Episode 122. A Woman Who Does It When She Shuts Up
“Do you think this is right? There’s no way I can do something like managing the ledgers!”
“You, you do it when you shut up.”
“Ha!”
I froze with my mouth wide open.
Now that I think about it, Prince Kydel’s recklessness bordering on madness had another source. It was the Duke of Kydel.
“...”
I flinched at the feeling of his fingers touching my lips and his arms wrapping around my waist. However, I was already in a daze, so I was a beat too late to react.
“P, Prince?”
“Lorisha.”
“Will you let go?”
“No.”
“Ugh!”
I struggled and pushed his chest away. Then Prince Kydel grabbed me like a mouse teasing a cat and wouldn’t let go, then suddenly released his strength.
I had to take a couple of steps back to regain my balance.
While I was fussing in anger, he muttered as if he didn’t know.
“If you had just stayed still, I would have taken you to bed.”
“Your Excellency!”
“Is the illusion shattered now?”
“Yes?”
What is this?
When I frowned and looked at him, he smiled.
“Do you know why I am the most popular man in the empire? Most young ladies think that if they marry me, they will live a life of luxury under the protection and admiration of the best knights in the empire.”
“You knew that?”
I don’t know why my answer felt empty, but he looked up at the sky for a moment and made an expression as if he was resenting the heavens before saying,
“But what you have experienced now is the truth. Lorisha. Here, anyone can be crushed by that honor if they let their guard down for a moment. Luxury? Even if you have money, you don’t have time to spend it.”
It would not be easy for him to hold the reins of his arrogant subordinates who thought the reputation of the Kydel family was theirs.
The Duchess may not go to the battlefield, but if she had to wake up every morning to take care of the mansion and the knights...
“Ha.”
I sighed as the ground sank and sat down on the sofa.
I glanced at him and asked,
“Can I pity the Duke?”
“Heh. Whatever you want, Madam.”
Duke Kudel smiled and came to sit next to me. Now, the sound of his voice didn’t bother me. I had given up on myself. However, I was bothered by the fact that he was sitting so close that his arm was touching my shoulder.
“What did the Duke say after I left the office earlier?”
“He said that if he had met you when you were young, he would have raised you as a knight. The first female knight of the empire...”
He pretended to imagine me wearing armor and carrying a sword.
“Ugh.”
I waved my hand to tell him not to make such a strange joke and got up from my seat. Then he frowned.
“Where are you going?”
“To make medicine.”
“Lorisha?”
“You can play by yourself, little Duke.”
I could feel Prince Kydel’s disappointed gaze on the back of my head, but I left the room without any regrets and went to find Madam Olga.
Madame Olga guided me to a small room at the end of the hallway. Everything I had ordered was ready.
“How are you?”
“Perfect! Thank you. How are Nerissa and that girl?”
“They are crying in pain, but I told them not to let anyone in. They are annoying. Then I will leave now.”
If you look closely, Madame Olga must have been quite a picky boss.
I quickly took out my tools, organized them, and started making the medicine. Even if I started now, the herbs would be all ripe by the afternoon, so there would be plenty of time for the maids to be punished.
After putting the well-pulled herbs on the brazier and stretching, I wondered what I was doing, giving them bottles and medicine.
But looking back, my beginnings had never been easy. In Tunbar Mountain, in Loire, and when I entered the palace. There were always life-threatening crises at the beginning.
So it wasn’t so bad that I could start here in Kydel.
“Because he’s protecting me...”
I muttered involuntarily and stepped away from the workbench, feeling a pang.
It was true.
If he had not always and completely stood by my side after we got married, things would never have been resolved so simply.
Suddenly, I felt truly grateful to him.
Thinking about the future, I shouldn’t have been attached to him.
‘He’s a crazy man.’
My heart was boiling like a pot on the stove.
“Do you think this is right? There’s no way I can do something like managing the ledgers!”
“You, you do it when you shut up.”
“Ha!”
I froze with my mouth wide open.
Now that I think about it, Prince Kydel’s recklessness bordering on madness had another source. It was the Duke of Kydel.
“...”
