Episode 36. Lady Isabella
Isabella poked her head between the knights.
The knights had been busy all day.
Since returning from the Chorpa Plains, the knights, who had always been languid, were now moving around carrying something.
And Lindy was commanding them with a single word.
"Hey. Whoa, when will this end? Am I mistaken in thinking the battlefield is more comfortable?"
"Where did our Lady of the Fairy go? Shouldn't the strongest be the one to lend a hand?"
"The Lady of the Fairy is out right now."
The knights burst into laughter.
It was so ridiculous that even they themselves had said it.
Calling Kassius, the largest of them, a Lady of the Fairy?
Renisha must have said such a thing because she hadn't seen Kassius fight on the battlefield.
Kassius was a sharp and fierce sword, a cruel knight who never hesitated for a moment.
Kassius was able to lead the knights not only because he had wielded the power of the red snake, but also because he had killed the most enemies.
Renisha must have been unaware of this, so she gave him such an adorable nickname.
When she heard that story from Terion, she almost gasped.
She laughed so hard.
Even thinking back, she can't help but laugh.
Isabella, who had been spying on the knights, followed him.
"Huh? Tesha. What were you doing... ugh!"
The knight gasped, having been struck in the side by his comrade.
"Miss Isabella. You should call me Miss, you rascal!"
Isabella's eyes widened, and she shook her head.
She hadn't been chasing him the whole time to say that.
Isabella remembered the outstretched hands of those she'd met in her most fearful and difficult moments.
They'd called Tesha's name without hesitation and run their fingers through her hair.
Isabella, who had returned from the gates of the underworld, found herself surrounded by no familiar faces.
Everyone who knew and loved Isabella was gone.
It was Kassius who saved her from her attackers, the doctor she met at the barracks who saved her life, and the knights who carried her to the capital like a mother duck. Cradled in their arms, Isabella was able to arrive here safely.
“But why is our lady here?”
Isabella twisted her body.
“I’m bored...”
Lindy and the other maids treated Isabella like a newly hatched duckling.
She was barely recovered, and the thought of her suffering enough to change the color of her eyes made them feel incredibly sorry for her.
They forbade Isabella from doing anything. They told her to rest and do whatever she wanted.
But what could Isabella possibly do in this mansion?
If she loitered in the tea room, she’d be kicked out, and if she wandered into the mopping area, she’d be kicked out again.
Isabella pursed her lips.
“Can I help you?”
"Hmm."
Isabella's eyes sparkled.
Her face, eager to do anything, was pleading with her large eyes.
Kassius's knights were naturally weak against Isabella.
Compared to their vast size, she was a small child, and the thought of her small body crossing the line of death made her heart flutter.
The knights nodded.
"We're just moving your luggage, my lady. Don't lift anything too heavy."
"Yes!"
"Then, as long as it doesn't hurt you. Promise?"
"Yes!"
"Good. I need a hand right now, so will you help me, my lady?"
Isabella nodded, her small head almost falling off.
The knights couldn't help but melt at her sight.
The knights took turns stroking Isabella's hair, the hair her maids had so skillfully styled, becoming disheveled.
But Isabella seemed to enjoy it all, smiling the whole time.
"So, are you all going to Hiloshine together?"
"I heard you did."
"Aren't you coming back?"
"I don't know. Why do you like it here?"
Isabella quickly shook her head.
"That's not it. It's my first time in Hiloshine. Ugh!"
Isabella lifted her small suitcase.
The knights watched her closely as she stumbled along.
How bored she must have been, running around like a squirrel all day.
It would be better for the child to have something to do, even if it were like this.
However, the knights' and maids' opinions were sharply divided.
The maids, seeing Isabella carrying her luggage, rushed over, their voices blazing.
"Now! What are you making the young lady carry?"
"So, is it right for a person to lie around all day doing nothing?"
One knight argued.
Now accustomed to having women in the mansion, he spoke up, unlike before.
Sparks flew into the maids' eyes.
"What if they get hurt?"
"Raising a child in a swaddle isn't always a good thing!"
"You shouldn't fight..."
Isabella stamped her foot.
She hadn't intended to do that. She was just bored and wanted to do something.
They hadn't realized that the maids and knights, arguing and bickering, resembled a married couple arguing over child custody.
Henry, watching from afar, shook his head.
Well, problems like that are easily solved.
"Ugh, ughhhhhhhh!"
