23. Summer Festival
To my beloved daughter Chloe
Chloe, my dear daughter.
How was your return journey? Father said I felt different from the last time I sent you off alone to Tisse. I couldn't help but shed tears as I saw you boarding the carriage with the Duke, but they were not tears of worry or concern, but tears of joy.
Your aunt at Swanton said that when she opened the gift cart, she could not hold back her tears. I can assure you that my tears were as great an expression of emotion as Mrs. Talbot's tears of joy.
There were cries of joy as the number of workers coming from all over the kingdom and even from abroad increased, but there were also many concerns about the sudden increase in population, and Father was once again deeply grateful when Duke Tisse sent a unit of sheriffs.
My daughter, Chloe, was good at being considerate and thoughtful, and now that we're together, you seem to be taking after that aspect. You're my daughter after all.
As the temperature here in Verdier rises, the forest becomes greener and darker, and the more I think of you taking a leisurely walk there. Sometimes, when I see the fenced forest on my way back to the castle, I wonder if I should keep your young appearance only in my memories, but I think of you now roaming around a much larger territory, and I pull myself together.
Don't be so surprised, Chloe. As I get older, I find myself reminiscing more and more, but I still think I'll be seeing your mother sometime soon. I have to live long enough to see the face of the child that mischievous Alice gave birth to.
The guy finally sent a portrait to his father, and the moment I saw the child in the picture, all my anger melted away as if it were a lie. Alice, who never expected anything from men, seemed not to have given up on one thing.
I have a feeling that the day when our whole family will be together again is not far off. If I'm lucky, there might be another child who calls me grandfather. I'm starting to wish that child were like you.
Tisse is about to be a festival, right? How nice it would be if you could live every day like a festival. I hope you can enjoy the happiness that has been given to you now without any doubts.
I love you, Chloe.
From your father, who tries to resist the temptation of sweet snacks
Chloe folded the letter from the Viscount that had arrived early in the morning neatly and put it in the letterbox. Her father must have written the letter right after they left Verdier. She smiled and her heart ached as she recalled her father running to her unexpected visit and almost tripping.
Chloe and Damien stayed in the castle for two days, receiving the Viscount’s hospitality. Chloe saw with her own eyes that the crumbling walls had been meticulously repaired and that the barns had been stocked with livestock. Damien, who walked alongside her, kept his mouth shut, but thanks to the Viscount’s endless talk during meals, Chloe learned all about her husband’s accomplishments for the castle.
The first night back, she couldn't sleep because her heart was pounding so hard that she went out to help out secretly. Damien soon showed up and took her back to the castle, but she couldn't help but think about Gray.
She wonders how Gray is doing.
When Damien wasn't around, she tried to sneak a peek at her father, but the Viscount didn't know anything about Gray either. Chloe thought back to the last time she had been in Gray's cabin.
The reason Damien was so angry and tried to kick Gray out was that he harbored impure feelings toward her. Of course, Chloe thought the Duke was making a ridiculous misunderstanding...
When she recalled Gray's trembling eyes that had looked at Chloe at that time, everything became uncertain. Why did Gray look at her with such a guilty gaze?
Chloe put the box of letters away, then looked at the old blanket neatly folded in the closet. When she thought of Gray, who had given her warmth during the harshest winter in Tisse, a corner of her heart ached.
I guess I'll have to ask around.
As Chloe made up her mind, she heard the bedroom door open. Chloe quickly closed the closet door and looked at her husband walking in.
“It's time to go out.”
“Oh, I was just about to leave...”
Chloe quickly averted her gaze after seeing Damien’s body wearing only a gown. The morning sunlight was high in the sky, and everything was bright, but does this man really not know the word shame?
“Your Excellency!”
Chloe's eyes widened in shock as Damien took off his robe. He slowly approached her, the corners of his mouth slackening.
“Isn’t this why you were wasting time?”
“I am not as sinister as Your Excellency, the Duke.”
“I’m sinister?”
The Duke laughed with a shameless face as if he were in disbelief.
“You said you’d just kiss me goodnight last night...”
Chloe's ears turned red as she could not bring herself to continue her story. Just thinking about the horrible things he had whispered to her, clearly possessed by an obscene evil spirit, made her feel like committing a sin. She seriously considered whether she should call an exorcist.
“I never said I would do it on my lips.”
Damien licked his lips with a meaningful expression. Chloe stumbled backwards on her uncomfortable legs and fell over the bed. The Duke approached her slowly like a conqueror.
“You don’t hate the fact that I’m going crazy because I love you, do you?”
