Stella knew instinctively. She shouldn't bring up what happened in the garden now. Even if she were to talk about it, she should wait until the next day; looking into his drunken eyes, she felt that bringing it up would surely cause trouble. Kendrick looked somewhat dangerous right now.
"I met Skyle earlier."
She spoke carefully so as not to let her voice tremble, and slowly closed and opened her eyes.
"Skyle?"
As Kendrick's arm loosened, Stella slipped away from him.
"We ran into each other by chance. We talked for a moment; did the smell stick to me then?"
Saying that, she placed it against her arm and sniffed. There was no smell at all. She had probably gotten used to it. Or maybe Kendrick was just joking. Either way, she thought Kendrick's intuition was incredible.
'How could he notice it right away?'
Kendrick pulled her back into his arms as she sniffed. Stella noticed her face turning red.
"Stella. As I've said every time, I can't divorce you. And."
She stroked his arm as if asking to be let go. This arm had to let Stella go so she could escape, whether into the hallway or the bathroom.
"I absolutely cannot tolerate adultery, either."
'...adultery?'
However, the more she tried to pull her arm away, the tighter Kendrick ensnared Stella. It was hot and suffocating. Far from having an affair, Stella hadn't even brushed her fingertips against another man since their marriage. If anyone had brushed against anyone, it was likely Kendrick who had done so with other women more often. Yet, Kendrick looked at Stella with a flash of his eyes. She suddenly realized something.
"I won't let any man who lays a hand on you get away with it."
This man is seriously mistaken.
"What are you talking about?"
"I'm saying this just in case."
As she thrashed her arms, Kendrick let go of her. Instead, he stared at her intently.
"You didn't suddenly ask for a divorce because of another man, did you?"
It was just as expected. Kendrick was suspicious of Stella. He seemed to have misinterpreted Stella's request for a divorce, which she had made out of exhaustion with his indifference, and was having strange fantasies.
'A different man...'
She pondered. Should she clear up the misunderstanding? Or should she just let him think all sorts of things? The answer was the former. If Kendrick suspected Stella of having an affair, it would be Stella who would be the one in a predicament. A slight misstep could also negatively affect her request for a divorce.
"Why did you suddenly think of this?"
Stella gave up on calling a maid to change her clothes. Kendrick's face drew closer.
"Didn't I leave my seat for too long today?"
"I told you I was going to talk to my mother."
"What did you talk about?"
"..."
Stella closed her lips for a moment. How would Kendrick react if she brought up the topic of pregnancy?
"I'm your husband. I have the right to know everything about you."
Kendrick's breath touched the bridge of her nose. As his body scent intensified in an instant, Stella swallowed hard. Stella took a step back, but it was difficult to get away from the man with the fierce expression.
"Tell me. What happened throughout the banquet? And whose coat is that?"
Haa. She let out a sigh. She wanted to rest after going through so many things today. It looked like the conversation was going to drag on. She lowered her head.
"My mother told me to have a baby."
"Baby?"
"They told me to have a baby rather than just wait for you in the room. They gave me medicine to help me get pregnant."
Kendrick, who had been approaching like he was cornering his prey, paused for a moment. His pupils widened, and his rigid lips relaxed.
"So I was in the garden to clear my head."
It seemed he was surprised that she mentioned the child. After hesitating for a while, he opened his mouth.
“And you?”
"I met Skyle earlier."
She spoke carefully so as not to let her voice tremble, and slowly closed and opened her eyes.
"Skyle?"
As Kendrick's arm loosened, Stella slipped away from him.
"We ran into each other by chance. We talked for a moment; did the smell stick to me then?"
Saying that, she placed it against her arm and sniffed. There was no smell at all. She had probably gotten used to it. Or maybe Kendrick was just joking. Either way, she thought Kendrick's intuition was incredible.
'How could he notice it right away?'
Kendrick pulled her back into his arms as she sniffed. Stella noticed her face turning red.
"Stella. As I've said every time, I can't divorce you. And."
She stroked his arm as if asking to be let go. This arm had to let Stella go so she could escape, whether into the hallway or the bathroom.
"I absolutely cannot tolerate adultery, either."
'...adultery?'
However, the more she tried to pull her arm away, the tighter Kendrick ensnared Stella. It was hot and suffocating. Far from having an affair, Stella hadn't even brushed her fingertips against another man since their marriage. If anyone had brushed against anyone, it was likely Kendrick who had done so with other women more often. Yet, Kendrick looked at Stella with a flash of his eyes. She suddenly realized something.
"I won't let any man who lays a hand on you get away with it."
This man is seriously mistaken.
"What are you talking about?"
"I'm saying this just in case."