When a child bursts into tears like that.
Kassius wiped the fatigue from his face.
He was approaching the mansion.
Renisha was waiting there.
The people living there were quickly preparing to leave for Hiloshine.
With Lindy and Henry joining in, things were much easier.
They filled in the gaps that had been missed because the knights, who had no talent whatsoever, were running the mansion.
And Renisha enriched Kassius's life with richness and fulfillment.
She always guided him into a world he hadn't expected.
Renisha's trembling shoulders, her breathless moans, her confused eyes. Renisha had been tense all night, trying to hide it, but she seemed nervous at the same time.
And at the same time, she seemed afraid.
Even CKssius, who was closest to her, couldn't guess what Renisha was thinking.
But one thing was certain: last night wasn't just for Kassius.
It was a time that had meaning for Renisha, too.
A time shared only by the two of them.
Kassius rubbed his chest with his palm.
For some reason, his emotions felt heavy.
Kassius gasped as the mansion drew near.
He still hadn't decided what expression to give Renisha.
"We've arrived, Your Excellency."
Isabella poked her head between the knights.
The knights had been busy all day.
Since returning from the Chorpa Plains, the knights, who had always been languid, were now moving around carrying something.
And Lindy was commanding them with a single word.
"Hey. Whoa, when will this end? Am I mistaken in thinking the battlefield is more comfortable?"
"Where did our Lady of the Fairy go? Shouldn't the strongest be the one to lend a hand?"
"The Lady of the Fairy is out right now."
The knights burst into laughter.
It was so ridiculous that even they themselves had said it.
Calling Kassius, the largest of them, a Lady of the Fairy?
Renisha must have said such a thing because she hadn't seen Kassius fight on the battlefield.
Kassius was a sharp and fierce sword, a cruel knight who never hesitated for a moment.
Kassius was able to lead the knights not only because he had wielded the power of the red snake, but also because he had killed the most enemies.
Renisha must have been unaware of this, so she gave him such an adorable nickname.
When she heard that story from Terion, she almost gasped.
She laughed so hard.
Even thinking back, she can't help but laugh.
Isabella, who had been spying on the knights, followed him.
"Huh? Tesha. What were you doing... ugh!"
The knight gasped, having been struck in the side by his comrade.
"Miss Isabella. You should call me Miss, you rascal!"
Isabella's eyes widened, and she shook her head.
She hadn't been chasing him the whole time to say that.
Isabella remembered the outstretched hands of those she'd met in her most fearful and difficult moments.
They'd called Tesha's name without hesitation and run their fingers through her hair.
Isabella, who had returned from the gates of the underworld, found herself surrounded by no familiar faces.
Everyone who knew and loved Isabella was gone.
It was Kassius who saved her from her attackers, the doctor she met at the barracks who saved her life, and the knights who carried her to the capital like a mother duck. Cradled in their arms, Isabella was able to arrive here safely.
“But why is our lady here?”
Isabella twisted her body.
“I’m bored...”
Lindy and the other maids treated Isabella like a newly hatched duckling.
She was barely recovered, and the thought of her suffering enough to change the color of her eyes made them feel incredibly sorry for her.
They forbade Isabella from doing anything. They told her to rest and do whatever she wanted.
But what could Isabella possibly do in this mansion?
If she loitered in the tea room, she’d be kicked out, and if she wandered into the mopping area, she’d be kicked out again.
Isabella pursed her lips.
“Can I help you?”
"Hmm."
Isabella's eyes sparkled.
Her face, eager to do anything, was pleading with her large eyes.
Kassius's knights were naturally weak against Isabella.
Compared to their vast size, she was a small child, and the thought of her small body crossing the line of death made her heart flutter.
The knights nodded.
"We're just moving your luggage, my lady. Don't lift anything too heavy."
"Yes!"
"Then, as long as it doesn't hurt you. Promise?"
"Yes!"
"Good. I need a hand right now, so will you help me, my lady?"
Isabella nodded, her small head almost falling off.
The knights couldn't help but melt at her sight.
The knights took turns stroking Isabella's hair, the hair her maids had so skillfully styled, becoming disheveled.
But Isabella seemed to enjoy it all, smiling the whole time.
"So, are you all going to Hiloshine together?"
"I heard you did."
"Aren't you coming back?"
"I don't know. Why do you like it here?"
Isabella quickly shook her head.
"That's not it. It's my first time in Hiloshine. Ugh!"