It was annoying. But it was an undeniable fact. After confessing his love with the scariest expression in the world, Damien didn't hesitate to say 'love'. As if he knew that every time he said that word, her heart would beat so fast that it felt like it was going to burst.
“Your Excellency.”
But now was not the time to accept his love.
"Huh?"
The sleepless, shameless man grabbed the hem of her dress again. Chloe opened her mouth urgently to him while lying down.
“It’s time for Mom to come!”
Damien frowned, saying, “This is it.” Just then, the door behind him opened wide, and Priscilla’s high-pitched voice, fully dressed for the festival, could be heard.
“Chloe, honey! What took you so long to prepare... Oh my, Damien?”
Priscilla blinked rapidly in surprise as she looked at Damien, tangled with Chloe on the bed. Damien grabbed Chloe's cheeks with a helpless expression as he shouted, "Wake up quickly!" and kissed her lips with a soft kiss.
“I’ve got your support, so I’ll go first.”
The Duke, who had been showing the world his deep affection since morning, got up with an indifferent expression and greeted Priscilla.
“Yeah. Hmm. Hmm. Chloe has been working hard since morning, so I’m definitely going to win.”
Priscilla looked at Damien half-naked and Chloe with her dress ruffled, and she seemed to have misunderstood. That's not it, Mother! Damien struck before Chloe could appeal.
“I won’t disappoint you, Mother.”
After giving Priscilla a friendly kiss on the cheek, the Duke disappeared. Priscilla looked at him and opened her mouth elegantly.
“We’re going to be late for the strawberry tasting. Hurry up.”
Chloe got up from her seat, her cheeks flushed like strawberry flesh. Looking at Priscilla’s face, which had not changed at all, Chloe thought that the thick-faced family might not be the Tisse family but the royal family.
***
The festival was held on the longest day of the short summer in Tisse. After a full fortnight of careful consideration and careful consideration, Chloe selected the winner of the strawberry competition. The old woman, who won for the first time this year, couldn't hide her joy as she hugged her granddaughter.
“Look, Grandmother! I told you that the Duchess was the fairest person in the world!”
Priscilla, standing in the shade, covered her face with her fan and whispered softly to Chloe.
“Are you saying that I have been judging unfairly so far?”
“No way.”
Chloe met Priscilla's eyes as she handed her a fresh strawberry she had just picked from the plant.
“All the winners who were given awards by ny mothers must have thought that my mothers were the fairest.”
Priscilla smiled slightly, as if satisfied with Chloe's answer. The strawberries that Chloe had chosen were indeed firm and sweet, and their aroma filled her mouth. It was hard to believe that they were grown in a poor tenant farmer's tiny backyard.
“It’s quite enjoyable to take a step back and become a spectator.”
Priscilla muttered to herself as she walked slowly, carrying an umbrella.
“Actually, I’ve never really enjoyed a festival with peace of mind until now.”
"Why?"
Priscilla blinked as Chloe asked with a questioning look on her face.
“I’m not the type of person who likes to stand in front of a lot of people. When everyone is looking at me, I get so nervous that I forget what I want to say.”
“That applies to me, too.”
“Oh, really? I thought you wrote everything down somewhere because you said everything so clearly.”
Instead of saying something like that sometimes, Chloe just smiled silently and followed her.
“William also didn’t like to stand out.”
Priscilla's eyes were filled with deep affection as she remembered her late husband.
“You don’t know how cool he looked, doing his job bluntly without looking sideways. Most of the nobles who frequented the palace were only interested in currying favor with His Majesty. Anyone would have been charmed by his silence and restraint.”
“I can imagine what it must have been like.”
Priscilla looked over the hill with a smile that was a mixture of regret and pride. As the men's shouts grew closer, Chloe also turned her gaze in that direction.
“I don’t know who Damien resembles.”
In the meadow where the strong wind blew, a men's running competition was taking place. Chloe swallowed dryly in embarrassment as she watched the men running with their upper bodies bare and only the lower half of their bodies barely covered. Her maid Margaret had warned her beforehand, but it was shocking enough to actually see hundreds of half-naked adult men running in a group.
"Ah..."
Priscilla laughed in amusement as Chloe let out a small sigh.
“Are you surprised?”
“The summers in Tisse are quite cool, but I feel like the clothing is too light.”
“They say they make a scene even in Tisse’s winter. You missed it last year because you came late, but this year, you too will get to see that spectacle.”
Chloe shut her mouth at Priscilla's additional words. Just thinking about Tisse's winter was enough to make her temples feel cold, but they were holding such an event even in that cold.