I flinched at the feeling of his fingers touching my lips and his arms wrapping around my waist. However, I was already in a daze, so I was a beat too late to react.
“P, Prince?”
“Lorisha.”
“Will you let go?”
“No.”
“Ugh!”
I struggled and pushed his chest away. Then Prince Kydel grabbed me like a mouse teasing a cat and wouldn’t let go, then suddenly released his strength.
I had to take a couple of steps back to regain my balance.
While I was fussing in anger, he muttered as if he didn’t know.
“If you had just stayed still, I would have taken you to bed.”
“Your Excellency!”
“Is the illusion shattered now?”
“Yes?”
What is this?
When I frowned and looked at him, he smiled.
“Do you know why I am the most popular man in the empire? Most young ladies think that if they marry me, they will live a life of luxury under the protection and admiration of the best knights in the empire.”
“You knew that?”
I don’t know why my answer felt empty, but he looked up at the sky for a moment and made an expression as if he was resenting the heavens before saying,
“But what you have experienced now is the truth. Lorisha. Here, anyone can be crushed by that honor if they let their guard down for a moment. Luxury? Even if you have money, you don’t have time to spend it.”
It would not be easy for him to hold the reins of his arrogant subordinates who thought the reputation of the Kydel family was theirs.
The Duchess may not go to the battlefield, but if she had to wake up every morning to take care of the mansion and the knights...
“Ha.”
I sighed as the ground sank and sat down on the sofa.
I glanced at him and asked,
“Can I pity the Duke?”
“Heh. Whatever you want, Madam.”
Duke Kudel smiled and came to sit next to me. Now, the sound of his voice didn’t bother me. I had given up on myself. However, I was bothered by the fact that he was sitting so close that his arm was touching my shoulder.
“What did the Duke say after I left the office earlier?”
“He said that if he had met you when you were young, he would have raised you as a knight. The first female knight of the empire...”
He pretended to imagine me wearing armor and carrying a sword.
“Ugh.”
I waved my hand to tell him not to make such a strange joke and got up from my seat. Then he frowned.
“Where are you going?”
“To make medicine.”
“Lorisha?”
“You can play by yourself, little Duke.”
I could feel Prince Kydel’s disappointed gaze on the back of my head, but I left the room without any regrets and went to find Madam Olga.
***
Madame Olga guided me to a small room at the end of the hallway. Everything I had ordered was ready.
“How are you?”
“Perfect! Thank you. How are Nerissa and that girl?”
“They are crying in pain, but I told them not to let anyone in. They are annoying. Then I will leave now.”
If you look closely, Madame Olga must have been quite a picky boss.
I quickly took out my tools, organized them, and started making the medicine. Even if I started now, the herbs would be all ripe by the afternoon, so there would be plenty of time for the maids to be punished.
After putting the well-pulled herbs on the brazier and stretching, I wondered what I was doing, giving them bottles and medicine.
But looking back, my beginnings had never been easy. In Tunbar Mountain, in Loire, and when I entered the palace. There were always life-threatening crises at the beginning.
So it wasn’t so bad that I could start here in Kydel.
“Because he’s protecting me...”
I muttered involuntarily and stepped away from the workbench, feeling a pang.
It was true.
If he had not always and completely stood by my side after we got married, things would never have been resolved so simply.
Suddenly, I felt truly grateful to him.
Thinking about the future, I shouldn’t have been attached to him.
‘He’s a crazy man.’
My heart was boiling like a pot on the stove.
***
The training ground at dawn. Locard was clashing swords with his swordsmanship instructor, Heinel.
On the third strike, when Locard’s blade dug into Heinel’s nape, Heinel shouted,
“Stop!”
Locard immediately drew his sword and retreated. Heinel lightly rubbed his neck, which was almost injured, and coughed in vain.
“Why are you in such a hurry today, Your Excellency?”
“I guess I'm in a hurry.”
“Why?”
“...”
Locard sat down on the bench with a heavy face, and Heinel stood beside him as if guarding him. The sun was just rising, revealing objects on the ground under its light.
“Rumors have spread far and wide, even among the members who have been dispatched. They say Your Excellency has taken a great wife.”
