Episode 151. The Strange Charm of Young Master
Blood oath?
Her voice was even solemn. I couldn't help but exclaim, "Damn it!"
"Does the imperial order you envision, Countess, mean the freedom for nobles to kidnap and kill anyone?"
"Ha! What? Ollington, shut her up right now!"
Ollington reached out with an arm outstretched as if to strangle me.
I backed up to the wall and yelled,
"Hey!"
The door shattered, and the massive body slammed to the floor. The Countess screamed and rolled.
We stood facing each other amidst the commotion created by the kidnappers and the Kydel knights. Staring intently at each other.
An unbearable smile spread across my face. The knights glanced at us, quietly binding them.
But the Countess wasn't paying attention, and her voice was still strong.
“This is a conspiracy! This is betrayal! Don’t you know that she framed me? As the first family of the Lions of the Empire, the Kydel family must clear my name!”
“Please hold back from saying, ‘Father, we’re both crazy,’ so he won’t swear at his daughter-in-law.”
I whispered back.
“Oh, I can do that. Your Excellency, I’m so sorry, I don’t know where to put myself.”
“Just leave it to me. You just sit still.”
“I’m sorry, Your Excellency.”
Feeling so reassured, I absentmindedly linked arms with him, and the Duke stopped dead in his tracks.
“Lorisha.”
“Yes, Your Excellency!”
Startled, I let go of his arm and replied,
“A married couple should be able to rely on each other. They should understand each other’s differences while also appropriately keeping each other in check at times.”
“I-I will try to do that, Your Excellency.”
“Father, this matter...”
“Shut up, you crazy bastard.”
That was the first time I saw Prince Locard Kydel’s expression, speechless. It seemed the Duke didn't usually speak harshly to him.
He looked straight at me and said,
"Lorisha. But if both of you lose your minds, how can I trust you with the Kydel family?"
I lowered my head.
"Even if I had ten mouths, I wouldn't have anything to say."
"Ha!"
The Duke suddenly grew even angrier at my reply, and when I noticed, Prince Kydel touched his forehead and said to me,
"That's the kind of response she often uses in situations like this. Did you know that?"
"No. No way."
As we stared at each other, Duke Kydel lost his fighting spirit and slumped down on the sofa.
"Locard."
"Yes, Father."
"Do you feel good about ending one of the Empire's most prestigious and venerable families? Do you feel completely relieved?"
"They kidnapped my wife and even attempted murder. We must send a clear message that they cannot tamper with the Kydel family and remain unscathed. Isn't that your ironclad rule?"
“Weren’t you the ones who let things get this bad? You knew it from the beginning.”
“How much longer must we endure these women endlessly attacking married men? There’s no reason for Lorisha to see that, Father.”
“I’m not denying it. Why can’t you resolve this quietly?”
“From now on, we’ll resolve it politically... If possible.”
I knew why Prince Kydel trailed off and met my gaze.
He, too, was recalling the thrilling night we’d spent in the cabin. That memory would likely be one we’d recall for a very long time, even when we closed our eyes.
Duke Kydel groaned, realizing once again that we were out of our minds.
Come to think of it, there seemed to be more than a few people who averted their gaze, sighed, or simply showed signs of distress when they saw us these days.
Prince Kydel glanced at me and said,
“You can put that compensation to good use, Father. It’s quite a substantial sum, isn’t it?”
“Ha! I raised my son without a care in the world.”
I nodded and smiled brightly without realizing it. It wasn't because I enjoyed talking about money, but because I was grateful to Duke Kydel for raising him so well.
But the Duke seemed even more annoyed, waving his hand at us. It was a gesture that said, 'Get out of here!'
As soon as I returned to the room, Prince Kydel wrapped his arms around my waist and kissed the back of my neck.
"So, what do you want to do next?"
"Yes?"
"You said it back in the cabin, right? I wanted to listen calmly, so I didn't ask and saved it."
"Oh... huh?"