As she thrashed her arms, Kendrick let go of her. Instead, he stared at her intently.
"You didn't suddenly ask for a divorce because of another man, did you?"
It was just as expected. Kendrick was suspicious of Stella. He seemed to have misinterpreted Stella's request for a divorce, which she had made out of exhaustion with his indifference, and was having strange fantasies.
'A different man...'
She pondered. Should she clear up the misunderstanding? Or should she just let him think all sorts of things? The answer was the former. If Kendrick suspected Stella of having an affair, it would be Stella who would be the one in a predicament. A slight misstep could also negatively affect her request for a divorce.
"Why did you suddenly think of this?"
Stella gave up on calling a maid to change her clothes. Kendrick's face drew closer.
"Didn't I leave my seat for too long today?"
"I told you I was going to talk to my mother."
"What did you talk about?"
"..."
Stella closed her lips for a moment. How would Kendrick react if she brought up the topic of pregnancy?
"I'm your husband. I have the right to know everything about you."
Kendrick's breath touched the bridge of her nose. As his body scent intensified in an instant, Stella swallowed hard. Stella took a step back, but it was difficult to get away from the man with the fierce expression.
"Tell me. What happened throughout the banquet? And whose coat is that?"
Haa. She let out a sigh. She wanted to rest after going through so many things today. It looked like the conversation was going to drag on. She lowered her head.
"My mother told me to have a baby."
"Baby?"
"They told me to have a baby rather than just wait for you in the room. They gave me medicine to help me get pregnant."
Kendrick, who had been approaching like he was cornering his prey, paused for a moment. His pupils widened, and his rigid lips relaxed.
"So I was in the garden to clear my head."
It seemed he was surprised that she mentioned the child. After hesitating for a while, he opened his mouth.
“And you?”
"Yes?"
"What did you say?"
He pretended to be unaffected, but seeing his eyes waver, he seemed nervous. Did he want to have a child, too?
"A child? I don't like it."
It didn't matter what his intentions were. She didn't want to have a child with Kendrick. Now, Stella wanted to live a life solely for herself. She didn't want to create a being she would have to take responsibility for—not just with Kendrick, but with anyone else.
"Why?"
Kendrick stared fiercely at Stella, as if craving an answer. When there was no response for a long time, he drastically closed the distance between them, close enough for their lips to touch.
"...There’s nothing I can’t have. Two years is quite a bit of time."
"If you have a child as if you were being pushed into it, will that child truly be happy?"
"You get lonely easily. It would be good for both you and the child if the family grew."
"A child is not a doll to soothe loneliness, honey."
Stella shook her head.
"I haven't even lived my own life properly yet. I have things I want to do, so I can't let myself be held back."
Stella didn't get swept up in Kendrick and spoke her mind clearly.
"What do you want to do?"
"I never thought I would be saying this," Stella nodded.
"What is it?"
Stella pursed her lips. She had no idea how Kendrick would react. She had unintentionally stalled.
"Author."
"What?"
Kendrick's tense expression relaxed as if he had heard an unexpected answer. Seizing the opportunity, Stella pushed Kendrick's chest and broke free from his embrace.
"This time, I really want to become an author."
And she went into the study as if running away. And so the night passed.
How did the story end up taking this turn? Kendrick, who had been worried about Stella's infidelity, was taken aback by her sudden confession.
"I want to become an author."
After that conversation, Stella acted as if to prove her words. She immersed herself in books in her study day and night or made appearances at gatherings of writers. Above all, the biggest change was that she began writing her own stories.
'Is this the right way to write it?'
Kendrick could only watch her growth in silence. Having devoted himself to business and read only books of a moderate standard, Kendrick was not well-versed in literature. Stella needed a mentor. In a corner of her study, the jacket Roy had taken off and given her was still there.
"Shall I find you a literature teacher?"
Kendrick, wanting to be of even a little help to Stella, asked.
"I don't want to ask you for help."
She wanted to write a fairy tale. Her first work was also a fairy tale featuring various animals. After several rounds of revisions, she became confident that it would be okay to show it to Roy. Stella packed her manuscript and Roy's coat and visited the Andra family.
"Young Master Roy does not meet just anyone. There are simply too many people who show up without permission. Who should I tell you?"
Stella blinked once at the servant's question.
"Well."
If Stella revealed her identity, the servant before her would immediately inform Roy Andra of the Duchess's visit, and he would not drive her away. However, she wanted to meet Roy as an author and an aspiring writer rather than as a noble to a noble. She carefully held the manuscript she held to her chest.
"Never mind the name, just hand over this manuscript first."