“Isn’t that a very primitive way to appeal to a woman you like?”
Chloe soon became aware of the women lining up beside her. Those at the finish line were holding flowers and cheering on their lovers and families.
“When I see things like that, I wonder if I really gave birth to a Tisse man.”
Priscilla's voice was filled with pride as she laughed. Chloe looked at the Duke running with the young men. There seemed to be no rules to running. Damien felt completely comfortable among the men who were grabbing each other's bare bodies and struggling to gain the upper hand.
“Damien is definitely a difficult man, isn’t he?”
Chloe blinked at the sudden question, looking at her for a moment.
“How can I not know the child I gave birth to? That child is greedy. He has been like that since he was little.”
“...My father said that a little greed is the driving force behind success.”
“I thought that in Damien’s case, too much could be a problem.”
Priscilla continued speaking in a lower voice than usual. Her eyes were slightly unfocused as she watched Damien running towards her.
“I set an example for him from a young age, so that he felt loyalty to the crown was natural. I thought it would be better for Damien to die than to be sacrificed to power. I think William felt the same way. So, to avoid being caught up in the power struggles in the center, he did his best as the commander-in-chief of the garrison guarding the border, and I also stayed away from central society.”
Chloe listened to her with her mouth shut. She wasn't so oblivious that she didn't know that Priscilla was telling her what was on her mind. It was a sign that she trusted her, but on the other hand, every word she said felt heavy. She had a feeling that the topic that was about to follow would be serious.
“But it’s hard for a child to grow up the way their parents want. I tried to give him trust and affection, and create an environment where he would not lack anything, but in the end, that only ended up making Damien even more like Damien.”
“...Your Highness, you have been wonderful so far. I believe you will continue to be wonderful in the future.”
Priscilla let out a deep breath at Chloe's words. Damien, who had been struggling, was seen running back to take the lead. His eyes, covered in dust, were fixed on one spot. Priscilla waved her hand at Damien as he ran, and continued.
“If His Majesty dies while Johannes’ reputation is at rock bottom, there will be a big change for Damien. No, the world around him will change. Damien has never changed.”
“Is there anything you would like to say to me, Mother?”
Priscilla looked at Chloe. The child Damien had chosen as his partner was wiser than she had expected. But there was something she felt with her mother’s intuition. Chloe might be the woman who could change Damien, who no one else could.
“Don’t become Damien’s weakness.”
Ding. Ding. As soon as the bell rang, the men crossed the finish line, led by Damien. Damien stopped in front of them, catching his breath. She could feel the heat from the body of the man who had climbed and descended the Tisse Mountains.
“Congratulations, Damien.”
“With two beautiful ladies before me, I am having a hard time deciding who I should give the glory of victory to.”
As Damien opened his mouth to speak with a smile, Priscilla waved her hand with an elegant expression.
“I have no intention of becoming a mean mother-in-law. Besides, I now have to congratulate the young men of Tisse who have lost their championship to a greedy Duke.”
“It would be an honor for the family to hear congratulatory words from a direct member of the royal family.”
As Priscilla nodded, Damien quickly picked Chloe up and hugged her. Chloe took a deep breath without realizing it, feeling the immense vitality of his body heat and heartbeat.
“Chloe.”
"Yes."
Damien spoke in a feminine tone as he walked slowly towards the river where the beer was placed.
“Don’t forget that your mother is the one who gave birth to you.”
“What does that mean?”
“People you like have a bad habit of constantly testing you. And once they open their heart, they act like they’ll give you everything you need, which is a problem.”
Chloe briefly wondered if Damien had just overheard their conversation, but soon concluded that it couldn't have been true. Damien sat her down on a chair by the river and handed her one of the beers on the table.
“Your mother loves you very much.”
Chloe opened her mouth cautiously, holding the beer glass tightly in both hands. Damien sat down next to her on the chair and emptied his glass in one gulp.
“That’s why I make mistakes sometimes. Because I’m consumed by fear.”
Chloe looked at the women standing in a long line along the river picking flowers. Suddenly, his words struck her heart.
“Your Excellency, do you ever feel afraid?”
"No."
There was no hesitation in the softly spoken answer. Chloe looked up at him and smiled slightly.
“I thought you would do that.”
“Even if I’m about to get a bullet in my head, I won’t confess my fears to you.”
“...Are you really not scared at all?”
“I’d rather die laughing than be remembered as a shabby, trembling fool.”
A strong wind blew, whipping her hair. Damien lowered his head and whispered a smile in her ear.
