"The exterior may look a little crude, but the interior is as gorgeous as any castle in the central region. You won't have any inconveniences while staying."
The man who was examining my complexion said comfortingly. I only looked suspicious.
Has this country bumpkin ever set foot in the imperial palace or the castle where the great nobles live?
As if he felt a sign of disregard, a slight blood stain stood on the man's forehead. He added word by word.
"Raedgo Castle was built by the dwarves during the time of the nations. It boasts a size and convenience comparable to that of the Imperial Palace."
"I know. It's a fortress that your Khan people brought the dwarves who lived in the northeast as slaves and built it."
The man's mouth shut tightly at the words I spat out.
I continued coldly, trying to prevent the light-looking man from talking to me.
"If you've said everything you haven't asked, can you go over there now?"
"Huh, really."
The man, who had a stunned expression, shook his head.
"Do you know the meaning of the word 'sociability'?"
"Do you know what the word 'useless meddling' means?"
I raised my blade in my voice.
"Or, what does the word 'rudeness' mean?"
When I tried to talk to him more, he realized that he wouldn't be able to find the main hall, so the man took the reins and left as if he were running away.
I snorted at the back of the house and immediately closed the window.
Most people who pretend to be kind for no reason tend to have other friends.
Moreover, the eastern lady was only pretending to smile with her mouth, and she was looking at me with her eyes and making evaluations.
Perhaps, he was trying to find out what kind of person the woman who would be the next Grand Duchess would be.
I snorted, drew a curtain on the window, and buried myself deep in my seat.
I must not let my guard down for a moment. The Sheerkhan clan must not have despised me.
The former Empress Bernadette and Grand Duke Sheerkan were cousins and had a very close relationship. The Khan clan must have a strong antipathy to the fact that the daughter of the current Empress, who is in political conflict, has become the next Grand Duchess instead of their blood relative, Ayla.
I clutched my sticky hair. Maybe I will be treated more unpleasantly than I imagined.
Didn't Senevere suffer all kinds of dirt in the imperial palace where she was holding on? The more Raedgo and the castle are, the more they will be, but they will never be less.
I scratched my bloody lips with my fingernails.
My throat, which had become dry due to the fever, was tingling. I took out a water bottle from a chest of drawers installed on one side of the carriage and quenched my dry mouth when I heard a loud trumpet sound outside.
I looked through the curtains again.
Before I knew it, the carriage had reached the front of the fortress.
As if going through the identification process, the carriage, which had been slowing down for a while, eventually passed through the huge gate.
I, who was spying out the window, let out a sigh without realizing it.
The words of the Eastern woman named Tyron were not a lie. Contrary to its rustic appearance, the interior of the castle was full of precisely calculated beauty.
I looked at the amazingly clean roads, the spires towering into the sky, and the elaborate architecture one by one. It looked as if all the structures were carefully carved by a single craftsman.
The fort, which was made of a combination of gray stone and black marble, rose to different heights with exquisite sculptural beauty, and arched stone bridges were connected between the buildings like arteries.
As I looked at them with admiration, I saw a fountain in the middle of the square.
My eyes widened. A much larger and more colorful fountain than the one installed in the Imperial Palace was spraying out a stream of clear water.
This fortress must have been supplied with abundant water sources.
The water overflowing from the fountain flowed into the channel along the fan groove on the side of the road.
I was overwhelmed by the scenery inside the castle, which was seamlessly woven of stone, marble, steel, and water, and I rolled my eyes nonstop.
At that time, the cavalrymen marching in a row stopped in front of the structure that appeared to be the main castle.
I turned my gaze forward.
In front of the beautiful citadel, which was born from the combination of the delicate architectural style of the Roem Empire and the unique beauty of the Easterners, people dressed in colorful clothes were lined up.
Barcas, who had stopped in front of them, came down from the saddle and shouted in the eastern language. Then the people waiting on the stairs came down and surrounded him.
'Are they Barcas's relatives?'
I looked at them with curious eyes, and after defeating the troublemakers, Barcas walked straight to my carriage.
I hurriedly drew the curtains on the window. Just as I was about to lie down on the seat and pretend to be asleep, the carriage door slammed open and Barcas slipped inside.
I looked up at him with a nervous face.
Barcas had worn his black tron armor and a copper-corrosion coat loosely over him, as he had always done since leaving the Roem Knights.
The large body, filled with the strong smell of dry blades of grass, filled my vision in an instant.
"How is your body?"
Removing the gauntlet, Barcas placed his hand on my forehead. Perhaps because he felt the heat, there was a fine comb on my smooth eyebrows.
"The fever hasn't gone down yet."
"...It's all right. It's not even a day or two, what?"
I lowered my eyes with a sullen expression.
Now that I had gotten used to it, I was less surprised every time he touched me, but I couldn't help but feel awkward and uncomfortable.
He openly grabbed the hem of my skirt, and he took off the coat he was wearing over my shoulders and wrapped it around my body. Then, as if it were a matter of course, he pushed his arm under my popliteal hem and tried to hug me.
I immediately turned to the side and hugged my knees.
"Don't! Are you going to embarrass me in front of your family?"
Barkas's eyes narrowed. He tilted his head to one side, as if he couldn't understand.
"Why is it a shame for a husband to take care of his wife?"
I looked at him with a speechless face.
I knew from a long time ago that this man was a human being united by a sense of duty. However, I did not expect to fulfill his responsibilities even in a marriage that was formed under pressure from the Emperor.
I glared at him with a fierce look.
"Did Ayla teach you that? Should a husband take care of his wife?"
His brows narrowed at the sharp voice.
Barcas, who had been hesitating for a moment as if thinking about something. spat out dryly.
"Didn't I swear that before the altar? I will take care of my wife as if it were my own body."
"It's funny. You don't care about your body."
"..."
"And I have no intention of playing the role of an obedient wife' as the priest hesitated. So you should also get rid of imitating a devoted husband."
With a sharp shot, I staggered out of my position and was about to get out, but Barcas, who was behind me, grabbed my body as if snatching me.
I glared at him with a sullen face. But before I could shoot at him, Barcas spoke first.
"Do you look stupid enough that I want something obedient from you?"
"What do you mean by that..."
"I don't expect anything from you, so I mean, do what you want."
He spat out dryly and hugged my struggling body with one arm.
"I'm going to do whatever I want to."
Then he put the hood on my head and got out of the carriage.
The strong sunlight pierced my eyes, and I frowned.
When my vision, which had been dyed white for a moment, became clear, I saw unfamiliar faces looking at me with a mixture of wariness and curiosity
I blushed with shame. Far from showing off the majesty of a Princess, the humiliation of being carried around like a helpless child washed over me.
"Is this the one who pushed out the First Princess and took the position of my brother's wife?"
I subconsciously hid my face on his shoulder, and I heard a neutral voice that gave me a clear feeling.
I looked back.
A boy with shaggy black hair and big golden brown eyes was looking at me with a pod on the back of his head.
He must have been fifteen years old. A young face that was not fluffy came right in front of me.
The boy stared at me with curious eyes, who were only sticking out my eyes.
"Your eyes are just like lapis lazuli."
Then he reached over my head and tried to take off my hood.
I was frozen, surprised by the rude words and actions I had never experienced before, but Barcas grabbed the boy's wrist.
"Lucas."
A surprisingly cold voice echoed above my head.
Comments
Post a Comment