I glanced at the letter on the table and was startled. Prince Kydel followed me, his eyes widening.
There it was, an invitation from Misha.
"Again?"
I met his gaze and slowly opened the envelope.
"Whew. This is a real letter from Misha. She's throwing a tea party and wants you to tell her the story of how you turned the empire upside down... I think she's crazy."
Prince Kydel chuckled and let go of my waist.
"Let's go. It seems Miss Misha is trying to broaden your social network for you."
"...That's it?"
Prince Kydel frowned, searching for his words.
"You're probably the greatest villainess in the history of the empire. At this rate, it'll be difficult to make friends in high society."
"Yes...Yes?"
W-what? Me?
"..."
Instead of answering, he shrugged.
As I gazed at his embarrassed, smiling face, my thoughts began to clear.
In the eyes of others, I was a woman of ambition, a bastard born out of wedlock, who had become a maid to the royal family.
Then, after entering the palace, I forged an affair with the heir to the empire's most powerful family, and then, after eliminating me, I devastated the noble family that had been waiting for my remarriage.
Regardless of how much of it was true, most people would see it that way.
"Wow. There must have been no such villainess in Tagar history, right?"
Blood oath?
Her voice was even solemn. I couldn't help but exclaim, "Damn it!"
"Does the imperial order you envision, Countess, mean the freedom for nobles to kidnap and kill anyone?"
"Ha! What? Ollington, shut her up right now!"
Ollington reached out with an arm outstretched as if to strangle me.
I backed up to the wall and yelled,
"Hey!"
The door shattered, and the massive body slammed to the floor. The Countess screamed and rolled.
We stood facing each other amidst the commotion created by the kidnappers and the Kydel knights. Staring intently at each other.
An unbearable smile spread across my face. The knights glanced at us, quietly binding them.
But the Countess wasn't paying attention, and her voice was still strong.
“This is a conspiracy! This is betrayal! Don’t you know that she framed me? As the first family of the Lions of the Empire, the Kydel family must clear my name!”
Only when the Kydel knights quickly moved, gagged her, and dragged her away did things become a little quieter.
Prince Kydel glared sharply at Ollington before he was dragged away.
“I will personally interrogate this person. I will make sure you cannot return home.”
After the knights dragged Ollington away, silence fell over my small kidnapping space.
Outside, there was the noise of the knights investigating the surroundings and arresting the Count’s servants, but they paid no attention to us.
Prince Kydel stared at me again, and I turned to the wall, embarrassed.
“Well, honey, I haven’t washed my hair... It’s embarrassing...”
Prince Kydel trudged towards me as I twisted and turned.
It was the same person's footsteps, but this one made my heart pound in time with the beat.
Of course, for a completely different reason than Ollington.
He approached me, bowed his head, and spoke softly.
"'Honey'?"
I glanced at him, trying to catch his attention. It seemed like this was the first time I'd ever called him "honey. "
"W-was that strange?"
"Why didn't you do something you were so good at?"
"Because I was embarrassed... Did you catch all the Robail's lackeys?"
He seemed to dislike my deflecting the question, but he answered coolly.
"Count Robail's mansion is practically a ruin now. I tore out the walls to find where my wife was hidden."
"Oh, you're being too harsh."
"We need to send a clear message to families with daughters. Wasn't that the whole point of our plan?"
"Yes, that's right."
"This is particularly nerve-wracking. I can sometimes get a bit grumpy."
I clasped my index fingers together and spoke.
“Not sometimes... You were always really mean.”
He cocked an eyebrow slightly and pretended to say,
“Wasn’t that why you fell for me?”
“That’s true... Your Excellency, you have a strange charm. I think it’s especially evident in this environment.”
“I highly value your aesthetic sense, Lorisha.”
“Even aesthetic sense... What’s wrong with a good marriage?”
“Lorisha. Are you afraid others will hear such provocative words?”
He kissed me straight in the eye. I should have been embarrassed and repulsed by seeing my messy state after being confined for two days, but somehow I couldn’t continue thinking about it. It didn’t seem strange that I couldn’t quite understand his criteria for stimulation.