Isabella lifted her small suitcase.
The knights watched her closely as she stumbled along.
How bored she must have been, running around like a squirrel all day.
It would be better for the child to have something to do, even if it were like this.
However, the knights' and maids' opinions were sharply divided.
The maids, seeing Isabella carrying her luggage, rushed over, their voices blazing.
"Now! What are you making the young lady carry?"
"So, is it right for a person to lie around all day doing nothing?"
One knight argued.
Now accustomed to having women in the mansion, he spoke up, unlike before.
Sparks flew into the maids' eyes.
"What if they get hurt?"
"Raising a child in a swaddle isn't always a good thing!"
"You shouldn't fight..."
Isabella stamped her foot.
She hadn't intended to do that. She was just bored and wanted to do something.
They hadn't realized that the maids and knights, arguing and bickering, resembled a married couple arguing over child custody.
Henry, watching from afar, shook his head.
Well, problems like that are easily solved.
"Ugh, ughhhhhhhh!"
When a child bursts into tears like that.
***
Kassius wiped the fatigue from his face.
He was approaching the mansion.
Renisha was waiting there.
The people living there were quickly preparing to leave for Hiloshine.
With Lindy and Henry joining in, things were much easier.
They filled in the gaps that had been missed because the knights, who had no talent whatsoever, were running the mansion.
And Renisha enriched Kassius's life with richness and fulfillment.
She always guided him into a world he hadn't expected.
Renisha's trembling shoulders, her breathless moans, her confused eyes. Renisha had been tense all night, trying to hide it, but she seemed nervous at the same time.
And at the same time, she seemed afraid.
Even CKssius, who was closest to her, couldn't guess what Renisha was thinking.
But one thing was certain: last night wasn't just for Kassius.
It was a time that had meaning for Renisha, too.
A time shared only by the two of them.
Kassius rubbed his chest with his palm.
For some reason, his emotions felt heavy.
Kassius gasped as the mansion drew near.
He still hadn't decided what expression to give Renisha.
"We've arrived, Your Excellency."
The coachman announced his arrival with a still unfamiliar address.
Kassius stepped out of the carriage, his voice unfamiliar.
"Are you here?"
Lindy and Henry, who had been outside, greeted Kassius at the sound of the carriage.
And there, beneath the dazzlingly lit chandelier, stood Renisha.
"Have you been?"
Renisha asked Kassius with a gentle smile.
Next to her, Isabella, her face awkward, was standing.
"Duke Kassius, have you been?"
As expected, she mumbled a greeting.
Isabella stood on the ambiguous borderline between being young enough to be called young and yet not quite mature enough to be called mature.
It meant she was aware of everything and understood to some degree.
"Have you been, Renisha. And Isabella."
Isabella's face brightened at the mention of her name.
Even as Tesha, she was a child, who laughed and cried easily, but now even more so.
Dressed in a dress, she certainly looked like a girl with a guilty conscience.
Renisha took Isabella's hand.
"Tell Lord Kassius what you did today."
"But, Auntie,"
Kassius stepped out of the carriage, his voice unfamiliar.
"Are you here?"
Lindy and Henry, who had been outside, greeted Kassius at the sound of the carriage.
And there, beneath the dazzlingly lit chandelier, stood Renisha.
"Have you been?"
Renisha asked Kassius with a gentle smile.
Next to her, Isabella, her face awkward, was standing.
"Duke Kassius, have you been?"
As expected, she mumbled a greeting.
Isabella stood on the ambiguous borderline between being young enough to be called young and yet not quite mature enough to be called mature.
It meant she was aware of everything and understood to some degree.
"Have you been, Renisha. And Isabella."
Isabella's face brightened at the mention of her name.
Even as Tesha, she was a child, who laughed and cried easily, but now even more so.
Dressed in a dress, she certainly looked like a girl with a guilty conscience.
Renisha took Isabella's hand.
"Tell Lord Kassius what you did today."
"But, Auntie,"
Isabella mumbled.
"You've been pestering me all day, Isabella. You were always talkative, but you seem to be even more so now."
"T-That... I'm still embarrassed."
"It's just that there's one more adult to listen to you. Your uncle isn't a monster who's going to eat you."
Renisha gently reassured Isabella.
The child hesitantly approached Kassius and took her hand.
It was thin and scarred.
Kassius didn't shake off the child's awkward hand.