The attendant accepted the manuscript as if it were a familiar occurrence. It wasn't just one or two people visiting Roy like this. When writers who admired him came to see him in this manner, Roy sent nine out of ten away without even meeting them.
"All right."
However, it seemed that this time would be different. As one of Roy's close associates, he had heard recently that Roy was looking for a woman with purple hair. He was convinced that the woman standing before him was the woman Roy had been searching for.
Roy could not forget the purple-haired woman he had encountered when he first set foot in the Empire. The handkerchief she handed him bore only the name Stella. As far as he could tell, there was no noble lady named Stella with purple hair.
'That's strange. He definitely ran into that woman at the Duke Lanedict family's banquet as well.'
Even after checking the list of banquet attendees, the young lady with purple hair was nowhere to be found. Roy wondered if he was hallucinating or if the woman had a reason for hiding her identity. Thousands of thoughts raced through his mind.
"Did you look into it thoroughly?"
"Um... there is one among the noble ladies. In the Lanedict family..."
At the servant's words, Roy let out a deflated laugh and drew a line.
"There is no way that young lady is a noblewoman."
He remembered what he had felt when he bumped into her and fell. His heart was filled with a refreshing sensation. He did not even want to think that she might be another man's wife. Roy even considered the possibility that she might not be a noblewoman, but rather someone serving a noble.
"Mr. Roy. This."
The manuscript was in the hands of the servant who had come to visit Roy.
"Again?"
"Yes. After reading your writing, she asked to meet you."
Roy took pride in being an author. Despite having a pile of work to do, he could not turn down the writings of someone who requested a meeting. After all, he had to verify whether the writer was worth meeting.
'The Day the Rabbit's Ears Fell Off?'
Roy stifled a laugh at the title of the manuscript. Then he read through the contents.
'Cute.'
Both the character and the incident were unique. The rabbit's ears grew whenever it felt inferior to its younger brother, but one day, those ears just fell off. Although it still had some shortcomings, this unique aspect caught Roy's attention.
"What is the author's name?"
"She hasn't revealed it. She is still waiting in the drawing room."
The most fascinating thing is.
'That's strange.'
Despite its noticeable shortcomings, the story told by the unknown author was so vivid that it felt as if he were actually witnessing the scene.
'The scene is vividly depicted right before my eyes, as if by magic.'
When Roy went to study abroad in the Kingdom, he happened to mingle with magic students. Unlike the Empire, the Kingdom did not look down on wizards. While socializing with them, Roy learned simple healing magic. Consequently, he could sense magical energy more acutely than others. And this writing clearly contained magic.
By any chance, this post.
Roy put down the manuscript with a serious expression. Then he looked at the waiting servant.
"Did a wizard bring this?"
A brief silence followed his words. Soon, the attendant asked back with a bewildered expression.
"A, a wizard?"
The visitor the servant had seen was far from being a wizard. Completely unaware of such a realm of darkness, she appeared nothing but elegant, as if she had grown up as a hothouse flower. Roy frowned as he watched the bewildered servant.
'It looks like she came here, hiding the fact that she is a wizard.'
Roy smirked, his lips curving upward. He had been so preoccupied with the identity of the purple-haired woman that nothing interesting had happened in his life. For the first time in a while, an intriguing incident had arisen.
"Bring the owner of this writing before me immediately."
He needs to check what's going on.
He pretended to be unaffected, but seeing his eyes waver, he seemed nervous. Did he want to have a child, too?
"A child? I don't like it."
It didn't matter what his intentions were. She didn't want to have a child with Kendrick. Now, Stella wanted to live a life solely for herself. She didn't want to create a being she would have to take responsibility for—not just with Kendrick, but with anyone else.
"Why?"
Kendrick stared fiercely at Stella, as if craving an answer. When there was no response for a long time, he drastically closed the distance between them, close enough for their lips to touch.
"...There’s nothing I can’t have. Two years is quite a bit of time."
"If you have a child as if you were being pushed into it, will that child truly be happy?"
"You get lonely easily. It would be good for both you and the child if the family grew."
"A child is not a doll to soothe loneliness, honey."
Stella shook her head.
"I haven't even lived my own life properly yet. I have things I want to do, so I can't let myself be held back."
Stella didn't get swept up in Kendrick and spoke her mind clearly.
"What do you want to do?"
"I never thought I would be saying this," Stella nodded.
"What is it?"
Stella pursed her lips. She had no idea how Kendrick would react. She had unintentionally stalled.
"Author."
"What?"
Kendrick's tense expression relaxed as if he had heard an unexpected answer. Seizing the opportunity, Stella pushed Kendrick's chest and broke free from his embrace.
"This time, I really want to become an author."