What if it were on the ceiling or on the floor? As long as I liked it, that’s all that matters. It was this good.
A huge typhoon passed through imperial society. Countess Robail was sentenced to life imprisonment for attempting to kidnap and murder Madame Kydel, and the Robails were stripped of their countship by the House of Peers.
The other four houses were forced to pay a staggering sum of compensation to the Kydels for their complicity.
Marriage proposals to the Duke, of course, ceased.
This had the added benefit of reducing suspicion about our relationship, as word spread that Prince Kydel had rescued me by tearing down the Count's mansion, brick by brick.
Of course, he had been tracking me since Etrang, so his destruction of the Count's mansion was purely spiteful.
When we were called into his office, the Duke was pacing back and forth at his desk, his voice thumping.
Prince Kydel leaned toward me and whispered softly,
Prince Kydel glared sharply at Ollington before he was dragged away.
“I will personally interrogate this person. I will make sure you cannot return home.”
After the knights dragged Ollington away, silence fell over my small kidnapping space.
Outside, there was the noise of the knights investigating the surroundings and arresting the Count’s servants, but they paid no attention to us.
Prince Kydel stared at me again, and I turned to the wall, embarrassed.
“Well, honey, I haven’t washed my hair... It’s embarrassing...”
Prince Kydel trudged towards me as I twisted and turned.
It was the same person's footsteps, but this one made my heart pound in time with the beat.
Of course, for a completely different reason than Ollington.
He approached me, bowed his head, and spoke softly.
"'Honey'?"
I glanced at him, trying to catch his attention. It seemed like this was the first time I'd ever called him "honey. "
"W-was that strange?"
"Why didn't you do something you were so good at?"
"Because I was embarrassed... Did you catch all the Robail's lackeys?"
He seemed to dislike my deflecting the question, but he answered coolly.
"Count Robail's mansion is practically a ruin now. I tore out the walls to find where my wife was hidden."
"Oh, you're being too harsh."
"We need to send a clear message to families with daughters. Wasn't that the whole point of our plan?"
"Yes, that's right."
"This is particularly nerve-wracking. I can sometimes get a bit grumpy."
I clasped my index fingers together and spoke.
“Not sometimes... You were always really mean.”
He cocked an eyebrow slightly and pretended to say,
“Wasn’t that why you fell for me?”
“That’s true... Your Excellency, you have a strange charm. I think it’s especially evident in this environment.”
“I highly value your aesthetic sense, Lorisha.”
“Even aesthetic sense... What’s wrong with a good marriage?”
“Lorisha. Are you afraid others will hear such provocative words?”
He kissed me straight in the eye. I should have been embarrassed and repulsed by seeing my messy state after being confined for two days, but somehow I couldn’t continue thinking about it. It didn’t seem strange that I couldn’t quite understand his criteria for stimulation.
What if it were on the ceiling or on the floor? As long as I liked it, that’s all that matters. It was this good.
***
A huge typhoon passed through imperial society. Countess Robail was sentenced to life imprisonment for attempting to kidnap and murder Madame Kydel, and the Robails were stripped of their countship by the House of Peers.
The other four houses were forced to pay a staggering sum of compensation to the Kydels for their complicity.
Marriage proposals to the Duke, of course, ceased.
This had the added benefit of reducing suspicion about our relationship, as word spread that Prince Kydel had rescued me by tearing down the Count's mansion, brick by brick.
Of course, he had been tracking me since Etrang, so his destruction of the Count's mansion was purely spiteful.
When we were called into his office, the Duke was pacing back and forth at his desk, his voice thumping.
Prince Kydel leaned toward me and whispered softly,
“Please hold back from saying, ‘Father, we’re both crazy,’ so he won’t swear at his daughter-in-law.”
I whispered back.
“Oh, I can do that. Your Excellency, I’m so sorry, I don’t know where to put myself.”
“Just leave it to me. You just sit still.”