“Is that so?”
Locard’s answer was dry. Heinel continued to babble, unaware of how much Lorisha despised ‘that teacher.’
“What does the Duke say?”
“He entrusted her with the ledger.”
Heinel opened his eyes wide upon hearing that.
“Wow. The Duke fell for her spirit. It’s not easy.”
“...”
Not easy. Of course not easy. But Lorisha didn’t know that.
It would be better if she didn’t know. She thought she was being punished.
She didn’t have any hope for the day she spent with him, dreaming of the divorce that would come someday. That fact made Locard’s heart ache.
He had wanted Lorisha since the first time he saw her. Isn’t it natural to want to quickly embrace something special when you find it?
Now that he had married her and could not succeed more perfectly, he felt like he had hit a wall.
Lorisha Loire was a woman who had fought fiercely to survive. That was why she was extremely sensitive to the real and the fake. Who was being sincere to her, or who was hiding their hostility?
As the world had treated her harshly, she didn’t trust the world easily either. He was prepared to take a long time to lure her into his cage and confine her.
But the marriage that was forced by the situation took away that time.
Suddenly thrown into a tight cage with him, Lorisha was growling in fear. It was fortunate that she didn’t bite him.
She recognized herself as a foreign substance that had to be removed from his life. Locard was no different from an uninvited guest in her life.
Considering the way she had been treated by the Countess and others, it was natural for Lorisha to feel that way.
Locard was distressed by the fact that he was one of those people.
He hoped that she could live with her true nature, her innocent face that only showed on her sleeping face. At least he wanted to let her know that it was okay. But would she listen if he said that? Where? She didn’t even call her biological father, Count Loire, “father.” The words she had said when she received the ledger from his father lingered in his ears. He pretended not to know at the time, but he heard them.
‘Do you usually leave this to your fake daughter-in-law? There’s also the security issue of the Kydel family?’
On the third strike, when Locard’s blade dug into Heinel’s nape, Heinel shouted,
“Stop!”
Locard immediately drew his sword and retreated. Heinel lightly rubbed his neck, which was almost injured, and coughed in vain.
“Why are you in such a hurry today, Your Excellency?”
“I guess I'm in a hurry.”
“Why?”
“...”
Locard sat down on the bench with a heavy face, and Heinel stood beside him as if guarding him. The sun was just rising, revealing objects on the ground under its light.
“Rumors have spread far and wide, even among the members who have been dispatched. They say Your Excellency has taken a great wife.”
“Is that so?”
Locard’s answer was dry. Heinel continued to babble, unaware of how much Lorisha despised ‘that teacher.’
“What does the Duke say?”
“He entrusted her with the ledger.”
Heinel opened his eyes wide upon hearing that.
“Wow. The Duke fell for her spirit. It’s not easy.”
“...”
Not easy. Of course not easy. But Lorisha didn’t know that.
It would be better if she didn’t know. She thought she was being punished.
She didn’t have any hope for the day she spent with him, dreaming of the divorce that would come someday. That fact made Locard’s heart ache.
He had wanted Lorisha since the first time he saw her. Isn’t it natural to want to quickly embrace something special when you find it?
Now that he had married her and could not succeed more perfectly, he felt like he had hit a wall.
Lorisha Loire was a woman who had fought fiercely to survive. That was why she was extremely sensitive to the real and the fake. Who was being sincere to her, or who was hiding their hostility?
As the world had treated her harshly, she didn’t trust the world easily either. He was prepared to take a long time to lure her into his cage and confine her.
But the marriage that was forced by the situation took away that time.
Suddenly thrown into a tight cage with him, Lorisha was growling in fear. It was fortunate that she didn’t bite him.
She recognized herself as a foreign substance that had to be removed from his life. Locard was no different from an uninvited guest in her life.
Considering the way she had been treated by the Countess and others, it was natural for Lorisha to feel that way.
Locard was distressed by the fact that he was one of those people.
He hoped that she could live with her true nature, her innocent face that only showed on her sleeping face. At least he wanted to let her know that it was okay. But would she listen if he said that? Where? She didn’t even call her biological father, Count Loire, “father.” The words she had said when she received the ledger from his father lingered in his ears. He pretended not to know at the time, but he heard them.