“Then you will never forget me.”
“...I feel stupid.”
“Want to make a bet?”
Damien pressed his lips to the spot below her ear where her pulse was throbbing, then released them. Chloe gulped down the beer she held in both hands, the bitter taste filling her mouth.
“Oh, then I guess that won’t work because I’d have to die.”
Her heart was pounding so hard it hurt. Chloe got up from her chair and placed her empty glass on the long table.
“Me. I’ve been practicing walking with an assistive device.”
"Yes?"
“Yes. So someday...”
Chloe hesitated for a moment. Without even saying a word, her cheeks felt hot. She confessed to him with a flushed face like the women who pick flowers and make bouquets along the river.
“I will give flowers to the Duke someday.”
“I’m looking forward to it. No woman has ever given me flowers before.”
Another attraction of summer festivals was when women walked backwards and confessed their love to men by giving them wild flowers.
“Isn’t it that you couldn’t do it even if you wanted to?”
"Why?"
Damien raised his eyebrows and asked back.
“I was afraid that if I showed off to the Duke, my life would be ruined.”
“If someone confesses their love to me, why do they think I’m going to ruin their life?”
“I think the Duke would get angry if a woman you don’t like tried to woo you.”
Damien laughed out loud as Chloe hesitated before answering. He knitted his eyebrows together, a pleasing wrinkle forming on his handsome forehead.
“What the hell do you think of me?”
Chloe pondered Damien's question for a moment. Who did she marry?
Chloe's mind went back to the time when she first met him. The summer night in Verdier, when the moonlight was secret. The young commander's fighting voice, as if it were knocking hard on her cozy bedroom window. The first conversation in the forest, when she wondered if there was anyone so arrogant in the world. The first kiss felt like waves crashing against a cliff. The proposal felt like a threat, and even the married life felt like walking on thin ice.
Damien kept throwing her into unfamiliar worlds. Her peaceful world was turned upside down after meeting him. What kind of adventurous things would she face if she stayed with him in the future?
“I don’t know.”
Damien took a sip of his beer and laughed quietly. Chloe looked at him and opened her mouth slightly.
“Your mother told me not to become your weakness.”
“Do you have the heart to be weak?”
"No."
Chloe shook her head firmly. If nothing else, this one thing was certain.
“I want to be your weapon, Duke.”
Damien let out a small laugh.
“Are you planning to go to war together?”
“Isn’t life itself a war?”
“...”
“Even more so for someone like me.”
Damien's blue eyes slowly darkened as he watched Chloe, who was remembering exactly what he had said. Chloe continued to speak, meeting his gaze as deep as a lake that knew no end.
“I know now that you will fight for me, Duke. So I want to tell you. I will do my best by your side. I will give you everything I have so that my bad leg will not become a weakness, so that I can be of help. And let me tell you one more thing... You have never been shabby...”
Chloe couldn't finish her sentence because Damien grabbed her hair and kissed her, but it was enough. She could feel that he definitely felt her sincerity.
The sun was setting over the mountain ridge, turning the river red. A bonfire was lit in front of the tall maypole on the riverside. The fire was lit on small logs, and men and women wearing leather shoes soaked in water began to dance in pairs.
“Did you know that many people born in Tisse have similar birthdays?”
Chloe couldn't say she didn't know the reason, since her maid Margaret had already explained it to her in detail.
“Yes. It’s because many people become lovers during the Summer Festival.”
Damien smiled and held out his hand to her.
“That’s right. Passion is contagious.”
Chloe hesitated. Behind Damien, a large, burning fire raged. She was afraid that if she took his hand, the world would change. If she crossed this line, as Damien had done so far, she would never be able to return to the way she was yesterday.
“Chloe.”
Damien knew how to put an end to her hesitation. He bowed his head politely to her.
“It is time for the Duke and Duchess to set an example, Madam.”
Chloe finally burst into laughter and put down her staff. She danced for the first time in her life in front of the people, who were delighted and welcoming her. No one laughed at her. Even though she walked slowly, arm in arm with the Duke, and almost fell over, the excitement of the festival only heightened when the Duke picked her up and started running after she fell on her butt.
“Damian.”
Chloe called out to him with a flushed face. Damien smiled at her, shrugging his shoulders. Even the dirt on Chloe’s clean face looked lovely in his eyes.
“Damien!”
Chloe raised her voice beside him as he took her hand and rejoined the parade. The sound of people laughing and the music grew louder.
"Thank you!"
"What?"