“I’m sorry, Your Excellency.”
Feeling so reassured, I absentmindedly linked arms with him, and the Duke stopped dead in his tracks.
“Lorisha.”
“Yes, Your Excellency!”
Startled, I let go of his arm and replied,
“A married couple should be able to rely on each other. They should understand each other’s differences while also appropriately keeping each other in check at times.”
“I-I will try to do that, Your Excellency.”
“Father, this matter...”
“Shut up, you crazy bastard.”
That was the first time I saw Prince Locard Kydel’s expression, speechless. It seemed the Duke didn't usually speak harshly to him.
He looked straight at me and said,
"Lorisha. But if both of you lose your minds, how can I trust you with the Kydel family?"
I lowered my head.
"Even if I had ten mouths, I wouldn't have anything to say."
"Ha!"
The Duke suddenly grew even angrier at my reply, and when I noticed, Prince Kydel touched his forehead and said to me,
"That's the kind of response she often uses in situations like this. Did you know that?"
"No. No way."
As we stared at each other, Duke Kydel lost his fighting spirit and slumped down on the sofa.
"Locard."
"Yes, Father."
"Do you feel good about ending one of the Empire's most prestigious and venerable families? Do you feel completely relieved?"
"They kidnapped my wife and even attempted murder. We must send a clear message that they cannot tamper with the Kydel family and remain unscathed. Isn't that your ironclad rule?"
“Weren’t you the ones who let things get this bad? You knew it from the beginning.”
“How much longer must we endure these women endlessly attacking married men? There’s no reason for Lorisha to see that, Father.”
“I’m not denying it. Why can’t you resolve this quietly?”
“From now on, we’ll resolve it politically... If possible.”
I knew why Prince Kydel trailed off and met my gaze.
He, too, was recalling the thrilling night we’d spent in the cabin. That memory would likely be one we’d recall for a very long time, even when we closed our eyes.
Duke Kydel groaned, realizing once again that we were out of our minds.
Come to think of it, there seemed to be more than a few people who averted their gaze, sighed, or simply showed signs of distress when they saw us these days.
Prince Kydel glanced at me and said,
“You can put that compensation to good use, Father. It’s quite a substantial sum, isn’t it?”
“Ha! I raised my son without a care in the world.”
I nodded and smiled brightly without realizing it. It wasn't because I enjoyed talking about money, but because I was grateful to Duke Kydel for raising him so well.
But the Duke seemed even more annoyed, waving his hand at us. It was a gesture that said, 'Get out of here!'
***
As soon as I returned to the room, Prince Kydel wrapped his arms around my waist and kissed the back of my neck.
"So, what do you want to do next?"
"Yes?"
"You said it back in the cabin, right? I wanted to listen calmly, so I didn't ask and saved it."
"Oh... huh?"
I glanced at the letter on the table and was startled. Prince Kydel followed me, his eyes widening.
There it was, an invitation from Misha.
"Again?"
I met his gaze and slowly opened the envelope.
"Whew. This is a real letter from Misha. She's throwing a tea party and wants you to tell her the story of how you turned the empire upside down... I think she's crazy."
Prince Kydel chuckled and let go of my waist.
"Let's go. It seems Miss Misha is trying to broaden your social network for you."
"...That's it?"
Prince Kydel frowned, searching for his words.
"You're probably the greatest villainess in the history of the empire. At this rate, it'll be difficult to make friends in high society."
"Yes...Yes?"
W-what? Me?
"..."
Instead of answering, he shrugged.
As I gazed at his embarrassed, smiling face, my thoughts began to clear.
In the eyes of others, I was a woman of ambition, a bastard born out of wedlock, who had become a maid to the royal family.
Then, after entering the palace, I forged an affair with the heir to the empire's most powerful family, and then, after eliminating me, I devastated the noble family that had been waiting for my remarriage.
Regardless of how much of it was true, most people would see it that way.
"Wow. There must have been no such villainess in Tagar history, right?"
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