‘Do you usually leave this to your fake daughter-in-law? There’s also the security issue of the Kydel family?’
Fake daughter-in-law. The person who was most certain in the world that Lorisha Loire was an illegitimate child was herself. She did not believe that anything new existed outside the world she knew. She was smart and resolute, so she drew a line in her own world. So she believed that she could not exist with him, and was convinced that the only way to resolve that absurdity was divorce. A woman who loved and sacrificed for everyone she met was so cold to herself.
“No...”
He smiled bitterly as if denying his own thoughts.
‘You will live well wherever you are, so you don’t worry about me, who is so great?’
All he had achieved so far as a ‘husband’ was that he could crawl into her bed and look at her sleeping face as much as he wanted. Not knowing where to start to break down that pretty stubborn girl, Locard was now harassing Heinel.
“Your Excellency?”
“...?”
Locard realized from Heinel’s expression that he had not heard him because he was distracted. But he didn't want to continue the conversation by asking for the words he had missed.
"That's enough for today."
Locard headed straight to the mansion.
***
14. A Guest from the Distant Sea
On the last day of the Academy vacation, the Smilean trading ship was shipwrecked in the southern seas of the Empire. Smilean sent a messenger to the Empire to retrieve the lost sailors and their lost goods. The messenger was the son of the Smilean prime minister.
When the Emperor accepted the small envoy's passage, the envoys did not stay in the southern coastal territory but came to the capital.
Smilean's envoy Ryuel was a young and handsome man. With his dark brown curly hair, bold frame, and dark copper skin, those nearby would naturally turn to look at him.
His confident demeanor and low, rough voice naturally reminded them of a sailor, but his gestures were as elegant as royalty.
He did not bring up the topic of trade ships when he met Emperor Tagar. If the relationship between the two countries was good, such matters would be resolved on their own.
Ryuel instead spoke of peace in the empire. In fact, he was also an envoy who had been called in by Prince Grayon's pirate extermination.
Smilean was a kingdom not far from the empire by sea. Maritime trade, taking advantage of its location, flourished, and it had considerable exchanges with the empire.
However, the situation changed subtly when Grayon and Locard defeated the pirates on the high seas.
When Agael came to Smailan to negotiate for iron ore exports, the King of Smailan listened to the hardliners. They said that he had to extract the maximum benefit from Agael, who was cornered.
However, Agael chose to negotiate with the Empire instead of dealing with Smailan, which was risky and risky.
However, it was not a big loss for Smailan. Their wealth was increasing due to free maritime trade on the open seas without pirates.
The problem was elsewhere.
Agael was assessing the war with Smailan through the open seas where the veil of pirates was lifted.
When the Emperor accepted the small envoy's passage, the envoys did not stay in the southern coastal territory but came to the capital.
Smilean's envoy Ryuel was a young and handsome man. With his dark brown curly hair, bold frame, and dark copper skin, those nearby would naturally turn to look at him.
His confident demeanor and low, rough voice naturally reminded them of a sailor, but his gestures were as elegant as royalty.
He did not bring up the topic of trade ships when he met Emperor Tagar. If the relationship between the two countries was good, such matters would be resolved on their own.
Ryuel instead spoke of peace in the empire. In fact, he was also an envoy who had been called in by Prince Grayon's pirate extermination.
Smilean was a kingdom not far from the empire by sea. Maritime trade, taking advantage of its location, flourished, and it had considerable exchanges with the empire.
However, the situation changed subtly when Grayon and Locard defeated the pirates on the high seas.
When Agael came to Smailan to negotiate for iron ore exports, the King of Smailan listened to the hardliners. They said that he had to extract the maximum benefit from Agael, who was cornered.
However, Agael chose to negotiate with the Empire instead of dealing with Smailan, which was risky and risky.
However, it was not a big loss for Smailan. Their wealth was increasing due to free maritime trade on the open seas without pirates.
The problem was elsewhere.
Agael was assessing the war with Smailan through the open seas where the veil of pirates was lifted.
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