When Damien asked with a raised eyebrow, Chloe confessed with a face like that. Her voice was noticeably higher than usual.
“Thank you for asking me to dance.”
The strong liquor that suited the tastes of the Tissr people must have been strong enough for Chloe, who was used to having a glass or two of wine before a meal. Damien just smiled silently at her.
“And I’m sorry for refusing to dance at Rose Garden.”
Among the people circling around, Damien held his wife's hand and slowly stepped forward. There was no formality or convention. Only then did Chloe realize that Damien had really wanted to dance with her. If she had held his hand then, he would have been the same as he is now.
Bam.
Raindrops fell from the night sky without warning. Chloe blinked quickly to shake off the water droplets that tickled her long eyelashes. Pitter-patter. Pitter-patter. As the number of raindrops increased rapidly, the dancers began to disperse in twos and threes.
“The rain is getting heavier.”
Chloe furrowed her brows in regret at the festival's end.
“I want to dance more.”
Raindrops fell on her transparent skin, splashing, splashing. Damien caressed her face, which was soaking wet with rain. When his hand touched her lips, Chloe’s body began to tremble involuntarily. His hand, which lightly tapped and then fell, was indistinguishable from the raindrops. Chloe was soon soaked in the rain.
“The carriage is ready, Your Excellency, the Duke!”
Someone came running from nearby and announced the end of the festival. Couples holding hands were running to avoid the rain with excitement still on their faces.
“I want to dance with you more.”
Damien's throat twitched dangerously as Chloe whispered pleadingly, holding his hand tightly.
“Yes. Yes then.”
Damien picked her up in his arms and ran towards the carriage.
“Hirat!”
As soon as the carriage door closed, Damien kissed her passionately. Her wet clothes fell carelessly to the floor. Chloe gasped for breath, holding onto Damien’s strong shoulders. Damien lifted his face toward her and smiled contentedly.
“Try dancing, Chloe.”
Chloe's heart was pounding like it was going to burst. She was still so excited that it didn't seem to be dying down.
“Just for me. Move.”
Chloe's hair, which Margaret had carefully styled, was already wet and disheveled. Her long hair tickled Damien's upper body.
As the carriage rattled over the gravel road, his name burst from Chloe's lips. Damien. Damien. Please... Damien.
The sound of raindrops falling on the roof of the carriage running powerfully was loud. The dance had now changed to Damien's lead. The two of them were dancing so dizzyingly that Chloe tightly closed her heated eyes.
In the early morning, when the river wind blew, Chloe looked at Damien lying next to her in the bedroom of Birch Castle with the window wide open. Looking at his blue eyes that resembled the clear sky, Chloe stopped hesitating. And she kissed him lightly on the lips. Damien slowly blinked and pulled away.
“I love you, Damien.”
He continued in a husky, low voice.
“And,” said the Duchess.
“...When did I?”
Chloe's voice trembled as she asked with the aforementioned face. Damien tilted his head as he looked into her full brown eyes. A large hand lightly grabbed her wrist. The speed of their pulses beating toward each other quickened as if they were fluctuating.
"Now."
No. As if he were lamenting the shortest night of the day when the day became longer than the night, Damien kissed her for a long time. The wind sweetly brushed their hair.
***
One day, three months later, when Damien returned from his visit to the palace, Chloe, who was with her doctor, Brown, looked at Damien as he crossed the drawing room with a reminiscent expression.
“Your Excellency. I have something to tell you..."
Damien approached her in her chair and interrupted her with a gleam in his eyes. Chloe could tell from the look in his eyes that something important had happened.
“His Majesty the King has passed away. An official announcement will be made soon.”
Sir Brown clasped his hands together and bowed his head.
“What did you want to say?”
“I... that...”
Chloe stuttered, unable to speak at the sudden news. She had never expected to hear such important news as the King's death. Sir Brown, standing beside her, quietly told him instead.
“The lady is pregnant.”
Damien narrowed his eyes at her. Chloe read the fleeting light in his eyes that had not panicked even as he delivered the news of the King's death. Chloe's hands grew a little cold as she felt that it was not pure joy, although she could not tell exactly what that light meant.
“...Damien...”
“Are we having a child?”
Damien soon pulled her into his arms, but Chloe couldn't shake off her uneasy thoughts. Her heart continued to beat rapidly.
“Yes, Chloe.”
“...Are you happy?”
As she asked cautiously, Damien met her eyes. The strange glint from before soon disappeared, and the corners of his mouth softened.
“You speak so plainly, my love.”
Only then could Chloe smile brightly.
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