And she went into the study as if running away. And so the night passed.
***
How did the story end up taking this turn? Kendrick, who had been worried about Stella's infidelity, was taken aback by her sudden confession.
"I want to become an author."
After that conversation, Stella acted as if to prove her words. She immersed herself in books in her study day and night or made appearances at gatherings of writers. Above all, the biggest change was that she began writing her own stories.
'Is this the right way to write it?'
Kendrick could only watch her growth in silence. Having devoted himself to business and read only books of a moderate standard, Kendrick was not well-versed in literature. Stella needed a mentor. In a corner of her study, the jacket Roy had taken off and given her was still there.
"Shall I find you a literature teacher?"
Kendrick, wanting to be of even a little help to Stella, asked.
"I don't want to ask you for help."
'Even if I have to save myself, I don't want to do it on my own.'
"Young Master Roy does not meet just anyone. There are simply too many people who show up without permission. Who should I tell you?"
Stella blinked once at the servant's question.
"Well."
If Stella revealed her identity, the servant before her would immediately inform Roy Andra of the Duchess's visit, and he would not drive her away. However, she wanted to meet Roy as an author and an aspiring writer rather than as a noble to a noble. She carefully held the manuscript she held to her chest.
"Never mind the name, just hand over this manuscript first."
The attendant accepted the manuscript as if it were a familiar occurrence. It wasn't just one or two people visiting Roy like this. When writers who admired him came to see him in this manner, Roy sent nine out of ten away without even meeting them.
"All right."
However, it seemed that this time would be different. As one of Roy's close associates, he had heard recently that Roy was looking for a woman with purple hair. He was convinced that the woman standing before him was the woman Roy had been searching for.
***
Roy could not forget the purple-haired woman he had encountered when he first set foot in the Empire. The handkerchief she handed him bore only the name Stella. As far as he could tell, there was no noble lady named Stella with purple hair.
'That's strange. He definitely ran into that woman at the Duke Lanedict family's banquet as well.'
Even after checking the list of banquet attendees, the young lady with purple hair was nowhere to be found. Roy wondered if he was hallucinating or if the woman had a reason for hiding her identity. Thousands of thoughts raced through his mind.
"Did you look into it thoroughly?"
"Um... there is one among the noble ladies. In the Lanedict family..."
At the servant's words, Roy let out a deflated laugh and drew a line.
"There is no way that young lady is a noblewoman."
He remembered what he had felt when he bumped into her and fell. His heart was filled with a refreshing sensation. He did not even want to think that she might be another man's wife. Roy even considered the possibility that she might not be a noblewoman, but rather someone serving a noble.
"Mr. Roy. This."
The manuscript was in the hands of the servant who had come to visit Roy.
"Again?"
"Yes. After reading your writing, she asked to meet you."
Roy took pride in being an author. Despite having a pile of work to do, he could not turn down the writings of someone who requested a meeting. After all, he had to verify whether the writer was worth meeting.
'The Day the Rabbit's Ears Fell Off?'
Roy stifled a laugh at the title of the manuscript. Then he read through the contents.
'Cute.'
Both the character and the incident were unique. The rabbit's ears grew whenever it felt inferior to its younger brother, but one day, those ears just fell off. Although it still had some shortcomings, this unique aspect caught Roy's attention.
"What is the author's name?"
"She hasn't revealed it. She is still waiting in the drawing room."
The most fascinating thing is.
'That's strange.'
Despite its noticeable shortcomings, the story told by the unknown author was so vivid that it felt as if he were actually witnessing the scene.
'The scene is vividly depicted right before my eyes, as if by magic.'
When Roy went to study abroad in the Kingdom, he happened to mingle with magic students. Unlike the Empire, the Kingdom did not look down on wizards. While socializing with them, Roy learned simple healing magic. Consequently, he could sense magical energy more acutely than others. And this writing clearly contained magic.
By any chance, this post.
Roy put down the manuscript with a serious expression. Then he looked at the waiting servant.
"Did a wizard bring this?"
A brief silence followed his words. Soon, the attendant asked back with a bewildered expression.
"A, a wizard?"
The visitor the servant had seen was far from being a wizard. Completely unaware of such a realm of darkness, she appeared nothing but elegant, as if she had grown up as a hothouse flower. Roy frowned as he watched the bewildered servant.
'It looks like she came here, hiding the fact that she is a wizard.'
Roy smirked, his lips curving upward. He had been so preoccupied with the identity of the purple-haired woman that nothing interesting had happened in his life. For the first time in a while, an intriguing incident had arisen.
"Bring the owner of this writing before me immediately."
He needs to check what's going on.
Comments
Post a Comment