Instead, he tightened his grip to reassure the child.
Isabella fidgeted.
Kassius coughed for no reason. His scalp flushed with embarrassment.
This was the first time he'd ever been this close to a child. He'd been rescuing children in danger in the West or taking the beatings on behalf of others while working as a gladiator.
It was the first time he's ever made contact like that.
The child was so small, so tiny.
He couldn't understand those who would send a killer to kill such a small child.
It was a hand so small and precious that he was worried about even holding it.
Renisha smiled as she gazed at Kassius's face, which was dazzling.
A smile escaped her lips as she looked at Kassius.
"Tell me what you did today, Isabella. Your uncle will want to hear it."
Uncle.
It was a title that tickled both her ears and her heart.
Isabella hesitated and then parted her lips.
"Today, I moved the luggage with the knights. No one else was allowed to do it, but Isabella wanted to!"
"I... I see,"
Kassius replied awkwardly.
"The knights thanked me! Actually, the maids told me not to. But it's better to do something than to do nothing. So Lindy decided to teach me how to unload tea. So Isabella can do it from now on."
"You'll do it?"
Kassius said timidly.
“Tea?”
He added again, unconsciously.
Isabella tilted her head, limp and drooping like a rabbit.
“Can’t I learn how to make tea?”
Kassius recalled the tea that had robbed him of his appetite and kept him awake.
It was the tea Isabella had made him whenever Madame Turiel visited.
“No. If you want to, then do it.”
However, Kassius had a choice in what to say to the sullen child.
“I’ll make you tea when you learn.”
Isabella smiled brightly.
Kassius’s mouth twitched at that.
Even Kassius, who was easily able to eat anything, didn’t like that.
Renisha laughed.
The scene of them walking down the hallway side by side, listening to Isabella’s chattering, was one he’d cherish for a long time.
Renisha knew exactly how Isabella had ended up here.
Kassius had rescued her and brought her here.
Perhaps it had been fate from the beginning.
It's possible that the two had a connection before Kassius met Renisha.
"You've been pestering me all day, Isabella. You were always talkative, but you seem to be even more so now."
"T-That... I'm still embarrassed."
"It's just that there's one more adult to listen to you. Your uncle isn't a monster who's going to eat you."
Renisha gently reassured Isabella.
The child hesitantly approached Kassius and took her hand.
It was thin and scarred.
Kassius didn't shake off the child's awkward hand.
Instead, he tightened his grip to reassure the child.
Isabella fidgeted.
Kassius coughed for no reason. His scalp flushed with embarrassment.
This was the first time he'd ever been this close to a child. He'd been rescuing children in danger in the West or taking the beatings on behalf of others while working as a gladiator.
It was the first time he's ever made contact like that.
The child was so small, so tiny.
He couldn't understand those who would send a killer to kill such a small child.
It was a hand so small and precious that he was worried about even holding it.
Renisha smiled as she gazed at Kassius's face, which was dazzling.
A smile escaped her lips as she looked at Kassius.
"Tell me what you did today, Isabella. Your uncle will want to hear it."
Uncle.
It was a title that tickled both her ears and her heart.
Isabella hesitated and then parted her lips.
"Today, I moved the luggage with the knights. No one else was allowed to do it, but Isabella wanted to!"
"I... I see,"
Kassius replied awkwardly.
"The knights thanked me! Actually, the maids told me not to. But it's better to do something than to do nothing. So Lindy decided to teach me how to unload tea. So Isabella can do it from now on."
"You'll do it?"
Kassius said timidly.
“Tea?”
He added again, unconsciously.
Isabella tilted her head, limp and drooping like a rabbit.
“Can’t I learn how to make tea?”
Kassius recalled the tea that had robbed him of his appetite and kept him awake.
It was the tea Isabella had made him whenever Madame Turiel visited.
“No. If you want to, then do it.”
However, Kassius had a choice in what to say to the sullen child.
“I’ll make you tea when you learn.”
Isabella smiled brightly.
Kassius’s mouth twitched at that.
Even Kassius, who was easily able to eat anything, didn’t like that.
Renisha laughed.
The scene of them walking down the hallway side by side, listening to Isabella’s chattering, was one he’d cherish for a long time.
Renisha knew exactly how Isabella had ended up here.
Kassius had rescued her and brought her here.
Perhaps it had been fate from the beginning.
It's possible that the two had a connection before Kassius met Renisha.
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