie came into the room, announcing this without permission, from outside the door...
As I looked at Letie, who had come to visit after finishing her preparations, a new thought occurred to me.
'We are twins, after all.'
Letie, who wore the same clothes and makeup as me, looked exactly like me.
There was no difference between the two, as the badge stuck between the collarbones was also covered by clothing.
Perhaps even our father wouldn't be able to tell the two of us apart now.
So I was surprised again, and it seemed that Letie was thinking the same thing as me.
"We really look alike. Don't we?"
I nodded toward Letie who was speaking and answered.
"Because we're twins..."
"No one will be able to tell us apart. Not my father, not the maids, not the Duke of Herssen..."
I was about to nod in agreement with Letie's words.
"Even Grand Duke Lennon must be sweating a lot."
The moment the mention of Kishian came up, my shoulders stiffened without me realizing it.
Letie said as if she had noticed my stiff expression quickly.
"Should I stop now?"
There was no need to ask what she was going to stop doing.
I just shook my head firmly.
"You've already prepared and dressed up in the same clothes."
"But is that okay? If the Archduke really doesn't recognize my sister and gives me the trophy..."
"No."
After shaking my head, I stared at Letie with an unwavering gaze.
"He won't make a mistake. He'll recognize me."
Didn't Kishian promise me this with his own mouth several times?
Even if Letie and I wear the same clothes and act the same, he will be able to recognize me right away.
It was a groundless claim, but I still believed it.
If that was the case, he would have definitely recognized me. He was a man with a keen eye for detail.
But Letie didn't seem to think so.
After sending out the maids who were in the room, she took advantage of the moment when the two of us were left alone and spoke to me in a small voice.
"Well, I'm still a little worried."
"...Why do you suddenly want to be soft? This was the game you suggested."
Didn't Letie herself suggest this kind of cheeky prank since simple hunting competitions are no fun?
But now that she keeps showing her worries, it's hard for me to understand.
After hesitating for a while, Letie answered.
"I do that because I think my sister will be in real trouble."
“What...!?”
Although I asked back a bit sharply. Letie seemed unaware of the emotion in my tone and responded nonchalantly.
"You said that the Grand Duke would never make a mistake, but you never know what will happen. If he does, your reputation will really suffer."
"..."
"I regret playing that game so much now. I think I was just caught up in the mood at the time. I didn't even think about the misery my sister might be in...."
Letie's sympathy for me was now undeniably clear.
I think that Kishian will not even recognize his wife and will offer the trophy to Letie himself.
This isn't the first time she's shown this attitude.
I got angry all over again.
Perhaps the anger that had been festering deep inside me for a very long time was slowly raising its head.
"Yes. I understand your concern. But as I said, I trust him."
I covered my anger with a straight-faced smile.
"He will win. He will win with such certainty that there will be no room for disagreement, and he will bring me the trophy he has earned."
"..."
"So don't worry and let's go quickly. We'll be late if we keep doing this."
Even though I told her it was okay, Letie's expression did not brighten.
No, instead, an even darker shadow fell over her face.
What else do you not like?
Anyway, time was running out, so I couldn't keep trying to please her forever.
I grabbed Letie's wrist, who was standing frozen, and quickly led her to where the carriage was parked.
We had to hurry to get to the hunting grounds, the competition venue, on time.
***
The competition venue, the 'Schettenholz' forest, was not far from the Archduke's residence.
As it was the private property of the Grand Duke of Lennon, it was a place that could be reached in just 30 minutes by carriage.
After traveling for 30 minutes, we arrived at a clearing near the forest, and I got out of the carriage before Letie.
As I stood on the ground, the cold air unique to the forest at dawn penetrated straight into my lungs.
I took a deep breath, took in the air, and looked around first.
Makeshift tents were seen erected here and there in the vacant lot.
These were things that the contestants who arrived before us had installed.
The flags on each tent gave a brief indication of which family they came from.
'The Margraves of Graz, the Counts of Rosen, the Barons of Waldeck... All the families that were supposed to come have come. I can even see the flags of the Grand Dukes of Lennon and Herssen.'
It seemed that all the northern houses that followed Grand Duke Lennon had arrived without delay.
Many flags did not have the emblems of noble families, indicating that these participants were from commoner backgrounds.
As I scanned the flags, I soon came across a very familiar pattern.
A black panther pattern with sharp teeth bared as if threatening.
I knew that pattern very well.
'...That guy really came. I was skeptical when I saw him on the list of participants.'
Support Novellate!
Comments
Post a Comment